Newsletter- 23/02/24
Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.
Dates for Your Diary
29 February- 1 March Y4 Camp
4-8 March Book Week
5-7 March Book Fair
13-14 March Author Visit- Kev Payne
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.
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,
Welcome back after the Chinese New Year break! We hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating with your loved ones.
On Monday, ESF hosted its first foundation-wide conference day. The event was attended by all our Education Assistants, Teachers, and Senior Leaders from Year 1 and 2. It was a fantastic opportunity for collaboration with other schools and to learn from experts in the field of early years learning.
It was fantastic to see so many students dressing up and celebrating International Mother Language Day today. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their language and culture with us.
We have been contacted by the site team at KGV who have requested parents to only walk through the site at the times specified on the back gate. Your cooperation with this request is greatly appreciated.
Mr Gavin MacGregor
Principal
Parents Talk
Do you sometimes feel apprehensive about something you have no control over? With children, have you noticed that sometimes your child may express worries over trivial issues and is unable to stop himself/herself from thinking negatively?
There will be times when anxiety can get the best of us. Similar to adults, children will have worries and concerns. Some may experience excessive weariness, they may also have a sense of dread/heaviness that can be overwhelming. When faced with a difficult predicament, the natural inclination is to face the challenge head on or avoid the triggers causing stress. Most psychological research has shown that applying short term coping mechanisms such as avoidance provides immediate relief; however, it has its limitations. Prolong reliance on this type of coping strategy may negatively impact one’s self confidence, self esteem, amplify (perceived and real) fears and stress.
At some point in our lives, we’ve experienced some challenging situations that made us feel uncomfortable. Due to uncertainties, we’re left unsure of ourselves. Naturally, our mind and body respond automatically to protect us from perceived threats and harm. Additionally, how we mobilise both our internal and external resources play an important role on how we cope and resolve problems.
It’s equally important to note that “Normal worries” can actually be beneficial to us. We all have anxiety. Anxiety is part of our emotional state that acts as a barometer on how we govern our daily lives. Children can learn to plan and to prepare to address problems appropriately and build resilience.
The goal of this presentation is to provide parents with information on Anxiety. Additionally, it will include an overview of different types of anxiety disorder.
Date: 13 March 2024
Location: Kowloon Junior School, 1st Floor Library
Time: 3-4pm
Attendees: KJS parents
Facilitator: Ian Ong, Student Counsellor
Light refreshments will be provided
*Registration through the gateway will open at 4pm on Monday 26 February 2024 and close on Monday, 12th March at 4pm (Under “Activity” on Gateway)
Library News
International Mother Language Week (20-23 February)
Thank you for celebrating International Mother Language Week with us.
International Mother Language Week is observed every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
At KJS, we celebrated the week with Parents and Caregivers reading stories to students in classrooms and library. It was important to demonstrate the importance of preserving students’ native language and created awareness of how many of them are able to speak so many languages. An unknown fact, through research, we’ve found that KJS families speak at least 12 other different languages at home. It’s amazing the cultural diversity and demographics of our student population.
To foster our mother language, at home, read and listen to different language books together with your child. Through this practice, it transfers and protects traditional knowledge and cultures. The library has bilingual and Chinese books for students to borrow. Ask your child to take one home during their weekly library class.
Here are some photos taken over the week:
Book Week (4-8 March)
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
The highly anticipated Book Week is coming up in two weeks! KJS Library Monitors and Library Team have been working hard to organize a series of events.
This year’s theme is “Read, Grow, Inspire” and it’s in collaboration with Kowloon in Bloom. KJS areas will be decorated with beautiful African Marigolds decorated with author and book titled themes. Stay on the lookout.
Here is a slideshow of events planned and more information will be communicated in library class:
- Daily Book Quizes
- Daily Mystery Readers (Library)
- Book Fair March 5-7th (4th floor) – Parents and Caregivers invited to visit before and afterschool (8:00-8:30, 2:45-3:30)
- Readathon March 4-22nd – Students are invited to participate in readathon where they read in return for donations of money from sponsors. Money raised will go towards supporting Bring Me a Book Hong Kong (BMABHK), a charity selected by KJS Library Monitors. More information and booklet for Readathon can be found here.
- Book Dress Up Parade and Dance with Buddies March 8th– students in different year levels will have the opportunity to show their costumes to their buddies and dance!
Aside from the above, we are extremely thankful for the support of the KJS PTA who are generously supporting the following author visits:
Author Visit – Kev Payne – March 13 & 14th
Kev’s sessions aim to nurture and develop students’ skills and enthusiasm towards reading and writing connected to their current Unit of Inquiry. Five books have been selected and are available for purchase through ESF Gateway starting today! Limited quantities are available on a first come, first served basis.
Year 2 Author (Karine Yoakim Pasquier) & Illustrator (Lorena Chan) – March 4 & 6th
Workshops will be held over two days with Year 2’s. Students will learn the process of writing with Karine (author) on March 4th. As a class, they will develop a story together. On March 6th, Lorena (illustrator) will teach skills of water painting with Year 2’s. Karine and Lorena’s books will be available for purchase. Details to follow.
Year 4 Author Visit – Suzanne Younan – March 7th
Year 4’s will have a special opportunity to meet with author, Ms. Suzanne Younan. She will be sharing her story about how she took action by writing a story to provoke reaction in communities in Hong Kong and around the world to reduce single use plastics. Get ready to be inspired! Suzanne’s books will be available for purchase. Details to follow.
