Monthly Newsletter (December 2022)
> Principal’s Message
> Phase Year 7-9
> Phase Year 10-11
> Phase Year 12-13
> December Weekly Newsletters
> Reminders & Upcoming Events
Principal’s Message
Message from the Principal
Well done South Island School Community! We have made it to the end of the first term and that is reason enough to celebrate! We started the year focusing on our three drivers of connection, communication and the student experience and, as a community, we have thrived. Learning through Covid has not been easy for anyone and we have taken every opportunity to support each other, to connect with each other, to grow, to heal. We are all very fortunate to belong to such a strong community. Even just today some of our Year 8 students were helping to showcase the creative works of our Year 7 students, who created these painted stones during their Art MaD week activity.
The end of term is also a time when we need to say goodbye to some of our families and teachers. Each has made a difference at South Island School and I want to thank them for all they have done to make our school the wonderful learning environment it is. For our staff, we have a few members who will leave South Island School to pursue their next steps in their careers. We would like to thank Joanne O’Sullivan (English Department), Mary Champney (Music Department), Gail Smith (Design Department), Simmone Bundy (Music Department) and Ameer Zeb (IT Department). Thank you for all the care and support you have given us and we wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
We would also like to welcome Martin Brown (English Department), Roshan Hingorani (English Department), Valentina Ting (Design Department) and Ross Crichton (Music Department) who will join us in January. We are thrilled to welcome them to our community and look forward to working with them.
As we look ahead to Term 2, we are filled with hope and possibility. If you are travelling this holiday, we wish you a happy and safe journey. For those who will remain in Hong Kong, we hope you rest and recharge for the term ahead. Our Year 13 students will start the term with mock exams but we do hope they balance their studies with rest and relaxation – they have worked incredibly hard this term.
Please enjoy the highlights from the month that our phase leaders have prepared for you and I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your continued support.
Have a wonderful holiday.
Carolyn Andrews
Principal
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NOTABLE EVENTS
- (1) END OF TERM ASSEMBLY
What a wonderful assembly to wrap up the end of term on Friday. It was exciting to see students and staff alike enjoying the live performances to celebrate the festive period.
- (2) HAPPY FESTIVE SEASON
We would like to wish everyone within the SIS community a Merry Christmas and a very happy Festive Season. We are delighted to share with you our two official SIS Christmas cards (voted by our Alumni community) this year:
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Digital Design by Corliss Young (09N1) click HERE to share with friends and family. |
Hand Drawn Design by Masayo Machii (13M1) click HERE to share with friends and family. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS & INFORMATION
- (1) TERM 2 EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES SIGN UP
We are pleased to confirm that the sign-up window for our Extra-Curricular Activities is now open for Term 2 with the programme due to commence from Monday 30th January. Further information was sent on Monday 12 December, which can be found HERE
- (2) MESSAGE FROM THE PTA COMMITTEE
It has been a very busy Term 1, but we are about to welcome a lovely 3-week break. No matter if you are going to Japan to ski, to Maldives for scuba diving, or simply staying in Hong Kong, the most important thing is to have your family and friends around during this festive period.
For our Year 11 & 13 students, preparing for the examination is important, but also is your well-being and spending quality time with your family during the holidays.
Thank you for the suggestions and feedback, we are pleased to say that the ‘Yum Cha’ social for parents will be back (after nearly 3 years). Stay tuned for more information soon.
The PTA 2022/23 committee wishes you all a warm and cosy Christmas, and the happiest new year ever!
Phase Year 7-9
Message from Head of Phase Year 7-9:
CURRICULUM
Year 8 Options – students attended an assembly with Ms Nicholas, Ms Parr, Ms Sheather and Ms Lewis to introduce the Language Acquisition and Creative Arts pathways for year 9. This was then shared with parents via a webinar. This event was very well attended and we appreciate all the support from parents involved in the conversation around options with the students. The Options form will be open from 30 January and close on 7 February for students and parents to confirm their decisions. We look forward to seeing what’s next for Year 8 students!
Year 9 Options – students attended an assembly with Ms Nicholas, Ms Beaumont and Mr Thums in order to understand the subject options available to them for Year 10. This assembly, coupled with a webinar for Year 9 parents shortly afterwards has provided the Year 9 students with time to discuss and think about their choices in good time before the decision needs to be made on February 7. Additional events arranged to support students will include an options fair on January 11 and a vertical tutoring session during PLC time with the Year 11 students on January 17.
