Newsletter 4/2016-17

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

 Educational Visits – Non-residential trips and camps

 Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival (Chinese and English)

 After School Clubs Supervision – Important Safety Message

 Mosquito Machine Contribution

 Island School Redevelopment Update September 2016

 QBS After School Clubs

 Reminder: Student Responsible Internet Use Agreement

 Toys in School

 2nd Hand Uniforms

 Computer Purchases By Parents

 Student Collection / PE Lessons and Clubs

 ESF Language & Learning

 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
• Tuesday 13th of September (6.00pm – 7.00pm, QBS Hall) – Year 6 Outward Bound Camp Meeting for parents
• Thursday 15th of September – School Closed for students – staff professional development day

Mid Autumn Festival – Lantern Walk

On Thursday evening the school community enjoyed the Mid Autumn Festival Lantern Walk hosted by the QBS PTA. There were hundreds of parents and students at school. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the playground and the Hall. It was the first big event for the PTA this academic year and was very successful – thank you to all from the PTA who were involved. The students were very motivated to make their own lanterns which were very creative. Thank you to our hard working Mandarin team for organising such a lovely celebration for students and their parents. Special thanks to Ms Yee, Ms Hill and Mrs McGraw for supporting also. This is a very special time of year in Hong Kong and it was great to celebrate as a community this week.

Staff Professional Development

QBS staff will be involved in continued professional development (CPD) throughout the school year. Various courses, workshops and collaboration projects which staff undertake impact directly on the learning experiences for our students. Here are a few examples of staff involvement in CPD so far this year or in the near future:

• Professor Peter Sullivan from Monash University in Melbourne has visited QBS. He planned, taught and reviewed lessons with QBS teachers in all year groups. The maths lessons focused on challenge, problem solving and prompts which helped to cater for all learners. Professor Sullivan and teachers also considered follow up consolidation tasks which would build upon student learning in these lessons and reinforce understanding of mathematical concepts. It was another very successful three day visit by a highly regarded expert in the teaching of Mathematics. Thank you to all parents who attended Professor Sullivan’s workshop this week.
• A key group of teaching and support staff have attended training on ‘social thinking’ strategies by Michelle Garcia Winner. Ms Garcia Winner is a leading expert in the field of social learning. QBS hosted Ms Garcia Winner and her colleague Ms Pamela Crooke this week. These visitors gave QBS staff some very positive feedback about the strategies in place for our students and this was affirming for our community.
• All staff will participate in Positive Education training this weekend at QBS. A priority area for QBS is the development of the Personal, Social and Physical Education (PSPE) curriculum for students. This training will assist staff to develop strategies to improve opportunities for students in this important area of the curriculum.
• Next week all teaching staff will refresh their first aid and CPR qualifications so that in the event of accidents or injuries everyone is able to respond and assist.
• Next week all support staff (Education Assistants) will be trained in key reading comprehension strategies which are used daily by classroom teachers.

Year 6 Parents

Please be reminded that the ESF Year 6 to Year 7 transfer via Gateway must be completed by parents by the 16th of September. Any Year 6 parents wanting to transfer their child to an ESF secondary school must complete the Year 7 transfer in Gateway. We do not want anyone to miss the deadline next week.

Next week is a shorter week at QBS due to CPD and the public holiday. Please be reminded to book your parent teacher consultation on Gateway if you have not already done so. We would like all parents to participate in these important meetings.

There will be no QBS newsletter next week due to the short week.

Regards,

Educational Visits

School trips are a very valuable part of our curriculum. In the near future, trips will be taking place across various year groups.

In order for your child to take part in these educational visits, we require permission to be given via the Gateway. Please click here to give consent for your child. In addition, whilst giving consent, please also ensure your child’s medical details are correct and up to date.

The deadline for giving permission for these visits is Monday 19th September 2016 at 9am.

This permission enotice must be completed for all students in Y2-Y6, other than those new to the school this year, who will have completed this on admission.

A further communication requesting payment for annual incursions and excursions will be sent out in the near future, we would be grateful if parents could respond promptly to this.

Please note, further communications will be sent out relating to the Y4, Y5 and Y6 camps in the near future. Additional information and permissions will be required due to the residential nature of these trips. It is important that these notices are responded to in addition to the general request above.

