Please click here for the pick-up / school bus procedures under inclement weather (updated on 29 August 2023).
| Type of Warning | Information for Parents |
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 Typhoon Signal No. 1 |
The school will operate as normal. |
 Typhoon Signal no. 3 |
The school will operate as normal unless advised otherwise. |
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If the signal is raised before school starts, the school will be closed. Please listen to television and radio announcements before school. Announcements are usually made from 6am onwards. The school will remain closed for children all day. If the signal is raised while children are at school, please make arrangements to collect your child/children if it is safe to do so. School buses will not operate. Please check our website, ESF App and SMS messages regularly. |
 Amber Rainstorm Warning |
The school will operate as normal. Please listen to radio and TV announcements in case the weather deteriorates. |
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1. Before the start of school – the school will close all day. 2. After students have set off for school but before the commencement of schools – If students arrive at school, they will be supervised until it is safe for them to be collected. 3. When classes are in sessions – Schools continue until the end of normal school hours and students are retained until conditions are safe for them to return home.Please check our website, ESF App and SMS messages regularly. |
At Kowloon Junior School we believe that every member of our school has the right to work and learn in a safe, supportive and caring environment. To enable this our Expectations Policy aims:
- To encourage pupils to develop responsibility and independence by understanding the reasons for, and the value, of self discipline and self control.
- To develop a sense of order, community, right and wrong, good and bad and an objective value of fairness.
- To enhance the pupil’s self esteem and encourage self respect and respect for others.
- To develop interpersonal skills which facilitate cooperation with others, problem solving and rational conflict resolution skills.
In line with our Mission Statement, the expectations at KJS are built around our values and attitudes as outlined in the Primary Years Programme:
Principled, Caring, Open minded, Thinkers, Communicators, Reflective, Knowledgeable, Inquirers, Risk-takers, Balanced, Respect, Tolerance, Independence, Empathy, Creativity, Confidence, Appreciation, Commitment, Cooperation, Curiosity, Enthusiasm and Integrity
Basic rules
In order to ensure the safety and well-being of all children there are a few basic rules at school:
• We should walk quietly around school
- We should all respect one another
- We should use their I.T.T.S. to help resolve conflict
- Before school there should be walking and talking only
Using our W.I.T.T.S
We promote the use of the strategy ‘W.I.T.T.S.’ in order to help children to deal with any conflict in school.
Essential Agreements:
Behaviour expectations will be discussed with the children in the first week of school and shared with you at the Year Ahead meeting. Agreements about conduct will be on display in the classroom throughout the year. At KJS we use restorative practice in order to address behaviour issues. We believe this is an effective alternative to punitive responses to wrongdoing. Restorative practice promotes dialogue, accountability, and a stronger sense of community. Above all it teaches children how to make things better rather than just pointing out behavioural mistakes.
Most behaviour issues are dealt with by the class teacher. On occasion, for serious or persistent behaviour issues, the Leadership Team may need to be involved. In these instances we will send a ‘Reflection Sheet’ to be completed by your child at home. If we see no sign of improvement or if a behavior is unacceptable parents will be asked to come in to school to discuss ways forward for your child.
Serious behaviour issues include:
- Violence
- Deliberately causing injury
- Persistent bad language
- Vandalism
- Persistent non compliance with adults
- Bullying (including cyber bullying)
Due to the large number of children with food allergies we do not allow food sharing in school. Parents are asked not to send in cakes or any other food to celebrate birthdays.
‘Success’ looks different for each child at Kowloon Junior School. We take great care to find out where your child’s strengths are so that we can plan learning experiences that will take them to their next level of ability or confidence in any given area.
Learner Agency
At KJS we believe that involving your child as much as possible in the questions ‘ What are we going to learn?’ and ‘How will we know what we have learned?’ supports their understanding of how well they are doing. Throughout the school from Y1 onwards children are taught how to assess their own performance and to identify their next steps for learning.
