BRADBURY NEWSLETTER – 17 MAY 2019
Greetings to the Bradbury School Community
Many thanks to our community for your input and support during the process of appointing a new Vice Principal. The feedback you gave was used in helping the appointment panel to make a decision (which was extremely difficult, given the high calibre of the candidates). I am happy to announce that after a process guided by the ESF HR Department, Mr Michael (Mike) McKee has been appointed to the role of Vice Principal (Curriculum). Mr McKee will start at the beginning of the academic school year 2019/20. He is currently Principal at a school in New Zealand, a role he has held for the past four years. The final panel, which included our School Council Chair, Mr Gregory Lo, and the ESF Education Director, Mr Adam Hughes, was impressed with Mike’s knowledge of teaching and learning, as well as his warm, friendly and approachable manner. His answers at all interviews (x5) as well as his presentation to our community, indicated a person with a passion for learning, in depth knowledge of leading teaching and learning, as well as an understanding of inquiry. I am confident that Mr McKee will be a great asset to Bradbury School moving forward. He will be joined in Hong Kong by his wife and three children.
Congratulations to all of our community on a spectacular Action Day on 3 May. Many thanks to our whole community for your contribution, support and help. It was a wonderful day – a great example of how our community can work together to make a difference. Our Run2Cambodia surpassed all expectation with an outstanding result obtained.
Congratulations also to the Year 3 team on a superb Market Day today. It was wonderful to see our children so engaged about their learning. I heard more than once that students were too excited to go to sleep last night- they couldn’t wait for Market Day. Fabulous that our students love their learning- it helps set a positive attitude towards learning, which is exactly what we want to see.
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 | ACTIVITY | TIME |
| 18 May 2019 (Saturday) &
25 May 2019 (Saturday) |
ESF CHINESE TALENT SHOW 2019 | |
| 20 May 2019 (Monday) | Correction: Distribution of Disco Form Applications |
|
| 21 May 2019 (Tuesday) | Year 1 Sports Day
(Tarmac Playground Bradbury School) |
8:50 a.m.—10:00 a.m. |
| 21 May 2019 (Tuesday) | Relationship Sex Education Meeting—CANCELLED | |
| 23 May 2019 (Thursday) | Y5/Y6 Student Led Conference | 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
| 24 May 2019 (Friday) | Deadline for Bus Applications 2019-2020 | 4:00 p.m. |
| 27 May 2019 (Monday) | E.S.F. Art Exhibition (TST) | |
| 27 May 2019 (Monday) | Year 6 Students for Island School Fitting | 9:00 a.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) |
9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. |
| 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 | —– |
| 11 June 2019 (Tuesday) | Year 3 – 4 Disco (School Hall) | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
| 12 June 2019 (Wednesday) | Year 1 – 2 Disco (School Hall) | 12:40 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. |
| 14 June 2019 (Friday) | Correction: Year 5 – 6 Disco (School Hall) |
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
| 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 |
| 17 September 2019 (Tuesday) | P.T.A. AGM Meeting | TBC |
Relationship Sexuality Education Meeting: Cancelled
By Sandra Webster, Principal
Thank you for your interest in attending the RSE meeting on the 21st May. Unfortunately we have decided to cancel the meeting as only three people have signed up. In the future, teachers will let you know by email if they are introducing any area of the RSE where parent support is needed. If you have any questions regarding the recent RSE curriculum, please email your class teacher.
Student Led Conference 2018-19
By Sandra Webster, Principal
As part of our annual assessment and reporting process, we will be organising Student Led Conferences once again this term. The purpose of Student Led Conferences is very different from that of Parent/Teacher Consultations in that it includes your child in the process and challenges them to take ownership of assessment of their work. The students will lead the conference, and will also take responsibility for their learning by sharing the process with you. The conference will involve your child discussing and reflecting on their work and identifying strengths and areas for improvement. It enables you to gain a clear insight into the kind of work your child is doing and offers an opportunity for you to discuss their work in the school context.
In order to facilitate this valuable learning opportunity for our students, on the day of their conference they will attend school only at the time of their conference. We will be sending you the time of your child’s conference soon. In the meantime please note the dates of the Student Led Conferences this term:
Thursday 23rd May 2019: Years 5 & 6
Wednesday 29th May 2019: Years 3 & 4
Tuesday 04th June 2019: Years 1 & 2
We shall look forward to sharing this valuable learning experience with you.
Action Day 2019
By Amanda Bremner and Carol Farrington, Action Leaders
Bradbury School Action Day was a huge success! Thanks to all those who volunteered their time to help, those who coordinated food for packing, the large monetary and food donations we received for various charities and to those who gave of their time coordinate individual activities on the day.
It was great to see students taking action in response to their own inquiries or motivations to make a positive difference and bring about positive change. It was also fantastic to see the members of community getting involved in the food packing and Run for Cambodia which were supporting two amazing charities/organisations Sunshine Action (who we have had a long standing relationship with) and UWS who help us to support children from poor families to receive an education in Cambodia.
