Newsletter- 15/12/23
Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.
Dates for Your Diary
8 January First Day of Term 2
Principal’s Message
Dear Families,
As my first term as Principal comes to an end, I couldn’t let it pass without expressing my gratitude and appreciation for the support that the whole school community has shown. This has been an incredible journey for me, and I have been amazed by the commitment of everyone to make KJS such a warm and enriching school community.
As we all prepare to take a well-deserved break, I want to extend my warmest wishes to each and every one of you. Whether you are spending time with loved ones or travelling, I hope this time off brings you the rest and rejuvenation you deserve.
I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that one of our dedicated Educational Assistants, Mrs. Patsy Chu, will be retiring after more than 20 years of dedication to KJS. Her support and commitment to our students throughout the years will be greatly missed and we thank her for her service to our school.
In addition, our Year 6 teacher, Ms. Rebecca Llewelyn, will be leaving us at the end of this term to begin her maternity leave. After careful consideration, she has decided not to return to KJS next academic year. We thank her for her passion and dedication in teaching our students and we wish her all the best for the exciting journey ahead as she prepares to welcome her new addition to the family.
I would also like to wish our Year 5 teacher Ms. Ellie Grant all the best as she begins her maternity leave. We look forward to welcoming her back when she returns in the Summer.
And last but not least, thank you to our remarkable students whose positive energy, and enthusiasm have made every day a joy for me. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to seeing all of your bright faces back at school on Monday 8th January.
Wishing you all a wonderful and restful break .For those celebrating Christmas, I wish you a Merry Christmas.
Warmest regards
Mr Gavin MacGregor
Principal
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,
Last day of the term, which has just flown by! We have had a wonderful first term with school and PTA activities in full swing.
But we don’t stop there and we are already planning the next events and are super excited to share some details with you for Term 2.
Lonnie Bedwell Visit HK!
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. He addressed our Year 3 students last June via Zoom and was so amazing in his message that we have arranged for him to come to Hong Kong personally.
There will be a talk at school as well as other events during his visit. Details will be shared later.
In the meantime, you can find out more about Lonnie on his website here.
Saturday 16th March KJS PTA School Fair
The main and biggest event of the PTA Calendar! Bigger than the Monsters Ball, bigger than the Winter Festival, this one will be the ultimate fun event!!
Save the date and mark your calendars!
Volunteers and donations welcome, we will need all the community’s help and support to make this a successful event.
Planning is already underway, so if you can contribute in any way, let us know. Think about your own cultural food items, your company’s donations, taking a commercial table to sell goods, giving an hour of your time to volunteer at a PTA stall, bringing your own special skills to a stall and create an unique atmosphere for everyone.
Chartwells Lunch service – Important notice
We are pleased to provide you with an update on the lunch service at KJS. As we approach the end of the first term, we have been closely monitoring the data and gathering feedback from stakeholders. Our goal is to continuously improve the current system.
To ensure a smoother and more efficient process, we have made some changes to the meal ordering system. Starting from now, you can order meals for your children only between the 15th and 25th of each month, for the following calendar month. If you miss this window, don’t worry! The ordering window will reopen at the start of the next month.
Today is the first day to order your meal choices for January 2024.
We kindly request parents and caregivers to pay attention to their children’s lunch schedules. We have noticed a significant number of students arriving at school without ordered or packed food on a daily basis. This has caused confusion and upset among the children, as well as wasted eating time trying to sort out the situation.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Chartwells directly via WhatsApp at 9551 6983. Their operating hours are Monday to Friday, from 8:00 to 17:00.
We wish you all a wonderful holiday and festive season with your families, and we look forward to seeing you all back in the new year.
Best wishes,
The KJS PTA Team
Extra Curricular Activities with KJS Registered Tutors
Interested parents, please contact the organiser directly for sign-up.
Clay Club
Writing Club
Chess Club
Junior Baking Class with KJS Registered Tutors
Interested parents please contact the organiser directly for sign-up.
ESF Explore
As Term 1 approaches its end, get a head start by enrolling in our Term 2 programmes! We offer many programmes, including but not limited to basketball, netball, Spanish, tennis, HTML and Javascript coding at various levels, catering to primary students. Check out the schedule for Kowloon Junior School here.
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.
