Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome back everyone!

We're so happy to see all our students back at school this week, fully engaged in their learning and having a great time at play. The transition for our Year 1s and new students has been really smooth. It's been amazing to see all of the students’ excitement and eagerness to learn and make new friends.

New Staff

Last week, we welcomed new staff members who have seamlessly become part of our team. In the upcoming newsletters, we will introduce you to each of them, so you can get to know them too.

Meet the Year Group Session

We would like to invite you to meet the teachers via Zoom. These sessions will be held on Thursday, August 31, according to the following schedule:

• Years 2 and 5 parent/caregiver session: 5:00 to 5:45 pm

• Years 3, 4, and 6 parent/caregiver session: 5:45 to 6:30 pm

During these sessions, all teachers in each year group will jointly host a "Meet the Year Group" session. This will provide you with an opportunity to virtually meet the teachers, learn about daily routines, organisational matters, curriculum details, and any special events specific to the year group.

Please mark the date on your calendar, and we will share a Zoom invitation with you early next week.

Additionally, Year 1 teachers will personally reach out to Year 1 parents to arrange a separate meeting time.

New ICT Device Provision

Exciting news! Our Year 5 and 6 students walked into their classrooms to find a set of shiny new MacBooks, each one labeled with their own name. This special project was made possible through the collaborative efforts of our School Council and our Tech working group. Additionally, our Year 1-3 classes have received updated iPads, with a ratio of 1:3 in Years 1 and 2, and 1:2 in Year 3. Year 4 students can look forward to receiving their new MacBooks next year. We couldn't be more thrilled about this new provision, as it will unlock a world of opportunities for our students to design, create, and innovate. A huge shoutout goes to the PTA, who also played a crucial role in this project by generously purchasing modern, effective, and safe charging carts for every classroom. We are absolutely delighted!

Singing for All

We know how much children love to sing and perform so this year we have added year group singing as part of the children’s weekly timetable. This is going to give all children the experience of being part of a year group choir and feel the joy of making music together. This year ESF has reinstated the Primary ESF Choral Concert for Years 4-6 which will take place at the end of Term 2. Our Choir for after school activities will primarly be focussing on this for the year. More information about ECAs will be issued next week.

We appreciate your ongoing support and cooperation. We look forward to connecting with you soon, whether it is online or in person.

Kind regards,

Brenda

顧仁達

A warm welcome from your Parent Teacher Association to all our Kennedy School families, new and returning, as we start a new school year. We have big plans for the year ahead so please stay up to date by reading the newsletter each week. If you are unsure what PTA Events are coming up, you can simply check the website here: https://www.kennedy.edu.hk/pta/

The PTA can be contacted at pta@kennedy.edu.hk or phone 2579 5699 with any PTA related queries, or if you wish to volunteer.

School Uniform

From 16th August all students must now be wearing the new style school uniform as has been well documented. The current uniform guidelines can be accessed here.

Second Hand Uniform - We will accept both old style and new style second hand uniforms at the PTA Office until 31 August 2023.

All Old Style uniforms will then be responsibly recycled with a clothing recycling partner as it is no longer worn at Kennedy School.

From 1st September, we will only accept second hand donations of the current uniform style in good condition, which will then be available for re-sale to other students.

At this time, we have a very limited second hand uniform supply for the current Kennedy School uniform. Each item is available for purchase at $20 per garment.

Please contact the PTA to find out if the item you may be looking for is available.

PTA Office Opening

Until further notice, the PTA Office will be open to parents to try on sample uniforms by appointment only. Please email Fiona at pta@kennedy.edu.hk if you would like to try an item on, or if you wish to enquire about our very limited supply of second hand uniform available.

Class Parents

We are seeking class parents for most classes across Kennedy School this year. The Class Parent is a central contact point for parents throughout the year - and a point of contact with the PTA representing your class.

If you are keen, or would like to know more about what the role entails, please contact Fiona.

Thank you to parents in 1MB, 2M, 3L, 3W, 4RO, 6S and 6M for volunteering as class parents.

WhatsApp Groups

We have created WhatsApp Groups to enable parents and caregivers in every class to communicate more readily with one another and build your new class community for the year ahead.

You will have received a QR code to scan for your specific class as part of the welcome letter from your child’s teacher. If you are having difficulty joining, or have questions please contact the PTA.

School WhatsApp Groups do have guidelines and etiquette to follow. Please read and follow them.

School Lunch Provider - LAUNCH

We have had many inquiries regarding if and when a hot lunch would be available to purchase for students - and after an extensive tender process across ESF, we are delighted to announce that “Zebratasty” will be providing a hot lunch service for Kennedy School from 1st September 2023.

The service will be offered on a monthly sign-up basis. Full details will be sent via an ESF App message this week. Do note, the time available to sign up for the first month will be short.

Parent Volunteers

If you would like to assist the PTA at any of our events, please contact Fiona at pta@kennedy.edu.hk indicating the days/times you tend to be available. We have several key events coming up in 2023/24 where we will need your help.

Disclaimer: Kennedy School and the English School Foundation do not recommend or endorse any external events in this newsletter. There is no contractual arrangement between KS/ESF and the organisers.