13 January
- For this Week
- Tuesday K2 ARP Visit
- Wednesday Teachers' Social Lunch
- Ed Tech Session
- School Photos (21, 22 January)
- Temperature Control
- Free Teaching Training on Tooth Decay
- Staff Calendar
Good morning!
For this Week
Monday: KS K2-Y1 Transition Visit
Tuesday: K2 ARP visits
Wednesday: Bradbury & Hillside Teachers' Social Lunch
Thursday: QBS K2-Y1 Transition Visit
Friday: BS K2-Y1 Transition Visit
Tuesday K2 ARP Visit
The Admissions and Review Process (ARP) for children being considered for a Learning Support place in Year 1 will take place for our K2 children this week. The primary purpose of the ARP school visit is to gather information about the student's learning and development. This will inform the panel's recommendation for the most appropriate level of support in ESF.
During the school visit, one or two panel representatives will:
- Observe the student in class with his/her usual class teacher
- Meet with the student's class teacher/Student Support Coordinator
- Meet with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s)
Observation
In order for ARP representatives to gather the most relevant evidence about the student, it is helpful to see a variety of learning engagements that demonstrate the student's strengths and challenges. Please ensure the student is observed in a learning environment that reflects his/her current level of support. If support is usually provided please keep it in place.
Please note that children can become anxious if they know that they are being observed. It is therefore suggested that you do not tell them about the scheduled ARP visit.
Wednesday Teachers' Social Lunch
We've organised a social lunch for our K1 and K2 teachers alongside the Bradbury Y1 teachers this Wednesday in our staff room. It'll be just teachers. Kate and I will not be attending, maybe just to say hello. This is an opportunity to put names to faces and make connections before our next round of collaboration and classroom visits. We hope you will enjoy some dim sum and engaging conversations!
Ed Tech Session
Thank you for participating in Jay and Anna's recent Ed Tech session! They will return before LNY on 21 January to teach us how to create chatbots. In the meantime, please take a moment to explore some examples of prompt generation for early years and try out the tools when you have a chance. Thanks, Brenda, for putting these together. Please free feel to share any feedback or questions to support the next session.
School Photos (21, 22 January)
Photo days are coming up, so don't forget to get your individual shot for our staff use. We will probably use the photo for our induction website for the new K1s/ K2s. Please check the Photo Day Schedule and let us know if there are any clashes. Floaters can assist with ushering small groups down to the resource room.
Please let us know if something didn't work well based on last year's experience, so we can change it for this year.
Four classes are scheduled for each day:
Tuesday 21 January - All K1s
Wednesday 22 January - All K2s
When available, parents will be able to view the proofs online.
Temperature Control
A kind reminder our A/C system is not the most intuitive system. The contractors need to manually switch modes manually. With the yo-yo Hong Kong temperature, the contractor won't come every other day to change the modes. 😩
In the cool/ A/C mode ❄️, it won't generate heat if you increase the temperature. And it won't do anything even if you change it to the heat mode or the sun ☀️icon, and vice versa for the heat to cool. If in doubt, please ask admin for help.
Maybe turn it off if it's too cold and have the fan on 𖣘. We also have some portable heaters if needed. If in doubt, please ask admin for help.
Please feel free to adjust outdoor play timings if it is too cold to stay outside.
Free Teaching Training on Tooth Decay
"Throughout the past years, the Jockey Club Children's Health Project ("the Project") has been offering teacher training workshops to empower kindergarten teachers to promote oral health in their classrooms. We have recently revamped the structure and content of our teacher training workshops series and we are delighted to invite your school [ESF International Kindergarten (Hillside)] to sign up for the first workshop of the series on the theme – Tooth Decay.
This workshop enables teachers to gain a better understanding of the tooth decay process and learn good habits that can help prevent cavities. Participating schools will also receive a set of oral health education material titled "Brush and Shine, Teeth So Fine" designed by our team for kindergarten teachers to use. This workshop also serves to provide teachers with practical tips on how to use the education materials as well as ideas for in-class learning activities. There will be time for Q&A towards the end of the workshop and teachers are welcome to raise any questions relating to oral health."
If you are interested in joining this webinar, please apply through the online form (https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0PtHpFgDJxkRBDU).
English sessions：
Please check our internal calendar below. We might forget to remind everyone of odd dates. We will continue to add events as soon as they're confirmed. Here's the full 2024/25 Calendar and DRAFT 2025/26 Calendar.
Thank you!
