Learning for Life.
Term 2 Issue 2
Upcoming events
13 FEB
China Day
Principal Message
• Student-Led Conferences
• Chinese New Year
• Assessment and Reporting Introduction
On the lookout for CREATIVE
Parent Volunteers
Working with Us
SJS Reporting
Schedule
Openings for EA and Lunch Supervisor
China Day (Friday 13 FEB)
Parents Welcome 8.45 - 10am
PTA - Food Angel workshop
Others
• Specialist services available to support students
and families at SJS
• Pupil Council ACTION - Christian Action
16 - 20 FEB
HALF Term
3-5 MAR
PTA Hot Dog Day
10 MAR
Y5 Market Day
12 MAR
PAP Workshop 9
13 MAR
Neighbourhood Watch 1
18 MAR
Y4-6 Sports Day
25 MAR
Y1-3 Sports Day
27 MAR
Last day of T2 - Noon Finish
D
ear Parents,
Student-Led Conferences
It was encouraging to see many
parents taking an active involvement
in their child’s learning at the StudentLed Conferences on Friday. I hope you
found the sessions informative and
enjoyed the opportunity to discuss,
with your child and their teacher, the
progress being made at school.
The atmosphere on the day was very
positive especially as many students
took the opportunity to share some
elements of their games and PE
programmes with their parents. The
playground was a lively place to be –
full of the fun of learning.
in place at SJS. The purpose is to
provide some clarity around when
teachers report to parents and how
student progress information is
compiled.
I have taken the opportunity, later
in this newsletter, to outline the
assessment and reporting procedures
Principal’s Message
Y
CN
Chinese New Year
All that remains is to remind you of the invitation to
come into school between 8.45 – 10.00am on Friday
to share our China Day Performances. We will be
treated to a programme of dancing, singing and cultural
demonstrations.
Children are invited to come to school dressed in
traditional Chinese Costume or in red/gold clothing on
Friday.
Following the performance and for the remainder
of the day the children will follow their usual Friday
timetable interspersed with a number of Chinese cultural
experiences.
School will finish at the usual time of 2.45pm
Gong Xi Fa Cai
•China Day rehearsal
Principal’s Message
Assessment and Reporting Introduction
Teachers assess student progress in many
ways at SJS. By far the most important
set of information is the continuous
‘formative’ assessment carried out as
teachers interact with students on a daily
basis. Teachers are skilled at monitoring
progress by listening to the answers
given to questions asked, by monitoring
the written evidence of learning shown,
by observing children in collaborative
situations and by noticing how children
interact with their learning.
Teachers also build assessment
opportunities into their planning. In
fact, the planning for many learning
programmes (Units of Inquiry, Maths and
English topics) will start with a discussion
of the most appropriate assessment task
for the desired learning outcome and
work backwards from that point. The data
gathered from these ‘summative’ tasks is
used to support the assessment already
generated by teachers.
In addition, we use a number of
‘standardised’ assessment tasks at SJS
which help teachers check whether the
achievement levels of their students is in
line with expectations – are our students
doing as well as students in the same year
group in other schools. Parents of children
in Years 3-6 will be aware of International
Schools Assessment (ISA) and Interactive
Computerised Assessment (InCAS) scores
as they are reported home as soon as they
are received. Additional assessments that
your children may mention include:
Progress Indicators in Primary Schools
(PIPS), PM Benchmarks (Reading), TORCH
(Reading), PAT Mathematics, Beginning of
the Month Writing.
These results are used by teachers to build
a picture of individual student progress. They are not regularly reported to parents,
but teachers use the information to inform
parents of progress. Our aim is to ensure
parents are informed of their child’s
progress regularly of that there are ‘no
surprises’ in the End of Year Report.
The tables below show when written
reports on student progress are sent home
and when formalised opportunities for
teachers to meet with parents are set up. Teachers will of course arrange meetings
with parents when and as necessary.