On the day the following amounts of money were raised:
Lily Sale $1210
Clothing Swap $1578
Park Footballs $2560 (Bradbury will be purchasing around 70 balls.)
We have also collected a huge amount of sports clothing and equipment for Crossroads as well as some clothing for Redress Asia.
The Year 5 students have also sold around $15,000 of goods to support Fair Trade with some amazing products from Crossroads which are sourced from around the world. More products will be on sale in the coming weeks in the school foyer.
Well done to all members of the Bradbury Community on this collective effort. Its very impressive!
Run2Cambodia 2019
By Sam Nicholls and Ally Maclay, PE Teachers
On Friday 3rd May the PE Department were extremely privileged to be part of one of the biggest, single day challenges ever attempted by the Bradbury School community – Run2Cambodia. This involved running the distance from Bradbury School to Khe Krom School in Cambodia. We have a long standing partnership with this school and in order to raise awareness of some of the difficulties faced by children to access education in remote villages, we decided to run the distance and raise some funds in the process. We have been overwhelmed by the level of support received and can not believe the continued level of generosity of the Bradbury School community. In total we have collected a mind blowing amount close to the sum of $145,000 HKD. This is a life changing amount of money for the children of Khe Krom School. Whilst our target was to build one classroom we are now able to build two and install fans into existing classrooms as well as build a fence strong enough to keep cattle from coming on to the school site! We are also able to sponsor a number of children to attend school for the forth coming academic year. What a huge achievement from just one school. We sincerely thank you all again for not only your financial support but also your physical support. Our target was to run 1,303km and on the day we managed to complete 1,347km – 44km over our target. Phenomenal. A special mention must go to the Year 6 Sports Leaders who spent the whole day running, collecting, recording and analysing data as well as supporting the younger members of the school. Thank you Sports Leaders and a heartfelt thank you to all families who were able to donate. We are eternally grateful for your support. There will be more details and photos to follow once works have started in Cambodia.
In addition to Run2Cambodia we must also thank all students and families who were able to contribute in some way to the collection of sporting equipment and clothing for Crossroads Foundation HK. The donation is due to be delivered in the coming days and we know many children and families will very much enjoy playing with all the equipment we have been fortunate to receive. Thank you once again for your continued support and unwavering generosity. It is very much appreciated.
Latest Update from the UWS Khe Krom
Dear Amanda,
Hope you enjoyed a restful Easter break and are coming in to the term feeling refreshed. As we enter the last term of the academic year, I wanted to send you an update and photos from UWS Khe Krom.
It has been extremely hot in Cambodia recently, with temperatures sometimes reaching 32 degrees centigrade by 10 o’clock in the morning. With temperatures reaching such highs, our schools have been heeding government warnings to shift lesson times to avoid the hottest part of the day.
Whilst some schools have been enjoying their Easter breaks, children and staff at UWS Khe Krom have been enjoying holidays in honour of Khmer New Year. The April school holidays allow Cambodians to celebrate the traditional Lunar new year, which marks the end of the harvesting season and anticipates the summer rains beginning. Celebrations are held over three days and include purification ceremonies, lots of food and traditional games.
United World Schools recently celebrated reaching 25,000 enrolments since 2009 – a major milestone that we simply couldn’t have achieved without your support. In Cambodia alone, we have reached and transformed the lives of 20,000 children. Thanks again for your continued support which is making such a difference to children in Khe Krom community.
If you haven’t already, please feel free to email me at Partnership@unitedworldschools.org if you have any questions. I’d be delighted to hear about fundraising plans at your school.
Best wishes for the rest of the term,
Ellen
Year 1 Book Character Day
By Sheryn Cribb, Y1 Leader
Year 1 students finished Book Week at Bradbury School by celebrating our favourite book characters. We arrived at school dressed as a character and carrying our favourite book to share with our friends. We gathered in Telly Tubbieland for a parade across the stage with Mrs. Ryder leading the celebration. Thank you to all the parents for your wonderful support with the costumes. Can you see your favourite book character?
Library News
By Jane Thompson, Librarian Teacher, & Connie Leung, Library Assistant
BOOK WEEK
Here a few photos celebrating Book Week. The students enjoyed dressing in pyjamas, a book character parade, listening to teachers read stories in the library at break times and our daily mystery reader to name just a few events that were organised through the week. Well done to all the students and staff on a wonderful celebration of books!
Student Withdrawal
By John Ainsworth, Vice Principal
If you are withdrawing your child from Bradbury School at the end of this academic year, please complete the student withdrawal notice (click to download) and return it to the school’s Admissions Officer via email (admissions@bradbury.edu.hk) before 1st June 2019. Otherwise, ESF will assume that your child is returning after the summer and parents will be liable to pay the tuition fees for September even if the child does not return to school.
Zero Waste
A ‘Helper Workshop around Zero Waste’ was held on Wed 15 May. Together we are raising awareness of Zero Waste around school. With the partnership from helpers, we hope to eliminate waste from snacks and lunches brought to school by our students.
