Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

Dear Family Bauhinia Parents, We are now closing in on the final week of this school year – it has been an amazing year for Family Bauhinia! A big thank you for your support and the trust you have given to us for the care we provide your children. Every year we grow stronger because of the commitment from you and our talented teachers to provide the best care for our students. This time of year marks the departure from Family Bauhinia of our Year 8 students and Tutors while at the same time we welcome our new Year 7s into our Family. The Year 8 students have grown so much in confidence and self-awareness and are ready to take on the new challenges that face them in their new Families and House structures. It is also time to welcome new members to the Family Bauhinia Team: Dr. Shaine Bushell, who will take over the role as Head of Year 7 in August until January, as Ms. Victoria Butcher will be on maternity leave; Ms. Gemma MacIntosh, Ms. Anna Foster and Mr. Todd MacDonald join South Island School and the Family Bauhinia team as Year 7 Tutors; and joining the Family Bauhinia Team of Tutors are a host of returning teachers: Ms. Kitty Yeung, Ms. Ghislaine Armistead, Ms. Jessica Smith, Ms. Rui Zhao, Ms. Enrica Chan, Ms. Larissa Curran, Ms. Jenny Williams, Ms. Naomi Greenaway and Ms. Toya Elliot. It is shaping up to be another fantastic year for the Family. In this last newsletter of the year, we will highlight some of our successes over the past month in Family Bauhinia as well as note some important dates and upcoming events to prepare us for this academic year as well as the beginning of the next year. Also included is a curriculum update on MYP focusing on the Community Project in Year 9 that our Year 8 students will take part in next academic year! As a reminder for our New Year 7 parents, all information regarding the Year 7 induction can be found here. In this link, you will also find the application forms for Personalized Octopus Card (requires 2 weeks) and Hong Kong Public Library Card. You should also have received the laptop ordering information from our ICT department. If you have not, please contact ICT Department at [email protected]. Also, please click here to view some photos from the Year 6 Pastoral Day held on June 2nd. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Family a happy and safe holiday. See you in August! As always, please let me know if you have any questions regarding the above information.

Carolyn Andrews Vice Principal South Island School

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

FAMILY BAUHINIA ACHIEVEMENTS AND LEARNING

YEAR 8 FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT A number of South Island School Year 8 girls travelled to Phnom Penh in Cambodia last Friday to play in the Hong Kong Football Club ISF Football Tournament. They were representing the Hong Kong Football Club Junior Soccer under 14 girls. They played extremely well in very challenging heat and stayed strong throughout. Two of the Indo Starfish Girls joined the team and it was great to see them gel as a team and play so well. They came away as winners of the Plate. Some of the girls even started learning some Khmer!

Hong Kong Football Club ISF Football Tournament Plate Winners! Team members from SIS: Hannah May, Taylor McNeil, Tatum Sadler, Erin Shirley, Grace Timpany

Mrs. Suzanne and Mr. Michael Sadler (Coach)

ESF SPANISH SPEECH COMPETITION South Island School Spanish students participated in the ESF Spanish Speech competition on Wednesday the 21st of June. Our year 7 team, consisting of Alex Chen, Rhea Hui, Summer Fay Sit, and Saloni Sethi, came second in the group competition. As a school, we placed second overall, with the help of Aiswarya Rambhatla from Year 8. We are very proud of students!

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

Ms. Holly Dauncey (Head of Spanish)

‘BETTER IS PEACE…’ AN EVENING OF DANCE, DRAMA AND MUSIC On Tuesday June 21st, our talented singers, dancers, actors and musicians came together for a spectacular performing arts evening. The audience was taken on thought provoking, emotional journeys that had them longing for more! We are very proud of our students and are very thankful for the time and dedication they give to the arts. A special thank you to the teachers for supporting our students and organizing the event – Drama: Ms. Helen Cannon; Musical Theatre: Ms. Sammy Hines; Music: Ms. Debra Jones, Ms. Sarah Martin and Mr. Paul Barker.

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

FILM AWARDS On the 9th of June, we celebrated our 10th SIS Film & Media Award ceremony @The Space. In total, 19 categories were awarded including the Bodega Media Foundation Film Award, which recognises the filmmaking achievements of our Year 8 silent films, made as part of their InterD course. In an exciting Oscar's style show, 4 teams were nominated by class teachers, as nominees. Congratulations go to Alyssa Wong, Tristan Chan, Lawrence Lin, Hannah May for winning the category! Also, a great achievement by the other three teams: Sophie Poulton, Katie Kwok, Gigi So, and Aoife Keating; Rohan Williamson, Jack Grimshaw, Anupat Choy, and Damon Yeo; Asia McLaughlin, Erin Shirley, Hugo Yu, and Mark Lim.

