Newsletter 3/2016-17

Quarry Bay School’s latest newsletter is available to read now. Find out the latest news around the school and upcoming events.

 Principal’s Comments

 Parent Consultations on 22nd September and 29th of September – Booking Appointments via Gateway

 Computer Purchases By Parents

 Application Reminders for Parents

 Chinese Information Night

 Lantern Walk Evening

 SIS Open Day

 ESF Sports Clubs – Term 1

 QBS Clubs

 Quarry Bay School P.E Kit

 Quarry Bay Sports Performance Kit

 Expressive Arts News

 Joint Government School Dental Care Service/Student Health Service

 Peter Sullivan Mathematics Workshop 2016 for QBS Parents

 PTA News

Principal’s Comments

Next Week at QBS

• September 2016 – ESF’s online application system for entry to Year 1 (children born 2012) in August 2017 now open
• Monday 5th of September to Friday 16th of September – ESF secondary transfers to be completed by parents of Year 6 students via GATEWAY
• Monday 5th of September (6.00pm – 7.30pm, QBS Hall) – QBS Parents as Partners – Mathematics Information Evening for parents with Professor Peter Sullivan (Monash University, Melbourne)
• Thursday the 8th of September (6.30pm – 8.00pm) – PTA Lantern Walk for students and families in the QBS playground

Privacy Reminder

Parents, visitors and helpers are respectfully asked not to take photos or videos of other students or staff whilst on school grounds. Thank you for your cooperation with this request which is due to privacy reasons. Please let other family members who may come to school to be with your child aware of this request.

Mathematics at QBS

Next week Professor Peter Sullivan from Monash University in Melbourne will be returning to QBS to work with staff on the teaching of Mathematics. Professor Sullivan will collaboratively teach lessons with QBS teachers whilst colleagues observe student learning and how they solve open-ended problems. We look forward to seeing parents at the Parents as Partners curriculum information evening next Monday which will be delivered by Professor Sullivan. On his last visit to QBS, Professor Sullivan presented to parents and the feedback was very positive.

QBS Classroom Timetables

All class timetables will be shared to parents via email next Monday. The timetables will be stored in Gateway for parents.

Year 5 Camp Meeting

Please click here to view the slides from the Year 5 Camp Meeting for parents.

School Uniform – hair accessories

All hair ties, clips or other accessories must be either blue or black. Cooperation with QBS school uniform expectations is appreciated. Please do not send your child to school in hair accessories which are not blue or black. Decorative hair ties, bands and clips are not suitable for school. Click here for details about school uniform at QBS.

Regards,

Parent Consultations on 22nd September and 29th of September – Booking Appointments via Gateway

On Thursday the 22nd of September and Thursday the 29th of September, parents are invited to attend parent teacher consultations at school. We are looking forward to meeting you.

These 1-1 consultations between parents and the teacher will provide an important opportunity to discuss your child’s school experience and is one we value. During the consultation, the teacher will want to know your perspective on your child and will also share some initial thoughts on their start to the year. This is a teacher and parent event only and students do not attend on this occasion.

To assist your discussion with the teacher, please complete the questionnaire attached to this email message and return a hard copy (in a sealed envelope) to your child’s teacher no later than Wednesday the 14th of September. This will assist the teachers with their preparations.

Please note that on Thursday the 22nd of September, school will close at 12.00noon for students so that parent teacher consultations may begin from 1.00pm. Thursday the 29th of September is a normal school day and all consultations will begin at 3.00pm.

What do you need to do now:

Please complete the student questionnaire attached to this email and return a hard copy to your child’s teacher. We suggest you return this questionnaire in a sealed envelope to the teacher. Please return this no later than Wednesday the 14th of September.

All appointment bookings for the consultations are made through the Gateway system. The booking system will open in Gateway at 12noon on Tuesday the 6th of September. The deadline for bookings is 12 noon on Wednesday the 14th September. Please note, the appointment times available have been amended slightly from those publicised on the ‘key dates’ document sent out earlier this term.