Welcome meeting
At the start of each year you are invited into school to attend a ‘welcome meeting’ with your child’s class teacher. Please take the opportunity to tell us about your child’s attitude to school, their strengths and areas of interest as it will help us to be able to provide the very best education for them.
Class based rewards
All class teachers have systems for praising children for their contributions to the class, including the use of House Points. These will be explained to you at the Year Ahead meeting in August.
Celebration Assemblies
Throughout the year we hold Celebration Assemblies to recognise different children’s effort and achievement. If your child has been chosen to receive a certificate you will be invited in to school to join us for the event.
Individual Needs
Some of our students work either above or below our general expectations. Our Individual Needs team work alongside class teachers to ensure that each child is able to achieve success at his or her level. If your child is receiving additional support you will be contacted in advance.
Student Success
Please let us know if your child has successfully demonstrated any aspect of our Guiding Statements or achieved particular success in any of their after school activities and we will endeavour to recognise and share this with the school community.
Positive lines of communication between home and school are an essential element of your child’s education. Effective communication enables students to receive continuity of education, care and support within home and school settings. At Kowloon Junior School we use many forms of communication to provide parents with essential information and to hear your opinions on our practice. This includes the use of online communication systems and the deployment of staff who have English as an additional language.
Contacting Us:
As a general rule, your first point of contact should be with your child’s class teacher. You are welcome to visit the school to discuss their child’s progress, ask questions, gain support or to have the opportunity to talk about their child/home issues. Please contact the class teacher in either of the following ways:
Email:
Emails to staff will be answered within 24 hours during the working week. We politely request that emails are used for short messages only.
Telephone call to the school office (37658700):
Although our teachers are unable to take telephone calls during the day, messages will be passed on to them as soon as possible by the administrative staff. Telephone calls are particularly useful for information such as a change in home time arrangements or for alerting us if your child is absent from school. Should a meeting with the class teacher not be possible or appropriate please contact a member of our Senior Leadership Team via email:
Gavin Macgregor Principal gavin.macgregor@kjs.edu.hk
Ciarian Fay Vice Principal ciarian.fay@kjs.edu.hk
Dawn Doucette Vice Principal dawn.doucette@kjs.edu.hk
Andy Eastwood Vice Principal andrew.eastwood@kjs.edu.hk
The school holds emergency contact and health details for all pupils. Parents are asked to modify their child’s contact and medical information on the Gateway whenever necessary. Gateway sign in can be accessed through the school website. Login information is issued to all parents. Please contact our IT Team directly at ictsupport@kjs.edu.hk if you have any difficulties accessing the site.
| Calendar |
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Parents are asked to refer to the school website for details of the school events. |
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Contacting You |
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There are many different ways we communicate with parents. Please find below an outline of the different forms of communication used by Kowloon Junior School: Day-to-day information about your child: Teachers sometimes need to contact parents to share information about the day. This will be done through email. Injury and illness: Telephone calls will be made where immediate contact with a family member is required. A member of staff will call the first named emergency contact as listed. Where no contact is made, a call will then be made to the second named contact. Repeat calls will continue until contact is made. School Closure: If the school has to be closed unexpectedly – for example due to severe weather conditions – relevant information will be posted on the school website. School/year group/class news and events: KJS uses the website and email as the main form of communication to parents. Invitations to or notification of any class excursions trips or special events such as celebration assemblies are posted on the website at least one week in advance. Weekly year group updates, providing an update on the previous week’s learning, are posted on Fridays. The main school newsletter is posted every Monday. |
| Contacting Us |
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Absence: Parents are asked to contact us before the start of school if a child is absent. If we do not get notification from you the School Nurse will call your family home. Parents out of town: The school expects to be notified if both parents are out of the territory. The name of an adult acting in ‘loco parentis’ should be given to the school in writing in advance. |
| School Website |
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| The school website contains further information about the school, photo galleries and links to the Gateway and ‘SPLAT’. |
Ms Carmen Chan, our school nurse is on duty every day from 8 – 4pm.
