West Island School Newsletter

We appreciate the thoughtful feedback shared on our newsletter. To help you stay informed at a glance, we have added a quick summary at the bottom of this week’s issue.

Find your purpose, realise your potential through the upcoming opportunities:

ESF International Evening 2025 will take place on 14 November at Renaissance College. This event celebrates the rich diversity of cultures within the ESF community. If you are passionate about sharing and representing a culture of your choice, please sign up via this form by Sunday, 13 October 2025.
ESF Innovation Fair 2026 is an inter-school STEM science fair open to Years 10 to 13 students. This event is designed to spark curiosity and support research in STEM. No prior expertise in STEM is required. Please visit this website and sign up via this form by Monday, 29 September 2025.
ESF Limitless Programme for Year 9 offers a life-changing six-week journey in the Australian Outback to build confidence, resilience and teamwork. Find out more and sign up for a parent information session in this link before the application deadline on Monday, 29 September.
Inter-Dynasty Star Search is now accepting applications. If you are interested in showcasing your talent—whether in music, dance, gymnastics, or film, please complete this form to express your interest.
The 78th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, scheduled from 2 March to 1 April 2026, is open for registration through West Island School. To register your child’s intention to compete in the HK Schools Music Festival, please complete this form by Monday, 22 September 2025.
Diwali Ball – Parent Dance Performance invites WIS parents to celebrate culture and diversity through music, dance and community spirit. No dance experience is required—just bring your energy and enthusiasm. Please sign up via this link by Wednesday, 10 September 2025.

Discover the highlights of the week below

Geography: Sustainable Town Planners

Writer Masterclass with Poet Mark Grist

World Scholar's Cup in Bangkok

CAS Corner

Sports Achievement

Upcoming Events

ESF Parent Sessions: Year 9 Limitless

Diwali Ball: 17 October

Newsletter Feedback Summary

Geography: Sustainable Town Planners

Our Year 13 IB Diploma students—Tallis, Jasmine, Caiel, and Hanson—represented West Island School as one of 33 teams in the Planning Department’s Planning for a Vibrant Neighbourhood Competition, focused on redesigning Hong Kong’s Southern District. Tasked with creating a sustainable community, the team dedicated a month to the project.

Well done to our aspiring town planners on their creative proposal, which incorporated green design, social inclusivity, economic support and heritage conservation—reflecting thoughtful and sustainable urban planning.

Writer Masterclass with Poet Mark Grist

On Tuesday, Years 10 and 11 students Lindsay, Sean, Simone and Stella took part in an ESF cross-foundation writing workshop led by poet Mark Grist. They had the opportunity to develop their creative writing skills, experiment with different techniques and genres, and gain inspiration from a professional writer.

Our students reflected on their learning experience and appreciated the chance to write freely. They also found it insightful to explore what others were writing about. Well done to our students for demonstrating such passion for literature and creative writing.

World Scholar's Cup in Bangkok

21 students are currently in Bangkok for the Global Round of the World Scholar’s Cup. This exciting opportunity allows them to develop collaboration, organisation and communication skills as they participate in various academic competitions with schools from around the world.

Today marks the first day of the competition. Before diving into the much-anticipated Opening Ceremony, our students will take part in a Scavenge activity at Siam Amazing Park.

Our students have shared that they are thoroughly enjoying the learning experience, the spirit of competition and the chance to engage with local culture.

CAS Corner

Our campus has been buzzing with excitement this week as our Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) programme got underway.

Whether they are science explorers, baking enthusiasts or musicians or sports lovers, our students are discovering their purpose and realising their potential in the first week of Term 1 CAS.

Our Lion Dance team has also begun practising for the Lunar New Year showcase. We are excited to see how their dedication, creativity and rhythmic movements will bring energy and spirit to our upcoming festive celebration.

From cookery to gardening, dancing to knitting, service projects to the aviation club, CAS offers something for everyone. We are also excited to announce a new partnership with the Hong Kong Cricket Club, giving our cricketers access to world-class training facilities. Stay tuned for future updates on the wide range of extracurriculars our students are engaging in—and how these experiences are contributing to their personal growth.

Sports Achievement

Year 10 student Marcus was awarded two bronze medals in the 50m and 100m backstroke events for the 14–16 age group at the Hong Kong China Swimming Association (HKCASA) Long Course Swimming Championships.

Marcus is currently on our High Performance Student Athlete Programme (HPSAP). If you would like to learn more about this programme, please visit this link.

Upcoming Events

ESF Parent Sessions: Year 9 Limitless

The Limitless Programme is an exclusive six-week journey that unlocks our Year 9 students' potential in the Australian Outback. Join one of the ESF parent information sessions to learn more and hear from last year’s students and parents.

In-person Session: 6.30pm – 7.30pm on Thursday, 11 September at ESF Centre
Webinar: 5pm – 6pm on Tuesday, 16 September via Zoom

Find out more on the programme website and sign up for a session via this form.

Diwali Ball: 17 October

Diwali Ball is one of our largest annual celebrations of culture and community. Mark your calendar today and you will experience the vibrant energy, wonderful performances, and take home unforgettable moments.

Date: Friday, 17 October
Location: West Island School

Parent Dance Performance sign-up is via this link by Wednesday, 10 September.

Ticket sales details will be announced soon.

Newsletter Feedback Summary

Many readers commented on the clean layout, intuitive navigation, appropriate length, and engaging visual presentation. These elements will remain central to our newsletter design to ensure it stays accessible and enjoyable to read.

In response to your feedback:

Key updates—important information and upcoming opportunities—are placed at the top of each issue to make them easier to access.
Summaries of each opportunity and celebration are concise, complemented by photos to highlight the moments. In line with our Child Protection Policy, if you would like to download photos, please log into WISDOM and access them via the Polaroids section.
Featured activities and events will follow the school calendar, and celebrations or showcases are shared at appropriate times to reflect what’s happening across our community.
As most content is relevant across year groups, a single weekly newsletter allows us to share updates efficiently without duplicating information. Each week brings exciting developments across our school community.
While we can’t include every detail in the newsletter, we encourage you to click through the links to explore more.

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