Gateway appointment bookings are available for your child’s class teacher, along with the Physical Education teachers (Mr Luke Schroder and Mr Rick Leone) and Expressive Arts teachers (Ms Ceri Hill and Ms Jess McGraw). Consultations with the Mandarin teachers will take place on separate occasions this year. Class teacher appointments will be 15 minutes and specialist teacher appointments will be 5 minutes.

For specialist teachers, we hope that the 5 minute sessions will mean that more parents are able to access the meetings. However, this will of course limit the time available for each parent. The main focus in these sessions will therefore be to provide an opportunity to hear about the provision in the subject area, and ask any questions about the year ahead for your children.

Mr Keith Purton (Lead Teacher of Information Technologies) and Miss Anna Trunkfield (Lead Teacher, Librarian) will be available to parents for ‘drop-in’ discussions about their areas of the curriculum on the 22nd and 29th of September.

To book an appointment please log into Gateway with the following link: https://qbs.tg.esf.edu.hk and click on Parent Consultation – see below.

If you cannot see your child’s name in the drop down boxes please make sure that their Date of Birth has been confirmed. To do this go to the Account link at the top right of the Gateway screen. The screenshot below shows you what the confirmed booking will look like.

If you need further help, please click here for a user guide or click here for a video guide, you can also email ken.lee@qbs.edu.hk, who will be able to provide guidance and technical assistance. We will be unable, however, to make bookings directly on request.

We look forward to welcoming you to school again soon.

Computer Purchases By Parents

We have had a number of enquiries from parents about purchasing computers for their children. At school we are using Chromebooks from Y1-Y6. However, as most of our resources are now Internet/Cloud based, the platform OS is not as important as having a good Internet connection with a choice of browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox. These are free on all platforms.

Chromebooks are not currently available for retail sale in Hong Kong. However, HP are running a limited offer for ESF parents. Please click here for the order form

As an ESF parent you can also obtain discounted prices on Apple products at https://www.eduoffer.com/esf/

Please note that if your children will attend South Island School after Year 6 they are currently required to purchase a prescribed Macbook directly through the school at the start of Year 7 .

Parents should apply and make enquiries directly to companies above.

Application Reminders for Parents

This is a gentle reminder to parents for:

• Sibling applications for Year 1 (born in 2012) Central Applications (http://www.esf.edu.hk/Yr1_central_application_dates). The deadline for these applications are from 1-30 September 2016.
• Submission of the Y7 secondary transfer applications (located on Gateway) for Year 6 students during the period Monday 5 September-16 September 2016.
• Deposit payment deadline to secure their Y7 place is 13 December 2016.

For further details, parents should refer to the information available on the ESF website at http://www.esf.edu.hk/node/5470 for key dates and http://www.esf.edu.hk/esf-zones for school zones.

All newly joined Y6 are guaranteed a Y7 place but not necessarily for the school of zone.

If you have a Y6 child on a waiting list (born in 2007), please be advised that the September 2016 Central application for Y7 secondary school will be opened from September 5th to 16th September should you wish to be consider for admissions in academic year 2017-18. The existing primary form will be archived after this academic year.

Any further queries please contact Sue Yee or Sue Mason at QBS.

Chinese Information Night

QBS Chinese information night was well supported by parents from year 1-6. The night started with a general sharing by Miss Katherine Ong in the Hall and followed by workshops led by the Chinese teachers.

Thank you to the parents who attended the event. If you were unable to attend a video can be viewed from here.

Lantern Walk Evening

To celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival, we would like to invite you to join our Annual QBS Lantern Walk on 8 September 2016. The evening will start at 6:30pm with performances by our students.

• Year 6 Drumming
• Year 5 Drama
• Lantern making competition results
• Lantern walk

This year apart from the sale of food and drinks, we have the addition of an activities booth till 8pm.

• Riddles (Chinese and English) with prizes
• Making moon cake
• Making lantern
• Making fans
• Dancing wands
• Photos

SIS Open Day

Please click here for more.

ESF Sports Clubs – Term 1

A reminder that ESF Services clubs begin next week. If you have not signed up and wish to do so please click here to sign up.