Principal’s Message
Written Reports on Child’s progress
SJS Reporting Schedule
Meeting with Child’s Teacher
SEPT
OCT
NOV / DEC
FEB
Meet the Teacher
/ Year Ahead Meetings
Parent Teacher Conferences
Learning Journeys
SEPT
•Interactive Computerised Assessment (InCAS) Years 3 & 5
OCT
•Unit of Inquiry 1 Gateway Report
•Portfolio goes home
DEC
•Unit of Inquiry 2 Gateway Report
•Portfolio goes home
•International Schools Assessment (ISA) - Year 4 & 6
FEB
•Unit of Inquiry 3 Gateway Report
•Portfolio goes home
FEB
•Mid Year Gateway Reports - English & Mathematics
MAR
•Unit of Inquiry 4 Gateway Report
•Portfolio goes home
MAY
•Unit of Inquiry 5 Gateway Report
•Portfolio goes home
•End of Year Reports
Student-Led Conferences
JUN
•Portfolios go home with Unit of Inquiry 6 assessment
•Interactive Computerised Assessment (INCAS) Year 6
SJS Reporting Schedule
HK
A
YW
6.3 Winter
6.1 Charmaine
4.1 Meagan
5.2 Zoe
6.3 Marjovie
3.5 Saffron
5.2 Alpha
Prizes
An overall student will be named the Hong Kong Young Writer of the
Year. Awards will also be given to the winning entry in each of the
literary, Digital Storytelling and Digital Publishing award categories.
Certificates of participation will be issued to all students whose work
is selected for the shortlist.
Anthology Publication
All award-winning works will be published, along with a selection
of shortlisted entries. P3 reserves the right to “lightly edit” works
that are published. Two thousand copies will be available for
free redemption which includes those available from Bookazine
bookstores in Hong Kong. An online version of the anthology will also
be available from the Anthology section of the website in May 2014.
Working with us
s
The following children will be representing SJS in the
HKYWA 2015 Writer’s Awards. Congratulations to all
children who submitted a piece, it is always a great
pleasure to read the writing of our budding authors.
ie
nc
ca
Va
Hong Kong Young Writers
Awards
Openings to be a supply Educational Assistant / Lunchtime
Supervisor at SJS
SJS currently has 49 teachers, an additional 37 Educational
Assistants (EA) and 13 Lunchtime Supervisors. We are
interested in inviting high energy, hardworking personnel
to work for us as supply EAs (both in regular and Mandarin
classes) and Lunchtime Supervisors. If you are interested,
please send your resume to Ms. Kari Yeung via email
[email protected] . Candidates will be shortlisted for an
interview.
** Personal data is collected and used for recruitment
purposes only.
Awards Ceremony
There will be an awards ceremony on April 30th for all who are
published in the anthology. Stay tuned for more information.
HKYWA / Vacancies
NW
ON THE LOOKOUT FOR CREATIVE PARENT VOLUNTEERS
If you have a skill or craft you would
like to teach a group of children during
our Neighbourhood Watch Day day on
the 13th of March, we would love to
have you participate in this fantastic
celebration with us! We would like
to provide our students with an
opportunity to learn from the parents
in our community during the lunch
times of the Neighbourhood Watch
Day. Perhaps you have a hidden talent
for friendship bracelets or origami.
Maybe you are a wizard with water
colours? Come and share your skills and
talents with a group of our enthusiastic
SJS friends. Please inform us of the
following details and send your email
to [email protected] by
February 23rd.
Thank you for your partnership!
Name: _______________________
Craft Idea: ____________________
Targeted towards students in Year: ___
Number of students that can be
included: _____________________
Resources/Quantity required: ________
_______________________________
Neighbourhood Watch / HKSMF
ESF STUDENT COMPUTING Conference
On Saturday April 24th we are running
in conjunction with BSD Academy a
Student Computer Conference here at
Island School. The conference will be
open to students from Year 5 to Year 9
and is aimed at any students with an
interest in exploring computing and
programming. ESF Student Computing Conference
Date:
Saturday 24th April
Time: 9am - 1pm
Target: Students from Years 5 - 9
Venue: Island School
This conference includes:
• Student programming workshops
• Some hands on computer science
unplugged activities ,
• An app prototyping competition
• Speakers talking about the value of
learning about computing
• A ‘what’s exciting’ in the tech work
presentation
The event will be free to participants.
Below is a link to a Google form for
students to register for the conference
and can I please ask that you advertise
this to your students and encourage
them to register. We have a limit of around 90 students due to the nature
of the activities so I would encourage
early registration. I will try to send you
a poster later in the week, I am awaiting
some information from some sponsors
that we hope to have.
Register here: http://goo.gl/forms/laot1j5LVf
Kevin Lester
Senior Head of House Island School
Curriculum Chair ESF
ESF Student Computing Conference
China Day
Friday 13 February
Chinese New Year, also known as the
Spring Festival, is the most important
celebration on the Chinese calendar. This
year we will celebrate the event at SJS on
Friday 13 February by facilitating a special
programme for the children.
outdoor performance will be shifted to
the Hall. Parents will not be able to attend
due to the limited seating. We will use
“Cover It Live” and upload lots of pictures
on Velocity to share with you the special
event.
