Dear Year 6 Families,

Dates your child is going to camp

As mentioned last week, today we are sharing with you the dates your child has been allocated to go on camp. Given the strict parameters and smaller groupings required for camp to be possible, families are not able to choose the date their child goes on these day camp experiences, classes and groups have been allocated.

Camp 1: 31st May - 2nd June: Class 6.1, 6.3 and 1/2 6.5.

Camp 2: 8th - 10th June: Class 6.2, 6.4 and 1/2 6.5.

We are only permitted to take 75 students at a time on camp and as such, we have split one class into two groups. The two group lists for 6.5 will be issued momentarily. The day the other group of 6.5 are not on camp, they should come to school as normal.

Registration - Medical and Dietary Information

Thank you to those who have completed the registration already for TIG. The form asked you which date your child is going to camp, and this is only being shared with you today. Do not worry if you have completed it already, TIG will be able to amend their records to ensure the information is aligned with the date your child's class has been allocated to go on camp (above).

For those who have not yet completed it, the link is here: 

• Registration Link 

Reminder: Key Information

• Students “What to Bring” List: Day Camp  Click Here 

• TIG FAQ - Click Here

• TIG Website: http://www.treasureislandhk.com  

Parent Webinar

To go into further details about how your child’s camp experience will be organised, Dr. Paul Campbell will be leading a webinar on:

• Thursday 26th at 6pm 

• Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92322339681

If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact your child's class teacher or myself.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear Parents, 

We hope this message finds you well and that you had an excellent weekend. It was another powerful week of learning at Sha Tin Junior School. Please read below to learn more about some of the highlights.

 

Y1

In maths, Year 1 students are expanding their understanding of number and place value. They are learning how to add single digits (ones) with double-digit numbers (tens). This is allowing them to see the connections between numbers and operations, empowering them with flexible thinking skills when it comes to solving problems.

 

Y2

Y2 students continue to develop as scientists as they deepen their understanding of the process that scientists use to learn more about the world. From experiments with milk to building and testing helicopters, students have expanded their understanding of what it means to take an active role in the inquiry process. 

Y3

It is a special experience when students can connect and collaborate with their peers in different grades. Last week, Year 3 students connected with their Year 6 buddies by spending time in our school gardens and completing activities related to studying and appreciating our local wildlife. Besides learning from their older peers, the Year 3 students had a lot of fun getting to know their buddies better and spending time with them.

 

Y4

As their unit about energy came to a close, Year 4 students shared their personal inquiries and experiments with their peers in the form of a display board. In each classroom, students had the chance to learn from each other in a Science Gallery Walk. This allowed them to share feedback and deepen their understanding on a number of different science topics.

 

Y5

Last week, Year 5 finished their Where We Are in Place & Time unit of inquiry with a presentation.  The students chose a civilisation, person or technology there were interested in and researched how they had changed and influenced the present day.  The children choose different ways to present their learning including: stop motion videos, posters, exploding books, digital books and websites.  It was a great way for the students to demonstrate their understanding of the central idea and to share their learning with their peers.

Y6

This week Year 6 concluded their Who We Are unit of inquiry. In our final week they learnt about consent and their safety network. They learnt that consent is to agree to do something or allow someone to do something. Year 6 learnt that when we gain consent we have to ask the person for their permission and then listen to their answer. They also created a visual representation of 5 people that would be their safety network of adults that they trusted and who they could go to if they needed their help. Finally we reflected on all of the learning that they had done. While we sometimes found this unit uncomfortable and a challenge we all said that we developed a lot of important knowledge and understanding.

 

Music: Year 3

A week after Year 3 students started learning the recorder in February, we went online.  It has been challenging for students to learn to play without being able to properly hear each other via zoom.  However, this has not stopped Year 3 students from thriving in their music learning journey.  Since returning to campus, it has been very enjoyable for everyone to hear the whole class playing together as an ensemble. Many of the students have been well prepared and have mastered several pieces during music class. It has been exciting to see them motivated and enjoying the process of making music.  

 

 

Mandarin

Last week, Y2-6 students stayed in their homeroom classes with mixed Mandarin pathways. They were guided by the Mandarin teachers to inquire into one of the most important Chinese traditional festivals: the Dragon Boat Festival. This was a great opportunity for them to share their understanding about celebrations in different cultures. Students were introduced to the legend, traditions and customs of the Dragon Boat Festival. Then they experienced the festival by singing, stories and craft making.