Our nurse will call you should immediate contact with the first listed emergency contact regarding an injury or illness. In an emergency situation, if no contact is made, a call will be made to the second named contact. Repeat calls will continue until contact is made.
To help us monitor health trends across the school, our nurse also calls home if a child is absent. Please help us by making sure you contact the school office first thing in the morning if your child is unwell and not coming in to at school.
The school holds emergency contact and health details for all pupils. Parents are asked to modify their child’s contact and medical information on the Gateway whenever necessary. Gateway sign in can be accessed through the school website. Login information is issued to all parents. Please contact the school office if you have any difficulties accessing the site.
| Allergies |
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Childhood allergies are increasingly common. Please ensure that your child’s medical information is up to date on Gateway. If your child suffers from any allergy we would be grateful if you made contact with the school nurse to talk through their needs. |
| Emergency Evacuation Procedures |
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| The school has clear emergency evacuation procedures which are practised regularly. |
| Food in School |
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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. |
| Healthy Living |
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At KJS we actively promote healthy living. We believe that a balanced lifestyle not only keeps us fit and healthy but that it is also fundamental to ensure optimum learning for us all. BE ACTIVE: We must eat healthily and include daily physical activity so switch off the TV and computer and get active. Always start the day off with breakfast followed by a good night’s sleep, this is a sure way for energy for the day and helps you concentrate more. Did you know not only do sports like basketball, netball, tennis etc. help us keep fit but household chores are also ways of keeping active! Ask your children to help hoover, dust or walk the dog…every little helps. Parents, be role models for you children, take the stairs instead of the lift and allow children to be involved in the planning/preparation of meals if possible. FOOD CHOICES: Fresh fruit and vegetables contain many vitamins and nutrients in both to help keep us healthy. Whole grains deliver vitamin B which helps build muscles and bones. Water keeps us hydrated and is vital for a healthy body. Home made food is always best. Processed food usually contains a lot of sugar and salt which is harmful to our bodies. As a general rule, the less packaging the better! Please make sure that your child’s snacks and lunches are as healthy as possible. SLEEP: Establish good sleep routines. Make sure all devices are turned off well before your child’s bed time. Teach them the importance of sleep
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| Heat and Air Pollution Procedures |
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Air Pollution Policy The School Nurse maintains the list of students with heart and respiratory problems. Parents are asked to update information about their child as necessary on the Gateway. If the API for the General Station (the upper range figure) exceeds 100 the following procedures will be followed: http://www.aqhi.gov.hk/en.html
API > 100 Students listed as suffering from heart and respiratory problems are excused from taking part in outside P.E. lessons. These students will go to the library during PE times. API 100 – 150 Lunch play is shortened for all students. Wet play time duties are followed. Outside PE sessions are moderated. API 150 – 200 + Outside play and PE sessions are cancelled. The school will consult the daily API before all class camps and excursions. A decision will be made by SLT after considering the location and itinerary for each trip. Heat Index Policy At times the heat levels in Hong Kong affect our arrangements for outside play. In accordance with the table below we will :
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| Injuries and illness |
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Telephone calls will be made where immediate contact with a family member is required. A member of staff will call the first named emergency contact as listed. Where no contact is made, a call will then be made to the second named contact. Repeat calls will continue until contact is made. |
| Mosquito Protection |
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Inevitably, Hong Kong living means mosquitos can be a problem, particularly in the summer months. The school works hard to ensure that the grounds are clear of any potential mosquito breeding areas and measures are taken daily to reduce the number of mosquitos around school. In order to avoid discomfort please consider using protecting your child against mosquitos before they come to school. |
| Prescribed Medication |
