Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Xīn nián kuài lè!

Happy New Year and warm greetings to all! As we step into the Year of the Dragon, we hope it brings you and your loved ones nothing but the very best.

We have had an incredible week filled with festivities and celebrations. The Chinese New Year Carnival was a fabulous success, thanks to your generous donations on Monday. These contributions helped fund this week’s fair, activities and performances throughout the week.

We are particularly proud of our Year 6 students, who put on 3 fabulous Lunar New Year performances for the school this week with a grand finale planned for their parents tomorrow. Our lion and dragon dancers wowed the crowd at Quarry Bay School, impressing Belinda Greer, the CEO of ESF, as well as everyone in attendance. At 11 am tomorrow, the whole school will gather in the lower playground to watch some amazing performances by our Lion and Dragon dance troop, show our gratitude to the site staff, make some noise and celebrate the new year.

Join us on our Live Stream here from 11 am to 12 noon. CNY Celebrations Live Stream

A huge thank you to our Mandarin team for their hard work, dedication, creativity and desire to make this the most wonderful week of the year!

Here are a few reminders for tomorrow (Thursday):

1. Students are encouraged to wear Chinese-inspired or bright clothing.

2. Please ensure your child has warm layers or a jacket as the temperature is expected to drop, and we will be outside for the performance.

3. It is a normal school day tomorrow. If you require flexibility with this timing, please contact your class teacher, we understand.

4. After-school activities run by external providers and teacher-led clubs will continue as scheduled on Thursday afternoon.

5. The school will reopen for students on Tuesday 20 February 2024, at the usual time.

Celebration of Learning Day - 5 March 2024

We would like to inform you about an upcoming event, the 3-Way, Student-led Conference opportunity, live in school, scheduled for Tuesday, 5 March 2024.

On this day, the school will be open to families at specific times. Formal classes will not be in session, and children will come and leave with their parents. No buses will be running.

Each in-class session will last 50 minutes and will involve approximately four families. During this time, there will be a three-way conference (10 to 12 minutes) with the teacher, your child, and yourself - to discuss and reflect upon your child's learning, including their strengths, areas for improvement, and progress to date. The remainder of the session will involve engaging in learning conversations with your child, viewing learning samples, and participating in various interesting tasks. Your child will guide you through this part, whenever possible.

Once your classroom session is completed (or before it, if you are not in the first session), we encourage you to take a tour of the school with your child. You can explore and experience learning activities in different areas of the school for eg PE, Chinese, Expressive Arts, visit the library etc. We will provide guidelines to follow, and your child will be your guide.

Booking schedules and all necessary information for the three-way conference with your child and their teacher will be communicated to you on the first day of school - 20 February 2024.

IB - PYP Workshop - 11 March 2024

Lastly, we would like to draw your attention to an excellent parent learning opportunity to be held in school, the IB - PYP Workshop - Advanced. Please see the information below and register yourself for this valuable opportunity with Cath Wan, our VP and Curriculum Coordinator.

PTA Part-time Administration vacancy

Please refer to the PTA section to find out more about a current opening for a part-time position working with the PTA.

Warm regards, and have a wonderful time celebrating the New Year with your family and friends. Do take a moment to enjoy the Chinese New Year greetings from:

Our Students

Our Staff

Kind regards,

Brenda
顧仁達
Principal

PYP Workshop - Diving Deeper into the Primary Years Programme

On Monday, 11 March 8:30 - 10:00 am, we will be hosting the workshop Diving Deeper into the Primary Years Programme. This hands-on, in-school workshop will be designed for parents who have already attended an introductory workshop or webinar about PYP and would like to further their understanding.

In this workshop, we will be exploring:

• What does it really mean to be an inquirer?

• How do we intentionally develop the skills and dispositions necessary to become a successful life-long inquirer in a school setting?

• How can parents support children in developing the necessary skills and dispositions to become a successful inquirer?

Please register for the workshop by filling out this short questionnaire.

There are a few questions on the questionnaire about your current thoughts on inquiry. Your answers will help to guide the planning of the workshop. The questionnaire should take no more than a few minutes to complete.

If you have any questions on this, please contact Cath Wan at cwan@kennedy.edu.hk

Year 1/2 winners: Phoenix

Year 3/4 winners: Unicorns

Year 5/6 winners: Dragons

And the overall winners are…Dragons!

Dragon House raised the Sports Day trophy for a second year in a row after 2 days of sporting competition.

It was great to see our school community come together for friendly competition at HKU Stanley Ho Sports Centre. We are very lucky to have this facility right outside our school. Thank you to everyone who helped set up, score and cheer on the students. And big thank you to West Island School who sent their student sports leaders to help.

Those who missed Sports Day can see the highlights in this video Sports Day Video

Do check out some lovely pictures taken:

Year 1,2 Sports Day Photo Album

Year 3, 4 Sports Day Photo Album

Year 5,6 Sports Day Photo Album

Job Vacancy - PTA Administrator (Part-time)

The PTA Committee at Kennedy School is seeking a part-time administrator. Kennedy School PTA organises a number of social and fundraising events each year and supports the school and parent community, for the benefit of all students.

This role would suit someone (possibly a parent) who would like to work mostly school hours, part-time (flexible) with all the school holidays off and be part of a really dynamic and fun school community. This role is a paid position working for ESF, Kennedy School.

The PTA Administrator is responsible for the organisation and coordination of PTA events and fundraising activities. This is a term-time position only.

If you enjoy working with children and families and wish to be part of the dynamic team, we will be happy to hear from you. For details of the position and application procedures, please click here.

Closing date : 26 Feb 2024

On behalf of the PTA, we extend our warmest wishes to you and your family for a joyful Chinese New Year! May the Year of the Dragon bring you abundant blessings, good health, and prosperity. Enjoy the break and have a Happy Lunar New Year!

PTA Chinese Carnival Game Booth & Thank you Parent Volunteers

PTA hosted two game booths at Monday’s Carnival and the children had a fabulous time! Thank you to our parent volunteers for their incredible support.

PTA Sponsored Kennedy School Lion Dance Performance

PTA is pleased to sponsor the professional Lion Dance troop that will be performing tomorrow. Bring on the noise and the colour to ring in the Year of the Dragon!

Yearband-led Dress Up Day - February 23rd Thursday 

Year 2 has decided that on Thursday 23rd February, everyone should come to school dressed in RAINBOW colours. Please send in a recommended donation of $20.  The Year 2s are saving up for something fun to enjoy together and are grateful for your support.

Zebratasty Lunch

Don’t forget to order your hot lunches during the holidays. The ordering period for the month ahead is from the 10th to 24th each month.

Any meals ordered after that date will incur an additional $8 charge per meal.

To enrol in the Hot Lunch Service, please register and order online directly with Zebratasty:

Zebratasty Hot Lunch Registration and Ordering

More information about the Hot Lunch Service can be found here:

Zebratasty Hot Lunch Service

1. Chinese Weekly Learning Notices Links

   1. Year 1

   2. Year 2

   3. Year 3

   4. Year 4

   5. Year 5

   6. Year 6

2. School Uniform Guide

3. School Uniform Shop

4. Inclement Weather Procedures

5. Kennedy School Calendar 2023-24

Kennedy School Draft Calendar 2024- 25 (Draft)