 

Physical Education

Year 6 students have started inquiring into net games as well as different roles and responsibilities in net games.  They have been developing a game called Newcombe ball which is similar to volleyball except participants are allowed to catch and throw the ball.  Here are some 6.5 students involved in the game.

 

       

We extend our gratitude to all families for their support at home with learning and in ensuring that RAT tests and temperatures are inputted each morning to keep our community safe.

Wishing you yet another wonderful week, 

 

Warmly, 

Aaron Van Borek

Vice Principal - Teaching & Learning

Dear Year 6 Parents, 

Thank you to all those that completed the eNotice for Year 6 Camp. 

In the meantime, please see the information below for the remaining preparations parents are required to complete for your child to be able to go to camp.

Registration – Medical & Dietary Information:

In order to provide an excellent camp for every student and ensure that your child’s needs are met, parents are required to complete the TIG (our Camp Provider) online school camp registration form for each child. This must be completed before camps start. 

Deadline for registration: 25th May 2022 at 3:00pm

• Registration Link 

Camp Preparation: 

There are a number of things that students should bring on camp each day. Please review the ‘What to Bring’ list to begin preparing for camp:

• Students “What to Bring” List: Day Camp  Click Here 

• TIG FAQ - Click Here

• TIG Website: http://www.treasureislandhk.com  

Parent Webinar:

To go into further details about how your child’s camp experience will be organised, Dr. Paul Campbell will be leading a webinar on

• Thursday 26th at 6pm 
• Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92322339681

Parents are welcome to join this, and it will be recorded for those who are not able to join.

Follow Up Communication:

On Monday 23rd May, we will share with you the confirmed date that your child will be going to camp. 

Two days prior to your child going on camp, there will be a communication from the Year 6 team with reminders and final preparations. 

Given that this camp experience will be over days with no overnight experience, as we debrief at the end of each day, should any further information need to be shared with you, we will be in touch via email. 

 

In the meantime, if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of the Year 6 team.

Best wishes,

Paul 

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear Year 6 parents,

2021 and 2022 were not like any other years, the pandemic has made it challenging for everyone but we are proud to see our Year 6 students rise up to the occasion and have done an excellent job. This year we have planned a few things for our Year 6 students hoping to help create more memorable SJS moments.

1. PTA has proudly sponsored the 'SJS Year 6 Graduation Booklet 2022' this year and we would like everyone to participate. Your child’s class teachers have shared the details of the content creation with them. If you could help remind them to create their individual slides and submit their page before 23rd May, that would be great!

2. [UPDATED] The school has shared with us that plans are underway for a hybrid graduation ceremony and follow-up celebration with parents, more details of which will be shared by Dr. Campbell soon. The PTA has arranged for a photographer to come to the school, restrictions permitting, to take graduation photos and family photos during the celebration should it be possible to hold it on campus. If you would like to take your child’s graduation photo together on that day, please reply to this email with your child’s name and class by 23rd May and we will arrange the schedule accordingly.  Each student will be given a teddy bear wearing an SJS uniform sponsored by PTA; do not miss this opportunity to take graduation photos with the teddy bear!

3. Lastly, the PTA has also sponsored this year’s balloon decoration for the graduation ceremony. Should the celebration be on campus, restrictions permitting, it will be possible for all families to come and take photos in the six different photo booths.

More information will be shared shortly and we look forward to celebrating the Year 6 graduation together!

 

Regards, 

Sha Tin Junior School Parent Teachers Association Limited

pta@sjs.esf.edu.hk

Dear Parents, 

We hope you have enjoyed working on the Year 1 SJS Global Goals Award Scheme with your child at home.  As we near the end of the year, we need to begin collecting the booklets from home so that students can receive their awards.  

Community and Safety Goals

We hope you found some opportunities over the weeks we were doing online learning at home, to help your child to work on their community and safety goals. Please lightly colour in or sign the boxes that your child has completed.  If they haven’t completed all of them, we encourage you to work on them this week and next week to finish them up.  We have attached a copy of the Y1 Award Scheme Challenges if you have lost the booklet at home. We would like the filled out Global Goals booklets or copied sheet to be returned in your child’s student diary by next Thursday, May 26th.  

School Goals

Once the booklets are returned, your child’s teacher will sign the activities that have been completed at school and finish up some remaining school activities in the last month of school. Your child will receive their Global Goals Award the last week of school so it is important that you complete these goals quickly and return the booklets next week.

