Message from the Principal
Dear Parents,
As you can, no doubt, imagine it has been hive of activity in terms of making arrangements and preparations for our new campuses and very exciting too!
Our expansion is also near completion and will make some wonderful additions for secondary students: a new outdoor pitch and social area for Secondary on Floor 5, a second Science Lab and a social area we are calling “The Hub” behind the Panda playground with coffee and vending machines. This area will be a multi-purpose one for workshops, training and meetings as well as a social area for parents and students.
In addition, as part of our collaboration with MIT, we are building a Makerspace which will provide an area for design, technology and practical problem-solving. In a previous school I was Head of, a group of students built a Formula 1 car so I am very much looking forward to what we can do! The fourth floor will become the STEAM floor (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) to make collaboration easier.
In relation to staffing, almost every Secondary subject department has additional staff. In particular, the new Key Stage 4 Co-ordinator will oversee the IGCSE programme and all exams, while our highly experienced IB Co-ordinator will get us ready for the IB Diploma.
On a more sombre note, we commemorated the victims of the Manchester bombing and other terrorist attacks with a minute’s silence in both the Secondary and Primary Assemblies. I am proud of the way children showed respect for what was such a needless loss of life, recognising other people’s suffering.
Have a good weekend.
Brian Cooklin
Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS:
29 May
CPD Day for Teachers (no school for pupils)
31 May
U12 & U14 Netball Matches
1 June
Books & Buns event
2 June
Harry Potter Day in Year 4
Class Assembly 4A
Year 1 trip to The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Year 6 History Museum Trip - Hong Kong Museum of History
4 June
Year 8 residential to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Returning Friday, 9 June
5 June
Year 7 Residential Sabah, Malaysia. Return Saturday, 10 June
9 June
Year 9 Science Trip
Class Assembly 2C
WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT
Over the last few months there have been many incidences of violence that have shocked the world. Mr. Cooklin spoke in assembly today about our awareness, support and respect for the victims and families, not only of this week’s Manchester bombing, but also the bombing in Bangkok and the attack on school buses in Syria resulting in the loss of more than 80 children.
Some of our families may be directly affected by these sad events, but all of the children are aware of and may have questions about them. If you would like support with these issues, please do not hesitate to contact David Sheehan, the Head of Pastoral Care at david.sheehan@nais.hk .
THE BEAR OF MANY CITIES HAS COME BACK TO US!
Nearly two years ago, one of the best loved members of NAIS HK’s community departed our shores for an epic journey that would put Phileas Fogg or Michael Palin to shame. Norman Jupiter Bear, who was named and introduced to the world by pupils and teachers in Years 1 and 2, has had an incredible voyage taking in the broad avenues of Washington DC, the mountainous metropolis of Mexico, the steamy jungles of Vietnam, the dry deserts of Abu Dhabi and the frozen Great Wall around Beijing to name but a few. He’s witnessed solar eclipses, met up with fellow globe-trotting ursine at Paddington Station, been in snow storms and sand storms and brought joy and raised international mindedness to thousands of children at Nord Anglia schools around the world.
See what he’s been up to and much more here.
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER!
We are excited to announce Sonia Cheung, of class 6A, has been chosen as Nord Anglia Junior Artist of the Year (8-11) out of literally hundreds of entries from our schools around the world.
See which other of our students have been rewarded for this year’s Global Campus Visual Arts Competition and will have their work published in the upcoming Creative Writing anthology here.
THIS WEEK IN MUSIC
Erin Wight joined us for her final Curriculum Specialist visit of the year. Erin performed in assembly, exploring the ways in which a viola can sound like an electric guitar. She also worked with three of our violinists in a workshop focused on developing technique. We were delighted to have the opportunity to discuss our curriculum with Erin, for her to observe and feedback on our lessons and to watch her demonstrate other activities. Erin also led a professional development session for the department looking at how we can help our young people to make deeper and more personal connections to their own and others’ compositions.
