eNews Issue 21

It’s good to be back on campus! I’ve just returned from two successful faculty recruiting fairs in London. As I’ve mentioned in the past, a key focus of our five year strategic plan is recruiting, developing and retaining quality faculty and staff. With the number of international schools around the world growing by leaps and bounds, we are in a very competitive market. Demand for teachers is increasing rapidly and I’m glad to report that the quality of the school’s academic programme and its professional culture continues to make HKA a compelling option for international educators.

Another highlight of my trip was attending our second London alumni event. As with last year, the event was attended by former students, parents and faculty. And this year we also welcomed a prospective parent! It was great to hear stories about how former HKA students have transitioned into new schools in the UK. Their choices vary and include a mix of day schools, boarding schools, state schools and in the case of our recent graduates: universities! The common thread for all is that they are doing well, both academically and socially. At HKA, we strive to equip students not only with rigorous academic tools but also with the flexibility and resiliency that enables them to thrive in a rapidly changing world. It was great to see that manifested in our former students.

eNews Issue 20

Greetings from London! I'm here for one of the biggest international education job fairs in the world to interview potential faculty for HKA. It's exciting to meet so many talented teachers and to talk about HKA's exceptional programmes.

The other highlight for me this week was our 2nd Annual London Alumni and Former Family Gathering. It was great to see old friends, meet families from the days before I joined HKA and in particular to chat with two members of the Class of 2014, Robert Cheah and Claudia Smits. Robert is in his first year at Oxford and Claudia is in her first year at University of Sussex. Both of them are doing exceptionally well and spoke about how HKA had prepared them for their post-secondary endeavours.
At HKA, we are committed to a rigorous and inclusive international education and these our graduates really make us proud!

I am also looking forward to seeing you all at the Community Fair on Saturday, 31st January. The fun starts at 11am, with food, performances and crafts and you can view the schedule here. Please remember to bring your own food container, water bottle and/or travel mug. All food is finger food, so no need for utensils.

eNews Intro

Welcome back after the winter holiday! We’ve really hit the ground running this week. The new dismissal procedure has been a success, and I thank you all for your co-operation in making this transition. Starting on Monday, 19th January, we will handle morning arrivals in the same way, with pedestrians using the front gate and using the bus bay exclusively for cars and buses. More information to follow on that next week.

The word of the month of January seems to be “recruiting”. We’ve already hired some outstanding faculty for next year and Virginia, Doug and I will all be attending key recruiting fairs this month to hire additional high-quality faculty. Our staff turnover is at about 10%, which is a healthy range for an international school like HKA.

This is recruiting season for universities as well and I am happy to report that our Grade 12’s have started to receive admissions offers to outstanding institutions of higher education. Universities will continue to make offers through the Spring and beyond, so we don’t know the students’ final destinations yet. I’ll keep you posted! Many thanks to our University Counsellor Erin Nicolls, who joined HKA last August and has been sharing her expertise and experience with our Secondary School students.