Please write to your child’s class teacher if you have any questions regarding the SJS Global Goals Award Scheme.

Warm Regards, 

Y1 Team

Dear Y6 Parents and Families,

ESF-Wide Transition Day

You will have received notification from your child's Secondary School of the in-person Transition Day across ESF Schools on Friday 27th May 2022. 

Venue
This will be an opportunity for your child to spend the morning at their new secondary school, meet members of the community, meet their tutor group and experience various subject lessons. You will have noted from the email from the secondary school that this will take place on their campus, and students should ensure they follow the outlined health and safety measures while there.

Arriving at the Secondary School
Students are expected to make their own way to the secondary school on Friday 27th May where they will be received and dismissed directly. Those attending STC will be dismissed and received back at SJS. Those dismissed at another ESF school will have to make their own arrangements. 

Transitioning to Sha Tin College (STC)

Students attending STC in August who currently take an SJS school bus to/ from school will still be able to use these bus services on Friday 27th to and from school, but when they arrive and get off the bus, instead of coming into the SJS building, they should go directly to the STC main entrance.

Students should arrive between 8:00/8:15am. If some buses arrive later than this, that will not be a problem, STC knows to expect this. They should enter via the main entrance where they will be signposted where to go for their first welcome session of the day.  

Those transitioning to STC will be at the college from 8:00am/8:15am until 12:15pm and will then return to the SJS campus immediately after. Students will be dismissed by their Y7 tutor, and collected by their Y6 class teacher. Upon return to school, they will have lunch, and resume learning with their Year 6 class teacher for the remainder of the day until home time at 2:45pm.

Transitioning to another ESF School
Those transitioning to another ESF school are welcome to return to campus after the end of their half day transition day. We ask parents of these students to inform their child's class teacher of their plans and estimated return time via email if this is the case.

Transitioning to a Non-ESF School
Those transitioning to a non-ESF school will remain on campus for the full day as normal.

Communication with the Secondary School

If you have not received the communication from the secondary school, please let me or your child’s class teacher know.

 

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear Year 6 Families,

Interactive Computerized Assessment System (lnCAS)

As part of our ongoing assessment both at SJS and across ESF, all children in SJS in Year 3 & Year 5 (September and October) and Year 6 (May) are assessed using lnCAS. This computerized adaptive assessment programme has been developed by Durham University (UK) and is structured into a series of units:

• Reading
  • Word Recognition
  • Word Decoding
  • Reading Comprehension
• Spelling
• General Mathematics
• Mental Arithmetic
• Developed Ability
  • Picture Vocabulary
  • Non-verbal Ability

Year 6 will be undertaking these assessments this week. Results and further related information will be shared with families via Gateway and Velocity towards the end of this term when the assessments are completed and the results are returned to SJS and ESF.

A further email will be shared with you once the results have been uploaded.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

 

Dear SJS Families,

RED RAIN SIGNAL | EDB HAS CLOSED SCHOOLS | DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL 

The HK Observatory has issued a Red Rain Signal, as such the EDB has instructed all schools to close and classes to be suspended. 

Independent (asynchronous) online learning will be available for all students via their Year Group page on Velocity. This can be worked on independent by students at home should they wish.

If you have any queries, please be in touch via the parent referral form.

Best wishes,

Rehana Shanks

Principal

Dear SJS Families,

Many thanks to those who have emailed to confirm they would like to participate in the International Maths Olympiad Challenge. The period to register interest for this is now closed. 

We are excited on behalf of the students who are participating in this exciting and enriching extracurricular challenge.

If you registered interest, your child's details will now be used to register them centrally for the challenge, and you will receive further direct communication from the olympiad organisers on accessing the online space.

By way of reminder, the Olympiad will be conducted online on May 28-29, and the results will be declared the following week. This is an optional extra curricular activity, to be completed at home.

When the central registration of your child is completed, I will be in touch with further information. 

We look forward to sharing updates on this with you over the coming term.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

 

Dear SJS Families,

We are delighted to share with you that we have had approval from ESF to run the Year 6 camp this term.

We have been able to book a 3 day (no overnight) camp experience for Year 6 with Treasure Island based in Lantau.

We appreciate the rushed nature of the arrangements for this, but now the restrictions have been lifted to enable us to go to camp, our students have assured us how important an experience this is for them.