Please also note the following important dates of upcoming camps and information evenings:

Year 6 Camp to Outward Bound
Monday 3rd – Friday 7th October 2016

Year 5 Camp to Treasure Island
Wednesday 19th October – Friday 21st October 2016

Year 4 Camp to Cheung Chau
Monday 24th October – Wednesday 26th October 2016 (4S & 4W)
AND
Wednesday 26th October – Friday 28th October 2016 (4V & 4Y)

Information Evening Dates

Year 6 Camp Information Evening – Tuesday 13th September 2016 – 6pm

Year 4 Camp Information Meeting – Wednesday 21st September 2016 – 4:30pm

Should you have any questions relating to camps or other trips, please contact me.

Best regards,

Michael Dewey

Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival (Chinese and English)

The Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival (Chinese and English) is open for registration. Parents who are interested can click here to download the materials and the entry form. Please hand in the completed entry forms with the cheque payable to Quarry Bay School on or before the 14th September 2016 to the office. Late submission will not be entertained.

Please note that:

• You must indicate the choice of your piece. If your child is in Year 2 please choose Year 1 materials, Year 3 please choose Year 2 materials, Year 4 please choose from Year 3 materials, Year 5 please choose Year 4 materials and Year 6 please choose Year 5 materials.
• This competition is open to Year 2-6 unless the category is age specific.
• The registration fee is $115 for each category.
• Parents must take responsibility for the training and taking your child to the competition.

After School Clubs Supervision – Important Safety Message

Unfortunately, some students are being left unsupervised in the playground after school finishes. This is extremely concerning as students are at risk of accidents. There is no playground supervision of children by staff after school finishes.

Students waiting for clubs must have an adult with them, both before the club starts and until it finishes. These students need to be actively supervised by the adult (parent, grandparent, driver or helper).

The adult who is supervising the child must be in the quiet area at the front of the school, and must know the child’s whereabouts at all times.

Students cannot play football, downball or use school sports equipment after school.

If your child does not participate in any after school activity, they are to go home immediately after the end of the school day. Only children in clubs should remain after school and this is going to be monitored in the future. Parents will be contacted if unsupervised children are left at school or supervision is not adequate.

Note: Only students in Year 5 and Year 6 who would normally return home on their own may wait for their club without an adult. They should wait sensibly at the front of school or where their club leader is based.

This is for the safety and well being of your children. Thank you for your support.

Mosquito Machine Contribution

In view of the geographical location and the increasing concern about Zika virus, the PTA and the school have decided to upgrade the two current mosquito machines and purchase another two machines for the benefit of the children. We are asking for contributions to the additional cost of purchasing, maintenance and operation. If you are interested in contributing, please click here to learn more and sign up. Thanks in advance for your generous support.

Island School Redevelopment Update September 2016

At the start of the academic year 2016-17, it is timely to reflect on the current state of play with regard to the redevelopment of the Island School campus. We are pleased to report that both the detailed designs of the temporary school buildings and the new school itself are coming on very well and are near completion. All the preliminary drawing submissions have been approved by the relevant government departments and we are well on the way to achieving Gold Beam+ status for the new designs commitment to sustainability.

We have benefited hugely from being able to work so closely with TCA architects. They have been so committed to listening to our needs, wants and ideas. Having said all this, we are no nearer receiving a final confirmation that the project can go ahead starting June 2017 and therefore cannot be 100% sure that we will be relocating in August of the same year. We are hoping that the redevelopment project, and the government funding towards the project, will be ratified by the end of this month. As soon as we have had this confirmation, we are confident that we are on track to plan a very successful approach to temporarily relocating next year.

An invitation

As we embark on what is hopefully our final year in this building prior to decant, it is vitally important that we A: plan supportive, safe and efficient strategies for student travel to and from the temporary school sites and B: that we become more strategic and anticipatory in our planning for sustaining our school ethos and community cohesion throughout the decant period. On top of that we need to be mindful that a sensitively planned community engagement programme is essential if we are to integrate with the Tai Wai communities and develop a reciprocally beneficial relationship with the people in the areas around the temporary school sites.