ESF Services provide a sports program which offer sports classes for children all year round. It is also an excellent opportunity for younger students to begin learning fundamental movement skills from an early age.

QBS Clubs

A reminder that the deadline for registrations for QBS clubs including academic and sports clubs is at 12.00pm on Monday 5th September. Please ensure that you have registered your child on the Gateway by then to avoid disappointment.

Quarry Bay School PE Kit

All students should have purchased their PE kit from the PTA Office. This kit represents the house team that they are in; Red (Fire), Green (Water), Earth (Orange) and Yellow (Air).

In addition to this PE kit it is essential for all students to have a QBS hat.

We appreciate your help in reminding your children of the following points regarding PE dress code. This will help to ensure the safety of all children in PE.

Jewellery

A reminder to all parents that on PE days, students should not be wearing any jewellery (earrings, necklaces or bracelets etc). If you can help to remind your children to leave these items at home when dressing in PE kit that would be very helpful.

Watches

The best option is not to wear a watch on PE kit days or for students to leave them in their school bag before coming to the PE class.

Hair Accessories

It therefore important that students with longer hair have their hair tied back and all hair ties are of the soft type in blue or black.

PE Shoes and socks

PE Shoes and socks should be all white.

Quarry Bay Sports Performance Kit

With the help of our kit manufacturer Tsunami Sports we have created a new and improved QBS Sports Performance Kit. This is a multi-purpose kit which will suit all physical activities that we offer at school.

The kit is a secondary option for children in Year 4-6 who are involved in extra-curricular sport at QBS and may want to purchase an additional kit to supplement their current PE kit.

The kit is made of a lightweight breathable eco-friendly fabric, is anti-bacterial, and will be particularly useful in the warmer summer months in Term 3.

We will be encouraging children who are involved in extra-curricular sports clubs to wear this to their club, if they have purchased one.

As you can see from the designs, the logos on the kit ensure that children will be well recognised outside of school as a representative of QBS, ESF and Hong Kong.

Please note that QBS Sports Performance Kits should only be worn on days when children have a QBS after school club or special event such as an external sports tournament. On normal PE days, standard QBS PE kit should be worn.

You may collect an order form for the kit from the PTA Shop.

Expressive Arts News

QBS Dance Off 2016

Congratulations to all the children who showed confidence and were risk-takers this week. The solo auditions were fantastic and it was really difficult to decide who was to go through to the semi-finals. The children have been informed today and we are looking forward to seeing their 1 minute dance in a couple of weeks.

The group auditions take place next week. Please click here to access that timetable and all the relevant information about the dance competition.

Audition opportunity

This coming December, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) will present the musical adaption of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman and The Bear for four performances.

Vocal auditions will be held on Saturday, 24 September 2016 for boys and girls aged 9 – 14 yrs. This would be a wonderful experience and opportunity for any boy and girl, who displays an exceptional interest and talent for vocal performance.

Please find here for City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong’s (CCOHK) 2016 auditions (Music and application form) and eDM for The Snowman & The Bear

Joint Government School Dental Care Service/Student Health Service

Please remember that Wednesday 7th September is the last day to submit the Joint Govt School Dental Care Service/ Student Health Service. NO LATE FORMS WILL BE ACCEPTED .

If you choose to enrol in the dental scheme please submit $20.00 CASH with your for application. Please send all forms to the Medical Room

Peter Sullivan Mathematics Workshop 2016 for QBS Parents

Monday 5th September 6 – 7:30 p.m. in the school hall

Peter Sullivan is Professor of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, at Monash University in Australia. He is the immediate past President of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and was the lead writer of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics.

Peter is one of the world’s leading authorities in mathematics, and will be making his second visit to our school from September 5 – 7th to work alongside our teachers again.

The workshop for parents will focus on “The ways that fluency and deep learning both contribute to the learning of mathematics”.

This would help parents to understand how they may be able to help their children in the development of mathematical thinking. If you would like to attend, click here to register.

