BRADBURY NEWSLETTER – 15 MARCH 2019
Greetings to Bradbury School Community
It is always valuable to get your feedback about school matters. Thanks for your RSE survey responses. We will take these on board when considering our way forward with this curriculum area. We will feed the responses back to you in our next newsletter.
Earlier in the year, your child completed an online Assessing Wellbeing in Education (AWE) study which gave us an idea of areas to address in terms of social and emotional wellbeing. We found ‘bully’ mentioned several times, so we talked to the children who had mentioned this. What we found were instances of ‘one off’ behaviours, which while were unacceptable, did not, in our view constitute bullying. The attached visual gives an overview of what we consider to be rude, mean or bullying behaviours. Please have a read and talk to your child about the differences between them. You might also find the language useful to use if your child complains that he/she is being bullied. It is the language that we will be using with your child and is the criteria we will use to determine if particular actions are bullying or not. Please note that we have a zero tolerance for bullying at Bradbury School.
We recognise that mobile phones are an important safety precaution for students when they travel home. As such, there are no objections to students bringing them to school. The expectation is that these are left in bags during the school day. Our students are very responsible and we have no known issues in this regard. However, I have had a complaint that students on buses are accessing inappropriate material and have the volume at inappropriately loud levels. Can you please talk to your child about their use of the phone on the way home.
Sincerely,
Sandra Webster
Principal
Important Dates
N.B. Dates and Activities may change from time to time. Please check the online calendar for the weekly updates on www.bradbury.edu.hk calendar. Thank you.
| DATE | EVENT | TIME |
| 15 March 2019 (Friday) | CPD Day (No Classes) | —- |
| 21 March 2019 (Thursday) | Year 2 Cake Sale | 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. |
| 22 March 2019 (Friday) | Year 5C/5B Macau Trip (Group 1 ) | 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
| 22 March 2019 (Friday) | 2F/2K Class Assembly | |
| 25 March 2019 (Monday) | MMR Vaccinations for Year 1 | |
| 28 March 2019 (Thursday) | Feeding People in Need | 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. |
| 29 March 2019 (Friday) | Year 5T/5F Macau Trip (Group 2) | 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
| 03 April 2019 (Wednesday) | Sustainability at Bradbury Parent Meeting | 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. |
| 04 April 2019 (Thursday) | ESF Primary Choral Concert | 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| 09 April 2019 (Tuesday) | Year 6 P.Y.P EXHIBITION | 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 a.m. |
| 12 April 2019 (Friday) | Spring Term Ends (12:00 noon dismissal) | 12:00 noon |
| 15 April 2019 (Monday) –
26 April 2019 (Friday) – inclusive |
Easter Break Holidays – No classes | —– |
| 29 April 2019 (Monday) | Year Book Cover Competition Deadline | 3:00 p.m. |
| 29 April 2019 (Monday) | School Resumes | 8:30 a.m. |
| 29 April 2019 (Monday) | Deadline for the Yearbook Cover Competition | 3:00 p.m. |
| 01 May 2019 (Wednesday) | Labour Day – No Classes | —– |
| 03 May 2019 (Friday) | ACTION DAY | 8:30 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. |
| 06 May 2019 (Monday) –
10 May 2019 (Friday) |
BOOK WEEK | 8:30 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. |
| 10 May 2019 (Friday) | Class 6G/6B Assembly (pls note date change) | 8:45 a.m. |
| 13 May 2019 (Monday) | Buddha’s Birthday – No Classes | —– |
| 15 May 2019 (Wednesday) | MMR & Hepatitis B Vaccination for Year 6 | |
| 17 May 2019 (Thursday) | Year 3 Market Day (pls note date change) | 9:00 a.m. |
| 16 May 2019 (Thursday) | Sausage Sizzle | 12:00 noon |
| 18 May 2019 (Saturday) &
25 May 2019 (Saturday) |
ESF CHINESE TALENT SHOW 2019 | |
| 23 May 2019 (Thursday) | Y5/Y6 Student Led Conference | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| 29 May 2019 (Wednesday) | Y3/Y4 Student Led Conference | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| 30 May 2019 (Thursday) | Year 1 Cake Sale | 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. |
