Newsletter-Friday, 15 December 2023
Dear West Island community,
A celebratory greeting to all, as we close this first chapter of the school year with so much learning and so many successes. We enjoyed our final whole school assembly of 2023 this morning. In our August assembly, we asked students to be open to new possibilities and they have certainly embraced this by engaging fully in their learning both in and beyond the classroom. We proudly celebrated the many ways that our community has shone this term through their individual, team and whole school endeavours.
This past Wednesday, our on-site Christmas fair and concert brought a festive air to the school. Continuing the joy and meaningful connections that had been formed throughout this term, our students showed their enthusiasm in supporting each other and helping those in need by seizing this opportunity to raise funds for charities. Our students set up stalls including karaoke, baked desserts/other merchandise, and hands-on games, welcoming hundreds of their peers to participate.
The hospitality would not have been actualized without these young people recognizing our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live, showing the attribute “Balanced” outlined in the IB Learner Profile. Please read on to learn more about our students’ stalls and concert performances.
Thank you to Mrs Helena Murchie for planning and supporting the fair (an impressive sum of $34,675 HKD was raised!); to Ms Leigh Delgarno and Mr Ben Jolly for making the concert such a beautiful performance with the support of music technicians Michael Tsang and William Leung. We must also show our appreciation to our support staff for making the event run so smoothly: Miyuki Lau, Chi Leung, Simon Tai and Angie Hui who set up the stalls, the finance team, Artemis Chung, Ivy Lam and Chloe Huang for counting all the cash and the cleaners for making sure that everything was tidy and cleaned up at the end of the day. They are Sammy Hung, Xiao Fang Cai, Siu Fun Lo, Hoi Keung and Xiaoyan Chen, Chau Ping Chu, Mei Fong Wong, Siu Fung Chan, Yung Lin Luo, Lumba Kumari and Annie Ko. And last but not least, to all the staff and students across the school who contributed their talents and time to make this day a success.
Sports fixture results have seen new victories this week as well. Congratulations to our girls' hockey team for winning the HKSSF final. Please read on to see more students’ achievements in sports and other interest areas of their choice. Thank you to all the PHE and Sport faculties as well as volunteering faculties for supporting our students in the fixtures over this past term.
And to everybody, I wish you a holiday filled with peace and that you manage to get some well-deserved rest with family and friends.
Best regards,
Clare Haworth
Interim Principal
Table of Contents
Students talk about their Christmas fair stalls
Students talk about the Christmas concert
Looking ahead: Draft school calendar for 2024/25
Dear parents, please see the draft calendar for 2024/25 by clicking here. Please note there are still three West island CPD days to allocate and there may be further adjustments once public holidays are gazetted.
Please also see the four explanatory notes below the calendar.
Wellbeing: social and emotional support over the holiday period
A message from the WIS Wellbeing team:
We all need help sometimes, and it’s ok not to be ok. Over the holidays, whilst the school is closed, there is external social and emotional support available if students and parents need it.
If you need resources, please check out the WIS wellbeing website by clicking here.
Emergency Hotline numbers can be found by clicking here.
Girls’ hockey team wins HKSSF final
Displaying skill, determination, and teamwork, the West Island School girls hockey team emerged victorious in the highly anticipated HKSSF Hockey Championships, securing a hard-fought victory against their formidable opponents, HYS.
From the very beginning, WIS dominated-working as a team with quality passing and support both on and off the ball. The intensity of the game was palpable, with supporters encouraging both teams. The HYS keeper made some exceptional saves keeping the scoreline at a stalemate in the first quarter until Mccarley Wong tapped in the 1st goal from the post. This was swiftly followed up with another goal from Gaia Yau who was first to the rebound.
As the match progressed the midfield trio of Lauren Darely, Naia Mcgrath, Annabella Deayton and central defenders Arwen Tang and Sera Nissen (Captain) dominated, controlling the game and feeding the WIS strikers who kept the pressure on HYS. Yuillia Ota was tenacious in front of goal and set up for Mccarley to slot goal number 3 into the back of the net. Congratulations to the entire team who all played a role in helping WIS to become champions.
Year 12 student selected into the Hong Kong National U20 Football Team
Year 12 Student Caspar Adams has been selected into the Hong Kong National U20 Football Team. Casper has been a mainstay of the Boys Football Team in the HKSSF and ISSFHK, and he plays for the HKFC. He will train under Coach Cheung Yik Ming starting next week.
Caspar has also been part of the Connections Team and organised fundraisers for Shark Week.
Girls’ football team wins ISSFHK group match
Girls’ football team won an ISSFHK group match against Island School on Tuesday, scoring 7-2.
Boys’ tennis team wins ISSFHK group match
Boys’ tennis team won an ISSFHK group match against Victoria Shanghai Academy on Wednesday, scoring 20-10.
