Principal’s Message
Dear Parents
Earlier in the week, I attended Nord Anglia Education’s Annual Conference where all 46 schools and the Senior Leadership are present to discuss educational matters and future plans.
The honoured guest was Lord David Puttnam, the former film producer (“Chariots of Fire”, “Local Hero”, “Midnight Express”) who now chairs International Education organisations around the world. He was very impressed to hear about our school and the work that we do in the Arts, in particular so he plans to visit us in the near future.
Our school was also filmed for training purposes. The star of the film was our very own Jane Archibald who had to act out good and bad ways to meet and greet parents (I had a walk-on part!). It was used during one of our sessions at the conference and was very well received.
There is an awards ceremony at the end of the conference and I am delighted to say we won two awards. The main one was the school Recognition Award in the honour of us being the first Nord Anglia Education to achieve nine top grades in an external school inspection, as well as for opening two new campuses in three months.
Congratulations to all the staff, pupils and parents for helping to make this all happen.
Congratulations too, for the wonderful Mooncake event for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Thank you everyone who donated and to the staff, parents and pupils involved in such a special occasion.
Well done, too, to all the staff and Year 7 pupils who took part in the Race around Hong Kong. You are all winners!
Today we had a brilliant assembly from 5C with a great message about being the best you can be – what better way to finish the week!
Have a great weekend.
Brian Cooklin.
Principal.
GENERAL NOTICES
UPCOMING EVENTS
16-20 October
Half-Term, School Closed
27 October
Spooktacular Halloween Party
YOU’RE INVITED TO SEE OUR MAKERSPACE
Time’s running out to sign up for a play and explore session in our fabulous new Makerspace next Wednesday, 11 October. Get hands on experience with the tools and techniques your children will be using as part of our STEAM curriculum and MIT partnership. The workshop will be hosted by our STEAM co-ordinator Darren Sutton in our purpose-built Maker Space which opened this year. During the workshop, you will have a chance to experiment with 3D printing, electronics, robotics and green screen technology. Places are limited and on a first-come-first-served basis, so please sign up ASAP to make sure you don’t miss out. Email Darren.Sutton@nais.hk to book your visit.
MUSIC APP OF THE WEEK
This week we introduce ‘Blob Chorus’, a great App for aural training and pitch recognition for our younger learners.
CALLING ALL PILOTS & ANYONE WORKING IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
We need you to come and share your insights and experiences with our students. For more detailed information about the commitment required and the dates involved, please contact Darren.Sutton@nais.hk.
HONG KONG MUSIC FESTIVAL DEADLINE – For Year 1/Upper Kindergarten and up
A warm reminder that Music Festival applications are due by Monday, 9 October. Please click here for the application form and letter, and visit the Hong Kong Music Festival website for further details about individual pricing and the syllabus.
Dizzy Goals Update
Thanks so much to Mr. Holt and the Year 4 football team who have joined over 75 people who have taken the Dizzy Goals challenge and helped to spread awareness about the United Nations vital campaign to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality and tackle climate change before 2030.
The scores as they stand today are:
The closing date to submit will be 8am on Monday, 9 October so this is the last weekend for you to join in. If you haven’t uploaded your video yet, please do so before Monday morning. Teachers and parents are also encouraged to take part and spread the word about the Global Goals around your community. All entries will count towards the final tally. Please be warned that you must take the challenge in a wide-open space where you will have a soft landing if you fall!
The house padlets for uploading videos are linked to below:
· Windsor
· Balmoral
Winners will be announced on International Day in November.
If you need more inspiration, here’s Marta Viera de Silva (widely regarded as the greatest female footballer of all time) taking her Dizzy Goal.
LAM TIN UPDATES (scroll down for Tai Tam and Sai Kung campus updates)
UPCOMING EVENTS
9 October
Tanzania Information Session 4:30-5:30pm
11 October
Parents Makerspace Exploration Session for parents
12 October
Year 5 Production 1:30-2:30pm
13 October
Class Assembly 2B, Carl Davidson
Secondary Sports Day at Kowloon Bay Stadium – click here for important updates
27 October
Spooktacular Halloween Party
Save the Date
Primary Sports Day on Friday, 1 December
RACE AROUND HONG KONG
Our Year 7’s had an absolute blast on Wednesday as they braved wet and thundery weather in this years time Cross-Curricular Team Challenge day ‘Race Around Hong Kong’. Their objective was to 'race' around Hong Kong collecting as many points as possible as they went. The teams plotted their strategies to win, taking into consideration timings and compulsory pit stops. Everyone had a great time. Who do you think won out of the following teams? Team Lopes, Team Jouffrey, Team Rolfe, Team Milligan, Team Howe, Team Cattrall, Team Day, Team Liu and Team Procter? All shall be revealed next week ...