| 31 May 2019 (Friday) | Year 6 Pastoral Day | 8:30 a.m. – 2:40 p.m. |
| 31 May 2019 (Friday) | Y1 Induction
(Incoming Students for 2019- 2020) |
TBC |
| 04 June 2019 (Tuesday) | Y1/Y2 Student Led Conference | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| 06 June 2019 (Thursday) | CPD Day – No Classes | —– |
| 07 June 2019 (Friday) | Dragon Boat (Tuen Ng) Festival – No Classes | —– |
| 25 June 2019 (Tuesday) | Year 6 Graduation Ceremony | 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. |
| 28 June 2019 ( Friday) | Summer Term Ends ( 12 noon dismissal) | 12:00 noon |
Preparing for Bradbury Action Day
By Carol Farrington – Action Coordinator and Amanda Bremner – PYP Leader
Action Day can be thought of as divided into 3 parts:
❒ The preparation
❒ The activities on Action Day
❒ Subsequent action and continuation of living by the values that have grown during the preparation and the Day
All the parts are equally important.
If you are wondering how your own child / children can have a proactive role in the preparation, here are some examples about how our families are involving the children:
Sophie and Josephine say, “We took $60 from my red packet money for purchasing food at the supermarket for this Action Day.”
Cordelia is opening her red packets and getting the money ready to purchase food for Action Day. Then she went to the supermarket to choose the foods with her brother, Cornelius.
On this day we also need lots of volunteers. If you are available to help in any way can you please add your name to the Google form link below. Carol and I will assign jobs over the coming week and be in touch before the Easter Holidays.
Year 6 Exhibition Update
By Katie Phillips, Year 6 Leader
The students are now in the Finding Out stage of the inquiry cycle.
The students are beginning to visit relevant NGOs, organisations and businesses who are helping them to design products, understand their area of interest/passion in more depth and challenge their thinking.
Trip to Crossroads
By Amanda Bremner, PYP Coordinator
On Wednesday the 13th March the Y5 Fair Trade Action agents visited Crossroads. Crossroads is a non-profit organisation serving global needs as well as providing aid and relief in over 50 countries around the world.
The students participated in a coffee been simulation where they learned about supply chain issues and the income each party involved receives (producers, consumers etc). The students also visited the Fair Trade shop where they learned about the history of some of the products sold. The stories certainly moved us all.
Currently at Bradbury the students have set up a Fair Trade snack basket for the staff which they are looking to expand to include selling products in the PTA shop and possibly Hillside Kindergarten.
The students hope to continue spreading the message of Fair Trade to ensure better working conditions, sustainable practices and better prices for workers/farmers in developing countries.
Moving Towards Becoming a Green School
By Amanda Bremner, PYP Coordinator
Bradbury School continues to work towards becoming a ‘Eco School’. This year we have four main areas we are focusing on:
- Energy
- Global Citizenship
- Waste Minimisation
- Water
After a recent staff meeting (including site staff), staff have devised goals around their use of plastic and are working on becoming a plastic free school. We have agreed to stop ordering Watons Water and install water filters in all the kitchens, to regularly recycle our paper and cardboard and stop all lamination. Site staff are going to reduce the amount of plastic bins/tubs being used across the school and are moving to use more environmentally friendly rubbish bags, cleaning utensils and products.
The Eco Schools Award encourages schools to formulate a school environmental policy and environmental management plan towards a green school; enhance environmental awareness, develop environmentally friendly attitude and promote green practices among school managers, teachers, non-teaching staff, students and their parents.
Katie Townsend, Gary Stokes (parent) and I will be holding a meeting for parents to talk about the proposed changes and our school direction on Wednesday 3rd April at 8.30am for any interested parents.
Please let Ms Fritzi know if you would like to attend: Email fritzi.yu@bradbury.edu.hk or call 25748249.