VALUES IN ACTION
DanceFest– students in Year 7, 8 and 9 got out of their comfort zone and put on some brilliant performances for DanceFest! There were many excellent group and individual performances, and you have set the bar high for next year. Congratulations to the winners – Year 7 Shtepi, Year 8 Bahay, Year 9 Namas and to everyone who bought house spirit! Highlights below:
Interhouse – The Year 8 students showed off their skills on the court for our basketball Interhouse. Well done to everyone who played, there were some fantastic games and great sportsmanship! Year 7 students chose to either take part in 6-a-side football or handball. There was a great display of team camaraderie, enthusiastic cheerleading from the sidelines and overall gamesmanship from all houses.
Year 8 Prefects – Applications for Year 8 Prefects are open! Students can volunteer themselves for this leadership role and are asked to submit a teacher endorsement to support their application. We look forward to inducting new Prefects in Term 2, and seeing how they make a difference in this role.
Year 12 Prefects have been amazing working with the Family Bauhinia students – they have made a difference in many ways. From assisting in the choreography and rehearsals in preparation for DanceFest to organising fun activities in the Space and other areas of school in the Christmas week. We really appreciate and value their connectivity to the younger students, they are brilliant role models and are developing valuable leadership skills, at the same time as having fun.
WELL-BEING
Getting into the Christmas spirit – Year 7 tutor groups were given the challenge to decorate their tutor base doors – with the main focus on collaboration from all in the group. There are some stunning efforts from Year 7 students and their tutors!
As always, I would also like to direct you to the fantastic work of our counselling team who continue to update the SIS Student well-being site with ways to ensure a focus on balance and positive habits that will support positive well-being.
Syrita Nicholas
Head of Phase (Year 7-9)
Phase Year 10-11
Message from Head of Phase Year 10-11:
CURRICULUM
It has been a full, busy term for our IGCSE students. Year 10 getting to grips with a new set of subjects and Year 11 getting through an intense mock exam period. Our students continue to impress me with their adaptability, hard work and desire to excel in their studies. The PCC report cards will be released shortly after the start of the new academic year and our students will again be able to take some time to reflect on their successes and work on the challenges that will lie ahead of them in the second part of the academic year.
VALUES IN ACTION
Christmas is an opportune moment to reflect on what we can do for others and the IGCSE students have been involved in a whole host of activities that show their commitment to service learning. Year 11 are coming to the end of their Global Citizenship Community Action Projects and will be taking time after the break to consider the impact their individual projects have had on themselves and the organisations they choose to support. Year 10 students will begin this project after the holidays. It is an exciting time for students to really think about a cause they are passionate about and plan a course of action that can really make a difference to the wider community.
WELL-BEING
Getting balance in amongst a busy schedule can be one of the best ways to look after our own well-being. I hope that not just our students but our families too can use this break to talk about the importance of well-being and how we can ensure that we are all taking time out of our hectic schedules to look after ourselves and each other. As always, I direct you to the fantastic work of our counselling team who continue to update the SIS Student well-being site with ways to ensure a focus on balance and positive habits that will support positive well-being.
Wishing you all a peaceful and restful holiday.
Laura Beaumont
Head of Phase (Year 10-11)
Phase Year 12-13
Message from Head of Phase Year 12-13:
CURRICULUM
As we approach the end of 2022, our Year 13 students get closer and closer to life after South Island School. The deadline for submission of University applications was 2 December and students are busy preparing for their last Mock Examinations, which will take place immediately after we return from the holiday. With the last few Extended Essays being submitted, this monthly newsletter is a good opportunity to highlight a few of the many intriguing topics that students have written academically rigorous essays on:
- What is the impact of Jiangsu Rudong H4 and H7 offshore wind farms on the Chinese environment and economy?
- To what extent does the use of plastic in the works of Angela Yuen reflect the connection between Hong Kong’s industrial and golden eras?
- 「デス」に収録された作品から見える吉本ばななの死生観とは何か？
VALUES IN ACTION
In our Pastoral Learning Curriculum, Year 12 and 13 tutors groups are engaging in vertical tutoring, where Year 13 students go to Year 12 tutor groups to share their “nuggets of wisdom” about life in the Senior School. In one of the sessions, Year 13 students are sharing how they have made a difference in their own lives and the lives of others by sharing their CAS portfolios. In another, the Year 12s prepare questions to ask the Year 13s about life in the IB DP and CP.
