West Island School Weekly Bulletin 27th August 2011

To those of you returning to our community welcome back, and to those new to us, a warm welcome. We look forward to sharing our vision for the very best in education inside the classroom and beyond the classroom.

We are about to celebrate our 20 year birthday in early September. As a founding member of the school, originaly in the old military hospital in Borrett Road where we had only 60 students, I can only say the time has flown and seems like only yesterday when myself and 3 others brainstormed the names for houses (dynasties!), uniform ideas and curriculum concepts. How the school has changed! As ever, I am immensely proud that the journey of the school has also been a personal journey for me, from Head of English to Principal in the time we have evolved.

As you will see in this bulletin, after 20 years we continue to excel in our IGCSE and GCSE, mirroring the recent excellent IB and BTEC results. We are extremely pleased with the outcomes yet again this year that set our students fair for their futures. These outstanding results require an enormous effort by our students and teachers and of course, also depend heavily on your support for which we are extremely grateful.

The school building has been renovated over the summer in several areas including a new reception and office area, staff room, 2 modernized Science laboratories as well as some interesting and innovative ideas in the Mathematics area. The Arena project is on track for the end of term and will feature a gymnasium, dance studio and weights room. Donations, sponsorship and lettings over the last few years have funded this, together with a generous donation over several years from the PTA in conjunction. The final 50% is being paid directly by ESF for which we are very grateful. While in the short term we lose an area for recreation, the gains will be worth it.

In March we will have our CIS/WASC accreditation visit and we are working hard on the ideas and feedback which have emerged from surveys completed by you, as well as self studies completed by staff, parents, students and council. The data gathered has been a key element in creating our development plan for the next few years.

We welcome a number of new staff to the school from UK, America and Trinidad; I know they will be a wonderful addition to the classroom and our extra curricular programme alike.

Please do look in your child's diary and on our website for events which are coming up as we always like to see parents in the school.

With very best wishes for a good year ahead,

Jane Foxcroft
Principal

Dear Parents,

Students will be leaving school at 12.35 on Monday 29th August not 1.20 as published in the diary. School buses will operate at this time.

One to one tutoring begins on September 5th.

Jane Foxcroft
Principal

The school also notes with great pleasure that one student (one of only four students in the entire English Schools Foundation) achieved 10 A* (I)GCSE grades.
 

(click on above image to download the results)

This level of success cannot be achieved without the hard work of students and staff and the unstinting support of parents. Congratulations to all those involved and we look forward to working with students as they enter Year 12.

Paul Tough
Vice Principal

Welcome back and we hope that you enjoyed your summer break. Results were once again outstanding this year and we look forward to what we hope will be another successful year.

We would ask you to look again carefully at the two attached policies.  It is essential for the smooth running of the Upper School that we have full cooperation with both the Dress Code and Attendance and Punctuality.

Click on the following links to download the attached

Upper School Late Policy
Upper School Dress Code

Regards

The Upper School Team

• Hong Kong Identity Card
• Hong Kong Birth Certificate
• Valid travel document showing ‘the right to land’/ ‘the right of abode’/ ‘unconditional stay’ in Hong Kong
• Certificate of Exemption
• Vietnamese Refugees Card

This year, there is also a free Hearing Screening Test for Year 8 students.

If you would like your child to participate in the Student Health Service and/or the Hearing Screening Test, please fill out the application form/s and return the form/s to the main office drop box on or before Tuesday 13th September 2011. Application forms can be found in the main office. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the main office.

Message from General Office

Swim coaching will start on Monday (1.30-3pm) for those that have signed up for the Swim Squad.

Morning swim training will be on Tuesday to Friday 7-8am - this is open to all students. 

Please note that the Final day of the HKSSF competition takes place on October 21st which is during half term

Rugby for A grade and C grade will be at HKU Sandy Bay on Tuesday and Friday for Y7 and girls. All interested students should attend.

Football will start on Thursday for Y7, C grade, B grade and A grade. All interested students should attend.

Basketball A and B grade for girls will start on Tuesday and for boys on Thursday in the WIS Sportshall.

All other teams will commence the week beginning September 5th.

Last year was particularly significant as WIS won the Bauhinia Bowl for the first time as the most successful co-educational school. This was the culmination of performance, preparation, organisation and staff and parental support. I would personally like to say “Thank You” to all those who were involved. It would be good to maintain the level that has been set and if any parents feel they could contribute in any way (administration, coaching, sponsorship etc) please let me know. Hope you have a good year....

Richard Lant
Head of Faculty of PE and Sports

Please note that, as Tuesday, September 13th is a Public Holiday, the forum will now take place on the following evening. Details will follow later.

Wednesday, 14th September

Parent Forum: Upper School Curriculum and University Pathway

Years 11-13 US University Evening at Island School

(Click on above image to download the flyer)

Rob Stitch
Vice Principal

Information Evening for Parents and Students on King's College London

(click on above image to download the flyer)

The Upper School Team

Dear Parents

CAS activities for this term will begin from 5th September 2011 and most activities will finish by 9th December. The activities are now available for viewing on the Gateway system under “School Activity Guide”. Please click on the activity name for details. Students are strongly recommended to test their login ID and passwords.

Students in Y8 and above should continue to use their existing password. If you have forgotten your Gateway passwords then they should click on the “Forget Password” Link on the Gateway main page to reset your password. The new password will be sent to the email address registered in the system. Students should seek help from Gateway staff in room D701 or Mrs. Berry our CAS Administrator in room A505A (Upper School Office) if they have any other issues.

If your child is in Year 7, or new to West Island School, then your child ‘s Gateway login ID and passwords, together with instructions, will be distributed to them by their tutors on Friday, 26th August. 

On 29thAugust, Monday lunchtime, Gateway will be activated and students can login to select their activities.

Activity Additional Fee – While the majority of CAS activities are covered by the $500 annual CAS fee, there are a few specialised activities which require additional fees to cover their operating costs. Students who join these activities are expected to hand in the additional fees prior to the first lesson in order to reserve their place. If they do not pay, then their places may be offered to students who are on the waiting list.

All extra fees should be submitted to the Main Office by cheque and payable to West Island School. It is highly recommended that all cheques should have the student name, tutor group & activity name clearly written on the back of the cheques so as to avoid misplacement. Please note that we do not accept cash payments.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Mrs. Berry on cas@wis.edu.hk.

Yours sincerely,

David McLeod
CAS Coordinator

From Monday, August 29th we will be introducing new improved measures for security at West Island School.

Parents and visitors to the school must sign in with the security guard either on Level 1 / 2 car park, Sandy Bay Road or Preferably at the main entrance, Victoria Road (Level 6), and must wear a visitor’s card at all times.

Points to note:

• Entrances to the school will be secured by an Octopus system. Only employees at West Island will have a registered card to open the entrances.
• If you enter via Level 1 or 2 car park at Sandy Bay Road you will therefore need to ask the security guard for access after signing in with him.
• If you wish to enter via the main entrance on Level 6 Victoria Road this will be open from 7 am – 5 pm.  In the event of the security guard being absent and the door secured you will see a buzzer at the entrance to alert us to your presence.
• Any person on the premises without a visitor’s badge will be approached as a potential intruder.

Please remember that we do not allow parents to pick up or drop off children at Sandy Bay entrance between 3.15 – 3.45 pm due to congestion and danger to students.

There is no parking available for parents at West Island.

The measures above are to help protect the students while we will keep a friendly and approachable ethos as much as possible as is in keeping with our values.

Yours faithfully

Jane Foxcroft
Principal