Dear Parents,
I hope everyone enjoyed the fabulous weather this weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting our NAIS Hong Kong Model United Nations IV Conference on Saturday. MUN is an immersive experience of simulating global diplomacy and as ever, our student delegates demonstrated collaboration passion and commitment when tackling real world issues. A huge thank you to our student leaders Rylan H, Arianna V, Arianna M, Mattea B and Adidev R, who were ably supported by Mrs Holt.
MUN IV Conference – Rylan H. (Y13)
What an amazing Model United Nations conference NAIS Hong Kong has just held! From deep sea mining in the General Assembly, to improvised explosive devices in the Disarmament Council, and trade unions in the House of Commons, over 200 delegates from local and international schools all around Hong Kong came to our school last weekend to participate in engaging and enriching debate.
We would like to give a special mention to Stephanie in Year 13, who served as the deputy chair in the Economic and Social Council, guiding over 20 beginner delegates through the start of their MUN journey. We’d also like to mention Eli in Year 12, who came away with a Best Delegate award, and Angela, Sachleen, and Nia in Year 10, who all came away with Honourable Mentions.
Kicking off the MUN season with our home conference has been incredibly beneficial to our students, who are now excited, engaged, and experienced and ready to represent our school at other conferences around Hong Kong.
World Teachers’ Day
Saturday 5th October marked World Teachers’ Day! We recognise and thank all our amazing teachers and the important role they play in our children's lives. At NAIS Hong Kong, we appreciate the impact our wonderful teaching staff have, acknowledging their efforts extend far beyond the classroom, influencing generations to come. Today, we honour their commitment to education and their unwavering belief in the potential of every child. Thank you to all our staff, for your hard work, compassion, and the invaluable role you play in building a bright tomorrow for our students. You are truly remarkable!
Celebrating Students in Year 9
It has been wonderful to hear about Year 9’s successes across our first half term at NAISHK. They truly are growing in self-confidence and ability, which should put them in a great position to start thinking about those all-important IGCSE decisions later in the academic year.
Over the summer break Max (9B) was selected to join the Hong Kong China Cycling youth team, representing the city for the first time in a national road cycling race held on the Mainland. Max has since had several training sessions with the team in preparation for further competitions. Unfortunately, now in a period of convalescence after a recent accident, we wish Max a full and speedy recovery and congratulate him on his impressive achievement.
Ethan (9F) also saw success in recent mathematics competitions outside of school, gaining an S1 Silver Award in the Hong Kong School Elite competition, as well as competing in the S2 competition for the Hong Kong Child Mathematics Association this September. He has been invited to participate in further international competitions in the upcoming months and we wish him great success in his endeavours.
It was also lovely this weekend to have Leo, Miley and Saisha (all 9E) representing Year 9 in a cross-year-group contingent at the Model United Nations conference held at our very own Kwun Tong campus. We are immensely proud of the team and their achievements, and it is great to see Year 9 students displaying their public speaking prowess on behalf of NAIS Hong Kong.
PE Results and Fixtures Update
Next Week's Fixtures
Monday 7th October
U16 Girls Netball away vs HKIS
U14 Boys Football home vs KCCIS
Tuesday 8th October
U16 Girls Netball away vs VSA
U14 Boys Volleyball away vs CIS & WIS
ISSFHK Swimming mini meet @ Kellet
Wednesday 9th October
U16 Girls Volleyball away vs MCHK & SASHK
Match Reports
U16 Girls Netball
On Monday 30th September the Netball Knights made their way to Kellet for their fourth match of the season. We knew going into this game that it was going to be the toughest team we’ve faced so far. The girls struggled to get into their flow from the start and Kellet dominated on this by causing the team to make many unforced errors and losing possession. Despite this the team continued to push in every quarter, however the girls had their first loss of the season. This does not dampen their spirits, and they look forward to their next match against HKIS.