As in previous monthly newsletters, I continue to be in awe at the involvement of South Island School senior students in life outside of the classroom. Just to mention two: the great amount of work and organisation by the Shtepi House leadership team that went into their meaningful MAD Week, and the impressive performance of our Grade A girls netball team, making it to the finals at Kellett School at the end of November.
WELL-BEING
As we approach our term break, our Year 12 and 13 students have the opportunity to pause from the daily routine of school life for a few weeks. It won’t be a full break for our senior students, as there will certainly be assignments and revision for their academic subjects that need doing. It is important that they do so. That being said, it is also important for students to make a conscious decision to slow down and take actions that will allow them to rest and rejuvenate. As the philosopher Josef Pieper wrote, leisure “is not the inevitable result of spare time, a holiday, a weekend or a vacation”. Rather, leisure is ”a mental and spiritual attitude” which we need to make the active decision to adopt.
The SIS Student Wellbeing website has some suggestions for activities students may decide to do over the break to develop positive wellbeing, or they may speak to any of the wonderful staff we have at the school if they would like some ideas.
Hin-Hey Lam
Head of Phase (Year 12-13)
December Weekly Newsletters
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12 December – 16 December 2022
(1) MAKING A WISH READING ACTIVITY RESULTS
Message From Ms Betty Ow, Librarian
To celebrate Christmas and promote reading, we had a joyful and festive time in the LRC with the students buzzing about books and making book wishes.
Year 7 students were exposed to a variety of books from different genres via the ‘Genre Game’ in their Library sessions. All the students were encouraged to borrow their Christmas readings and join the ‘Make A Book Wish’ activity. Their wish tags were beautifully hung on the Christmas tree, which helped decorating the tree and inspiring others to read.
Congratulations to the winners whose wishes come true – Karl Tsui (07B2), Praise Lo (07S1), Starrick Ng (07C2), Renee Kwok (07K2), Jasper Hansen Edwards (07K1), Dante Chau (07K1), Martha Kime (07S1), Alexis Crowley (08K1), Bernice Lui (09N2), Chloe Ho (10B1). Let’s share their excitement and joy!
(2) FESTIVE ANIMATIONS
Year 11 students doing the Animation enrichment activity this term have been creating festive animated cards. Lynette Cheng (11B1) & Ernest Ma (11K1) used Adobe Express, whilst Yasmin Hoare (11B2) used Krita, and Christian Lu (11K1) used Adobe Animate. Well done to the students and they hope you enjoy viewing them.
(3) WHO STOLE THE HOUSE CUP? (FILM PRO 2022)
Students involved in the Film Pro MaD Week activity this year participated in creating a crime drama film drawing inspiration from film & TV examples in this genre. They had the opportunity to experience working on a professional film set and develop an understanding of how films make meaning and tell stories. A rough cut of the film is screened at the end of the week, but the post-production work continues after MaD Week has finished. Today we were finally able to share the final cut with our school community in our end-of-term assembly. Well done to all the students involved! You can watch the film below. We hope you enjoy it.
(4) A VOICE NOTE ABOUT A PAST HOLIDAY
Students in Year 8 have continued with a unit about Cuban culture & have recently completed more assessed work to demonstrate their learning. The assessment was based on criterion C (Speaking) and students were given a brief in which they had to create a voice note to a friend telling them about a recent trip to Cuba, using specific grammatical structures. Just like the writing we did, our students performed extremely well and sounded like natives! Below are a selection of voice note examples for you to view although we had many more great performances. We hope you like them and once again a huge ‘well done’ to our Year 8 Spanish students!
– Anvi Mamgain (08N2)
– Chastain Ho (08N1)
– Marcus Lee (08N2)
(5) LET’S PLAY FORTE
Lynne Lee (07B2) participated in Let’s Play Forte! Student’s Concert in M21 space, on Sunday 11 December. She played “Secret Piece”, piano, “Theme and Variation: From Symphony No. 94 – Haydn”, violin and “Star Wars, The imperial March-John Williams”, violin. Well Done Lynne!
(6) ABRSM GLOBAL HIGH SCORERS CONCERT 2022
Well done to Hansol Jung (09N1) who participated in The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Global High Scorers’ Concert 2022 after taking the grade 8 exam and receiving the highest score. Hansol’s performance can be viewed HERE
(7) OUTSTANDING CAMBRIDGE LEARNERS AWARD
Congratulations to Alson Chung (12S1) who received the ‘Outstanding Cambridge Learners Awards’ for the Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (Count-In Speaking).