The key information is as follows:

• The camp will be run with half the year group at a time.
  One group of Year 6 will go on day camps 31st May, 1st and 2nd June.
  Another group will go on day camps 8th, 9th, and 10th June.
• Students will come to school as normal in the morning, and will go via bus to the camp grounds each morning, returning to school at 5:30pm each day to be collected by a responsible adult (please just let us know closer to the date if you make any arrangements for your child to be collected along with others by another adult).
• The approximated cost per student will be $3400.

If you would like your child to go on this three day camp:

• An e-Notice will be issued to all Year 6 parents on Friday 13th May where you will be asked to confirm you would like your child to attend the camps, and the necessary medical and contact information is up to date on Gateway.

This e-Notice should be completed by Friday 20th May at the latest, after which, further information will be shared with you regarding:

• The date your child will go to camp.
• Payment.
• Student groupings and preparation.
• parent webinars explaining the camp experience.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me.

We look forward to enjoying this important experience with our Year 6 students.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear SJS Families,

In light of the wet weather affecting Hong Kong, we would like to update you on our adverse weather arrangements.

 

Typhoon Signal 1 or 3, or Amber Rain Signal is hoisted

School and classes will operate as normal.

 

Typhoon Signal 3 is hoisted before or after arriving at school

School and classes will operate as normal.

 

Typhoon Signal 8, Red or Black Rain Signal is hoisted before school starts

Schools and classes will be suspended. Independent (asynchronous) online learning will be available for all students via their Year Group page on Velocity.

 

Typhoon Signal 8 is hoisted during school hours

Families are notified, and school and classes will be suspended. All students must be dismissed via their normal travel method (e.g School Bus), or be collected by their parent or guardian.

 

Red or Black Rain Signal hoisted (during school hours/ school travel time AM/ PM)

School remains open and classes continue. Students are kept at school until the signal is lowered.

 

Red or Black Rain Signal lowered (after normal school hours)

Classes continue until the end of the day. Students are kept at school and on campus until the signal is lowered. Students are then picked up or released once Amber or lower is issued or emergency guidance is issued by ESFC.

 

Communication

We will stay in contact with you via the ESF app.

 

Best wishes,

Rehana Shanks
Principal

Dear Year 6 Families,

Many thanks to those who joined the Y6 Who We Are (WWA) Unit | Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) webinar yesterday.

For those who were not able to join, please find below:

• Recording
• Slides
• Overview of Key Learning

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear Parent,

Positive RA Test - Year 3

This morning we had a  preliminary positive result on a daily RA test. The student was in school yesterday with a negative RA test result and a normal temperature.  

This has been reported to CHP and we will be following their advice. I can assure you that no one is considered a close contact at this time.

Please continue to inform us of RA tests each day in the APP. 

We will continue with our daily measures and will also undertake an additional deep clean.

Best wishes,

Rehana Shanks
Principal

 

Dear SJS Families,

We are pleased to share that we have been nominated as a ‘Select School’ by the International Maths Olympiad Challenge along with other ESF schools. 

The Olympiad, which is now into its 25th year, is among the largest Maths Olympiad bodies in the world. Their Olympiads are now online, and they conduct a unique Maths Olympiad called the Online Simulated Maths Olympiad. This Olympiad is reserved for Select Schools only, and we have been chosen as one of the Select Schools in Hong Kong.

The Olympiad will be conducted online on May 28-29, and the results will be declared the following week. As SJS and ESF schools are Selected Schools, your child can participate in the Olympiad for free. This is open to students from Year 1 through to Year 6.

You can find all other details regarding the Olympiad here http://www.international-maths-olympiad.com/selected-schools. 

If you would like your child to participate, please let me know by return email (paul.campbell@sjs.esf.edu.hk) by May 10th, sharing with me your child’s full name and class. 

We look forward to sharing updates on this with you over the coming term.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear Parents, 

 

Its been absolutely wonderful having the students back on campus. Though they have masks on it is clear to see the joy on their faces during their learning and break times. This last week we were all reacquainting ourselves with the routines of the classroom and the measures we need to take to keep ourselves safe. Alongside this, there was some wonderful learning happening. 

 

Y1

Year 1 has had an excellent week connecting with their peers. Alongside starting their new unit of inquiry about living and non-living things they connected back to themselves as a learner and how they can interact with friends and other peers in their classroom. Please refer to the Unit of Inquiry Overview found on Velocity for more information.

 

Y2

Year 2 began a new unit of inquiry this week. They are learning how using a scientific approach helps people to learn about our world. To start the unit the students were part of some teacher-led experiments. This was very captivating and lots of fun. Please refer to the Unit of Inquiry Overview found on Velocity for more information.

