Newsletter- 24/05/23
Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.
Dates for Your Diary
26 May Buddha’s Birthday
22 June Dragon Boat Festival
30 June Last Day of Term 3 (school ends at 12:00)
16 Aug First Day of School
Acting Principal’s Message
Dear KJS Families,
I hope this message finds you all well and in good spirits. As we continue to move quickly towards the end of the school year, I am excited to share some recent events and updates.
PTA Coffee Morning: A Heartwarming Success!
Our PTA Coffee Morning was a resounding success! We were delighted to see so many of you in attendance, and the positive energy was palpable. It was heartening to see the return of informal opportunities to connect and build community, as these moments remind us that KJS is truly “our school.”
We look forward to hosting many more coffee mornings in the future, and we will explore ways to provide learning opportunities in addition to community-building. A special thank you to the PTA for hosting this event, and we hope it was an excellent opportunity for you to connect with other senior leaders at KJS.
Introducing the Newly Refurbished PTA Space at KJS
We are thrilled to announce the opening of our newly refurbished PTA space, located between the front office and the Y1 hub. This welcoming space is perfect for families to meet, connect, and collaborate. It reflects our ongoing efforts to ensure that everyone feels valued and welcome as a KJS community member.
We will be seeking many more volunteers to support various events and initiatives across the school. Please share your ideas, feedback, and availability directly with the PTA Office. Together, we can make KJS an even more vibrant and enriching environment for our students.
KJS Times Application: A Great Opportunity for Students
The ever-popular KJS Times is now accepting applications for student contributors! This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their talents in writing, photography, and design, as well as develop valuable skills in teamwork and communication. By participating in the KJS Times, students will have a chance to make their voices heard and contribute to our school community in a meaningful way.
This year, the KJS Times is not assigning specific roles. Instead, the News Team will be open-minded and flexible, allowing students to try new challenges and learn different skills throughout the year. To apply, students can send an email to kjstimes@kjs.hk or submit a 1-minute video to our Flipgrid explaining why they’d like to join the team.
Applications should include the student’s name and class, something interesting about them, their strengths and skills, and a fresh idea for The KJS Times this year! For more details on the application process, please visit KJS Times Recruitment Process
As always, thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Together, we will continue to make KJS a nurturing and inspiring environment for our students to grow and thrive.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Jamie Schmitz – Acting Principal
Parent workshop – “How Sensory Integration can enhanced Children’s Attention” – CANTONESE
ChildPsy is organising a free online webinar for Chinese parents who may be interested to learn more about the topic “How Sensory Integration can enhance Children’s Attention.” This workshop is catered to Cantonese-speaking parents and teachers.
Organizer: ChildPsy Assessment & Learning
Topic: How Sensory Integration can enhance Children’s Attention
Date: 31 May 2023 (Wed)
Time: 7:30-8:30 pm
Format: Online (Zoom)
Speaker: Ms. Kristan, Senior Occupational Therapist
Language: Cantonese (Powerpoint in English and Chinese)
Audience: Parents of 3 to 9-year-old children and teachers
Please contact us through WhatsApp if you are interested: https://wa.me/57281002
Food Drive
Dear KJS Parents,
Good day, our names are Sitara and Felix, and we are a part of the Zero Hunger Global Goal Group in the PYP Exhibition.
We are pleased to inform you that our group is hosting a food drive to support people who can’t afford food. The boxes for our food drive will be outside the KJS office from the 22nd of May, 2023, till the 2nd of June, 2023.
We’re doing this because 10% of the world is impoverished, and none are fed efficiently. The world needs to act. But there in the sky is a glimmer of light. We have a chance to fix it, but it might be our last chance. You can start now by donating food to the food drive and helping people experiencing poverty.
If you’re wondering what food you can donate, below is a table to explain.
Please do not bring food in glass bottles / jars.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and we hope you and your children will donate to our food drive.
Sincerely,
Sitara & Felix
Year 6 students
Join the virtual audience for ESF’s largest inter-school Esports Tournament
I am pleased to share the exciting news that ESF is staging its largest inter-school Esports Tournament on Saturday 3 June (secondary teams) and Sunday 4 June (upper primary teams). This incredible event will see 25 student teams from across 18 of our primary and secondary schools come together to demonstrate their skills using this year’s chosen computer game – Minecraft. Minecraft was selected by our teachers and students, who are big fans of the game, which encourages players to collaborate creatively and problem-solve while tackling building challenges and immersing themselves in imaginative adventure-style puzzles. The tournament will be live-streamed on the ESF Facebook page so please join us in watching and supporting our talented students with encouraging comments and Likes.