The day will commence with a celebration
of performances on the playground from
8.45am until 10am. Parents are cordially
invited to come along and watch the
performances.
Please check our website before you set
off. We will update the information before
8:00am on Friday.
For the remainder of the day teachers
and volunteers will be running a series
of activities and workshops which reflect
various aspects of Chinese Culture.
We are very excited and looking forward
to the celebration. But if it is raining, the
School will finish at the usual time of
2.45pm
We wish you a prosperous Year
of Goat.
Xin Nian Kuai le!
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Upcoming - China Day activities
10
b
Fe
AR
M
13
China Day
Year 5 Market Day
• Performance: 8:45 - 10
am (Parents Welcome)
12
• Student to dress
in Traditional Chinese Costume or Red/Gold
clothing
b
Fe
AR
0
M
-2
16 - 20 February
13
16
HALF TERM
AR
M
Parents as Partners Workshop 9
Portfolio and Assessment
• LEAP Lai See donation (23rd - 27th February)
5
3M
M
Y4-6 Sports Day
AR
Tuesday 3 March for Years 1-2 and Y4 Senior Choir ONLY
18
AR
PTA Lunch Time Hot Dog Day
Wednesday 4 March for Years 3-4
M
Y1-3 Sports Day
AR
Hot Dogs $10 each
25
Thursday 5 March for Years 5-6
Upcoming Events
FEB
27
Friday
Parents as Partners Workshop
Home Learning through
Information Literacy
Ms Welham will be leading this PAP workshop on the 27th February 2015.
PAP Workshop
This workshop has been designed to help families support learning at home through
information literacy. It will be a hands-on session that will provide participants with
the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge of the tools learners at SJS use.
All parents and helpers welcome.
• Date: 27 February
• Time: 8.45 - 9.45 pm
• Place: Learning Centre
Please log in and register via the
school Gateway > eNotice, and
respond by 25 February 2015.
Parents as Partners Workshop
Sha Tin Junior School Parent Teacher Association Limited
Food Angel workshop
March 11 Wednesday @ 3pm - 4pm
Workshop 1 (Venue Class 1.2)
How to turn orange skin into
cleansing detergent
The PTA is committed to continuing to
raise awareness of the needs of our
society. We have organized for Food Angel
Charity to run two workshops for our
students with all proceeds going to Food
Angel’s.
Food Angel is a food rescue and Food
assistance program launched in 2011
Workshop 2 (Venue Class 1.5)
How to use unwanted vegetables
to dye a bag
by Bo Charity Foundation with mission
of “WASTE NOT, HUNGER NOT”. The
program rescues edible surplus food from
different sectors of food industry that
would otherwise be disposed of as waste.
Following strict safety protocols, the
rescued food items will then be prepared
as nutritious hot meals in our central
kitchen and be redistributed to serve the
underprivileged communities in Hong
Kong.
We have limited places in each workshop.
The cost for attendance is $100. Please
sign up via the flier sent out yesterday.
PTA - Food Angel workshop
At the start of the race I felt nervous but excited at the same time. My
friends were with me and we were talking tactics. Once the race started I
tried to keep up with the people at the front. I was slow to start with but
I soon caught up with the leaders. On the second lap I overtook the leader
just before the forest section. I knew that I had a chance to come first. I
held first position for the entire final lap and made a sprint to the finish. I
was very proud of myself and the SJS team.
Zara 5.1
ESF Cross Country Challenge
Students’ Recognition
ESF Cross Country Challenge
Students’ Recognition
Performing Arts
Piano and Dance
I am delighted to congratulate:
Annabelle of class 1.3 for
participating in the HKYPAF Hong
Kong Teenagers performing
arts festival 2014 and being
awarded silver medal in the piano
competition. She is also passing
her examinations in both of the
Pre-level One Ballet and Jazz dance
assessments.
Students’ Recognition
I am delighted to congratulate:
Taekwondo
Brenton of class 3.2 for gaining a bronze
I am delighted to congratulate:
medal in his group (age 8, blue belt level)
from the 2015 Hong Kong Eastern Dragon
Taekwondo Poomsae Championship.
Sam of class 3.3 for being awarded a green
belt at a recent Taekwondo examination.
I am delighted to congratulate:
Joshua of class 6.5 for participating in the
5th Hong Kong Inter-school and Asia ITF
Taekwondo Tournament and winning silver
medal in the under 50 kg, boys category.