 

Y3

Year 3 has been brushing up on their mathematical skills amongst many other things this week. They have been focussing on telling the time. Perhaps this is a skill that the students can apply at home too. Students are learning to read analogue time as well as digital. 

Y4

Year 4 has been making the most of being back. They have been finding their creativity in all areas of the curriculum. One of the ways they did this was by discovering and creating mathematical patterns. 

 

Y5

Year 5 has been enjoying being back in the classrooms and learning collaboratively. They continue to develop their understanding that people and communities of the past have influenced our present-day world. As part of this, they were learning about ancient games such as Senet and what skills these help us to develop. 

 

 

Y6

Year 6 also took the time this week to get creative. The students created a lot of different visual art. As well as developing our visual art skills, the art was connected to other areas of our learning such as maths and our social skills. What talented artists we have in Y6. 

 

Mandarin

Last week in Mandarin the students spent time connecting with cultural elements of the Mandarin Language. In Year 6 the students practised their Chinese calligraphy by writing the Chinese characters with the most strokes. This character is “huáng” it has 172 strokes. This ancient Chinese character relates to the life of an emperor. 

 

Music

It was great to see our music rooms full and busy this week. There were glorious sounds floating out of the music room from all of the talented students. It is fun to be able to collaborate and make music together. I wonder how many instruments are learnt at SJS. Can you name the one below that Ling Wa is playing? 

 

We are definitely glad to be back on campus and now being back for full days we have even more time to collaborate and learn together. 

 

Wishing you yet another wonderful week, 

 

Warm Regards, 

Trudy McMillin

Dear Year 6 Families,

I hope this email finds you well.

Y6 Who We Are (WWA) Unit | Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)

Through the next Year 6 unit of inquiry, bringing together the theme of Who We Are (WWA) and our Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) programme, students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the personal, social, and physical changes humans go through, particularly during adolescence.

Students will also explore ways through which we can make sense of these changes, and manage them to maintain good health and wellbeing during adolescence and later in life.

Two of the key learning objectives are:

• Identify and discuss the changes that occur during puberty and their impact on well-being.
• Use emotional awareness and personal skills to relate to and help others.

Please find linked here an overview of the key learning in the coming weeks, and how you can discuss some of these things with your child should you wish.

As this is an important element of every Year 6's learning experience, we would like to invite all Year 6 Parents to an Information Webinar where we will share information about this unit of inquiry, what your child will be learning, and how you can support through conversations at home.

• Webinar:
  Who We Are (WWA) Unit | Changes during adolescents
• Date:
  Thursday 5th May 2022
• Time:
  4:00-5:00pm
• Location:
  Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96476067770

The webinar will be recorded and shared afterwards for those who are not able to join along with the slides.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,

Paul

Dr Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear Parents,

I hope you had a lovely Spring Break. We are looking forward to seeing our students tomorrow. 

For the first 4 days of Term 3, students will remain in school until 1pm and then they will have an afternoon online session commencing at 2pm. We expect the buses might be slightly later leaving campus on Wednesday due to College dismissal being before ours. Please make allowances for this when collecting your child from their bus stop. This will affect Wednesday only.

It is very important to note that from the message sent from ESF CEO at the weekend that:

1. If you do not update the App each day with your child's RAT test result they will be sent home immediately - ​​Click here to view the Q&A about RAT.
   
   To upload your child’s RAT test result each day on the App, please follow the instructions in this guide.

2. Please do not send your child to school if they are not well.

   Current CHP guidance for home quarantine 

3. Any one collecting students from campus must use the leave safe app home to come in. This is not negotiable.

4. Any adult or visitor to the campus must be fully vaccinated and use the leave home safe app. Failure to do so will result in no entry.

5. From Monday 25th April, we will return to the previous model we started the year with: Parent Version - SJS LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT - Full School Resumption August 2021

We will work closely with you in the coming weeks. Please continue to update your child's vaccination status in the App, this helps us to resume normal campus life as soon as we hit 90% vaccinated including extracurricular activities. Year 6 Parents please note we expect vaccinations to be essential for school camp as it is an extracurricular activity. 

Here is to a great term!

Best regards,

Rehana.

