Message from the Principal

Dear parents,

Welcome to the last Parent Update for the month of May, as we prepare to dive into the final month of the academic year, I hope that you will find the news and information shared within this week’s update informative, useful, and enjoyable.

This week I am sure that our Heads of School will be updating you on the events and activities coming onto the horizon in the coming weeks. Transition is a word very much on everyone’s mind at the moment – each child’s transitions from one year group to the next, the exciting move from Primary and Secondary, the academic graduation process from IGCSE success into the challenges of the IB programme, and that all important next step off into the world of university and Higher Education. For all our learners, we ensure that their point on their big learning journey is carefully supported to ensure successful starts and exciting new adventures.

Amazing University offers are rolling in
For our Year 13 students, having now completed their IBDP examinations, they are released from the anxiety of exam performance to begin to make final decisions regarding their next steps and for many this includes choosing the best university destinations from the many offers they will have received.

Our IB Coordinator, Mr Colin Spanos, has been overseeing this process since joining the school in August, but it is the careful guidance, encouragement and support provided by our Higher Education Coordinator, Mrs Susan Holt, and our IB Tutors that has really made the difference to the Year 13’s application successes. If you want to learn more about some of the destinations being made available to our current Year 13’s, head over to our Instagram feeds for more insight. Ultimately, these fabulous offers are because of the exceptional ability and talent of our students, they deserve all the credit and praise for their hard work, dedication, and ambition in securing the very best futures for themselves.

Boston College putting NAIS Hong Kong in the spotlight
Our Metacognition Research Project with Boston College, now in its third year, is attracting global attention. Dr Kate Erricker, NAE’s Assistant Director for Education based here in our school is ‘spreading the word’ on the lecture circuit and spoke about our pioneering metacognition work at the World Education Summit in March, and at the Council of British International School’s annual conference in May.

To add to this global interest, last week I had the great pleasure to welcome two esteemed research academics from Boston College to the school, Professor Damian Babel, and his Research Associate, Gareth Cleveland. Damian and Gareth were with us for a week-long study into the methodologies being used in the classroom to enhance children’s’ thinking about thinking – the power of metacognition! As a key school within this collaborative research project, it was wonderful to host the two academics and through a series of lesson visits, teaching seminars, group discussions and focused observations, they gathered important research data and evidence to support them in developing a clear picture of the impact we are having on learning by introducing metacognitive strategies into Primary and Secondary classrooms. We hope to learn more about the outcomes of the project later in the year, however, key aspects that they observed included:

• Exceptionally talented teachers who have highly specialised levels of skill and ability.
• The highest quality of instructional techniques and strategies to compliment the teacher talent we have in the school.
• Students who are rapidly developing “mastery” within the classroom.
• Learners displaying deep engagement in their learning.
• Learners who are highly motivated towards the learning process.
• High levels of empathy and respect – values driven behaviours.
• Student interactions & communication – well above average for age and ability.

It was indeed wonderful to have had the opportunity to work alongside Damian and Gareth, and to have received such superb initial feedback from them regarding our pilot project work.

You can read more about why metacognition is a ‘learning superpower’ here in our INSIGHTS magazine, Nord Anglia’s online publication. This article explains why ‘thinking about thinking’ is a critical skill that we are helping our students to develop in our school. The article features our students’ thoughts on how honing their metacognitive skills is making a difference, which really brings the subject to life.

Secondary transport – new end of day route to the Island
Following a survey of parents conducted earlier this year, I am pleased to announce that we will be providing an additional transport service for Secondary students from August 2024. Initially as a trial until December, the route will take students from Kwun Tong directly onto Hong Kong Island, significantly reducing time taken to travel home at the end of school for children living Island side.

The new service will have three drop-off points:

1. Sai Wan Ho (Bus stop at Mun Sang College)
2. Tin Hau (Junction of King’s Road & Lau Sin Street)
3. Central, IFC (Hong Kong Station)

The bus will depart from the Secondary campus at 3.50pm each day and, with the provision of the different drop-off points above, should provide a quicker and more comfortable return home for all who use it. Jacksons will also be providing tracking information for the service via their E-Track mobile app. A letter will shortly be sent to Secondary parents living on Hong Kong Island with further information, service cost and enrolment information.

Hoping you all have an enjoyable week ahead,

Kind regards,

Kenny Duncan
Principal