Richard Mannoia was also in school. Richard is the Director of Global K-12 Curricula and Professional Development for the Juilliard Programme. Having worked closely with Richard on the programme, it was wonderful to have him visit and see what we do at NAIS HK. Richard also led a professional development session for the department, focused on ways in which we can harness the curiosity of our young people in driving the curriculum and lesson delivery.
You will be pleased to know that when Erin visits us next year, there will be another opportunity for parents, this time for you to attend a music lesson and be a student!
OUR TALENTED TEAM ARE IN DEMAND
Because we are at the forefront of all things associated with excellence in education, two familiar faces were invited to present at two special events. Mr Darren Sutton, our STEAM Coordinator and Computing teacher, and Mrs Naima Charlier, our Head of Curriculum, were invited to speak at a ‘Firefly’ event in Hong Kong and Bangkok. They spoke on: How technology has redefined teaching and learning though our whole school. The audience was fellow school leaders and IT teachers from here, the UK and Australia. It was an interesting event and a chance to speak to other schools and share best practice in how we are integrating technology into our curriculum. While in Bangkok, they visited our sister school, meeting with the Principal and team involved with implementing STEAM and teaching IT. We will be sharing the presentation in the coming week.
CAREER CHOICES
On Friday 12th May the Year 8 and 9 students attended our first ever Careers Fair, held in our school hall. Professionals from a wide range of sectors attended, spending time talking to students individually and giving presentations on their career paths. Many of the guests were our very own parents and all gave insightful and detailed information about their academic pathways. The feedback from the students has been resoundingly positive, with all of them suggesting that next year we make it even bigger and longer!
A huge thank you to all those parents who gave up their time to inform, inspire and guide our students. It will be interesting to see what career paths are taken in the future!
LAST CHANCE TO BOOK TICKETS!
PTA MASQUERADE DINNER - Saturday, June 17th
Time is running out to get your ticket for this great night out. Please find the invitations attached. Tickets can be purchased at naisptamasqueradeball.eventbrite.hk.
Take a peek at the photos from last year’s ball.
PRIMARY ASSEMBLY - 4D Emma Lyons
4D’s assembly was all about their fantastic residential trip to Cheung Chau and the exciting things they got up to. And boy, was there a lot! They paddle boarded, built rafts, went caving, and even did some coasteering (a combination of climbing, swimming, and cliff jumps – yes, you read that correctly)! They also enjoyed evenings filled with bbq’s and discos. Ending on a high, they took to the floor to show us some of their dance moves with their friends in Year 4.
STARS OF THE WEEK – Mandarin/Spanish
As always we are proud to celebrate our student successes. Well done one and all.
Year 1: Sophia Bondarenko, Yolanda Leng, Hypatia Vourloumis, James Padgett, Rocky Zhao
Year 2: Maya Altintas, Aarush Baghla, Isaac Mistry, Hono Kamiya, Alicia Ying
Year 3: Charlie Burns, Claire Cheng, Sheryl Wan, Henry Hallon Lovkvist, Jayden Poon
Year 4: Collin Guan, Tavleen Sahi, Rafi Mithani, Benjamin Marks, Audrey Wong
Year 5: William Smith, Kelly Jin, Kevin Wu, Martha Lewell, T.J. Meidinger, Tommy Dong, Isaac Reid, Ophelia Cravo, Maithili Parekh, Summer Marner
Year 6: Felix Hatherall, Steven Gu, Ayaka Seki, Leo Han, Ryan Towle, Frida Bratsberg, Zoe Yu, Martha Surgenor
HIGH COMMENDATION AWARDS – Spanish
Year 7: Hayley Dodd
Year 8: Emmylin Adler
Year 9: Jean Jang
See their smiling faces here.
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KEY CONTACTS
Quick list guide of who to email for what:
Please do not use the info@nais.hk for any of the above queries.
Have a lovely weekend.