PTA News

Upcoming PTA Events:

• Thursday, 8th September 2016: Lantern Walk
• Sunday, 25th September 2016: Junior Chess Star Competition 2016
• Monday, 31st October 2016: PTA Annual General Meeting
• Friday, 11th November 2016: Pizza Lunch
• Friday, 2nd December 2016: Winter Fair

Lantern Walk

[Event Timing: 6:30pm-8:00pm]

The PTA will be supporting this school-organised event with a Food and Drinks Counter on the evening.

We are pleased to invite Parent Volunteers to help us either cook and/or help at the stall. Please click here to register as a parent volunteer. All proceeds raised at the event will be donated to school to upgrade resources, enhancing the learning platform for all our students.

5th Junior Chess Star Competition 2016

[Event Timing: 8:30am – 5:15pm]

[Please find the information below to facilitate online registration.]

We are pleased to announce that Quarry Bay School PTA LTD will be hosting the 5th Junior Chess Star Invitational Competition 2016, sponsored by Quarry Bay School, on Sunday, 25th September 2016.

We invite all students studying in ESF & PIS primary schools, for the academic year 2016-17, to join the event.

See here for more information on the Poster.
Please click here for online registration.

Parent Volunteers – Chess Competition
We welcome Parent Volunteers who would like to help with the event to contact us as soon as possible at mona.diwan@qbs.edu.hk.

PTA School Buses

The PTA offers a standard bus service with nominated stops. With nearly 83% of our students travelling on the school bus daily, it is difficult for us to offer a door to door service. We therefore request parents and families to select a nominated stop closest to your residence to avoid later changes in bus routes and or stops, especially since most of our bus routes are completely full. If you would like assistance to decide on your bus routes, please contact Dorothy Ho on pta@qbs.edu.hk.

You are requested to be at the stop 5-8 minutes prior to the scheduled times to avoid missing the bus. The school bus will NOT wait for any late students. All students who are not collected at the stops by guardians in the afternoon will be bought back to school by the bus mum, for which extra transportation charges are applicable (as stated in the bus rules).

Change in Daily Travel Schedule: Parents are requested to inform the PTA by email ONLY to pta@qbs.edu.hk for any change in daily travel schedule for their child/ren before 12:00noon. You are also required to inform the school/class teacher separately.

Parent Concerns/Requests Related to Buses

We request parents to refrain from boarding the school buses to discuss bus matters with the bus escorts, especially since the buses are on a tight schedule to ensure students arrive at school on time and avoid delays in the schedule. All school bus concerns/requests are to be addressed to the PTA directly. You may contact our Bus Administrator, Dorothy Ho, on 28871004 or by email at pta@qbs.edu.hk, who will be happy to assist.

Please note the following dates in the school bus schedule during the upcoming weeks:

• Thursday, 15th September 2016: CPD – No School for Students (No School Bus)
• Friday, 16th September 2016: Public Holiday (No School Bus)
• Thursday, 22nd September 2016: Parent-Teacher Consultation – School Closes at 12:00noon

[Bus Schedule for Early School Closure will be posted in the next newsletter].

PTA SHOP
The PTA Shop is out of stock of the following items:

• Eco-Friendly School Bags
• Eco-Friendly Book Bags – Red

We expect new stock of the above to arrive in September. Notification of arrival will be posted in a future newsletter. Pre-orders are most welcome for the bags.

Feedback or Suggestions

If you have any feedback, or suggestions you would like to make for our events or services provided, please email them directly to: ptasuggestions@qbs.edu.hk. Your email will be received directly by our Chairman, who will reply to you at the earliest available moment.

HELP US – IN OUR DRIVE FOR A GREENER ENVIRONMENT

We request all parents to support a greener environment by BYOB “bring your own bag” when you come to purchase items from the shop.

[With immediate effect the PTA Shop will no longer provide any shopping bags].

Please contact us on 2566 4242 (ask to transfer to PTA), or 2887 1004 for further queries, or by email to pta@qbs.edu.hk, during operation hours.

“Click here for PTA Office and Shop Operation”