The 13th Annual Hong Kong TCA Scholastic Championship 2023
Student Council Recruitment
Dear Students & Parents,
We have an exciting leadership opportunity for students moving into years 4, 5 or 6 in the 2023-2024 school year. The KJS Student Council is recruiting for students from the above year levels who are passionate about student voice, and taking positive action to make KJS an even better place for their fellow students, parents and staff!
Please see the attached slideshow which explains the skills needed to take on this important role and the application process.
The 2023-2023 Student Council Application Process
If you have any questions about the Student Council or how to apply, please contact Mrs. Bailey at bailea5@kjs.edu.hk
Kind regards,
The KJS Student Council
News from the PTA
Hello KJS Community,
Five Weeks Left!
We can’t believe we only have 5 weeks left in this school year! Time has flown by so quickly, and soon we’ll be enjoying our summer holidays before returning for a fresh new school year.
Though time is ticking, we still have plenty of opportunities to accomplish a lot before the end of the term. One of our major upcoming events is the School Fair, which will take place in Term 1 of the next academic year. The exact date will be announced soon, but we’re already starting to plan and gather resources to make it a success.
To make our School Fair a fantastic and memorable event, we need the support of our incredible school community. We’re currently looking for:
- Big prizes and small prizes: Donations of new items, gift certificates, or experiences that can be used as raffle prizes or game rewards.
- Volunteers: Helpers to assist with setting up, running game booths, serving food, and cleaning up after the event.
- Team leaders: Organisers with experience or enthusiasm for coordinating different aspects of the Fair, such as managing the volunteer schedule or overseeing the game booths.
If you’ve never been involved in an event like this before, don’t worry! Our team will be there to support and guide you every step of the way. This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved, meet other parents and guardians, and contribute to the success of our school community.
Please let us know if you’re interested in contributing to the School Fair by contacting Rekha in the PTA Office via email on pta@kjs.edu.hk or call 3765-8709 during school hours. We’re excited to work together and make this event a highlight of the upcoming school year!
What Does the PTA Do?
Good question! We support all the community members in different ways and help strengthen links between parents, staff and students.
Here are some areas we are working currently:
Supporting the New Year 1 Families when they attend the Transition Day on 2 June
Working with the Student Council Representatives to promote their latest project, Catherine’s Puppies, a dog rescue centre in Sai Kung.
Helping the Year 6 Team organise the graduation ceremony on 29 June
Working with the school office team for closer collaboration and seamless communication
Planning the many events for the coming academic year
If you have any ideas that you would like to see happen here, let us know. But remember, we cannot do it alone, we need teamwork!
Have a great week ahead and enjoy the extra holiday on Friday 26 May!
The KJS PTA Team
Student Success
Dear parents,
Thank you for sharing your child’s achievements with us over the past year. As the school principal, I am always delighted to hear about the accomplishments and growth of our students. We appreciate your enthusiasm in wanting to share these achievements with our school community.
In recent times, as we continue to adapt to the post-pandemic context, our focus has shifted back to the original purpose of our school’s social media channels. Our goal is to use these platforms to strengthen the school community by highlighting the many events, activities, and collaborative projects that involve our students, staff, and families. Through this approach, we aim to foster a sense of unity and celebrate the collective accomplishments of our school community.
While individual achievements are undoubtedly significant and provide a source of pride for both the student and their family, sharing every student’s accomplishments on our social media channels is no longer feasible. Our intention is to create an inclusive environment where all students, regardless of their individual accomplishments, feel valued and celebrated.
That being said, we encourage you to share your child’s achievements with their teacher and peers, as well as within your personal social media networks. This way, your child’s accomplishments can be recognized and celebrated by those who know them best.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we continue to navigate the post-pandemic educational landscape. Our school community’s strength lies in our collective efforts to celebrate the diverse talents, achievements, and experiences of all our students.
Kind regards,
Dr. Jamie Schmitz
Disclaimer
- Kowloon Junior School, English Schools Foundation and its affiliates shall take no responsibility for any activities, events, and services that are organised by other organisations or individuals and are mentioned in our newsletters.
- Our newsletters may contain direct marketing materials that are related to students’ daily school activities and the KJS community. Parents who choose not to receive such materials should use their own discretion.
- In accordance with our Personal Data Handling Policy, Kowloon Junior School and English Schools Foundation may place your child’s photos, name, school work, activities and accomplishments in our newsletters or other publications (including but not limited to our websites and social media sites). If you would like to opt out, please email the school office at office@kjs.edu.hk.
