On Tuesday, the whole of Year 9 attended a talk from a Pakistani refugee, Uzma, so they could hear first hand about the challenges disadvantaged communities face in Hong Kong. Uzma was facing religious persecution in Pakistan so fled to Hong Kong with her family in 2015 and has been living in limbo awaiting the outcome of her asylum case ever since. Finally, after 8 years, Uzma and her family were granted refugee status in Hong Kong as they wait to find out which third country they will be granted settled status in. Uzma works with the Center for Refugees, one of West Island School's community partners, and she vividly described the hardships of being both an asylum seeker and a refugee in Hong Kong. 

Did you know they get the equivalent of $40HK a day for food? Did you know they get $1500HK to pay for rent for a whole family? Did you know refugees and asylum seekers cannot work so are completely dependent on government subsidies and charity handouts? It was an eye-opening talk and the students engaged brilliantly, asking Uzma thoughtful and sensitive questions. 

In the coming weeks we will be leading some initiatives for the Center for Refugees to assist this marginalised community. We hope we can count on your support.

Student Stella Pozzato said:"Uzma's talk was inspiring. It is not often we get to hear personally and directly from refugees about their experiences. Hearing her story about how she had to flee Pakistan due to religious persecution has made this issue very real to me. It is making me think differently about the world."

Student Salvador McQueen said he has also learned more about the real issues refugees face. "This impacted me because I often go to Kowloon Park and I regularly see people hanging out there as they have nowhere else to go. From hearing Uzma's story, I now understand that these are likely to be refugees as I learnt that refugees are not allowed to work so they don't have anything to do to occupy their day. It was eye-opening to hear Uzma's perspective."

On Tuesday, the boys and girls U16 football teams were crowned champions at ISSFHK finals.

The U16 girls football team captain Munira Barma said:" Both semis and finals were extremely hard, but as a team, we stayed together and fought to the end. We all put in our best effort which led us to penalties in the finals. The final was the hardest as both teams were strong and wanted the win, but WIS wanted it more. During penalties, each one was a rollercoaster but they were all beautifully executed which gave us the win we all deserved. "

The U16 boys football team captain Jestin Heard said:"In the final of the ISSFHK tournament we had played against KGV, one we knew would be a really hard and tough game. As the game kicked off we dominated possession and were ready to attack as much as possible. As we scored the first goal we knew the job was not over. As the game progressed they scored their first goal in the second half. We knew that we weren't ready to give up as we scored two goals later on in the match making it 3-1. KGV then bounced back with a late goal making it 3-2. Close to the final whistle KGV scored a late goal making it 3-3, going onto penalties. 

"During the penalties we were all very scared and nervous but as well proud to make it this far, we knew the job was not yet done. As KGV scored 3 out of 4 of their penalties we had won by scoring 4 out of 5 of ours making us the winners of the final and overall champions of the ISSFHK tournament. We were all very happy and proud during the moment because we knew we were able to win it from the beginning. "

Girls U16 won gold  in ISSFHK basketball championship against Victoria Shanghai international school. WIS was losing by 4 points with 53 seconds left but managed to fight back to force overtime. Final score 33-30 to West Island.

WIS qualified to participate in the prestigious Jing Ying Cross Country Competition. This is an incredible testament to the calibre of performance WIS displayed in the qualifying age group Cross Country Championships. WIS was the only international school in HK to make the cut. This Jing Ying event is where the best cross country school teams compete in an open age category-(fastest 8 runners of any age). 23 boys schools and 18 girls schools participated. The quality of runners is extremely high and WIS runners most definitely rose to the occasion. WIS placed 4th in the girls event  and the boys team finished 3rd. Both teams were only beaten by the top single gender scholarship schools. 

Congratulations to the runners who braved the cold weather and ran with spirit and determination. Although on the day only 8 runners can represent WIS, the entire cross country squad is a part of this incredible achievement as runners encourage and challenge each other to continue to improve.

Times, photos and results can be found here.  Special mention to Jiro Loasby who placed 6th.

West Island's table tennis players played friendlies at Hong Kong International School on Wednesday. 

Sports leaders in year 10 and year 11 successfully led at the Kennedy school Sports Day on Friday, facilitating a carousel of fun, sporting events in hot conditions. A true example of quality leadership and a really positive example of WIS students giving back to the community. 

Year 10 student Haidi Wu has won the HKSSF champion in Girls Epee competition on Jan. 21. 

A group of WIS student swimmers won multiple medals in the 2024 CIS Phoenix Invitational and CDNIS Invitational this month. Special mention to Giselle Lee for breaking the CIS meet record for 100 back. Team A swim captain Student Jody Lee said: "I am extremely proud to be part of our swimming team which ignited many wonderful and hilarious moments, and I will forever keep the special memories we created in my heart as I move on (from my Team A swim captain role) . "  

WIS Bazaar is a PRIVATE SCHOOL EVENT open to all ESF families, including ESF students, alumni, friends and families. Please fill in this form to let us know how many people will be attending as your guests. Please note this includes everyone that will come: grandparents, siblings, helpers, friends and any other relatives.

WI$ Coupons - WIS PTA aims for a cashless environment for the Bazaar. Only WI$ Coupons will be accepted for most transactions (including international food stalls, books, toys, and games, etc)  at the Bazaar. 

WIS families can pre-order WIS coupons using this form to pre-purchase WI$ cash. Pre-purchased WI$ cash will be distributed on the day of the Bazaar. 

Student band Fourth Harmony (Ishina, Hayden, Jasmine and Bella) for competing in the Battle of the Bands at Chinese International School last Thursday, January 25th. It was a great experience planning, rehearsing and presenting their style in a highly competitive event featuring bands from various international and local schools in Hong Kong. The judges were very complimentary. They said the band communicated the meaning of the song with enthusiasm and had a great sense of musical style and stage presence. The songs they played were Everybody by Backstreet Boys and Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. Look out for their next performance at the School Bazaar! 

Horizons Week 2024's initial information has been shared with parents via the ESF app. The latest episode of the student-created EchoWest Podcast is also available and is all about Horizons Week.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year with our ESF Year of the Dragon e-card. This beautiful painting of the mythical creature was created by eight-year-old Ines Lai, who is a student at our ESF Clearwater Bay School. Ines’ art was selected by Chief Executive Officer Belinda Greer as part of our annual ESF-wide art challenge. While judging the competition, Belinda said, “Dragons have really sparked our children’s imaginations, and the entries this year have been exceptionally bright and bold.” Well done to all our students who have captured the joy of the upcoming festival through their colourful and captivating designs. We hope you will enjoy sharing our ESF card with your community. You can download it here.