Message from the Principal

Dear parents,

Welcome to this week’s Parent Update, I hope that you all enjoyed a relaxing weekend and have had a positive start you your week so far. With examinations now in in full swing, and plans being finalised across the school for our forthcoming International Days in June, there is much to share within this week’s Campus Updates.

Before you jump off into our Early Years, Primary and Secondary Updates, I wanted to introduce you to some of the exceptionally talented new staff joining the school from August 2024.

Stephen Sharma – Head of Primary
I introduced Stephen to parents within an earlier Update in the Spring, but I wanted to mention him again in case you missed my earlier message. I am immensely pleased to have Stephen join the school, and he will take over the reins of our Primary campus in August. Stephen is currently serving as Head of Primary within NAE’s Regent’s International School in Pattaya, having been previously Deputy Head of Primary within Nord Anglia School, Dubai. With well over ten years’ service within Nord Anglia schools, Stephen brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to us here in Hong Kong. Stephen will be visiting the school for a few days at the beginning of June as he commences the transition to his new role.

In our Primary Update this week, Sarah Harley introduces some other changes to the Lam Tin leadership team.

Our growing Secondary team
As a school we continue to grow in both popularity and reputation, and this is particularly true for our Secondary campus in Kwun Tong as it begins to mature alongside our Primary and Early Years provision. To support this growth, I am introducing several additional teaching positions, increasing the number of Secondary teachers across a range of subject specialisms to further extend and enrich our curriculum and the teaching of examination programmes. I know that these new teachers will be warmly welcomed into the school community when they arrive in Hong Kong in early August, for now here is a brief flavour of their background and experience:

Chantelle Thomasson – Deputy Head of Secondary
One of our most recent appointments, Chantelle joins us from a teaching career spanning both the UK and Middle East, and with over 16 years teaching experience, a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Leeds, and an MSc in Education from University of Southampton, she is well placed to step into this key leadership role within our Secondary campus from August. Chantelle is very familiar with international schools both as a school child and as a teacher, having attended school in Germany where her family were living prior to going on to university in the UK. Following the completion of her studies, she taught first in the UK before spending twelve years working in Deira International School in Dubai.

Whilst in Dubai, Chantelle undertook several middle leadership responsibilities including that of Head of University and Careers Counselling, and IBCP Coordinator before moving on to work in Qatar as an Assistant Headteacher. Chantelle is currently Deputy Head of Secondary within United School International in Doha, having joined this newly established school in 2022.

Phoezanette Blest – Teacher of Computer Science
Phoezanette (Nettie) is a new addition to our Computer Science Department and adds to the strength and experience existing within the team. She is also a Nord Anglia teacher, currently based within our school in Yangon, Myanmar, having previously taught computing and maths within the UK. Nettie completed her university studies and teacher training in the UK with a BEng in Computer Engineering and an MSc in Business & Management, both from the University of Portsmouth. She is extremely excited by the prospect of joining NAIS Hong Kong and is very much looking forward to getting to know our students, parents, and staff.

Jade Scott – Teacher of English
Jade joins the school in August from her current post at the Canadian International School in Singapore. Jade completed her BA (Honours) in English Language and Literature at the University of Liverpool before completing her teacher training at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Jade is no stranger to Hong Kong, having lived and worked within the Region since 2015, including leadership roles in South Island School and Hong Kong Academy. Prior to Hong Kong, Jade has also taught in Bahrain and as a Head of English and Housemaster in mainland China. Jade brings exceptional experience of the IB Diploma Programme to the department, and we look forward to welcoming her and her family back to HK.

Patrick McGuiggan – Teacher of Maths
Patrick joins the Maths department in August following four years in his current role in the German Swiss International School, Hong Kong. Prior to working in Hong Kong, Patrick taught within high performing independent schools within the UK, including Bancroft’s School where he was Head of Junior Mathematics, and The Portsmouth Grammar School. A native of Ireland, Patrick completed his BSc in Mathematics at Queen’s University, Belfast before completing his teacher training. Patrick joins as part of our team of seven mathematicians and will contribute to teaching across core math’s and examination groups.

Nicholas Kajkowski – Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages
Nicholas joins our team of MFL teachers and will support an increase in our provision across both French and Spanish, particularly within Key Stage 3 and contributing to our Primary MFL programme.

Nicholas began his teaching career as a CELTA qualified EAL/ESL teacher, spending four years in Colombia, South America. Prior to this time abroad, he completed a BA (Hons) in History and an MA in International Relations at Lancaster University, and then completed his Modern Foreign Language teacher training qualification at the University of Worcester. Nicholas joins us having taught both French and Spanish within two secondary schools in the UK.

Claire Berry – Teacher of Humanities (Geography)
Joining our exceptionally talented Humanities team, Claire brings with her a breadth of experience of both international and UK-based teaching. Having graduated with a BSc in Environmental Geosciences from Sheffield University, she completed her PGCE teacher training at Lancaster University. Claire then embarked on a teaching career spanning the UK, Germany, and Hong Kong, where she undertook several roles including Head of Geography and Director of 6th Form. No stranger to this part of the world, Claire also spent three years at Sha Tin College leading their AYP and MYP programmes. She is currently serving as Head of Geography in a secondary school in Yorkshire and is immensely excited about the prospect of returning to Hong Kong. Claire’s outdoor experience as a Mountain Leader and in coordinating the Duke of Edinburgh Award (Hong Kong Award for Young People) will also add value to the school’s enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities.

So, a brief introduction to some of our new staff, with more to come next week. It has been an absolute privilege to have had the opportunity to meet and appoint such talented individuals all committed to joining our exceptional NAIS Hong Kong teaching team. I appreciate that I have a significant bias towards my profession, but as a parent myself I greatly value the unique role teachers play within our society. They are a guiding light of knowledge, shaping the future of our children. Beyond the classroom walls, teachers’ influence often extends out into our societies through moulding young minds and instilling essential values. Within our school, our teachers work together to develop articulate, well-rounded, globally-minded citizens equipped to navigate the challenges and the demands of an ever-changing world.

Together with all of my colleagues, and those I have introduced to you today, we hope to instil a life-long love of learning in all of our learners, giving them the confidence, resilience and creativity to succeed in whatever they chose to do or be in life. Thank you for entrusting us with this wonderful role for your child. Until our next update, have a fabulous week.

Kind regards,

Kenny Duncan
Principal