Girls rugby players win in Singapore
Girls rugby players from West Island School competed in the recent International Under 16s Girls TRC Cup Finals in Singapore and were in both first and second placed teams.
WIS students representing Valley Fort and Discovery Bay Barbarians showcased their exceptional skills and teamwork, emerging as the champions of the tournament. A special congratulations to Hatty Brown from the Barbarians team for her contribution to their success in winning the competition’s cup.
Additionally, our students representing Sandy Bay RFC displayed determination and sportsmanship throughout the competition. We would like to recognize Zoe Blennerhassett, Jennica Narag, Zoe Schorr, Rochelle Ng, and Sammy Wilkinson from the Sandy Bay RFC team for their remarkable performances in winning the competition’s plate trophy.
Cross Country
Twenty West Island students in U12 and U14s competed in the final Cross Country mini-meet at Chinese International School. This race presented them the opportunity to compete ahead of the championships in February.
Year 9 student won bronze in Southern District Athletics Open Competition 2023
Year 9 student Malik Cheuk broke his 2 personal best records and won the 3rd place (Bronze Medal) in 200M Final in Southern District Age Group Athletics Meet.
He was also the finalists (Top 5) for both 100M running and long jump respectively.
Malik’s running time of 100M was at 13.24 seconds and Long Jump distance record was at 4.68m.
Year 11 student breaks Hong Kong Swimming Junior Record with teammates
Year 11 student Duncan Yu Chi Lungand and his teammates broke the Hong Kong Swimming Junior Record for 4x100 m Medley Relay (short course) at Division One Short Course Swimming Competition held last Sunday at Victoria Park Swimming Pool. They obtained a gold medal for this event.
This is Duncan's second Hong Kong Swimming Junior Record. The former one was achieved in August this year for 4x100 m Medley Relay (long course) at Hong Kong Swimming Open Championship Competition. Duncan is a member of HK Swimming National Team Training Squad.
Year 7 student wins recital in the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival
Year 7 student Rylee Santos won first place in the category of solo verse speaking in the 75th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival. The piece she recited is the poem “Thanks Mum” by Martin Glynn.
Students win Kidsforkids’ Outstanding Performance of School Club Leaders
A group of our students have participated in the charity “Kids4kids” in the Buddy Reading program, promoting students to be reading buddies for younger children. The charity has awarded West Island’s school club one of the four schools in “Outstanding Performance of School Club Leaders”, out of all the nine schools that have set up school clubs to run the program.
WIS Bazaar poster design competition
Student art competition
WIS PTA would like to invite our creative minds to design a poster for the upcoming WIS Bazaar.
Items to include:
* Bazaar Date: 2nd March
* Bazaar Time: 11am - 4pm
* Bazaar Venue: West Island School
* WIS / ESF West Island School logo
Competition Rules:
1. The design should be based on your own imagination/idea. Don't take other people's work.
2. Winning entry would become the WIS Bazaar Poster and be used for other communications
3. A3 poster size
4. The jury's decision cannot be changed
5. Posters must be submitted by 12th January 2024. If you are late you will be disqualified.
6. Announcement of winners on 15 January 2024
WIS Bazaar looking for more parent volunteers
WIS Bazaar time: 11am-4pm, March 2, 2024
A message from the PTA:
Thank you for your response on volunteering for the WIS Bazaar organising committee. The committee is looking for more parent volunteers to join and support.
We ask you to connect us with suppliers/ shops who would be willing to donate their surplus inventory/ stock or can donate some goods for sale at our new products stall. This may include any goods eg. kitchen tools, cosmetics, stationery, lunch boxes, water bottles etc.
Please contact pta@wis.edu.hk
Kami (interactive learning platform) team members visit school
UI/UX designers and system developers from Kami, a prominent educational technology company, visited the school this week. Kami specifically selected our school due to our status as one of the largest users of their product in Hong Kong.
As part of their visit, the Kami team was given a school tour by our Year 13 Btec students who showcased the practical application of Kami in our classrooms. This allowed the designers to gain valuable insights into the usability and effectiveness of their product in an educational setting.
Additionally, the UI/UX developers from Kami delivered a presentation to our Year 13 Computer Science and Digital Design students, offering them a glimpse into the professional world of development and design.
Lastly, a productive group discussion was held with our teachers, providing them with an opportunity to offer feedback to the Kami developers. This collaborative effort aims to further refine and improve the Kami product for use in schools worldwide, catering to the specific needs of educators and students.
ESF Explore
As Term 1 approaches its end, get a head start by enrolling in our Term 2 programmes! We offer after-school sports including but not limited to basketball, gymnastics, netball, and tennis at various levels. Check out the schedule for West Island School here.
Three staff members attend the AISC (Asia-Pacific International Schools Conference) as keynote speakers
Mrs Helena Murchie, Ms Shanice Welsh and Mr Ian Bengey attended the AISC (Asia-Pacific International Schools Conference) as keynote speakers.