Students’ Recognition
Karatedo
I am delighted to congratulate:
Nicole of class 6.5 for being awarded 2nd Runner Up in Girl Junior Kata Age
10-11 in Hong Kong Karatedo Youth Game 2014.
Students’ Recognition
Running
I am delighted to congratulate:
Spencer of class 6.4 for achieving 3rd
place in the U13 category of the annual 2km
Riverside Winwin run race.
I am delighted to congratulate:
Cherry of class 6.5 for winning the 3
kilometres Youth Group I Long Run at 10th
Pacers Charity New Year Run 2015 held by
Pacers Athletics Club.
Students’ Recognition
Football
I am delighted to congratulate:
Elano of class 4.4 for joining the Hong Kong Junior Football League and
winning the tournament.
Students’ Recognition
Swimming
I am delighted to congratulate:
Spencer of class 6.4 for
winning 1st place in the 100
metres backstroke at the
HKASA swimming competition.
Students’ Recognition
Disclaimer
Please note: The following programmes are not school based.
It is run by some reputable organizations in Hong Kong.
And information is passed to parents on this basis.
Disclaimer
Specialist services available to
support students and families at SJS
At SJS we are able to offer a number
of additional services through private
practitioners who come into school to
support student learning. Some of these
specialist programmes are funded by the
school and others are at parent cost but
have the advantage of convenience and
greater collaboration between specialist,
school and home. This can ensure a more
focussed and consistent approach for
students.
instructions and memory related difficulties.
The therapist who has been conducting our
in-school service has been working with
students at SJS for a number of years and
has made a significant difference to student
learning.
Occupational therapy
(at parent cost)
- Focussing on fine and gross motor
development, handwriting difficulties
and social skills. We are fortunate to
Services and programmes currently available have two very experienced Occupational
Therapists who are available to work with
are children from Years 1 - 6. Both individual
and, if appropriate, small group therapy is
Speech and Language therapy
available.
(at parent cost)
- Focussing on a range of languageCounselling
related difficulties including articulation,
(partially funded by school)
organisation and sequencing of ideas
- SJS employs the services of a counsellor
for language both spoken and written,
from St John’s Counselling Services to
processing of information, following
support our students and families. The
counsellor visits school every Friday
morning to work with students experiencing
a range of academic, social and emotional
challenges, including grief counselling. The
counsellor is one of the senior counsellors
with St Johns. She is highly experienced in
working with children and has a Master’s
degree in play therapy. You may like to look
at the St John’s website to learn more about
their philosophy and practice. www.sjcshk.com
To find out more about any of these services
or to arrange an appointment, please
contact either your child’s class teacher or
Elise Draeger.
S
TE
DA
UP
Each Thursday in February, starting this week, the
Pupil Council will be having a teacher’s bake sale in
the staffroom at snack time. 10 Pupil Council reps will
be responsible for baking and selling each week. The
money raised will support both Christian Action Charity
as well as the school playground fund.
Dear friends of CKM,
Happy new year! We hope that the start of the year has been good.
Kindest regards,
We here at CKM have not been so lucky as we face a very worrying
challenge – to find support/sponsors for the refugee children under our
Education Sponsorship Programme by March or they will not be able to go
to school next school year!
Chungking Mansions Service Centre
We have attached our urgent appeal letter and the sponsorship brochure
and we hope that your school or your friends and family can help us fill in
the gap so the refugee children can continue learning. We hope that this
basic right is not taken away from them simply because we cannot fill in
the minimal gap in their school fees! Please help!
Thank you and should you have any inquiries, please don’t hesitate to call
us at 2723 6626 or send email to [email protected]
or [email protected] .
Christian Action - Chungking Mansions Service Center for Refugees &
Asylum Seekers
Tel: +852-2723-6626| Fax: +852-2723-6331 |
Website: www.christian-action.org.hk | Visit us on Facebook!
Pupil Council Action
Student Recognition
If your child has achieved something special, we would
happy to feature their efforts in the newsletter if we can.
Please send the details to my Communication Officer
Gateway Link
https://sjs.tg.esf.edu.hk
Maximum size of attached files are: 8 mb
[email protected]
Enquiry on Gateway
E-mail: [email protected]
Report Absent Email
To Remove or Change of your E-mail or
Update your contact
Please email your child’s class teacher and cc a copy to
Login to the Gateway and go to
[email protected]
Admin > Change Request
to update your contact information in school
Contact Us