Looking forward to celebrating with all of you. Please contact our library team if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
KJS Library Team
ESF-wide Art Exhibition
ESF is going to hold a student art exhibition in late May to early June. Shortlisted art pieces of each school will be displayed in the art exhibition.
Interested students should submit their art piece to their class teacher on or before 19 April.
Exhibition Details:
ESF Art Exhibition 2024
Art Exhibition Period: 29 May – 2 June 2024 (Grand Opening on 28 May, 6pm – by invitation)
Time: 10am – 7pm (29 May – 1 June), 10am – 4pm (2 June)
Venue: Exhibition Hall, Hong Kong City Hall, 5 Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong
Fee: Free admission, open to public
Artwork Theme: Faster, Higher, Stronger
The Paris Olympics are almost upon us. Every four years, athletes from every country, from all walks of life and of all faiths and none come together to celebrate the remarkable nature of humanity. The Olympic podium is the highest point in sport, but those three medals do not represent the totality of the spirit that guides the Games, nor do they tell the story of the sacrifice, hard work and dedication of every participant.
This year, our ESF art exhibition is all about humans and their extraordinary power to achieve. Every single day, people in our schools, in our homes and in our communities are doing remarkable things and this is what we seek to celebrate in this show.
This need not just be about the people who have achieved something headline grabbing. It can also be about the people who do things to help us, to make our lives better and to support us in what we do. Who are the change makers? Who goes above and beyond for us? Who, in our lives, is dedicated to being faster, higher and stronger in the service of others? These are the people we seek to shine a light on.
Points to note for submission-
1) We accept drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, pixel art, digital art or photography that is relevant to the art exhibition theme.
2) Parent permission and consent should be granted for the child’s art piece image or video and any information about the art piece, including name, school year and school name, to be shown publicly.
3) The art piece must be the student’s original work without infringing any intellectual property rights
4) Each submission confirms that they consent to the use of the personal data for this art exhibition, such use to be in accordance with ESF’s Personal Data Handling Policy and its related Personal Information Collection Statements (“PICS”). A copy of the PICS can be found on the ESF website (www.esf.edu.hk).
5) All images or videos and other information of art pieces collected may be disclosed to third parties, including external service providers or website developers, for this art exhibition.
ESF Centre reserves the right to remove any sensitive content or art pieces that might potentially violate the law. When submitting art pieces, please be considerate of others and be sensitive to the content depicted.
Shortlisted art pieces will be returned to students after the exhibition.
News from the PTA
Hello everyone and welcome back, we hope you all enjoyed the festive season with your families. Of course now we are looking forward to the main event of the PTA Calendar, the Annual School Fair!
KJS PTA Annual School Fair
Detailed planning is well under way with our dedicated team of Fair Committee volunteers, but we still need help. Please fill in this Google Form if you can give an hour of your time or donate an item towards any of the PTA tables. This could be food, unused games, gently loved books or baked goods.
Please take a moment to fill out this form to Volunteer & Donate items. Your contribution is truly appreciated!
Raffle Tickets
Your participation goes beyond just trying your luck; every ticket sold is a stepping stone towards enhancing the quality of education and resources for our kids. These funds directly benefit their learning environment, making every sale an investment in their academic process.
All proceeds will be used to help purchase new interactive whiteboards for the classrooms. You can see a video about the whiteboards here.
And the cherry on top? Spectacular prizes!
- A dreamy stay at an incredible resort in Cambodia
- High-tech delights and latest tech gizmos: MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, and Chromebooks
The possibility of winning these amazing rewards is just a few tickets away!
Now, here’s where the real magic happens. The Top Sellers will be rewarded with exclusive prizes from our supportive KJS PTA!
- To Sell More Tickets: Simply reach out to friends, family, or neighbours and share the excitement. Your dedicated contribution is invaluable! You can ask the PTA for more tickets to sell if you run out.
- Elevate Your Chances to Win: Every ticket you sell increases your chance for both the raffle prizes and the exclusive reward for top sellers!
Thank you for being the force behind our flourishing KJS community. Your participation is what makes these events a success. Looking forward to celebrating every one of your sales victories!
The tickets have been already distributed to your children and they should have brought them home already. If you need more tickets to be sent with your child – please email us or contact Rekha in the PTA Office.
Important point: As per Government licence regulations, tickets MUST NOT be sold in public places to unknown persons. Please focus on selling them to friends and family.
Registration for the Fair!
Whoo Hooo!
Here’s the good news about the Fair:
The event is free admission and open to all friends and families of the KJS Community.
We do however need to anticipate expected guest numbers for our planning so please register here if you are coming.
Talent Show
As part of the Fair, we will be having a Talent Show of some of our students! It can be dance,music, recital, drama, comedy, magic acts or anything that your child would like to perform and share with their school friends.
Please fill in this Google Form if your child would like to be considered for the Talent Show.
Drake The Dragon
Drake is the official Mascot of KJS and will be the Guest of Honour at the School Fair, do come along and get acquainted!
We look forward to strengthening and building on this wonderful community here at KJS!
Have a great weekend ahead.
The KJS PTA Team.
ESF Explore – Spring Camp 2024
Spring to life and join ESF Explore for a thrilling adventure! From 25th March to 5th April, we offer a variety of courses and workshops for students of all ages. With morning classes and afternoon workshops, we’ll keep your kids engaged and entertained this Spring. Discover our Spring Camp programmes 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.