Feeding People In Need In Our Community
By Amanda Bremner and Carol Farrington, Action Leaders
Our upcoming community action event with Sunshine Action is on Thursday 28th March. This is a great opportunity for families to serve in the community together and to help people less fortunate than themselves. During this event we visit people living on the streets to deliver a hot meal and some basic food and toiletry items such as biscuits, fruit, and soap. Please find the details below:
Where: Nam Cheong MTR Station Exit A – meet across the road outside Fu Cheong Mall
Time: 6.00pm to 7.30pm (meet 5.45pm)
Who: Year 2-6 students and families/friends (students must be accompanied by an adult)
How: MTR Tung Chung Orange line from Central MTR Station
Cost: $200 per person attending (this covers the cost of the hot food we deliver and is payable when we meet on the evening)
Bring: Recycled shopping bag
Wear: Comfortable clothing, walking shoes
At Bradbury, we provide our community with various events across the year, in which we can help others. ‘Feeding People in Need’ is one such event. If you are interested in taking part, please notify Ms. Fritzi in the school office 25748249 and either Ms Farrington or I will contact you closer to the time with more details.
PE Update
By Ally Maclay, Head of PE and Samantha Nicholls, PE Teacher
On Tuesday 5th March 2019 the Bradbury school hockey team participated in their first tournament of the season. Hosted by Kennedy School at Hong Kong University, the tournament saw 13 teams compete from 7 different schools. After 6 gruelling games of hockey Bradbury school secured 3rd place. This is a phenomenal achievement given the number of players who are new to the game and that it was the first time the team had ever played together competitively. With 3 wins, 2 draws and only 1 loss to their name, the team are a force to be reckoned with going into this weeks tournament hosted by GSIS at the Hong Kong Football Club. Congratulations to all those involved. Bring on the next tournament!
Kennedy school put together this wonderful video showcasing the day – please enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOmmM7Na2KY&t=1s
On Friday 1st March 2019 Jo Meekcoms and Tyson Uyede represented Bradbury school at the HKSSF Primary Athletics finals in Tseung Kwan O. In order to qualify for this competition both boys competed in the area championships at Wan Chai Sports Ground. After successfully qualifying in their respective discipline Jo (Long Jump) and Tyson (200m) were invited to compete for Hong Kong Island East Schools. There were only 2 students from the whole district who qualified for the overall finals in each event. The boys both performed exceptionally well and should be commended for their efforts at both athletic events. They were fantastic ambassadors for the school and should be very proud of their achievements. Congratulations!
Tag Rugby
On Tuesday, we had 19 students representing Bradbury in the Island School Tag Tournament at Happy Valley. After some wet and miserable days the sun shone bright for our teams to produce some rugby to match.
The B team played in a round robin where they faced all of their opposition, competing in 5 games. They won 2, drew 2 and lost 1, to the eventual winners, Kennedy School B team. This very impressive performance meant they finished in a magnificent 3rd place overall. Xanthe Miers, our youngest player, produced some special performances throughout the day and impressed her team mates.
The A Grade topped their pool by beating Quarry Bay, Peak School and Kennedy School but having an uncharacteristic hiccup against DBIS losing 3 tries to 2. I think this was a blessing in disguise which made them realise it wasn’t just going to come to them and they had to work hard and play well. Being top of the group qualified them for the Cup competition. In the Semi Final, they came up against Chinese International School who proved to be a tough bunch and kept coming back but a couple of early tries from Matteo Ng Brett gave the A Graders a cushion of a lead to win and take them through to the Cup Final.
In the Final, it was full circle to meet the first opponents of the day, Quarry Bay School. The first game Bradbury won 6-5 in a tight affair and the final was no different. The game was drawn at the final whistle, 5 a-piece. The coaches from both sides decided it was only fair to share the win and both be crowned, ‘Champions’ of the Island schools. Both A & B grade teams performed extremely well, working hard for one another throughout the day.
