Newsletter- 24/08/22
Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.
Dates for Your Diary
23 August First Day of School
12 September Public Holiday
13 September Y5 Day Camp (2021/2022 Y4 Camp – Day 2)
14 -15 September You Tell Us Meetings
01 October Public Holiday
04 October Public Holiday
17 – 21 October Mid Term Break
01 – 04 November School Photo
16 December Last Day of Term (Half day)
19 December – 06 January Term Break
09 January First Day of Term 2 (school ends at 12 noon)
Dear KJS Families,
Welcome to the new school year! We are thrilled to have our students back in-school after an extended summer break. The positive energy and just pure excitement was palpable on Tuesday morning as our students entered the campus to connect with staff and friends. There is no doubt in my mind that students bring us into the present moment and help to centre our attention on what is most important…them. No matter what we haven’t quite prepared or still have to do, it all seems to melt away when we are with our students.
As I mentioned recently, we are still operating under the same EDB/CHP-directed COVID restrictions that were in place in June. This means that our students must eat lunch in the same designated areas (The Hall and 4th Floor Hub area), body temperature and daily RATs (must be negative to enter school) logged on the ESF App before coming to school, no adult mass gatherings are permitted on campus unless carefully managed by the school for a specific purpose, and the COVID vaccine two-dose (+14 days) student extracurricular activities participation requirement. These are in addition to all of the other directives that have been in place over a protracted period such as the wearing of masks and the use of dividers. Some parents have already contacted me regarding the reintroduction of an external food provider option. While I am not at all opposed to doing this, we will wait a little longer before discussing this with our PTA to consider its viability now and moving forwards.
Extracurricular activities, beginning with sports activities, will be up and running shortly, so please look out for school communication via the ESF App regarding these opportunities. Again, please note that students may only participate in extracurricular activities if they have had two doses of a COVID vaccine and 14 days have passed since the second dose.
Finally, over the next few years, in collaboration with our local governing bodies, we will be looking to fulfil an ESF no-car commitment. We appreciate and understand that private vehicle transport is often convenient and, possibly, less expensive than bus transport options, however we would like to begin this journey by encouraging those of you who use private vehicles to consider alternatives. The rationale behind this initiative is grounded in reducing congestion and emissions.
Kind regards,
Dr Jamie Schmitz
Acting Principal
School buses and private cars
In order to ensure that drop-off and pick-up times are smooth and safe, and to avoid irate neighbours, please be reminded that the area outside the main school gate should be left free for the school buses to park. Please also do not block cars wanting to pass through or any entrances to our campus. There is plenty of room further down the road to drop off or pick up your children. Thank you for your cooperation!
School Bus Arrangements
Please take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to remind your child about the mode of transport to school. If your child takes the school bus, for safety reasons, please remind them of the bus number (e.g. #1, #2, #3, etc), instead of the plate number, which will ensure a smooth travel to and from school. If you are unsure of the bus number, you may contact your bus provider.
In case of any important changes to the mode of transport on any particular day, please inform the school office either via the ESF App or email at office@kjs.edu.hk before 12:30pm. It is important to provide sufficient time to deliver messages to your child.
If your child usually takes the school bus but has fixed days as a walker, please discuss this with the class teacher so that appropriate measures are taken to ensure your child is sent to the walkers area on assigned days.
Residential Address Update
If your family has moved or changed residential address or contact details over the summer, please be reminded to update accordingly on Gateway, especially for Year 6 children, as transition to Year 7 will be processed according to current residential address at the time of application. You are required to upload address proof when making the change, which includes (1) a stamped copy of tenancy or a current government demand for rates bill, and (2) a utility bill or bank statement.
Message from the Nurse
Parents please be reminded to log into Gateway and update your child(ren)’s medical and ‘Emergency Contact’ information.
If there is no update for your child(ren)’s medical information, please confirm that nothing has changed.
For the ‘Emergency Contact’, this should be the contact details of designated caregivers with a local contact other than yourselves, for example a helper or grandparents. We will always try and contact parents first, but when this is not possible, it is imperative we have another option.
Other Useful Information for Parents
Instructions on Daily Temperature and Covid-19 Test Result Reporting
How to upload vaccination / recovery records
ESF Sports & Language – Term 1 2022-23
ESF Sports & Language offers a variety of language and sports programmes for your children to get involved in after-school enrichment activities.
A wide range of courses is specially designed for children either to experience something new or to develop specific skills in a particular subject.
For little linguaphiles, our highly-rated English programme is the perfect course to enhance your child’s core English skills through interesting activities. Coding and Spanish are also available for those who wish to master a new skill.
Up to 14 kinds of sports are available for your budding athletes to choose from, children will be able to learn fundamental sports skills and get physically fit through our well-structured and fun-based classes. All programmes are taught in English with a low student-teacher ratio, your children will learn valuable life skills while having fun.
Hyperlink: HERE
Hotline: 2711 1280
Email: info@esf.org.hk
Student Success
The celebration of student success will channel to our Facebook page. You can find the school’s Facebook here. Please keep the photos and stories coming of our children shooting the AAROW’s of Success!
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.
