Newsletter-Friday, 22 March 2024
Dear West Island community,
We are wrapping up the term on a particularly productive note, thanks to the continuing efforts and commitment of our staff, students and parents. This week we feature an array of activities and achievements, befitting the learning journey we have embarked on this term.
We were delighted to host the ESF Marketing Competition which was organised and hosted by our Year 13 BTEC Business students, and they excelled through their detailed planning and professionalism throughout the entire process.
Other events include Tuesday night's incredible WIS Evening of Dance, the PTA's Fireside Chat on managing technology, the Chinese department's Beijing Opera mask design project which aimed to raise intercultural understanding as part of MYP, Science Week and a French language competition celebrating International Francophone Day.
Please read on to find information about all these exciting opportunities our community is engaging with.
Last but not least, we are looking forward to giving Vicki Hallatt, our new Principal, a very warm welcome to the WIS community at the start of term three.
Wishing you a lovely holiday.
Clare Haworth
Interim Principal
Just a reminder, a draft of the 2024-2025 academic year calendar can be found here.
Table of Contents
The ESF Marketing Competition 2024
ESF Business and Economics students pitch their restaurant concept to Sian and Charmain from Black Sheep.
Siena, Jaden, Royden, Ian, Albus and Asta - ESF Marketing Competition 2024 Winners, along with their El Fili Restaurant Concept.
West island School BTEC Business Diploma Students: Lara, Riley, Esha, Thomas, Lorenzo, Sibbi, Kyle and Riyana.
GCSE Art Exhibition - Save the Date
Congratulations to newly elected student leaders
Rugby wins
Rugby Season 3 came to a close with a very successful finals day on Thursday 21st March at Kings Park. The sun came out for some high level and close games of rugby for the girls C grade, and boys B&C grade teams.
Results:
Girls C grade - Champions (undefeated)
Boys C grade - Third
Boys B grade - Third
We look forward to building on these successes in term 3 and beyond.
Student wins robotics competition
WIS student Carter Li received Vex Robotics competition Excellence Award this February during Hong Kong Tech Junior. And he was invited to attend the world competition in Dallas (Texas) on May 1st representing West Island School again.
Student wins film competition
Sytric Chan won the Silver Award in the Youth Category at the 29th ifva Awards with their film "Untitled".
It's a 25 minute film that Sytric produced in September, based on what it means to be a film director.
"This was inspired by my own frustrations as I have developed as a director, facing & overcoming many challenges. It has a non-linear narrative and incorporates visual elements of the Surrealist film movement, it uses some of the codes and conventions of the coming-of-age genre, and it is filmed in a documentary style with a focus on verisimilitude & realism.
"It was a surprise to win this award as I wasn't expecting it for this project but it is an honour and the event has taught me a lot and allowed me to connect with other creators which will help me develop further."
Francophone Competition
International Francophonie Day on Wednesday 20 March celebrated diversity and multilingualism in French-speaking communities worldwide. At WIS, we had a week of activities highlighting the French-speaking world's cultural heritage. Events included the Y7 French Spelling Bee and Y8 French Translation Bee Competitions, showcasing students' linguistic skills. The French Football Tournament, with over 200 players including WIS students, fostered camaraderie within the French-learning community in Hong Kong. Francophonie-themed lessons and a francophone social gathering deepened understanding and cultural exchange. Thanks to participants and organisers for a successful celebration. Let's embrace diversity and love for languages and cultures globally.
Evening of Dance
On Tuesday 19th March, West Island School hosted An Evening of Dance. The primary aim of the event was to provide Year 11 GCSE and Y13 IB Dance students with an opportunity to share their exam work in preparation for their assessments in the following week, but the audience was treated to so much more.