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

PICTURED ABOVE: LAWRENCE LIN (8M1), TRISTAN CHAN (8M1), ALYSSA WONG (8N1) AND MS. ANDREWS MISSING FROM THE PHOTO HANNAH MAY (8N1)

Mr. Iain Williamson (Head of Film/TV/Media Studies)

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY COMPETITION STARS Well done to Jasmine Chan (8N1) and Abigail Pang (8M2) who have won 2 prizes (Gold and Silver) in a recent Chinese Calligraphy Competition held in Hong Kong. We are very proud of your hard work!

Ms. Tracy Cheung (Head of Chinese)

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

ADOBE CLUB ACTION! As part of his activities in Adobe Club, Aidan Jackson (8S2) created a digital collage of some of 8S2's tutor time activities during Term 3.

B&W image: Mindfulness Mondays - Students have been meditating on Mondays to build skills of mindfulness and resilience. Colour Image: Aidan's collage includes moments from this term, including a student-built resilience wall in the tutor base, used to remind us of ways stress can affect our resilience and strategies we can use to stay strong Ms. Fiona Henderson (Head of Art and Design)

CURRICULUM UPDATE – MYP YEAR 9 COMMUNITY PROJECT The Year 9 InterD classes are engaged in a Mini Community Project which involves working in groups to investigate, propose, plan and implement a project that serves a need within the South Island School community. Students have conducted investigations and collected evidence to address some needs at South Island School. The following are brief project proposals from some of the groups:

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

Area of Focus:

We would like Year 9 students to feel confident about themselves, and know how to rely on other people when needed and feel they are alone which can cause stress or anxiety. We see this as an issue because students have personal problems but don’t want to share them with others as they might not want people to know about it. The target of this investigation is to help those who are either unable or too afraid to seek help about their personal issues. Sometimes, students are under a lot of stress with their upcoming exams, family issues, or identity crisis so this is an important part of school life. Many students struggle through these things themselves, they need the help and may not even realize it.

Our Action: To raise students’ self-confidence and help students seek help when needed since a lot of students would probably shy away thinking it’s better to hide whatever personal issue they have and refuse help. Katrina Ng, Joey Lam, Amy Song

Area of Focus:

We think that Year 9 students should stop comparing their test scores when they get their tests back because they might compare it with others which may cause low self-esteem.

Our Action: To encourage students not to compare their test scores unless they are comfortable with it. We could also encourage teachers to share the scores by emailing students individually and to try to put more emphasis on whether it is a good score for themselves and not compare themselves with the class. Oliver Blyth, Ranen Pang, Akshay Lakshminarasimhan Madapusi

Area of Focus: We would like Year 7-10 students to set up their own societies of interest and get others to join, an example could be a coding society, pottery society, music society, this allows students to explore their interests and gain more exposure to non-GCSE subjects. It could also allow people to build an identity of their own and learn more about themselves, allowing them to be more confident and gain leadership roles.

Our Action To create an environment where people can be comfortable with people they share an interest with. This can be a safe space for people to get away from stresses such as exams. In addition to gaining more skills, they can also make more friends. Lauren Lee, Luna Boot, Catherine Chan

Ms. Chile Le (Head of Interdisciplinary)

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10 UPCOMING EVENTS

June 2017

Y7-9 CHINESE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PROJECT EXHIBITION (23RD – 29TH JUNE) We are pleased to share our learning in Chinese lessons with the SIS community. The children have been engaged in project based lessons to support their language learning. All work will be on display during the following period: 23 Jun – 29 Jun (8.30 am – 4.30 pm) @Hall Foyer The objective is to celebrate the achievement of outstanding projects by Year 7-9 Second and Foreign Language students through topics such as Chinese Culture, Global issues, Fengshui and Design and Technology and Innovation Parents are very welcome to come and celebrate our students’ achievements in Chinese learning! Ms. Tracy Cheung (Head of Chinese)

GRATITUDE WEEK (26TH – 30TH JUNE) Gratitude Week is the last week of term – a time when we are encouraging students to say thank you to those who have supported them during the year with many activities and events. This year, we are putting a special focus on thanking domestic helpers, for those families who are fortunate enough to have someone in this role in their lives. This is also an opportunity to do some final fundraising for Malayang Mangarap, the Jumpstart kindergarten in Bacolod, Philippines that we have committed to supporting with an annual donation of HKD60,000. During the week there are several fundraising events, and although we are naturally hoping to make our fundraising target, we would like to remind students and parents that donations and sponsorship are at all times a matter of choice. The events of the week are: •

Friday 23th June: Year 7-9 Assembly @Hall to introduce Gratitude Week

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All week (26th – 30th June) − Selfie with a Story competition: Student pin selfies and a 100 word 'story' of why they are saying thank you to their helper on display boards in the foyer