HKSSF Swimming Finals
The swimming finals for HKSSF were held on Wednesday 2nd October at Kowloon Park Swimming Pool. Well done to those in the swim squad who made it to the finals, this shows how your hard work and dedication is paying off. Congratulations to the following medal winners:
Maxim H – Silver medal in Grade B Boys 200m IM
Karin Li – Silver medal in Grade B girls 50m backstroke and Bronze medal in 200m IM
Brandon Li – Bronze medal Grade C Boys 50m Backstroke
Great start to the swimming season. Next stop ISSFHK competition.
U16 Girls Volleyball
The set opener against ICHK saw the U16 Girls Volleyball team dominate throughout, leading from the start. However, in the second set the pressure was on, and the girls slipped behind. A crucial team talk during a time out, refocused the girls and with some outstanding serves from Jamie (MVP), the girls won the match 2-0. With CDNIS having already won a nail biter, the pressure was on. However, they were no match for the NAIS Knights, who dominated on the serves, spikes and tips to win both sets 25-14 and come out victorious 2-0. MVPs of the match were Briana for her serving and Kelly for her excellent movement to the ball and tipping into space at some crucial point saving moments.
Black History Month Celebrations
Over this next month all tutor groups will be exploring this year’s theme for Black History Month, Reclaiming Narratives. This theme is about ensuring that Black history is told with respect, dignity and accuracy, and that Black people are heard, have their experiences acknowledged, and their contributions celebrated. Giving the chance to empower Black communities and allow them to shape how their stories are told.
Throughout October, students will be engaging in meaningful, and hopefully, impactful conversations with their tutors and their peers on why it is important for us to correct the narratives that have once been told, shining spotlights on untold or misrepresented stories. This will be achieved through analysis of poems, songs, listening to real life stories of how people are reclaiming their narratives, and reflection on the importance of how we pronounce people’s names.
If you would like to be able to have these conversations with your children, please see below suggested activities to help you with your own learning to develop an empowering narrative of Black history.
Social Impact Award
As part of belonging to the Nord Anglia family, we are privileged to have the opportunity to take part in the Social Impact Distinction programme. This special programme has been developed with support from *UNICEF UK, to recognise social impact efforts related to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) in our schools. This is a three-tiered programme, which we have held bronze status for the past few years.
On Monday, we had the pleasure of inviting the accreditation team to virtually visit our school. During Monday afternoon, our visitors met with SLT, as well as a range of teachers and students from all three of our campuses. Both staff and students were able to talk passionately about what we have learnt about children’s rights and the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in school, as well as action we have taken towards them. I had the honour of attending all the meetings across campuses and I left the meetings feeling exceptionally proud of what we have achieved as a school. Our secondary students, Soleil (Y13), Arianna M (Y12), Isaac C (Y12), Immie (Y11), Georgia (Y9), Mihika (Y8), Ezra (Y7) and Gavi (Y7) spoke so confidently, representing our school with passion and maturity. A massive well done to them and all the other students and staff who helped showcase our school’s achievements.
Over the next month, we will look forward to receiving feedback from the visit, which will help us to determine our new social impact priorities this school year, alongside opportunities for student leadership.
For more information on this fantastic programme, please visit this link: https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/news/2024/04/11/nord-anglia-schools-working-towards-new-social-impact-distinctions
*UNICEF does not endorse any product, brand, company or service.
Looking Ahead
Wednesday 9th October – Y11/Y13 Parents’ Evening
Thursday 10th October – UN World Mental Health Day
Friday 11th October – Public Holiday
Monday 14th – Friday 18th October – Half Term Break
Wednesday 30th October – Y7 Parents’ Evening
Wednesday 6th November – Y9 IGCSE/Y13 IBDP Pathways Webinar
Saturday 23rd November – Saturday 30th November – Enrichment Week
Wednesday 4th December – Secondary Winter Concert
Friday 13th December – Last day of term
Have a great week ahead!
Kind regards
Fiona Thorndike
Head of Secondary