(8) UNITAR GRADUATION CEREMONY
Congratulations to Saloni Sethi (13K1) on her graduation on 26 November from the UNITAR Youth Ambassador Asia for her tremendous work towards promoting sustainability. The programme, co-hosted by The ITS Education Asia Foundation, welcomed 34 high school students nominated by 21 schools into its second iteration. Over 10-weeks, the ‘Ambassadors’ have been provided with a learning journey on the intersectionality of innovation and sustainability guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Framework.
(9) BRIAN TILBROOK MEMORY LANE & ART EXHIBITION
Last week we were delighted to welcome back a former staff member at our Alumni Winter Reunion event, Mr Brian Tilbrook who was the Head of Arts from 1980 to 1994. This week we are lucky to have him share his memories and passion for art at South Island School and also information regarding his exhibition at The Hong Kong University, which can be viewed HERE.
(10) MEET THE TEAM
For the final week of term 1, we are excited to interview 3 members of the Individuals and Societies (InSoc) team, Mr Nicholas Marshall Brown, Head of Individuals and Societies, Ms Supriya Srivastava, Head of History and Ms Sonisha Kripalani, Head of Psychology.
Nicholas, Supriya and Sonisha are delighted to share with you information about their role, responsibilities and also their passion for working at SIS. Click on the links below to read more:
- Nicholas Marshall Brown – Head of Individuals & Society HERE
- Supriya Srivastava – Head of History HERE
- Sonisha Kripalani – Head of Psychology HERE
(11) SPORTS & PE
– Basketball
Exhilarating scenes at our second ISSFHK U12 Girls basketball fixture against NAIS on 30 November. NAIS were in the lead all throughout the match and SIS were down 10-15 going into the final quarter. Some sharp shooting from Hailey Lo (08N1) & Kristen Wong (08M1) put SIS back in contention. With under a minute to go Dana Cheung (08S1) slotted the ball home to seal the victory! Well done to Sissi Qin (07B1), Pakyin Tong (08K2), Kristen Wong (08M1), Kourtney Lee (08S1), Dana Cheung (08S1), Athena Kwan, Hailey Lo, and Ingrid Fong. The MVP was Kristen who was fantastic at bringing the ball down the court in attack. Players’ Player of the match was Dana, for her tireless work in defence and composure to score the winner.
A gallant effort from the U14 Girls basketball team as they went down 8-35 to a strong Victoria Shanghai Academy squad, on Thursday 8th December. The girls battled hard to regain possession from a dominant VSA team but were 2nd best to the majority of the rebounds. The biggest positive of the game was ST Cheng’s (09C2) 3 pointer, one that Stephen Curry would have been proud of. Special mention goes to Ruby Ramsay (08S2) who looked as fresh as daisy at the end of the game despite working tremendously hard throughout the whole match.
On Wednesday 14 December the team were back in action for their third game of the ISSFHK season, against GSIS. The girls battled hard but succumbed to a narrow defeat. They trailed the game from the outset but really put GSIS under pressure in the final two quarters. Despite player of the match ST Cheng scoring two 3 pointers GSIS ran out 25-24 winners. Players’ player of the match Isabel Choy (09C2) was fantastic, marking the tallest player on the court. Special mention also goes to Tze Ching Kao (09B2) for her superb speed, endurance and perseverance, from the first quarter through to the final whistle.
Well done also to Sophie Ip (09C2), Jade Wong (08S2), and Kyla Ng (08S2).
The U14 boys had an equally tough game against German Swiss International School (GSIS). Although the team were looking good as they moved into the second half up by 10 or so, GSIS weren’t ready to give up and whittled their way back into the game. It looked dicey for a while, but in the end, SIS prevailed, winning by a score of 43-41. A close hard-fought game, but we kept our record intact and head into the Christmas holidays for a well-deserved break. The team played well as a whole, but tonight we’ll single out Ian Chan (09M1) and Ethan Lui (09S2) for playing hard, scrappy ball on both ends of the court.
Well done as well to Brandon Wong (09N1), Kian To (09M2), Kyle Lee (09N1), Moses Lam (09B2), Lucas Leung (09K2), Maxi Hurle (09B2), Don Wong (09M2), Keon Forrest (09S2), Daniel Lee (09M2), Jayden Chan (09C2), and Hansol Jung (09M1).