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IMPORTANT: If your child is required to take prescribed medication in school or on camp, you must ensure that a Medical Authorisation Form has been completed and signed by the parent. The completed form can be sent by letter to the school nurse or scanned (with a parent’s signature) and emailed to her at the following address: nurse@kjs.edu.hk For overnight camps all medicines must be handed in to the nurse before the camp by an adult (parent or helper) – not a student. The medicine must be in the original packaging* and clearly labeled with the following: a) Student’s name b) Student’s date of birth c) Doctor’s name d) Instructions & expiry date of medicine* * Medicine that is out of date or decanted into another bottle will not be accepted |
| Risk Assessment |
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| In line with ESF policy a full risk assessment is carried about before any camps or excursions from Kowloon Junior School. |
| School Bus Rules |
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Although the school buses are run by private companies there are clear expectations outlined by the school. Children should:
The bus companies are asked to keep a log of any issues arising on their bus. This is shared with school every week so that any problems can be followed up accordingly. |
| Sun Protection |
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Please note that we operate a strict no-hat-no-play system in school in order to promote safe sun practice. In summer months parents may wish to apply sun screen to their children before school. We expect children to drink lots of water throughout the day. Their drink bottle can be refilled at the water fountain. All hats and water bottles must be named. |
| Useful links about Childhood illness |
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| http://www.kidshealth.org |
When the bell rings at 2:30pm, staff work together to make sure the children get home safely.
Walkers
All children who are being picked up from school assemble with a member of the Leadership Team until they are picked up. Children are asked to wait quietly until they see their ‘significant adult’. If someone new is going to pick up your child it is important that you notify the class teacher of their name and that your child knows who they should be leaving school with. If possible it is preferable that we are introduced to the new adult before they start taking responsibility for your child.
Please be here to pick your child up on time. Any delay can be extremely upsetting for the children. Teachers will be on duty until 3 o’clock only. After this time your child will be asked to sit and wait for you in the school office. If you have been delayed please call the school office as soon as possible to let us know.
Buses
Most of the children at KJS take the bus every day. After the bell rings at the end of the day children walk to their bus lines where teachers as well as bus chaperones are on duty. If your child is not taking the bus on a given day it is extremely important that you notify both the bus company and the class teacher in order to avoid unnecessary delays for the rest of the children on the bus. The buses pull up right outside school. Children are escorted from the playground onto the bus as soon as their line is ready. Once on the bus children are on the bus they are reminded to take their bag off and put their seat belt on. The ‘KJS Bus Charter’ has been drawn up to ensure that the bus companies are also working to keep your children safe.
Children leaving independently
Some of our oldest children make their way home from school independently. It is important that we know who these children are. If it is your intention that your child will travel home on their own please let their class teacher know at the earliest opportunity.
Change in usual arrangements
On occasion we understand that hometime arrangements need to be changed at the last moment. If this happens please telephone the school office to let us know.
Hair ties should be blue or black and earrings should be studs or very small hoops. Necklaces, rings and bangles should not be worn unless for religious reasons. In such cases we ask parents to notify their child’s class teacher in writing.
There is a ‘lost and found’ area on the ground floor. Unnamed items in the lost and found area will be recycled within the school if left for longer than three weeks.
In line with our Mission Statement we work to ensure the school community works together to provide the very best for your children. Throughout the year there is a scheduled series of events to keep you informed and to give you the opportunity to share your thoughts with us.
Parent Forums:
From time to time we invite parents to work alongside the Senior Leadership Team to discuss a particular area we are developing within the school. These forums are often supplemented by a short online survey to ensure all parents are able to have their say in discussions even if they are unable to attend on the day. Details about each Parent Forum can be found on the school newsletter as they arise.
Workshops:
Parents as Partners workshops are held for parents throughout the year.
Helping in School:
There are so many ways that you can become involved in school life. We welcome all volunteers! Parents wishing to help in school on a regular basis will be required to attend school based training and are asked to complete the Parent Charter. (Click Link)
In the classroom:
If you are able to come and work in the classroom please let your child’s teacher know. On occasions we have special events which require parent help if you are unable to commit to a regular time.