Talented dancers from across all years demonstrated the skill and passion that they have for dance. We saw the latest work by Momentum Dance Company, this time a piece that was created as part of the Chinese New Year celebration assembly. ‘Rapid Wildfires’ drew inspiration from the movement of Chinese script and featured dancers from Y7 to Y12. For the first time, WIS has run an MYP Dance course for Y9 students and it was a pleasure to see some of this work performed on the stage. The concepts explored in lessons relate to boundaries and this has led students to learn about the displacement and migration of people and the work that is done by organisations such as Christian Action HK to support refugees in Hong Kong.
Star Search is one of the highlights of the year and is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their creative skills and talents. This year, two dance performances really caught our attention and it was wonderful to invite them to perform again to close the evening.
Special thanks to Michael Tsang, Emma Cerrone, Kerry Rochester and Susan Salter for their technical support, without them the evening would not have happened.
Year 7 and 8 design Beijing Opera masks
Our Year 7 and 8 students are now learning to design masks used in the Beijing Opera which is China’s National Opera. This is an important part of our MYP curriculum where we promote intercultural understanding and raise students’ awareness of Chinese culture. It is also an opportunity for students to show their creativity and imagination in designing the masks.
Science Week
This week we have been celebrating Science Week at school, following an initiative started 30 years ago in UK schools. Students have been taking part in special lessons and lunchtime events, with our year 7 and 8 students having some fun activities based on the theme of 'Time'. We have also had a range of speakers in at lunchtime for our older students, with four science graduates talking about careers in science, and HKU running two workshops on artificial intelligence in medical diagnosis, and luminescent chemicals. Our speakers have been highlighting the wide range of scientific careers and courses available to our students to try and widen their knowledge of potential professions.
Our poster competition is still open, and any student who wants to submit a poster under the theme of 'Time' can still do so - deadline is April 7th. More information is here.
Blood donation sign-up extended
Last chance to sign up! If you would like to donate blood on Monday 22 April at WIS between 10.00am to 12.00noon, please sign up via this link. Sign-ups will close on Mon 25 March
Students raise funds for HK Dog Rescue
Over the past few months, students at West Island School have run a number of activities to raise much-needed funds for HK Dog Rescue.
These have included the WIS Bazaar, games stalls, photo booths and most recently a lucky prize draw. Students really showed how much they care about dogs - and supporting charities by raisinge $15,000!! A fantastic achievement which will make a real difference to the charity. HK Dog Rescue relies entirely on donations and receives no government funding so every donation really does count.
The lucky prize draw included items such as t-shirts, jumpers, jackets (for dogs and humans!) as well as various other accessories. The prize which gained the most attention was that of a dog ...a cuddly toy one! Mika Tanaka-Poon in 7H2 was the lucky student whose name was drawn out first. Here she is accepting her prize!
The work has been very demanding on students, involving them giving up lunch and break times and volunteering before school as well as on the weekend.
So a special thanks to all of those who volunteered from the Year 12 IBCP cohort, Year 9 Multimedia students and Y10/11 Events Management group - you've made a real difference, thank you.
PTA Fireside Chat: Thank you for your participation
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for attending PTA Fireside Chat panel discussion on "Managing Technology at Home" on 19th March. It was a pleasure to have such an engaged and enthusiastic group of parents join us for this important conversation.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our panelists for their time, expertise, and willingness to share their personal experiences on managing technology at home. If you have any further topics or suggestions for upcoming Fireside chats, we encourage you to reach out to the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) at pta@wis.edu.hk. We highly value your input and will take it into consideration when planning future events and sessions.
ESF Explore - Term 3
6 April - 28 June
Embrace growth and unleash your potential with ESF Explore - Term 3 is fast approaching! Discover our meticulously designed selection of programmes in sports, language, playgroups, STEM, and arts.
Click HERE for more details and class schedule at West Island School and Kennedy School.
Farewell to support staff Tacky Kwong
We would like to thank resource room staff Tacky Kwong, who is leaving WIS after serving for over 15 years. She said she is leaving the job to take better care of her family, and she has enjoyed the proximity of the school to her home and the fixed working time that have come with her role.
