Friday 12 June 2015

eNews Issue 38

This week was a great week to be at Hong Kong Academy. On Tuesday, we held our annual Volunteer Appreciation Brunch. This event is something I look forward to every year. It’s a joy and a privilege to be able to thank everyone who has given so much of their time and talent to HKA. It was great to see many of you there. For those of you who didn’t make it, we missed you!
 
The energy continued into Wednesday, both with Portfolio Share Day in the PS and the Renaissance Festival in the SS. I always smile at the eagerness of our younger students to share what they’ve learned with their parents and guardians. At HKA, we strive to help kids take ownership of their learning and Portfolio Share Day is an indication of success. I hope you enjoyed it as much as the staff did!
 
The Renaissance Festival, now in its second year, built on last year’s success with more students participating in more arenas. Poetry, film, drama, dramatic adaptations and the visual arts were all on display. The creativity, initiative and personal expression evident in every project made me proud of our students and proud to be a part of HKA’s leadership team.
 
And then on Thursday we held our first ever Hong Kong Academy Team Recognition and Celebration event. This event highlighted participation in teams of all sorts, from sports to debate to Battle of the Books and recognised and thanked students for their dedication, their effort and their willingness to represent HKA off campus in competitive fields. Go Dragonflies!

Friday 5 June 2015

eNews Issue 37

The Grade 4 Play is a longstanding tradition at HKA and each performance is highly anticipated. Always a highlight of the PS year and a showcase for PS talent, this year’s play was no exception. Students played instruments, sang, danced and delivered lines to the delight of parents, siblings, students, faculty and staff. As PS Principal Virginia observed, this effort is all about teamwork, with many students playing more than one part in that team effort. The Grade 4 play intentionally draws on the students’ many and diverse talents and provides multiple pathways to individual excellence. Well done Grade 4 students and many thanks to the Grade 4 faculty and all of the parents who supported the play as well. And a special word of thanks to the tech team who worked behind the scenes and ensured that the play was streamed live, giving family and friends around the world the opportunity to see these kids in action!
 
Earlier this week I emailed you all to say thank you for hosting yet another fabulous Staff Appreciation Lunch. On behalf of all the faculty and staff, I’d like to thank you again! The food was sensational, and the gifts of personalised mugs was very well received. Having your name on your very own mug is a real asset at HKA. We may still accidentally walk off with each other’s pens and pencils but the mugs are now safe!