STAY UP TO DATE
Don't forget to read your child’s class blog on Firefly as it’s the best way to see what’s happening.
PE
Years 7, 8 and 9 have been working very hard in PE curricular time to extend their knowledge of track and field events. They have been practicing improving their technique in throwing, jumping and running in preparation for their sports day.
All the houses are in discussion as to what participants would be most suitable for each event to gain their house the most points on sports day.
ENGLISH
What an exciting and busy term it has been so far! Students have created magical worlds across KS3, explored the weird and wonderful world of Gothic Literature and analysed Dystopian literature past and present.
Year Ten are continuing to develop the important skills of critically responding to literary texts. They should now have a sound knowledge of the importance of the context of a novel and how much it impacts on the themes and characters in it.
Feedback from mid-term assessments will be given in the last week of term with a focus on what went well and also how students can do even better next time round.
IB DIPLOMA NEWS
These are exciting (and very busy) times for the school. Having sent our application for candidacy, we are now well on our journey towards obtaining full IB Diploma Authorisation. This has involved producing information on teaching practices, assessments, inclusive education practices, and professional development for teachers. The next step is to become an IB candidate school and continue the journey of development with an IB assigned consultant who will guide us through the next stages. Once we’ve submitted an application for authorisation, a date will be set for a two days verification visit. Two IB trained visitors will then read through our curriculum and procedures, talk to teachers, the board, the members of SLT, Mr Cooklin and of course parents and students. As you can see, getting authorised is one heck of a process. We will keep you updated with our progress. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the IB Diploma development at NAIS HK, please do not hesitate to contact Catherine Jouffrey, our schools IB Diploma Coordinator at Catherine.jouffrey@nais.hk.
Read about Ms Jouffrey here. For more information about becoming an IB school, click here.
ASSEMBLY TIME
Primary Assembly – Class 5C, Lizzy Grundy
Congratulations 5C on an incredibly inspiring assembly today about Captain Cook and what you have happened if he hadn’t tried his best. Luckily he did try his best otherwise there would be no Aussie’s at our school!
Secondary Assembly
In today’s secondary assembly pupils were reminded of the grading system used in the forthcoming Progress Reviews, so they are aware of what the grades mean for them along with targets written by staff. It was stressed to pupils that the main focus should be on grades awarded for effort, behaviour and progress. These reviews will be available to parents on Friday, 13 October and an explanation sheet will also be included for the benefit of parents.
Details of the forthcoming Sports Day at Kowloon Bay Sports ground, also on Friday, 13 October were also shared. All pupils were encouraged to ensure that every space on each team sheet is filled to maximise the chances of their House winning the Sports Day trophy.
STARS OF THE WEEK – THEME
Congratulations to our “Stars of the Week”. Keep up the good work!
Year 1: Jayden Deng, James Chaisit, Charlotte Wong, Aadan Sheehan, Iriana Kincaid
Year 2: Derek Zhang, Kyle Chan, Isabella Chan, Ho Chuen Gan, Fargerlin Milo
Year 3: Oliver Southeren, Alicia Ying, Declan Chew, Yujin Lee, William Wang
Year 4: Hannah Chan, Audrey Marwood, Arthur Au, Yuri Takaku, Nathan Pang
Year 5: Evelyn Bowen, Taisiya Bogucharskaya, Yasmin Merrill, Warren Nam, Oscar Smeets
Year 6: Anne Chan, Ashley Siu, Joylon Pease, Kevin Wu, Felix Zhang
HIGH COMMENDATIONS – MANDARIN
Year 7: Boco To, Sherise Cheung
Year 8: Jasmin Dewar
Year 9: Emmylin Aree Alder
Year 10: Amy Jung
See their smiling faces here.
TAI TAM UPDATES
Message from the Head of School
Dear Parents,
It has been a very short week this week, but lots of learning has still been happening around the school. I have been in Lam Tin observing the new teachers there and in my absence, a number of new resources for the children have been delivered. These include soft play equipment for the whole school which has been set up in the Construction areas and the PE space. There is a new magnetic tube trolley which will complete our Science / Steam areas in the school. We are still expecting large climbing equipment, as well as den making equipment and mud kitchens to complement and extend the children’s learning environment.
We are looking forward to welcoming many of you to school next week for Parent Consultations.
Mrs Sarah Harley.
NOTICES
16 – 20 October
Half-Term School Closed
27 October – Save the date!
Spooktacular Halloween Party – join us at the Lam Tin campus for a fun and festive time
PARENT CONSULTATION INFORMATION
Thank you to all our Nursery and Reception parents who have signed up to come and meet with your child’s teacher. If you haven’t done so yet please email your class teacher directly to organise a time.