Sharing skills and interests – ‘Community Skills’ database:
In order to develop children’s research skills we like them to find out from ‘primary sources’ – from people who have direct experience or knowledge about a given area of interest. This could be talking or answering questions about your hobby or job or sharing information about your home country. If you are willing please note your areas of interest/expertise on the form provided for inclusion on our database. If your area of expertise matches up with a Unit of Inquiry one of the children may email or call you to invite you in to school!
Educational Visits:
On occasions throughout the year, the children will be taken out of school to visit places of interest connected to their work. Full details of all such visits will be sent to parents well in advance.
Library help:
Please contact our librarians if you are able to come and help in the library. We really appreciate all the help we can get.
PTA:
Each year our wonderful PTA need a representative from each class to join the committee. Other parents are asked to give their support to help with PTA events throughout the year.
Parent Meetings Parents are invited to attend at least four meetings throughout the year:
Year Ahead Meeting:
Scheduled at the start of the year, the Year Ahead Meeting couples the opportunity to meet your child’s new class teacher and find out about the expectations and routines in their new class with the opportunity to find out about the school’s strategic plan.
Welcome Meeting:
In the first weeks of school the class teacher will invite you in to give you an opportunity to tell us anything you feel we need to know about them.
Parent/Teacher Consultations:
The consultation evenings in the first term enable teachers and parents to meet and discuss each child’s progress. Some specialist teacher appointments can be made at this time. Meetings last fifteen minutes – if this is not long enough to discuss particular issues a further meeting will be arranged by the class teacher.
Mandarin Consultations:
Each year group will be offered the opportunity to meet with their child’s Mandarin teacher throughout the year.
Student Led Conferences:
In the second term, Student Led Conferences give the chance for students to talk through their achievements over the course of the year and share their next steps for learning.
Individual Needs Meetings:
Children on the Individual Needs Register at Level 2 or above have an updated IEP or SSP at least every six months. Each IEP or SSP offers practical advice to parents on how they can work with school staff to support their child in achieving targets to assist the child’s progress.
We aim to keep parents as informed as possible about their child’s learning
Unit overviews:
Every six weeks parents will be emailed a Unit of Inquiry overview. This offers an insight into what children might be exploring at school over the course of a Unit of Inquiry. Particularly useful for parents of children who may find it difficult to articulate what they’ve been doing at school, these overviews outline the key elements of each Unit of Inquiry as well as offering some ideas on how to support your child at home. It should be noted that as our Programme of Inquiry is a dynamic document there may be some change within Units of Inquiry as teachers plan and reflect on what the children have learned and need to learn.
Weekly updates:
Posted weekly, these updates reflect on the learning that has been happening over the past week.
Written Reports:
Seven written reports are available online each year. Parents will receive an email to remind them to access their child’s report.
In order to avoid any loss or unnecessary peer pressure, parents are asked to support our rule of no toys in school unless your child has been asked to bring something in for ‘Show and Tell.’
It is an expectation that KJS students proudly wear their correct uniform to school.
It is always pleasing to see the students so well presented in their uniform as it fosters an ethos of high standards in our school community.
School uniform is available from the PTA shop.
The basic uniform can be supplemented with a school fleece and long trousers when the cold weather arrives.
School shoes should be black.
The PE kit requires white trainers – coloured trainers are not uniform attire.
Hair accessories should be blue or black.
White socks should be visible above the shoe line.
Tights can be white or navy blue.
The KJS school bag is available from the PTA shop. The bags have been made to fit comfortably into the school’s storage space for each year group.
A school hat in the appropriate House colour should be brought to school every day. In order to protect students from the sun’s harmful rays we operate a ‘no hat – no play’ policy.
Please make sure that your child is wearing the correct school uniform and that all clothing and equipment is clearly named.