We already have a small group of primary parents that wish to work with us as we contemplate the concrete details of a transport plan, but we need more prospective parents to get involved. We need to hear your views and work together with you to ensure the complete success of the temporary relocation arrangements. Please email me at gareth.stevens@online.island.edu.hk if you wish to be involved. Also, if you wish to accompany us on a visit to one of the school sites on 21st September 2016 please let me know. The campus we will be visiting is for Years 7, 8, 12 and 13.

QBS After School Clubs

Your activity registration status under the ‘My Activities’ tab will be updated at 4pm on Monday 12th September 2016 to either ‘Accepted’ or ‘Not Accepted’.

‘Not Accepted’ means that the activity is full.

Please make sure that you inform your child’s teacher and the PTA about your child’s club(s). This is necessary for the school bus and if they are a walker.

There needs to be an adult with the child before the club starts and after it ends.

(Only students in Year 5 and Year 6 who would normally return home on their own may wait for their club without an adult. They should wait sensibly at the front of school or where their club leader is based).

Reminder: Student Responsible Internet Use Agreement

As parents will be aware, we are strengthening our Digital Citizenship Curriculum this year. In order to reinforce our expectations of students and to give parents a framework for discussing Internet use with their children, we are asking all students in Y2 – Y6 to acknowledge the terms in our Responsible Internet Use agreement and for it to be witnessed by their parents. The link to the form was sent out in an email to parents dated 30th August. We would be grateful if you would review this agreement with your child at the link below and ask him/her to submit the online form to acknowledge acceptance if you have not already done so. Please could this be completed by Monday 12th September.

Toys in School

There seems to be a lot of children that are bringing toys from home into school. We are very aware that this can lead to difficulties, if the toy gets lost or inadvertently broken. Home toys are not to be brought into school with the exception of cards (or Shopkins if they wish). We would appreciate support with this, as many children are easily upset if precious toys go missing during the school day.

Second Hand Uniforms

The summer second hand uniform is on sale outside the medical room. There are many sizes, so please come and have a browse.

ALSO PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CAN NO LONGER TAKE DONATIONS AS WE DO NOT HAVE SPACE TO STORE THEM.

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 child 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 the companies above.

Student Collection / PE Lessons and Clubs

As you will know, the undercover area, the gym, the astro field, the gym and the basketball area are all used to teach PE, and are also used for clubs.

In the past, there have been times when adults collecting students at the the end of the day have used these areas to wait prior to dismissal. On occasion, this has meant that the space needed for physical activities has been compromised.

Could we please request that any adults collecting students, or supervising them whilst clubs are going on, are respectful of the space needed for the activities to take place. Waiting at the front of school would be appreciated.

We will be looking at this over the next few weeks and considering how best we can make use of the spaces, including how we can accommodate adults collecting students.

Thank you for your support

ESF Language & Learning

6 September – 12 November 2016

ESF Language & Learning is proud to offer a range of programmes for the new academic year. Please click here to learn more.

PTA News

Upcoming PTA Events:

• 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

A big thank you to all our parent volunteers for cooking, volunteering and supporting our event.

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

[Click here for Bus Schedule for Early School Closure]

PTA SHOP

Special Shop Opening Day

To facilitate parents the shop will be open for regular business on:
Monday, 12th September 2016: from 08:15 – 12:15.

Stock Available Next Week

• Eco-Friendly School Bags

Out of Stock Items:

The PTA Shop is out of stock of the below items:

• Eco-Friendly Book Bags – Red

We expect the stock of the above to arrive in late October. Notification of arrival will be posted in the coming newsletters. Pre-Orders are most welcome for the bags.

Parakito Mosquito Bands: NEW Design Bands and Refills are available for purchase now!
Winter Uniforms: will be available for purchase from Tuesday, 18th October 2016 onwards. Winter uniform order forms will be available on the PTA section of the website and our office commencing 28th September 2016. You may place your pre-orders. All pre-orders can be collected after 18th October 2016.

Winter Uniforms: will be available for purchase from Tuesday, 18th October 2016 onwards. Winter uniform order forms will be available on the PTA section of the website and our office commencing 28th September 2016. You may place your pre-orders. All pre-orders can be collected after 18th October 2016.

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”