Message from the Principal

Dear Parents,

After a gloriously bright, warm and sunny end to last week we are, unfortunately, expecting a more unsettled and damp week ahead. And while we won’t let the weather dampen our mood across the school, it does mean that the week ahead is likely to include more wet weather arrangements in each of our campuses. Heads of school will be in contact should the weather forecast deteriorate further for this week and into next, and as a precaution please ensure that your child is well prepared for wet weather on their journey to and from school.

Staffing
In my last update I introduced a number of new staff joining the school In August, this week I have more new “faces” to introduce to you, as more staff get set to join the school from August:

Rebecca Pollard – Teacher of English
Rebecca joins the ranks of our vibrant English department in Kwun Tong, moving to Hong Kong after five highly successful years teaching within the UAE. Whilst there, Rebecca taught in both Abu Dhabi and Fujairah within two of the largest British curriculum schools in these emirates. In addition to her English teaching qualifications, Rebecca holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

Ana Cervelo – Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages
Moving from her current role in ESF’s South Island School, Ana is no stranger to Hong Kong's international school system having previously served as a Teacher of Spanish within HKIS for eighteen years. Originally from Spain, Ana holds an MA in English Literature & language, an MA in Counselling from Monash University and her teaching qualification from the University of Aberdeen. In addition, she has had a varied and colourful employment career including time as a freelance journalist in Spain, and working as an interpreter for the Hong Kong Government. Ana brings a wealth of experience to the department and to the school.

Lisa Curley – Teacher of Physical Education
Lisa is another highly experienced new member of staff, with fourteen years serving as a teacher around the world. Lisa has taught in Hong Kong for 5 years, including as Head of PE in Singapore International School. Prior to this she worked in Kenya for six years and was Director of Sport within the Brookhouse International Schools group in Nairobi, Kenya. Lisa is currently completing a Doctorate of Education with the University of Bath.

The school’s leadership team are very excited by our new appointments and we look forward to being able to introduce each of our new teachers to you on their arrival in August.

There have been many exciting developments happening across the Secondary campus as they finalise planning for the new academic year.

Launch of Futures Framework
Securing a wealth of experiences beyond the classroom and serving others is integral to our core values here at NAISHK, and this is particularly true within our Secondary provision. In the new academic year we will be embedding time within our curriculum (Wednesday mornings 8.30-9.35am) to expose students aged 11-18 to a range of educational experiences that connect their academic learning to real-life applications. This new innovation for the school we are calling our “Futures Framework” involves engaging students with community action projects through which they are able to make a positive impact and a valuable contribution beyond the school gates. Alongside this new Framework, we will be engaging in PSHCE workshops which promote good health, wellbeing and mindfulness. We look forward to launching the Futures Framework with students and parents in August.

Secondary only – A new look for Wednesday’s
As we grow our Secondary campus and introduce new staff and further innovation within the curriculum, there will be a slight change to the end of the day on Wednesday afternoons. To provide greater consistency for aspects of school life such as parent events, Parent/Teacher Conferences, staff development and training, enhancing enrichment activities and improving the scheduling of sports fixtures we will now incorporate these into a Wednesday Afternoon Framework. The formal times of the school day on a Wednesday afternoon will therefore change to enable this new format.

Mrs Thorndike will be following up on this announcement shortly with further information on these new arrangements specifically for our Secondary parents and families.

Primary Enrichment Week is almost upon us
Our Primary Enrichment Week commences in just under two weeks’ time, with a wealth of fabulous experiences spread across the five days (3rd – 7th June). Our Primary Year teams have already shared details of the activities planned across the week and I look forward to being part of the action as the activities unfold. Like many parents, I am particularly looking forward to our Primary International Day on Thursday 6th June. Huge thanks go to Mrs Ellis-Rolfe and all of the Primary Enrichment Team for their incredible planning and preparation. Look out for further news on this within the Primary Updates.

Secondary Enrichment Week - 22nd -29th November 2024
Building on the success of Enrichment Week this academic year, the Secondary Enrichment Team are hard at work planning our offering for next academic year. Thank you to all students and parents who provided the school with valuable feedback, this has been taken into careful consideration during the planning process for our next Enrichment Week. For now, please save these dates - 22nd - 29th November 2024. Our Secondary Enrichment Coordinator, Mr Rodgers, will be in touch before the end of this academic year to share the programme with you. As he would say (as an Australian), “It’s a Beaut”!

Wishing you all an excellent week ahead.

Kind regards,

Kenny Duncan
Principal