– Netball
We are delighted to mention from our SIS Netball B Team, consisting of Nia Gusain (11M2), Julienne Chong (10B2), Amelia Chow (11B2), Samriddhi Rana (11C2), Anna Keys (11N1), Destiny Nel (10N1), Iris Peel (11K2), Jocelyn Li (11N1), Zoe Lim (11S2), Skye Semple (10B1), and Elsie Hulme (11S2) – Nia, Jocelyn, Elise, Anna, and Iris have been selected for Netball – U16 Hong Kong Regional Academy 2022-23. The squad was selected after three trials and announced on 4th September 2022. They have continued to train every week and finished with an intra-squad tournament on the 10th of December. Congratulations girls!
– Rugby
On Sunday 4 December, HKU Sandy Bay clinched the Rugby U14 Girls Division 1 title by winning 10 out of 10 league games. The team features 3 SIS students. Congratulations to Hanna Rumble (09B1), Team Captain Cassandra Skoett (09S2) and Jemima Keys (09N2).
A great day also for SIS at the ICHK Touch Rugby Championships on Thursday 8 December.
The B-grade boys team led the way and brought home the gold medal with a convincing win against Harrow International School in the final. They battled through a tough tournament and a sudden death 3 vs 3 semi-final situation where Louis McLaughlin (10B1) scored one of the tries of the day to clinch the victory. Also, special mention to Ollie Phillips (10M1) and Liam Gordon (10B1) going try for try all day ending on 6 a piece.
The C grade boys did a sterling job themselves getting into the cup competition but unfortunately just lost out during the semi-final match. However, they were able to come back and come away with the bronze medal. Some great performances all day for the squad but captain Campbell Riddell (09C2) and Callum Hulme (08S1) steadied the ship all day.
The C grade girls threw themselves into every game and only conceded one try against them all tournament. During the final, everyone thought Louise Lindsay (08S1) had won the game with a fantastic try in the last play of the game. However, after much deliberation, a touch was called in the corner. They then had to go down to the sudden death 3 vs 3 nail-biting scenario. Louise Lindsay, Adelaide Williamson (08N2) & Juliana Ng (08S2) stepped to the plate and after holding out Canadian International School for 6 touches they were able to work together to get the ball to Adelaide who ran the length of the field to score a try and seal the victory.
Well done to all of the players involved who did the school proudly.
– Football
ISSFHK U16 Football – SIS completed the group stage of the competition with a 1-1 draw against Island School on Thursday 8 December. Chances were few and far between in the first half with Island School scoring just before half-time. A much-improved performance in the second half saw Louis McLaughlin (10B1) finish off a lovely team move to add to his try tally in the rugby tournament an hour earlier. SIS pressed forward for a winner with a number of shots testing the opposition goalkeeper but they couldn’t find a way through with the match finishing as a draw.
The team’s focus now shifts to HKSSF competition with a crunch fixture against Discovery Bay International School on Friday 16 December.
– Badminton
HKSSF Badminton B Grade Boys Division 1 knock-out finals. SIS had the opportunity to play against the best schools on HK Island. The team, unfortunately, lost 0-3 to St. Paul’s College in the quarter-finals and also to St. Paul’s Co-educational College 0-3 when competing for third place in the competition. Despite the defeats, finishing fourth place in Division 1 is the team’s best result since joining Division 1. Well done to Mark Chan (10S1), Aiden Hong (10M2), Jack Leung (11M2), Ashton Mar (11B1), James Ma (11N2), and Aiden Ho (10M2).
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Linked below are this month’s weekly newsletters:
Reminders & Upcoming Events
December
- Monday 16 – Term 2 Extra-Curricular Activities Sign Up – message HERE
- Monday 19 – Friday 6 January [Term Break]
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- ESF Sports & Language – Autumn Camps HERE
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- Monday 19 – Friday 6 January [Term Break]
January
- Monday 9 – First day of Term 2
- Monday 9 – Friday, 3 February – Y11 Options Interview with HE Counsellor
- Wednesday 11 – Year 9 & 11 Subject Fair Options Evening
- Monday 16 – 20 – Year 11 1:1’s
- Tuesday 17 – Year 12 Higher Education Parents Evening
- Tuesday 17 – 20 – Year 6 Transition Visits
- Friday 20 – Year 12 Higher Education General Matters
- Monday 23 – 27 [Half Term Break]
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If your son or daughter has a particular highlight or achievement you would like to share with the community, please email a short description and photo to: ebulletin@sis.edu.hk