Dear Parents,

In this, our final week before the Term break we have exciting things happening. This week is the showcase of the Y6 PYP Exhibition. It has been impressive to see the dedication from students in researching and sharing all they have learnt and discovered about their inquiry topic and themselves as learners. Students from all year levels are looking forward to joining some of the presentations with their classes. The programme and further information is already live on Velocity, and can also be viewed here. We wish all of the Y6 students the best of luck. 

 

Today is also another chance to reflect on all of the wonderful learning that has taken place across the school last week. 

 

Y1

In Year One we continue to focus on storytelling and building our language skills. This week we focussed on adding detail to our stories with adjectives. We also learnt what alliteration is and we were creative in trying to come up with our own examples. 

 

Y2

This Week we had Grand Designs come to Year Two. Students got creative designing their own homes. They had to think about the features of your home and how does this affect what it looks like? The Year 2 students also considered the materials they used and the location of their home. It was great to see these designs showcased in the assembly too. 

 

Y3

Last week Y3 began their Where We Are in Place and Time Unit. In this Unit of Inquiry, we will inquire into, how history is recorded, how history is interpreted and what history teaches us. Please refer to the Unit of Inquiry Overview found on Velocity for more information.

 

Y4

Last week Y4 began their How the World Works Unit. They are inquiring into the different forms of energy, the storage and transformation of energy and how we can conserve energy resources. To start the unit off they shared all of their current knowledge and understanding about the topic.  Please refer to the Unit of Inquiry Overview found on Velocity for more information.

 

Y5

Year 5 have been further developing their idea and product to share at the Dragons Den this week. Students collected data through surveys and made decisions based on these surveys. They continue to collaborate through Zoom and the different online platforms. 

 

Y6

In between all the final week preparation for Year 6 Exhibition, our students took time to explore their creative side with different art engagements. Much of this creativity shines through the presentations that will be shared at the Exhibition.

 

This Weeks Upcoming Events

Monday - Thursday 

Exhibition Presentations

 

Friday 25th March

Assembly at 13:30

End of Term 2 

 

Wishing everyone a great last week of Term 2 and a safe and happy holiday break. 

 

Warm Regards, 

Trudy McMillin

Dear Families,

Vaccination Record Verification: Now Available Through ESF App

Over the past few months, the Education Bureau (EDB) has requested information on the number of staff and students that have received a COVID-19 vaccination. ESF has already collected data relating to the number of teaching staff who have been vaccinated. ESF is now seeking your support to establish the vaccination status in relation to students attending ESF schools. The provision of this information continues to be entirely voluntary. However, we believe that having details of the levels of student vaccination in our school communities will be of assistance when face-to-face learning resumes. 

The ESF App now has a Student Vaccine Record function that parents can use to upload their child's/ children's vaccination information. We encourage you to upload details of your child's/children's vaccination status through the ESF App. Any personal data will be held safely and securely and in line with ESF's personal data handling and data privacy policy.  You may refer to this linked guide sheet on how to upload the data. 

Best wishes,

Rehana Shanks
Principal

Dear Parents,

 

Yesterday was International Happiness Day. During our assembly on Friday we celebrated the things that make students at SJS happy. If you missed the chance to see it you can always watch the recording through Velocity. 

 

We have lots of interesting opportunities that are currently being offered to our students. Please read the school newsletter to make sure you are aware of all of these wonderful opportunities. 

 

Y1

In Year 1 students continue to develop their abilities to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences through their writing. Students are learning new phonics sounds and how to apply these to their writing. They are also learning about creating sentences including using full stops and capital letters. 

Y2

Students in Year 2 are learning more about data. They are learning how to gather data, record it in different ways, such as pictograms, and how to interpret the data to gather meaningful information. 

 

Y3

Y3 were wrapping up their Sharing the Planet unit this week. Throughout the unit Year 3 have been talking about the different ways that they can take action to reduce their own impact on natural resources. Our students were also developing their persuasive letter writing skills to encourage others to also take action. 

 

Y4

Year 4 students this week were finding different ways to share their knowledge and understanding about adaptation. One of the ways some of our students displayed this knowledge and understanding was by creating posters. 

 

Y5

This week Year 5 students have been creating their own logos and slogans. They have discussed the unique selling points and what their logos and slogans might portray. The students have enjoyed this creative process.  

 

Y6

It has been a busy time for our Y6 students. They have been wrapping up their research and beginning to put all of their learning into a presentation that will be shared the week of the 28th of May. One part of the presentation is a speech about themselves as a learner. It will be interesting to see what they have learnt about themselves. 

