Dear West Island community,

My name is Vicki Hallatt and I am thrilled to have started my new position as Principal of West Island School. As I start to write this, I am halfway through my first week and I have had an incredible welcome from the students and the staff here. So many people have offered help, support or have just said hello. I look forward to meeting as many people as possible over the term. 

I will be arranging some opportunities for parents to come in to school to meet with me and for me to meet you, so please watch this space for more details in the weeks to come.

To those of you who want to know a little bit about my background - I have arrived from The British School in The Netherlands and Hong Kong is my fifth country to live and work in. I am originally from The United Kingdom and I am British. 

I am here in Hong Kong with my husband (who was born in Hong Kong and attended ESF schools a long time ago) and my two children who are 2 and 4 years old. I have really been enjoying the city and all it has to offer so far, although I am slightly in fear of the heat around the corner. 

On Wednesday, the whole school welcomed me in an assembly with music and dance performances which were exceptional. In addition, the students gave me some tips about joining WIS in a video which was a lovely welcome.

Starting at West Island in April is a bit of a gift, as I have the opportunities to see what students are doing with their commitments in and out of the classroom. 

This week, Year 13 students (Class of 2024) are showing their creativity during Leavers Week from Thursday to next Tuesday, celebrating their final week of school. Thursday involved students dressing in pajamas/loungewear. Today's theme is 'Rhyme without reason' (students pair up and dress up as two things which rhyme but are not connected-such as banana and farmer). You can scroll down to see today's photos. On Monday, students will dress up as their future profession, and Tuesday will see the students back in school uniform. 

Next week is Eco Week, where students raise awareness about environmental sustainability with an array of activities such as a lunchtime movie screening, tutor time information packs, pledge boards and inspirational speeches by students, arts and crafts activities, and a photo booth. 

And please read on about the students' latest involvement and achievements in arts, sports, languages and more. 

Have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes

Vicki Hallatt

Principal

"Throughout the year, we have had the privilege of working with various council boards such as the WIS school council, in which we worked towards the IB evaluation and shared ideas with the principal, vice principals, PTA, parents and teachers. We also met other ESF student leaders during ESF student council meetings. We’ve worked towards projects like student spaces, LUUNA, culture week, formals and improving two-way communication through student voice. It is such a privilege to be able to pass our initiatives on to such excellent candidates. We are beyond grateful for the opportunities that we have been given and connections we’ve built throughout our time. We’ve all grown hugely as individuals and members of the WIS community. For now, this is a goodbye from us, and we wish all the best for the new head students, and West Island School."

Photos by Multimedia Display&Events Coordinator Ivo Lipanovic

Boys football(U20A) won the ISSFHK Football group match on Wednesday (April 10), competing against King George V School, scoring 3-2.  

Amika Potgieter in 7Y1 played in the Kim Lam Cup Rugby Tournament during Easter break as a captain of the HKFC Under 12G squad, and won the cup! 

WIS hosted its very first ever Inter-Dynasty Pickleball Open Competition at lunchtime on Thursday 21st March and we had an unbelievable 27 doubles teams (over 50 players!) sign up and play in a positive yet competitive Pickleball tournament.

Students from Yr7 all the way to Yr13 played with and against each other, alongside some staff representation too.

A great turnout and look out for the official WIS Pickleball events calendar and Pickleball League being launched in Term 3!

The WIS Clarinet Ensemble who rehearse weekly as part of the CAS (Creativity) programme performed for Years 3 and 4 on Thursday at Kennedy School. Most of the Clarinet Ensemble members are Kennedy School (KS) alumni so it was extra special to showcase their talent to teachers and students.  They performed three pieces as part of a musical demonstration promoting the clarinet and clarinet ensemble performance. Our West Island school musicians were wonderful ambassadors. Well done Addie, Aiden, Arthur, Bryce, Fravash and Valerie.

Salsa:

As part of the Year 9 Spanish curriculum, students researched the origins of the Salsa dance and its various types. In the final part of their learning journey, they demonstrated risk-taking by learning how to dance Salsa, showcasing fantastic results.

House Showcase:

In the MYP, Year 8 Spanish students constructed houses using various materials and presented them to their peers in Spanish. They demonstrated remarkable creativity and thinking skills throughout this project. 

We are delighted to share that five Year 12 Silver HKAYP students recently completed an adventurous Practice Journey in Sai Kung West Country Park. Over the course of two days, they hiked more than 32 kilometers, relying solely on the contents of their backpacks to foster self-sufficiency. This experience serves as preparation for their upcoming Assessment Journey as they strive to earn the highly esteemed Hong Kong Award for Young People Silver Award, which is part of the renowned International Award and Duke of Edinburgh Award in the UK. We commend our students for their dedication and wish them the best as they continue their remarkable journey towards this prestigious achievement.