All of our students contributed to these special final placings. Let’s hope they can continue to impress next Thursday at the HKPSSA TAG CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Please watch this video which shows the benefits of Sport for children…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmFQqjMF_f0&feature=youtu.be
Year 3 Book Swap
By Anna Gardener, Year Group Leader
As part of our unit of inquiry where we are looking at ways to save the Earth’s resources by reducing, reusing and recycling, the year 3 students decided to have a book swap. They were invited to bring in a book, introduce it to the class and explain why they had enjoyed reading it. Students then spent time looking at all the books on offer before swapping them with each other.
The book swap was a great success and the children enjoyed looking at new books that they might not usually choose. We hope this will encourage everyone to swap books instead of buying new ones.
Library News
By Jane Thompson, Librarian Teacher, and Connie Leung, Librarian Assistant
READING IN UNUSUAL PLACES: REMINDER
Thank you to all the parents who have shared photographs of their children reading in some amazing and highly unusual places. The competition is now closed and the students will vote on their favourite photo during their borrowing session next week. The top three photos will be announced in the next newsletter.
A sample of last year’s entries
OVERDUE BOOKS AUTOMATED EMAIL:
We have now set up our library computer system to generate overdue email notices. The emails will go out every two weeks to alert parents if their child has an overdue book. You are able to reply to the email if you have any queries or questions
regarding the book. Please be reminded that there is a fee of $100 for every lost or damaged book.
Immunisations: Year 1 and Year 6 Students
By Lauren Lau, Health Professional
MMR and Varicella
The School Immunization Team of the Health Department, will visit our school on the 25th of March 2019 (Monday) to offer the measles, mumps and rubella, and Varicella vaccination for Year 1 students.
Please fill in either the consent/refusal form, and return it to the medical room before March 18 Monday (Year 1).
MMR and Hepatitis B Vaccination will also be offered for Years 6 on 15th of May (Wednesday). The vaccination which the nurses provide is funded by the Hong Kong Government, and does not require a fee. Please fill in either the consent/refusal form, and return it to the medical room before May 10th Monday (Year 6) .
Please complete the form, and attach your child’s medical records (copy/original). The medical records will be returned to you immediately after the immunization. If you do not receive all your child’s vaccination records, please contact me immediately. The forms have been distributed to the Year 1 and Year 6 classes. If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Cyber-Safety Presentation— ‘Growing Up Online’
By English Schools Foundation
Cyber-safety Presentation – ‘Growing Up Online’
You are cordially invited to an informative and entertaining presentation, ‘Growing Up Online’, by Australian cyber-safety expert Susan Mclean. The session will be delivered with Susan Mclean’s famous ‘no-nonsense’ approach and cover the positive benefits of technology, as well as what parents need to be aware of in terms of children’s cyber-safety. Topics include:
- What are kids doing online– The popular social networking sites and apps such as Secret Calculator, Musical.ly, Instagram and Yubo as well as live streaming sites.
- Online Grooming– What is it and when/how does it occur? What are the warning signs and what to do if you suspect this is happening to your child.
- Cyberbullying– What it is, where it happens, what it looks like, how to prevent it and what to do if it occurs. Also the legal consequences and the possible criminal charges.
- Sharing Nudes– The taking and sending of explicit images. The social and emotional consequences as well as the Law.
- Top Tips– How to assist the children in your care to stay safe online via parental controls and restriction passcodes.
- Problematic Internet use and gaming issues.
The session will conclude with time for questions. Tickets are HK$200 per person and they can be purchased from the links below:
- Monday, 8 April 2019: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pmat ESF Centre – http://bit.ly/ESF_CyberBully2019
- Tuesday, 9 April 2019: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pmat West Island School – http://bit.ly/ESF_CyberBullly_WIS2019
- Thursday, 11 April 2019: 6:30 pm– 8:00 pm at King George V School – http://bit.ly/ESF_CyberBully_KGV2019
P.T.A. News
By Kelly Xu, P.T.A. Chairperson, and Lin Gong, Bradbury School P.T.A. Limited
Year 2 Cake Sale
The Year 2 cake sale will be held on Thursday, 21st March 2019. We would be grateful if each year 2 Student could contribute one dozen (only) individual sized cakes for this event. Please have your child deliver the cakes to the school hall on Thursday morning. If you would like your container returned, please clearly label both the top and bottom with your child’s name and class. Please remember:
- NO NUTS OR NO NUTS PRODUCTS (incl. NUTELLA)
- NO INDIVIDUAL PLASTIC WRAPPING REQUIRED
Although brownies and cupcakes are very popular, there is a school wide focus on health this year. To encourage children to make healthier choices we would love to see some alternatives that more nutritious and lower in sugar.
