Dear parents,
A very warm welcome to all parents as we launch into an action-packed start to our new academic year, I hope that this message finds you in good health and high spirits as we embark on a new academic year. For those new to our NAIS Hong Kong community, welcome on board, you join a school that is committed to putting your child’s best interests first, and our dedicated staff are here to support, nurture and accommodate our young learners at every stage of their educational journey. And for our returning families, I hope that you all enjoyed a relaxing summer break and that the first day of term has gone smoothly. The start of a new academic year is always filled with excitement, anticipation, and a sense of infinite possibility for the journey ahead, and of course, our amazing team of teachers and support staff have been carefully planning and preparing over the summer to ensure that everything is ready for your child’s return to school.
I know I can speak on behalf of all staff when I say that we were so happy to welcome our new students on Friday and to provide a warm NAISHK reception for all students returning back into each of our campuses today. It was truly amazing to see the joy and excitement of our students whose presence we have missed throughout the summer months.
Increased enrolment
Thanks to our growing popularity and strong academic reputation, each year we continue to welcome new children to our school. Today we welcome 1590 learners, with almost 250 being new to Nord Anglia. We have come a long way since our very first day when almost 500 children joined the school back in August 2014. Many of our founding parents and staff will I am sure remember that day with great fondness as the beginning of our fabulous journey in becoming the school we are today. Much of this year’s growth is seen within our Secondary campus within Kwun Tong, bringing the school as a whole close to our planned capacity, with many year groups now oversubscribed.
Campus improvements
Summer works are always an important element in the ongoing development of the school, with our exceptional Facilities staff working tirelessly to clean, renovate, and improve our premises ready for the new academic year.
Some of this year’s developments in Secondary include a shiny new Sports Gym floor, the creation of a Noodle Bar to compliment our catering provision, smart new student toilets, and further modernisation work to improve stairwells and the 3rd & 4th floor corridors and classrooms. In Primary, work renovations and air management improvements to our Primary pool, updating toilets and decoration of classrooms and corridors, the cafeteria and panda playground. In Sai Kung we have reinstated our Ground Floor Play areas which had been irreparably damaged in the May floods, lovely to see an area of the campus much missed by everyone fully back and being thoroughly enjoyed today.
HK Island Bus - Secondary
Our Secondary Island bus service is now operating at the end of each day, with a number of drop-off points including Sai Wan Ho, Tin Hau, and Central (Hong Kong station). Parents interested in receiving more information about this service can contact our Bus Coordinator via bus@nais.hk.
I was so proud of all of the fantastic achievements across 2023-24, with so many students celebrating their successes with staff and parents in the summer term within our celebration assemblies, graduations and awards presentations. These celebrations continued over the summer as our IB graduates and IGCSE students received their examination results. As in previous years, these students excelled in their academic examinations and we are extremely pleased and proud of each and every one of our senior students. As I write this our Year 13 cohort of 2024 are completing their preparations to attend the university of their choice, or making plans for their gap year activities. I wish them all good luck and safe travels as they step out into the world to create their futures.
Weather preparations
Lastly, despite our best efforts to manage and control all educational eventualities regarding your child, unfortunately we will never be able to control the Hong Kong weather. Ensuring that your child is appropriately prepared for wet weather throughout the Autumn term would be very helpful and avoid them having a wet and uncomfortable start to their day. I would remind parents that we also have clear protocols and guidance regarding events such as Typhoons or Heavy Rain, these can be found within the School Life section of Firefly for parents.
So, the new academic year is now officially underway, please take time to catch up with all the exciting ways our children and staff have embraced their time in school since Friday within each of our Campus updates. I very much look forward to having a chance to catch up with each of you over the coming weeks, and I thank you for giving us the responsibility for your child’s education, it is an exceptional privilege.
Kind regards,
Kenny Duncan
Principal
