Dear Parents,
Love and joy were very much in the air last week on the Secondary Campus, with Random Acts of Kindness Week being celebrated! It was wonderful to see our students and staff delivering notes of gratitude to each other, sharing acts of joy within our community and offering a helping hand to their peers.
With the theme of community in mind, this week, we warmly welcome three Principals from our NAE China Region family of schools. Our staff and students are excited to share all the wonderful initiatives happening at our school, highlighting our strong school spirit, core values and excellent teaching and learning being at the very heart of NAIS HK.
And finally, we are very much looking forward to welcoming our parent community into school this week. Year 8 parents are joining us on Wednesday for our Secondary Parent’s Evening, whilst the PTA event of the year takes place on Saturday 22nd February! The PTA Fair is a fantastic event, and I look forward to seeing our families and friends enjoying themselves together.
Random Acts of Kindness Week Reflection – Mrs. Thomasson
Last week, we celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Week on campus, fostering a spirit of gratitude and compassion. During form times and in the library, we shared heartfelt notes of appreciation and encouraged students to perform acts of kindness for one another throughout the week. It was truly uplifting to witness so much kindness and joy in our community.
On Friday, our CAS students organised a special initiative where roses were purchased and delivered by students and staff, spreading love and positivity across the campus.
Student Council Update – Mrs. Procter
Last week sparked the beginning of our Student Leadership Programme. As part of this exciting initiative, our Student Council members and Leadership Ambassadors have the opportunity to learn specific leadership qualities from both in-house and external expertise, as well as the wider Nord Anglia network.
During our first week, our students had the opportunity to attend two events. The first being held during Futures, with the Senior Programme Lead in Social Impact and Charitable Giving of Nord Anglia Education, Dr. Leslie Williams. The second, attending the ESF Discovery College Student Leadership for Sustainability Conference over the weekend. Please see below a review of each event.
Overview of meeting with Dr. Leslie Williams, by Soleil C Y13:
On Wednesday, 12th February, Student Leadership commenced their training and development programme by meeting with the Senior Programme Lead in Social Impact and Charitable Giving of Nord Anglia Education, Dr. Leslie Williams.
Our committees were able to ask questions that they believed would be most useful in driving their respective committees’ progress and plans moving forward. As aspiring leaders of the future, students discovered effective ways to promote their initiatives and opportunities to expand their activities and events on a global scale. Some were also introduced to the Social Impact Grants, which encourage students to organise and fund larger, more sustainable projects that many in the community can benefit from.
Reflections from some students after attending this meeting:
“Dr. Leslie Williams is an incredible leader. We are extremely fortunate to have her working alongside the NAE community as she offers her support to us. After hearing her recommendations on how to increase SDG involvement in our school, I am enthusiastic to begin implementing the many lessons she has taught us.” - Arianna M. (Y12)
Please stay tuned for any updates from our Student Leadership Team as students begin to plan, organise, and execute their exciting events.
Overview of ESF Discovery College Student Leadership for Sustainability Conference, by Mrs. Procter:
Alison C Y10, Sarah I Y10, Winston W Y10, Siena C Y10 and Kyle C Y11, demonstrated excellent dedication to their leadership education by attending the ESF Discovery College Student Leadership for Sustainability Conference. This was held on Saturday between 8.30 am – 4 pm, with a range of international key speakers and interactive workshops. It was also a great opportunity for our student leaders to interact with fellow students at other schools in Hong Kong and Macau. It was a fabulous event, with many strong messages shared and connections made.
PTA Fair Stalls: KS3 Heads of Year
Year 7 students need your help! For this year’s PTA Spring Fair, we will be hosting a book sale. We are asking for your help to please donate any old books you may have to be sold. Should you have any unwanted books, could you please bring them to school by Friday 21st February. Please ensure that the books are in good condition for re-sale. They will be going through a rigorous quality control process! We thank you in advance for your help and support.
Year 8: The arts and crafts are the theme for Year 8! This year, the Year 8 stall will be hosting arts and crafts for visitors to participate in and also purchase at the PTA Spring Fair. The year group are preparing enthusiastically for the opportunity to sell their decorative crafts and will be creating them throughout this school week.
If you or your family have any crafting or artistic skills/products that you would like to donate to our year group stall, these can be given to Mr. Sayce in room 501 all week and on Saturday morning.
Year 9: Calling all bakers, chefs and appreciators of sweet treats! Year 9 will be hosting a bake sale for this year’s PTA fair. If you would like to contribute something tasty to our stall, you can bring your cakes or cookies in to school on Friday 21st February, or on Saturday morning before the fair begins. Please provide a written list of ingredients and avoid using any nuts in your recipes.
Sports update/results – Alex Wiltshire
Next’s weeks fixtures
Tuesday 18th February – U14 Boys Badminton vs DC & YCIS
Thursday 20th February – U16 Boys Badminton vs ISF & CDNIS & U20 Boys Badminton vs DSC & ICHK
Match Reports
U16 Boys Badminton
On Thursday 14th February the U16 Boys Badminton team had their first matches of the season against CDNIS and CAIS. The boys were eager to play and see the ability of the other schools. Our first match was against CDNIS, the teams played each match to the best of their ability with some superb jump smashes from Hoi Hei and drop shots from Ruskin and Han Han in their singles matches. We finished that match winning 4 games to 1.
The next match was against CAIS. They are known for strong badminton playing. These opponents were tougher, and our games were much closer in points. We were down to the last game of the match, both schools having won 2 games each. The final doubles match of Hoi Hei and Winston was the decider. At the halfway point of the game the boys were only a few points behind the CAIS team, however the CAIS partnership remained very strong and finished winning the game and therefore narrowly winning the match 3 games to 2. Well done Knights.
U20 Boys Badminton
The U20 Boy Badminton team faced tough competition in recent matches against ICHK and HKA. The match against ICHK was particularly challenging, with the boys struggling to keep up with the intensity of play, resulting in four losses. However, Kennie secured a fantastic win in the third singles. In contrast, the match against HKA showcased a more balanced level of play. Kyle dominated in the first singles, while the first doubles match was closely contested. Harold fought hard in the second singles, demonstrated some outstanding play, but lost narrowly due to an unforced error at match point. Whilst the second doubles pair struggled with their own communication concerning movement around the court. Cory achieved a convincing victory in the third singles. After two weeks of friendlies, the team is eager to begin league matches next week. Go Knights!
Advertising KS3 Drama Production (Entrance is free)
Year 12 Valentine’s Day – Mr. Spanos
A cohort of our Year 12 students had great fun designing and selling Valentine's cards and organising a delivery service for students and teachers on Friday 14th February.
Isabelle L, one of our Year 12 student leaders on the project commented, ‘I decided to incorporate design, gratitude and festivity into this Creativity, Activity and Service experience.’
All the money raised went to ‘Seeway’ in Tanzania which supports families, children and the community in Arusha, Tanzania.
Congratulations to all Year 12 students involved in this worthy cause!
MFL Duolingo Competition - Alex Lopes
MFL is pleased to share we are running our annual Duolingo Competition for KS3 and KS4 students up until Sunday 23rd February.
Students have been registered on the Duolingo App and are now able to practise their language skills whilst gaining points.
Points will be collected at the end of the day on the 23rd of February, with the winners announced shortly afterwards.
The top 5 students will get an MFL prize!
Good luck to everyone taking part!
Looking Ahead
Best regards,
Fiona Thorndike
Head of Secondary