Volunteers – we require 9 helpers on the day between 9:30am and 11:00am, please email your class parent or the PTA at pta@bradbury.edu.hk or call 2893 2256 if you can help.
If you would like your child/children to buy a cake, please provide them with $10 and they will have an opportunity to buy a cake at morning break on Thursday.
Reminders:
- Year book cover competition deadline – April 29th.
- We are looking for someone who are passionate and committed to support the school PTA to join the Bradbury School PTA committee. We have two seats available right now. Please contact the PTA office if you are interested to apply.
- As part of the process to join ESF Centralized program for school uniform, the Bradbury PTA would like to invite all parents to participate in a survey about the school uniforms. Can you please click this link , follow the questions to complete the survey? Your input will be appreciated and helpful for us to understand your preferences as well as manage the transition process better.
The PTA, with support from the School, will produce a Bradbury School 2018-2019 Year Book. The Year Book is a beautiful memento of the school year and records the variety of activities your child has and will continue to experience at Bradbury school.
The book will be predominantly a colour publication in A4 size. It will feature photographs and pictures with a contribution from every class in the School. The book is due for release in June 2019.
Each of our Bradbury families will receive their first copy of the Year Book as part of their PTA Membership Fee. If you would like to have any extra copy, please complete the form (click to download) and return it to your class teacher by Friday, 10th May 2019 so that the print run can be arranged. The cost of each extra copy of our Year Book is HK$150.
Bradbury School Draft School Calendar 2019/20
By Sandra Webster, Principal
Third-Party Organised After School Activities
Dear Parents,
The following companies are currently hiring our facilities to provide extra curricular activities for students. You may browse the school website under “LIFE AT BRADBURY” for their programs and enroll your child directly to the company:
ESF Sports, contact 2711 1280 or sports@esf.org.hk website: www.esf.org.hk
Soccer & Basketball Training – Adventure Sports Academy Ltd, contact Eilis Cheung at 3998 4042 or info@adventuresportsacademy.com website: www.adventuresportsacademy.com
Fabric Art, Fabric Design, Crafting & Creative Sewing – Alifya Kasubhai, contact at 9281 5290 or contact@fabricart-hk.com website: www.fabricart-hk.com
Sanskriti/Hindi Language Class – Brilliant Learning International Ltd., contact Geetanjali Dhar at 3563 4300 or info@sanskritiglobal.org website: www.sanskritiglobal.org
Singing, Acting, Dancing – Ballet, Jazz, Tap Dance – CentreStage Studios HK Ltd., contact Imogen Taylor or Kaijah Bell at 5236 7960 or 2689 2272 or admin@centrestagestudioshk.com website: www.centrestagestudioshk.com
Chess Class & Camp – HoYinPingChess, contact Yin Ping Ho at 9215 2682 or hoyinpingchess@gmail.com website: www.hoyinpingchess.com/index/lesson.html / www.hoyinpingchess.com/index/camp.html
Swedish Language and Culture – Swedish Cultural Society, contact Linda at 9316-6599 or
svenskaskolanhongkong@hotmail.com Website: www.svenskaskolan.hk
N.B. Bradbury School is not responsible for the quality and safety of programmes offered by third parties. However, please note that all hirers are required to provide third party liability insurance. Parents are urged to take steps to ensure that they are satisfied with any and all aspects of the after school programme(s) they elect to opt in to.