 

This Weeks Upcoming Events

Friday 25th March

Assembly at 13:30

 

Warm regards, 

Trudy McMillin

Lead Teacher Curriculum

Dear SJS Families,

Thank you to those who were able to join the 'Child Protection and Safeguarding Online Webinar' yesterday. We were delighted to be able to engage with families on these important themes, and we hope you found the information and advice useful.

For those who were not able to join, please find the recording, slides, and Mentimeter responses below:

• Recording
• Slides
• Mentimeter Responses

For those who were able to join, we appreciate your feedback. We kindly request you complete the feedback form here: https://forms.gle/jS4GSWycqMPJSJLv9

We look forward to connecting with you again soon, and in the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to use the Parent Self Referral Form or be in touch via email. 

Best wishes,

Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Elise Draeger
Vice Principal

Aaron Van Borek
Vice Principal

Dear SJS Families,

With the recent move to online learning, we would like to take the opportunity to revisit some guidance and support tools for families to ensure the safe and responsible use of technology and the internet. 

Title: Child Protection and Safeguarding Online Webinar

Date: Tuesday 25th January 2022

Time: 5-6pm

Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92407089294

This webinar will be hosted by Paul Campbell, Elise Draeger, and Aaron Van Borek, Vice Principals and Child Protection Coordinators at SJS. During this webinar, we will explore:

• What is child protection and safeguarding?
• How does this connect with online learning and being online?
• What tools can I use to help my child stay safe online?

We look forward to seeing many of you there. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch, and to use the Parent Referral Form for any updates, queries, or technology requests. 

Best wishes,

Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Elise Draeger
Vice Principal

Aaron Van Borek
Vice Principal

Dear Families,

It has been great to see our students engage so well last Friday and this morning as we commence this period of online learning. 

Chromebooks and iPads can be borrowed to support your child’s learning at home and can remain at home during this period of online learning. 

Parents are able to choose which device they would like to borrow based on familiarity and preference, however we recommend:

• Y1 - iPad or home device  
• Y2 to Y6 - Chromebook or home device 

If at any point you need to borrow technology from the School, please complete a Parent Referral Form. We will action this request and respond to you with arrangements for safe and timely collection during the school week (Monday to Friday).

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch.

Best wishes,

Paul Campbell
Vice Principal

Dear Parents,

I am writing to share some important information about our move to online learning, which commences tomorrow.

Today was a day filled with mixed emotions on campus. It was wonderful to see so many students dressed in special attire for Chinese New Year or in their favourite clothes as a way for our community to come together and celebrate. At the same time, we could also sense the uncertainty and how overwhelmed some of our students are feeling at this moment, as many students asked questions about the length of online learning (particularly our Year 3’s and above).

We reassured the children that we have a full programme of activities planned for online learning in formats that they are familiar with. We also said that we would make magic happen for activities they were looking forward to such as Year 6 Exhibition should we remain in the coming weeks online. 

I acknowledge that this is a very important moment for us all working together to keep our children engaged, motivated and making progress. 

On Velocity, you will find your child’s schedule for online learning (Year Group> Class> Weekly Timetables) which begins tomorrow at 8:30am. Please remember that if you should encounter any technical difficulties, a team will be online and available to support your family between 8:00am-8:30am at https://zoom.us/j/94889165944. Alternatively, you can use the Parent Referral form to request support.

We thank you for your ongoing support and continued partnership as we navigate these challenging times.

Yours with warmest regards,

Rehana Shanks
Principal

Dear Parents,

Suspension of Face-to-Face Learning

Given the developing situation with COVID cases across Hong Kong, you will have seen the message from Belinda Greer, CEO of ESF that all primary schools and kindergartens have been instructed to close campuses, and move to Online Learning commencing Friday 14th January until at least the Chinese New Year holiday.

Online Learning

We are awaiting further information and updates from the Education Bureau (EDB) later today, and when we have this, we will share with you any necessary updates. 

In the meantime, as shared last term and last week, this document is here to support you and your child as we resume online learning for all students in Year 1-6 from Friday 14th January (inclusive). This includes the daily whole school timetable, and our platforms used. Your child’s daily timetable for learning will be accessible on Velocity under the year group tab. Teachers will be working with students over the coming days to remind them of the online tools and how to access them to ensure they are as well prepared as possible.

