Newsletter- 17/05/23
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 newsletter finds you well! It has been an exciting week here at our school, filled with community-building events and activities. I would like to share some of the highlights with you.
Y5 Jump Rope for Heart Event
On Tuesday, May 16th, our Year 5 students participated in the Jump Rope for Heart event. It was truly memorable to see all 150 students work collaboratively in their House teams, skipping non-stop for an entire hour. Even when the rain started halfway through, our resilient students kept going, demonstrating their commitment and determination.
Throughout the event, there was a genuine sense of connectedness and belonging among the students, teachers, and staff. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to join in the fun and participate alongside our enthusiastic students. Our dedicated PE team and Year 5 teachers, led by Ms. Hadley and Mr. Riddell, encouraged the students throughout the event. Their hard work and coaching made this possible, and I extend my deepest gratitude to them.
I would also like to thank everyone who sponsored and donated funds for this meaningful event. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Just a reminder – the deadline for submitting funds is this Friday.
PTA Coffee Morning
On Wednesday morning, May 17th, we held a PTA Coffee Morning, which was a tremendous success. The positive turnout was another step in the direction of strengthening our school community. It was a pleasure to connect with so many of you and engage in meaningful conversations. I would like to extend my gratitude to the KJS PTA for organizing this lovely event. We look forward to hosting many more such gatherings in the future.
ESF Transition Day
Friday, June 2nd is ESF Transition Day. Our Year 1-5 students will have the opportunity to meet their teachers for the next academic year, while our Year 6 students will spend time at KGV. Our incoming Year 1 students and their families will be involved in an extended session, where they will meet and spend time with several teachers, including the classroom teacher and specialist teachers. This is a great opportunity for our students to become familiar with their new learning environments and build connections with their future teachers.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement in our school community. Together, we are creating an enriching and nurturing environment for our students to grow and thrive.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Jamie Schmitz – Acting Principal
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
Let’s support Hong Kong’s urgent appeal for blood donations
Hong Kong’s blood supplies are at extremely low levels, in particular, blood types A, B and O-negative. These shortages put lives at risk and I know many of us will want to take action and help those in need by giving blood. Some good news is that more of us are now eligible to donate blood. This is due to the lifting of restrictions that prevented some former residents of the UK, Ireland and France from giving blood in Hong Kong. The ban, which was due to concerns around the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, ended in December. While donations of blood types A, B and O-negative are the highest priority, donors of all blood types are urgently needed to replenish Hong Kong’s heavily depleted stocks. Our CEO Belinda Greer is a lifelong blood donor and ESF continues to support the Red Cross appeal with blood drives happening across the organisation. Those wanting to take immediate action in response to the city’s critical shortages can find information on how to donate on the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion website.
News from the PTA
Hello KJS Community,
KJS and PTA Coffee Morning 17 May 2023
What a great morning we had here at KJS today! In spite of the rain, many parents came and spent quality time with Jamie Schmitz, Dawn Doucette, Ciarian Fay, Andy Eastwood and Anne Rayton.
It was a really good meet and greet opportunity with parents connecting with each other and various staff members who were present.
School Fair!
We are already planning ahead to the School Fair which will be held during Term 1 of the new school year. We are now actively seeking major prizes for the Raffle ticket and for team leader volunteers to start the process (Yes! Believe it or not, it actually takes six months to get it into place!).
So please, think ahead and let us know if you are able to help out with prizes of any size and if you are able to volunteer your time to make this happen. Remember, we cannot do it without you!
Please contact Rekha in the PTA Office via email on pta@kjs.edu.hk or call her on 3765-8709.
Better still, drop into the newly renovated PTA Office and get to know each other.
Have a great week ahead!
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.