INTERNATIONAL DAY – 15 November
International Day will be celebrated across all three sites at Nord Anglia and we will be looking for parent volunteers who would be willing to come in and help our children learn about different cultures here in Tai Tam.
If you would be interested in coming in and reading a story from your culture, sharing some food or even running a small cooking class we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email Katie.malone@nais.hk to let us know and we will liaise with the schools PTA to make it a thoroughly enjoyable learning experience for all.
BLOGS
Please continue to check the blogs for weekly information about what your child has been learning in school.
INSET DAY – 10 November
School is closed to all pupils for staff training.
SPORTS DAY
Year 1 children will join in the whole of Primary Sports Day on Friday, 1 December – EYFS will have a separate sports day with Sai Kung EYFS in the Spring. More information will be given about both events nearer the time.
CHRISTMAS SHOW
Save the date for our Tai Tam show on Tuesday, 12 December – all the children will take to the stage and parents will be invited.
NO NUTS
We are a nut free school as we have a number of children with severe nut allergies. Please remember this when packing your child’s snack and lunch, as we cannot allow nuts of any kind in the building. For snack we suggest a small piece of fruit or bread.
SPARE CLOTHES
We do have a small supply of spare clothes for emergencies, can we remind everybody to add a spare set of clothes to your child’s bag every day, just in case!
SAI KUNG UPDATES
Message from the Head of School
Dear Parents,
Although it’s been a short week, the pupils have packed a lot of learning into our three-day’s. I had the privilege of visiting all the classes this week, as I was conducting teacher lesson observations. While visiting, I saw a huge range of activities and different approaches to learning, but what was common in all of them was the joy and engagement evident in each lesson. From the Nursery, who have been going wild about sharks, to the Reception children making a pizza shop; it’s been a treat to listen to the children explain their learning with such enthusiasm. I particularly enjoyed our Mandarin lessons this week, where the children learnt about the culture and traditions around the Mid-autumn festival.
My overall impression after seeing each class is that the school feels very mature, which is impressive after such a short time.
Next week parents of Nursery and Reception children are coming in for our parent consultation sessions. We look forward to seeing some of you then.
Kind regards,
Naima Charlier.
Head of School.
NOTICES
16 – 20 October
Half-Term School Closed
27 October
Spooktacular Halloween Party – join us at the Lam Tin campus for a fun and festive time
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Curriculum Overviews
You can find detailed information about the curriculum for the coming term on our Firefly pages. Please do take a look and ask your teacher if you have any questions.
BLOGS
Please continue to check the blogs for weekly information about what your child has been learning in school.
LIBRARY BOOKS
Children will bring home a weekly library book starting this week. Please share these books with your child and help them to remember to bring it back on their library day. Your class teacher will let you know which day this is.
PARENT CONSULTATION INFORMATION – EYFS - Tuesday, 10 and Wednesday, 11 October
EYFS parents are invited in to school for a Parent Consultation. This Parent Consultation is a chance for you to talk with your child’s class teacher about your child’s learning and development throughout this half term. Your teacher will talk to you about how your child has settled, what they are enjoying at school and any next steps that they will be taking throughout the coming weeks. This time is also a chance for you to ask any questions that you may have and celebrate all of the wonderful learning that has happened in the first few weeks of school.
There is a digital sign up system on Firefly – please click here to access this and book your appointment time.
INSET DAY – 10th November
School is closed to all pupils for staff training.
INTERNATIONAL DAY – 15 November
International Day will be celebrated across all three sites at Nord Anglia and we will be looking for parent volunteers who would be willing to come in and help our children learn about different cultures here in Sai Kung.
If you would be interested in coming in and reading a story from your culture, sharing some food or even running a small cooking class we would be delighted to hear from you.
Please email SaiKungReception@nais.hk to let us know and we will liaise with the schools PTA to make it a thoroughly enjoyable learning experience for all.
PARENT CONSULTATION – Year 1
If your child is in Year 1, they will have a Parent Consultation later this year. This will be on Tuesday, 28 November and you will have an opportunity to sign up for a time to discuss your child’s learning, development, progress and next steps with the teacher. This time will also be a chance to talk about and celebrate your child’s achievements in their first few months of school. However, if you would like to talk to your child’s class teacher before then, regarding how your child has settled into school, then please do email them to arrange a suitable time for you.
SPORTS DAY – 1 December
Year 1 children will join in the whole of Primary Sports Day on December 1. EYFS will have a separate sports day with Tai Tam EYFS in the Spring. More information will be given about both events nearer the time.
CHRISTMAS SHOW – 13 December
Save the date for our Sai Kung show – all the children will take to the stage and parents will be invited. More details will follow.
BLOGS
Don't forget to read your class blog.
Click here for the Nursery.
Click here for the Reception.
Click here for the Year 1.