− Tagalog 'Word of the Day': Students will have an opportunity to learn a new word in Tagalog each day

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Monday 26th June (break/lunch) − Bake for Bacolod: home baked goods available for purchase

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Wednesday & Thursday 28th & 29th June (break/lunch): IH Sponsored 'Run for the Philippines' for Y7-9 in the lower playground

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Friday 30th June: Dress Casual

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

END OF YEAR FAMILY CELEBRATIONS (27TH & 29TH JUNE) To end a fantastic year in Family Bauhinia, we will have 2 events for the children to come together as a Family for the last time. We will have our final disco for the year and we will also say goodbye to our Year 8 students during the Staff Pantomime on the last Thursday of the term. We will tweet the photos, so please do check our website!

END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS Textbook Return for Years 7-10 Students Students should have received a Textbook Loan Form from their Tutor. Students are to return their textbooks to the school Textbook Centre (C48) during the hours specified on the Loan Form (*please see below for reference). Students should bring along the Textbook Loan Form for stamping at the Textbook Centre every time they return textbooks. All returned textbooks should match the registered student's name and Octopus card. Any textbooks not returned after 30 June 2017 will be charged to the student. Textbook deposit cannot be used to offset non-returned/lost textbooks. Students should keep the Textbook Loan Form as proof of receipt. In case of dispute, the Form should be presented to the School Office as proof of return. If the student fails to produce the Textbook Loan Form as evidence, the school's computer record shall be final. * Textbook Centre (C48) Opening Hours: Every Mondays & Thursdays 26th to 30th June (Monday to Friday) (last week of term)

Break Time

10:05 am – 10:35 am

Whole Day

8:00 am – 4:00 pm

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

Yearbook Distribution: The 2016-17 Yearbooks will be distributed to Years 7 and 8 students on Thursday 29th June for those who have preordered in April. If you would like to purchase a Yearbook, we have a limited supply at a cost of $300 (cash only) available at Reception.

PTA Shop (Uniform and Stationery) Opening Hours: Closed: 21st June to 7th August 2017 (both dates inclusive) Reopen: Tuesday 8th August 2017 (Monday to Friday 9:30 am – 1:20 pm) Email: [email protected]

PTA Office (School Bus) Opening Hours: Closed: 1st July to 7th August 2017 (both dates inclusive) Reopen: Tuesday 8th August 2017 (Monday to Thursday 8:30 am – 4:00 pm / Friday 8:30 am – 2:00 pm) Email: [email protected]

START OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS (2017-18) 14th August (Monday) – First day of school for Year 7 and New Year 8 students This day is set aside for new students starting South Island School for the first time. It gives the children a chance to become familiar with their new learning environment as well as meet the adults that they will be working with over the next year in a more relaxed atmosphere. The details of the day are: Ø 8.30 am • Students and Parents arrive at school and assemble in the SPACE (NO school buses on this day) Ø 8.45 am – 9.15 am • Parents meet with their child’s tutor (Year 8 parents meet with Head of Year 8, Mr. Thums) • Students work with Family Bauhinia Leaders and Prefects Ø 9.15 am – 2.00 pm • Students in session with Tutors and Prefects • Students must wear School Uniform and bring their snack/lunch or Octopus card to purchase lunch • Forms and start of year payments will be collected for Year 7 students Ø 2.00 pm • Parents pick children up from school or students make their own way home

Family Bauhinia Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 10

June 2017

15 August (Tuesday) – School day for All students This is the first official day for the academic year 2017-18! School buses will run on this day. The first session for students will begin at 10.05 am with the following exception: • New Year 8 students arrive at school at 9.45 am to meet tutors in the Refectory

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: Jun 22 – “Most Likely to Succeed” Screening 6.00 pm @School Hall (please refer to e-bulletin for more details) Jun 23 – Year 8 Public Speaking Competition Jun 23 to 29 – Chinese Language Acquisition Project exhibition 8.30 am – 4.30 pm @Hall Foyer Jun 26 to 30 – Gratitude Week (please refer to e-bulleting for more details) Jun 27 – Family Bauhinia Disco @SPACE during lunchtime Jun 29 – Family Bauhinia Celebration – Staff Pantomime @Hall Jun 29 – Yearbook distribution for Years 7 and 8 students Jun 30 – Last day to return textbooks Jun 30 – Last day of Term 3 July

– Start of Year Packs mailed to parents

Aug 14 – First day of school for NEW YEAR 7 and NEW YEAR 8 students to SIS Aug 15 – School day for ALL students (first official school day) All dates including whole school events and information can be found on our school calendar. To view the calendar, please go to our website and click on the link School Calendar