Newsletter- 12/01/24
Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.
Dates for Your Diary
9-19 February Term Break
29 February- 1 March Y4 Camp
16 March KJS PTA School Fair
21 March Year 1 and Year 2 Fun Field Day
22 March Last Day of Term (school ends at 12:00)
9 April First Day of Term 3
Team Events
Please see below for the following team events that some of our students will be taking part in this term. As always those involved will be notified nearer the time.
6 February Kowloon Schools Cross Country Festival
23 February Kowloon Schools Basketball Festival
27 February Kowloon Schools Tag Festival
2 March ESF Cross Country Festival
15 March HKPSSA Tag Rugby Festival
16 March HKPSSA Cross Country Festival
20 March HKPSSA Basketball Festival
Principal’s Message
Dear Families,
Firstly, a warm welcome back to all of you. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas break and enjoyed quality time with their loved ones.
As we begin the new term you will be well aware that Chinese Lunar New Year break is just around the corner, only four weeks away. Being new to Hong Kong, I am personally looking forward to experiencing the vibrant and joyous celebrations that this cultural event brings. We will be sharing more information soon about our school’s plans for the Lunar New Year, so stay tuned!
It was so pleasing to see how well the students have settled back into their classes with ease after the holiday break. It’s truly impressive to witness how quickly they adapt and get back into the swing of things.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome back to Ms. Kylie Cornwall, who has returned from her maternity leave to lead the Year 6 team. We are delighted to have her back with us.
It’s that time of year again, when sickness and flu is on the increase through school. While we all hope that our children can stay healthy, sometimes they do fall ill. If our school nurse determines that your child is too sick to be in school, it’s important that they be picked up as soon as possible. We know it can be inconvenient, but it’s for the well-being of your child and their fellow classmates.
On a slightly different note, we’ve also noticed an increase in the number of students bringing Apple Watches to school. While we understand the convenience and benefits of these devices, we want to remind students that they should be kept in their school bag during the day, just like our policy for mobile phones. By following this process, we can ensure that the learning environment remains focused and free from distractions.
As always I want to thank you for your ongoing support, please do reach out to me directly if there are any questions or concerns you may have.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Mr Gavin MacGregor
Principal
Parents Talks
Emotional Regulation
Have you noticed why children sometimes have difficulty managing their emotions when they are upset or anxious? It’s common for babies to cry, toddlers to tantrum and occasionally for primary school students to explode like a ferocious volcano. This is how they communicate their feelings and needs when feeling stressed.. Even as grown ups, we at times will verbally express our discontent when we are exasperated when things don’t go according to our plan.
Feeling discombobulated can make us feel helpless as our strong emotions get the best of us. Anger, frustration, sadness and anxiety are some of the powerful emotions that everyone experiences from time to time when faced with challenging situations. Our intense emotions not only affect how we function throughout the course of the day but our perception and understanding of the situation we’re facing. These emotions serve as an important barometer of our internal states and how to best respond to a situation. For children, this can affect how they feel about being at school, dealing with friends and most of all, their sense of selves.
This presentation will focus on how emotions play a significant role in our daily lives and its primary function in regulating one’s emotional state. A quick overview of Zone of Regulation also will be presented to help parents understand how we can help them develop age appropriate skills in making decisions by acknowledging and managing their emotions.
Date: 7 February 2024
Location: Kowloon Junior School, 1st Floor Library
Time: 3-3:45pm
Attendees: KJS parents
Facilitator: Ian Ong, Student Counsellor
Light refreshments will be provided
*Registration through the gateway will open at 4pm on Monday 15 January and close on Monday, 5th February at 4pm (Under “Activity” on Gateway)
Flexible Thinking in Children
We certainly heard about the benefits of thinking outside the box and being creative in finding novel solutions. Flexible thinking follows that same notion. It is an adaptive process that we teach children so they are able to develop important skills such as assessing the situation, problem solving and tolerating uncertainty. This talk dovetails the previous presentation on executive function in children and links with growth mindset.
Generally, children are resilient and hardy. Despite facing uncertain or difficult situations, they are able to find ways to cope and adjust without major worries. However, some children require extra time and patience when they transition to a new school or dealing with challenging learning tasks. Some may benefit from additional support to help them manage and sort through struggles and emotions they may encounter.
Goal: To learn more about flexible thinking and how it helps foster Growth Mindset. How can we help young learners be more adaptive when dealing with challenging situations at home, at school and in the community? Identify the benefits of teaching flexible thinking and tolerance. This endeavour is part of helping children gain important life skills to become more independent, internalise success and boost self confidence.
Date: 24 January 2024
Location: Kowloon Junior School, 1st Floor Library
Time: 3-3:45pm
Attendees: KJS parents
Facilitator: Ian Ong, Student Counsellor
Light refreshments will be provided
*Registration through the gateway will open at 4pm on Monday 8 January and close on Monday, 22rd January at 4pm (Under “Activity” on Gateway)
News from the PTA
Hello KJS Community,
Happy New Year everyone! We are super excited because this term has so many exciting events planned, including a very inspirational visitor to our school and the biggest event of the calendar, the 2024 KJS PTA School Fair!
Lonnie Bedwell visits KJS!
In the week of January 22nd: We have a very special visitor flying in from the United States to talk to our community in person. Lonnie is a blind military veteran, extreme adventure athlete, motivational speaker and author.
Lonnie made a special connection with KJS and one of our families when they were at the Mt.Everest Base Camp in April 2023.
Now, Lonnie will be in Hong Kong personally from January 22- 28 and will be addressing our Years 5 & 6 students on Wednesday January 24 at a special assembly here at KJS.
KJS PTA have partnered with SENsational Foundation to facilitate his visit to Hong Kong and they are hosting a fundraising dinner at the Hong Kong Cricket Club on Friday 26th. This promises to be a very special event as Lonnie will be talking about his experiences and sharing stories with Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of the first sherpa to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest.
If anyone would like to attend this special evening, book a table or donate towards the fund raising, please contact Rekha in the PTA Office directly.
Saturday 16th March KJS PTA School Fair
Save the date and mark your calendars!
The main and biggest event of the PTA Calendar is only weeks away.
Planning has started and we would love to have you involved.
Volunteers and donations welcome, we will need all the community’s help and support to make this a successful event.
For those kind parents who have committed to a donation, please arrange to have them sent in to the PTA Office asap so we can start organising them. If you have any questions, please contact Rekha in the PTA Office on 3765-8709 or email pta@kjs.edu.hk
Chartwells Lunch service – Revised ordering timetable
We have started the new year with the revised arrangements and the initial result has been promising, though we will continue to monitor the situation for improvements.
Starting from now, you can order meals for your children only between the 15th and 25th of each month, for the following calendar month. Reminders will be sent to all parents via the ESF App and the Chartwells App. To ensure you get the messages, make sure your phone settings are modified to allow the notifications.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chartwells directly via WhatsApp at 9551 6983 or email kjs@compass-hk.com. Their operating hours are Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to 17:00.
We look forward to an exciting and active term with all the KJS Community!
Best wishes,
The KJS PTA Team
Extra Curricular Activities with KJS Registered Tutors- Clay Club
Interested parents, please contact the organiser directly for sign-up.
Student Success
Thank you for sharing your child’s achievements with us over the past year.
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.
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.
