Newsletter- 16/08/24
Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.
Dates for Your Diary
18 September Public Holiday
1 October Public Holiday
7-11 October Mid Term Break
29 November CPD Day
13 December Last Day of Term (school ends at 12:00)
6 January First Day of Term 2
Principal’s Message
Dear KJS families,
We hope everyone had a fantastic summer, whether you spent it here in Hong Kong or travelled abroad. It was wonderful to see so many smiley faces return to school this Wednesday!
A special welcome to our new Year One students who have started school this week. We are incredibly proud of how excited and courageous they have been during this big transition. A big thank you to Dr. Melissa Giglio for her excellent talk to the Year One parents. Her discussion on ways to support our children, whether it be through sleep, diet, or screen time, was extremely informative and helpful.
We would like to remind parents that if someone else is collecting your child, you must notify us in advance. If this is not possible, the person collecting your child must show a text message as proof. No parent should be collecting another parent’s child without proper authorization.
Next week, on Thursday and Friday, we will be trialling a new approach to bus drop-offs. Some buses will be dropping off at our second gate. More information regarding this will follow soon.
We wish you all a happy and restful weekend.
Warm regards,
Mr Gavin MacGregor
Principal
School Bus Arrangements
If your child is taking the school bus, please make sure they know their bus number.
In case of any changes to the pick-up arrangement on any particular day, please kindly inform the school office either via the ESF App or email at office@kjs.edu.hk before 12:30pm if possible. It is important to allow sufficient time for the message to be delivered to your child and the class teacher.
If your child is taking the school bus but has fixed days as a walker, please inform the class teacher and the school office so that appropriate measures can be taken to ensure your child is sent to the walker’s area on the specified days.
Personal & Medical Information Update
For health and safety reasons, please kindly review and update your child’s personal and medical information as well as your family/emergency contact details on Gateway, to make sure we have the most up-to-date information of your child.
Absences
In case of absences, please remember to email the school office at office@kjs.edu.hk and the class teacher as soon as possible explaining why your child is away from school. Please be precise and list out the symptoms rather than saying he or she is ‘unwell’ or ‘has a cold’. Information will be forwarded to our School Nurse for her reference and follow up if necessary.
Student Grant Application 2024 – 2025
2024/25 student grant will open for application sometime in September 2024. Parents are expected to submit online applications using the e-submission platform. Further details will be announced soon.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Please register for “iAM Smart+” with digital signing function
- Please DO NOT download or submit any paper form from the EDB website at this point as the form/information is dated (from 2023/24)
Other Useful Information for Parents
Message from School Nurse
Welcome to KJS and hope all of you had a nice summer break!
We need your help to maintain our school a safe and healthy environment! Here is a friendly reminder for the new school year:
No Nut and No Food Sharing: Due to the large number of children with food allergies we do not allow food sharing in school. Parents are asked to be mindful of this and not to send in any sort of food for sharing with others. KJS operates a no nut policy – please remember that peanut butter and Nutella both contain nuts.
Unwell: Please keep children home from school for the following symptoms and remain out until the symptoms have stopped for 48 hours (without the use of medicine):
■ Temperature of 37.8 °C or higher
■ Diarrhoea or Vomiting
■ Suspicious undiagnosed rash and/or itch
■ Frequent, congested cough
■ Yellow or green drainage from nose and/or eyes
It may indicate your child may be carrying something contagious.
Medication in School: If your child needs to have emergency or regular medication in school, please contact us (Email: nurse@kjs.edu.hk) for the arrangement. To comply with ESF standards and policy, all medication that is required to be given at school, either regularly or only in an emergency, must be prescribed by a doctor and authorised by the parents/guardians. (Medication Authorisation Form.pdf)
Communication: We will contact parents via phone for emergencies and pick up arrangements for sick students. Please save our school office phone number 37658700 in your phone contact for better communication.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
News from the PTA
Hello KJS Community,
Welcome back to the new school year!!
We hope everyone had a good break and are now recharged and refreshed for the excellent study and happy learning.
Getting Involved at KJS with PTA
Our mission in PTA is to make the school a better place for children to learn and grow by bringing together parents, teachers and children to strengthen the school community. We are planning a lot of great activities this year for you and we encourage you all to get involved as little (or as much) as you can! Your volunteering will allow us to have more events, more happenings in school with your participation and together we can enrich our kid’s school life to make it a truly happy place for the whole community!
PTA encourages parental involvement in school activities and decision-making processes. More than 85 research studies conducted over the past 30 years prove that kids do better at school when parents are involved. Involved parents understand the challenges schools face and they become part of the solution. When parents are engaged and take part in school events, fairs, any school activities, it creates a positive and supportive environment for students. Increased parental involvement is linked to improved academic performance and reduced behavioural issues among students. JOIN NOW: fill in this Google Form
Don’t worry if you have no idea what to do, we will guide you. Also we understand that many of you are working parents – we accept any form of help and any time you can dedicate & give to KJS!