Technology Support

Should you require any technology to support your child’s online learning, please complete the parent referral form, and our team will begin issuing devices over the remaining few days on campus. For general technical support to access devices and online learning platforms, we will resume daily technology support check-ins at 8am each day from Friday 14th January until Friday 23rd January with our technology team. Information about this can be found both in this document and on the Parent Tab on Velocity.

Reminders

When it comes to online learning, please do only what you can, and check in with your child's teacher and the leadership team, and reach out as needed. Our main priority is student safety and well-being and for this initial move to online learning, we will be flexible with each family’s engagement.

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that we will keep your child(ren) at the centre of all we do and make their school experience the best it can be; supporting them as we readjust to learning from home.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We will continue to keep you updated via the ESF app.

Yours in good health on behalf of the SJS School Team,

Rehana Shanks

Principal

Dear Families,

Following on from the government's press conference yesterday, whilst new restrictions have been announced, we are delighted that schools will remain open for face-to-face learning. 

Given the changing circumstances, we are well prepared for any possible change in circumstance or adaptations that might be needed. 

 

Health and Safety on Campus

Even with the change in restrictions, we are able to continue offering DCK lunches as the preparation and distribution of the lunches comply with our strict health and safety measures and the guidelines issued by the Education Bureau (EDB) here.

When we resumed learning on campus at the beginning of the year, we shared with you the SJS Learning & Engagement overview which outlines our rigorous health and safety procedures in line with Centre for Health Protection (CHP), EDB and ESF guidelines. We will continue with these strict arrangements and keep them under regular review. 

Please be reminded that if your child is unwell, please keep them at home, monitor their symptoms, and keep us informed of how they are. Additionally, your child’s temperature is required to be entered daily on the ESF app.Thank you for your understanding of these precautionary measures.

 

Online Learning Preparations

While we hope there will be no need to adapt to any online or blended learning models, it is important for us to be prepared for this to ensure continuity of learning.

This one page overview outlines the daily learning sessions, platforms that will be utilised, what communications you can expect, and additional materials to support online learning at home. The linked files below are available for reading on VELoCity under the Parents tab.

• Parent Version | Year 1-6 Online Learning | SJS Learning & Engagement | 2021/2022

• ESF SJS | School Closure | Online Learning and Teaching Provision | 2021/2022

We will be re-familiarising students with these online platforms and tools over the coming days.

 

Borrowing Technology for Online/ Blended Learning

If we were to move to online learning or blended models, and your child would benefit from borrowing devices from the school, please complete the Parent Referral Form. Devices will be issued before Lunar New Year and we will notify you of when they should be returned.

 

If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to be in touch.

Best wishes,

Rehana Shanks
Principal

Dear Families,

We are delighted to be able to share with you that we have provisionally booked Camp for Year 4 students this year.

Year 4 Camp has provisionally been booked for the 23rd-24th May. This will be two days, and one night (overnight stay), organised with Oceanic Sports.

More details will follow in Term 2 when they are confirmed, including, location, activities, and costs etc.

In the meantime, wishing you a pleasant, and restful holiday period.

Best wishes,

Paul Campbell
Lead Teacher (Curriculum)

Dear Families,

We are delighted to be able to share with you that we have provisionally booked Camp for Year 5 students this year.

Year 5 Camp has provisionally been booked for the 16th-18th May. This will be three days, and two nights (overnight stays), organised with Treasure Island.

More details will follow in Term 2 when they are confirmed, including, location, activities, and costs etc.

In the meantime, wishing you a pleasant, and restful holiday period.

Best wishes,

Paul Campbell
Lead Teacher (Curriculum)

 

Dear Families,

We are delighted to be able to share with you that we have provisionally booked Camp for Year 6 students this year.

Year 6 Camp has provisionally been booked for the 20th-22nd April. This will be three days, and two nights (overnight stays), organised with Treasure Island.

More details will follow in Term 2 when they are confirmed, including, location, activities, and costs etc.

In the meantime, wishing you a pleasant, and restful holiday period.

Best wishes,

Paul Campbell
Lead Teacher (Curriculum)

Dear Year 6 Families,

Many thanks to those who were able to join us for the Y6 PYP Exhibition and Year 6-7 Transition Webinar yesterday evening.

It was a pleasure to connect with families, and to gain insights into the transition process.

Please find below the recording, slides, and Mentimeter feedback:

• Recording
• Exhibition Slides
• Transition Slides
• Mentimeter Feedback

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch with me or any member of the Year 6 team.

Best wishes,

Paul Campbell
Lead Teacher (Curriculum)