Principal’s Message
Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of WIS,
This will be my very last whole school bulletin as Principal of West Island School.
Firstly and most importantly, I want to say a huge thank you to all of you for making my job such a privilege. I am immensely proud of all the school has achieved in my 25 years as teacher, Head of English, VP and in the last 10 years as Principal. I could not have asked for a better group of young people to develop or for better colleagues to work with and lead to create a genuinely community focussed school with high academic, extracurricular and personal expectations.
The week has been full of celebrations and memories for me with so many events in the run up to leaving formally in July.
On Wednesday, I was proud to be invited to the Pre 16 assembly as a guest to watch the students perform and to hear about so many of their successes as students this term through prizes in a variety of areas from Star Search to Math, from Art work to Sport. We also invited the new upcoming Year 7 from Kennedy school to the assembly where they performed sections from ” Stomp’ to the delight of the current WIS students; clearly the future is a bright one with their arrival next term.
Student leaders of Pre 16 very kindly spoke to me on my leaving and presented me with a signed Pre 16 photograph with student signatures; the framed photo will grace my walls in my flat in Hong Kong as a wonderful memory of their talent and their spirit as West Islanders.
On Wednesday, evening I had the opportunity to meet with the PTA and parents to also spend some time celebrating and considering our journey, in a PTA organised evening in the school. A beautiful engraved vase was presented to me which I will treasure. So many of you are veteran parents with several students in the school or having attended the school in the past. It was a night for nostalgia but again one of pride. Mike Abbs the chair of the PTA is also stepping down this year so it was also a chance to thank him for his support for the school through fund raising and a positive can do attitude at all times. The school is so fortunate to have had him as chair and also to have such a committed and focussed PTA who care about the school on behalf of the parents.
And then on Friday, of course, my last whole school assembly; with so many memories flashing through my mind as we celebrated the year as usual, and said good bye to staff and students, but this time myself included. An emotional sendoff where I was so proud of the students and the school.
I wish to thank the leaving staff for their contribution and influence:
Dion Houghton, Teacher of D and T
Jane Fisher, VP and Teacher of English and Drama
Ann Cheung, Display coordinator
Emmanuel Reed, Teacher of Individual needs
Kelly Thorpe, Teacher of Individual needs
Dom Masserella, VP and Teacher of History and Global Perspectives
Eugene Calver, Head of PRS
Tony Rodgers, Teacher of Film and English
Gerallt Skym, Head of Physics
Amy Lee, Head of Dynasty and Teacher of English
Quan Gong, Teacher of Chinese
The school is in a very strong place; it is flying in terms of its reputation in HK and in ESF. I know that this is the right moment for me to hand on the school to the next leader, and that of course, I had to decide to go sometime!
I hope my legacy to the school is that every student no matter who has the chances, need the school to assist them to succeed and find a niche for excellence in and out of the classroom; that deep learning has become both academic and ethics; that young people in the school know they can lead us into a brighter future if we listen to them as well as guide them; that the school is real community both in and out of classrooms and that WIS inspiration comes from good teaching and from students taking every opportunity to learn that we can provide.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the school past and present. I wish WIS well, but then know that it will continue to thrive. After all West is Best!
Farewell,
Jane Foxcroft
