Secondary Campus Weekly Update

Dear Parents,

We are incredibly proud of our Mathematicians this week! On Sunday, 27^th October, 15 students across Years 7-11 participated in the World Maths Championship regional qualifier at Korean International School. They experienced an exhilarating mix of competition and camaraderie that fostered both engagement and networking. As they tackled challenging mathematical problems, they found themselves collaborating with peers from diverse backgrounds, sharing strategies, and exchanging ideas, which enriched their understanding and appreciation of mathematics. Beyond the intense focus on problem-solving, the atmosphere was filled with laughter and excitement as they participated in fun team-building activities during breaks, allowing them to form lasting friendships. This unique blend of challenge and enjoyment not only honed their skills but also created memorable experiences that linked them with like-minded individuals passionate about mathematics. Thank you to Mr McIntosh and Mr Lai who accompanied and supported our students.

Congratulations to the following students who qualified for the national finals in Melbourne, Australia!

• Winston W
• Sienna C
• Kabir C
• Thomas L

Diwali Celebration

We are excited to celebrate the Hindi festival of Diwali this week in Secondary School. As part of the festivities, students will have the opportunity to explore and create Rangoli patterns, which symbolise luck and prosperity.

Tutor groups will participate in a friendly competition by designing Rangoli patterns on their classroom windows. These designs will be judged by our Year 12 and Year 13 students, with the winning tutor group receiving a delicious reward of samosas!

To add to the celebration, we invite all students to wear bright colours on Thursday, October 31st. Additionally, our Hindu community will be hosting pop-up celebration events during lunch and break times.

We look forward to a vibrant and joyous Diwali celebration!

Bring Me a Book
In this week’s Futures lesson, Jeannie Leung, Executive Director at Bring Me A Book, came to speak to the year 9 students. Jeannie highlighted the advantages of reading aloud to children and the importance of developing an enjoyment of reading from a young age. To achieve this, the organisation provides libraries and quality books to communities in need and organises volunteers to read aloud to young children across Hong Kong. Nelson Mandela said that “When we read, we are able to travel to many places, meet many people and understand the world”; we are thrilled that our year 9 students are going to provide these opportunities for the Hong Kong community by supporting Bring Me A Book!

Splash Foundation – Making Waves Charity Event!

Support our parent Ella Karsemeijer who will be taking part in Make Waves for Hong Kong on Friday 8 November. Make Waves is a multi-relay swim around Hong Kong Island, fundraising for the Splash Foundation, a charity teaching children and adults from disadvantaged communities to swim.

Starting at 3am, the 45km swim will take the Make Waves swimmers 12 hours to complete.

47% of Hong Kong teens cannot swim. A donation of HK$2000, can teach one person to swim, for life.

To support Ella, please visit www.give.asia/makewavespurple2024

Box Of Hope – IB Students

As the festive season slowly approaches, the Box of Hope appeal is back at NAIS Hong Kong! Over the past few weeks, stickers have been handed out to all students during tutor time. These stickers contain a checklist of items you can include in a Box of Hope to send to a child in need. If your sticker is lost or you did not receive one, they can be collected from the first-floor admin office. This year, we are hosting a box making competition that challenges your child’s creativity. They are encouraged to make an outstanding box to potentially win a mystery prize! Students are asked to bring their finished boxes to the lower ground floor area before the deadline of November 7th to make a child smile this Christmas.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram to receive updates: https://www.instagram.com/boxofhopenaishk

The Box of Hope Team
Isabelle L, Aarshi G, Joey P, Joy T.

PE Update/Fixtures

Congratulations to the following teams who have made it to their finals within the ISSFHK Leagues:

• U14 Girls Volleyball. Finals are Monday 28th October at CDNIS from 4- 6pm
• U14 Boys Volleyball. Finals are Wednesday 30th October at SIS from 4 – 6pm
• U16 Girls Volleyball. Finals are Wednesday 30th October at CDNIS from 4 – 6pm
• U14 Boys Football. Finals are Wednesday 30th October at TKO Football grounds from 8.30am – 2.30pm.

An update on the results of these finals will be in next week’s Parent Update 😊

Looking Ahead

• Wednesday 30th October – Y7 Parents’ Afternoon/Evening. Early closure at 12.40pm
• Thursday 31st October - Friday 1st November - Wear bright colours to celebrate Diwali
• Wednesday 6th November – Y9 IGCSE/Y11 IBDP Pathway Webinars - Y9 16:15 – 17:00 and Y11 17:15 – 18:00
• Wednesday 13th November – Y10 and Y12 Parents’ Afternoon/Evening. Early closure at 12.40pm
• Friday 22nd November – Staff Professional Development Day (No Students on campus)
• Saturday 23rd November – Saturday 30th November – Enrichment Week
• Wednesday 4th December – Secondary Winter Concert
• Friday 13th December – Last day of term

Wishing all our families who celebrate, a very happy Diwali!

Kind Regards,

Fiona Thorndike
Head of Secondary