As a parent, you play a fundamental role in shaping your child’s educational experience. Not only does joining the PTA give you a voice in school activities and policies, it also provides opportunities to meet other parents and become part of a supportive community. Here are the ways you can get involved, no matter your time availability or resources:
- Help Occasionally with Events – We understand that juggling family, work, and personal life can be challenging, leaving little room for additional commitments. However, even the smallest contribution can make a significant difference. If you have limited time but still want to help, consider volunteering occasionally for PTA events.
- Be a Team Leader for particular events – if you have the time to attend meetings on site ahead of the event
- Join PTA Executive Committee – For parents who can commit more time and wish to have a more substantial impact, joining the Executive Committee is an excellent option. This involves being part of the core group that plans and executes PTA and school projects, participation in meetings either on site or over zoom.
- Be a Sponsor for the KJS PTA – If your time is limited but you still want to support the PTA, sponsoring is a fantastic way to contribute. Donations can take many forms, from items and materials to financial contributions.
- Become a Class Representative – Responsible for communicating to other parents in your child’s class and managing communication channels. More information on this can be found below.
JOIN NOW: fill in this Google Form and become more involved in your child’s journey at KJS. For those who have already registered, thank you! We will contact you shortly.
Class Representatives
Class Reps (Class Representatives) play an important role in communications between the school, the PTA and parents by being the key person in charge of the class communications. More details about the role and what is involved can be found here. Deadline for application is August 27th. So please APPLY NOW.
For those parents who would like to volunteer to become a Class Representative for their child’s class – please fill in this Google Form to indicate your interest. You can also contact the PTA Office directly as well to let us know :
PTA Office T: 3765-8709 ; PTA Email: pta@kjs.edu.hk ; PTA Whatsapp: 6211-4154
All successful applicants of each class will be contacted separately and invited in for a coffee morning for more information and guidelines.
KJS FB Community Group
We cannot wait to hear your holiday stories and photos and children’s achievements with the community of the KJS PTA FB Group – we’d love to see what everyone got up to and cheer for you! You are also encouraged to share any photos & videos from school related events when you visit us.
Please be mindful about guidelines in the group. It is a closed group for KJS students only, yet we sets strict rules that we need everyone to understand and follow:
- Be respectful to each other – we are all part of this amazing community, so let’s make sure that we discuss issues in a manner befitting this great school.
- This is not the place to raise individual concerns – if you want to raise an issue, then please contact your teacher via email or one of the school leadership team.
- Don’t name or tag children in photos – even though this is not a public group, we are still following the best practice guidelines when it comes to the use of photos of children. You can post pictures of groups of students, but don’t name them individually – just refer to their class or year group.
- Ask your child if you are posting about them – in line with our approach to digital citizenship, it is good social media etiquette to ask your child if they are ok with you making a post about them. If they are ok with it, then you are good to go.
- If in doubt then don’t post – if you are unsure about whether or not it is appropriate to post something in the group, then you probably already have your answer 🙂
If you are not yet a member, send in your request for verification and we will confirm it. We currently have almost 900 members and growing! – https://www.facebook.com/groups/kjscommunity
Lunch Service at KJS.
We are delighted to let you know that the lunch service provider is Chartwells, a member of the Compass Group of executive catering. To enjoy the service, parents/caregivers must fill in this Google Form with their personal and relevant information, after which they will receive usernames and passwords that will enable them to access the ordering system though a designated App.
Please note that current account holders also need to re-register for the new academic year with updated class information. The window for ordering must be done between the 15th-25th of each school month to enjoy the service for the following month.
If you need any further information, you may contact Chartwells directly on
Hotline and Whatsapp: 9551-7973 (Mon-Fri, 8:00-17:00) Email: kjs@compass-hk.com
Contact our Administrator, Rekha Mahbubani, in the PTA office for more details and let her know if you’d like to drop in to make sure she is in the office when you come. Save our contact details below:
PTA Office T: 3765-8709
PTA Email: pta@kjs.edu.hk
PTA Whatsapp: 6211-4154
Website: www.ptakjs.com
We are looking forward very much to the coming months and many wonderful events that we can do with more engagement from all members of our community!
Best wishes,
The KJS PTA Team
ESF Explore
Kick-start Your New Academic Year with Exciting Activities – Term 1
As the new academic year commences, why not explore a range of active and creative activities to enrich your life? Whether you’re looking to pick up a new skill or take your existing talents to the next level, we’ve got the perfect programmes for you. Discover our diverse offerings in: Sports, Languages, Playgroups, STEM and Arts.
Check out our class schedule in the Kowloon district HERE and Programme Catalogue HERE to find the perfect fit for your interests and goals. (Class held at ESF Campuses)
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.