Our Energy Monitors met with the Site Staff on Thurs 16 May to discuss how the school can reduce energy use. Our cleaners provided excellent suggestions on where we can reduce energy and water use.
Zero Waste QR Namecards
Namecards can easily be replaced in the digital age. Visit https://businesscards.tec-it.com/en and follow the on screen directions to create your own QR Namecards that can be stored on your mobile devices.
Medical Room: Head Lice
By Lauren Lau, School Health Professional
We have recently found a student that has head lice in your child’s class. We request that you please look through your child’s hair and check for signs of infestation. Main symptoms of head lice infestation are:
- An itchy scalp from the bites of the lice. These bites may become infected, may appear red or crusty.
- Check for grey/ reddish brown live head lice.
- Lice are small about the size of a sesame seed.
- Lice crawls quite fast, making them hard to spot.
- Check for nits, lice eggs, attached to child’s hair.
- Check for oval shaped nits, usually a yellowish- white colour, firmly attached to side of hair shafts.
Following are some guidelines for the screening and symptoms of head lice.
Screening of Head lice:
- Work under good light, a magnifying glass can be used for greater clarity.
- Divide the hair into sections and fasten off the hair that is not currently being screened.
- Use a fine comb, and comb through the same section of hair and look for attached nits (lice eggs). Nits are generally laid close to the head but can be found anywhere on the hair shaft. (Especially behind the ears / base of head.)
- Go through a section of hair starting at the scalp and proceeding to the end of the hair shaft.
- The removal of eggs is important to prevent head lice from hatching again.
Cleaning Instructions:
Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that the infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry–cleaned.
If you find any of these symptoms, please treat the condition immediately. Medication to control head lice is readily available from pharmacies in Hong Kong. Children should remain at home until the infestation has been treated.
Please note, school has no control over the treatment of head lice – we need all parents to co-operate and check/treat their children.
Thank you for your help with this.
Year 6 Students Island School Uniform Fitting: Monday 27 May 2019 at 9:00AM
There will be a uniform fitting day at Bradbury School PTA shop on Monday 27 May at 9:00AM for the Year 6 students that will be progressing to Island School in August 2019. Samples of the Island School uniform will be available for students to try. Alternatively families will need to go to the supplier’s retail outlet at Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon-side to fit uniform.
P.T.A. News
By Kelly Xu, P.T.A. Chairperson, and Lin Gong, Bradbury School P.T.A. Limited
PTA Bus Route and Application 2019-2020
Click to download or view the PTA Membership/Bus Application Form 2019-2020
Click to download or view the Bus Route 2019-2020
Year 1 Cake Sale
The Year 1 cake sale will be held on Thursday, 30th May 2019. We would be grateful if each year 1 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.
Reminder
Upcoming PTA cake sale……No Single Use Plastic please! Try to use reusable containers which need to be clearly named. Any single use plastic containers will be sent home.
Yearbook Cover Competition
The winners to this year’s Yearbook Cover Competition are:
Front Cover—Adrian Lin 6G
Back Cover—Amy Zhang 6B
Sausage Sizzle
The PTA is happy to report he Sausage Sizzle on 16 May has raised about $14,500.
Community Gardening Day
By Environmental Team
On Wednesday, 5th June, Bradbury School is launching a community gardening project where we are inviting keen gardeners into Bradbury to grow fresh produce / plants / flowers (season dependent), develop existing garden beds, connect to our surrounding environment and get an opportunity to do satisfying work. Our community gardening days will allow for all of us to have a good chat, share a few laughs and exchange ideas.
You don’t need to know how to garden to participate in this community adventure. We will provide tools, soil, water, and gardening tips. Everyone is welcome to commit for as much time as they can spare during the school day.
Mysteries of the East
By Adyya Tiwari, 6B – Hong Kong Young Writers Awards 2019
It was a bright cool morning of the 1400’s and the wind held onto the sail of the great big ship which was shaking gently in the light waves.
This ship was not ordinary… It was not just BIG. It was ENORMOUS! And it was built for and led by the one and only Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty.
Beautiful rich crimson sails flew smoothly in the wind. The flags held their heads high to declare that they were the best and golden dragons on the sides of the ship got ready to prowl on enemies.
The people of the ship were very courageous and kind. They were the particular people which the Emperor had chosen especially for his trip. They had all the qualities a good sailor needed; they were smart, knew how to cook and knew how to treat the wounded.
But the most magnificent of them all was the Emperor himself! His voice was like a thousand bells ringing rapidly together, he was dressed in expensive coloured silks and jewellery, he watched people like an eagle not taking its eyes of from its prey, and his dark brown eyes looked sharp and alert looking down from his seven foot high frame.
The Emperor was on a voyage you see, to befriend new islands so in return he could ask them to help him in war or trouble. The way he was going to do this was by asking the new islands about his request and then (if they agreed) giving precious gifts as a sign of his humbleness and as a sign of security.
Sadly, it was not going to be easy, going on a unknown voyage. His beloved ship could sink, the new islands may refuse his request, he could be attacked. It was INCREDIBLE how many things could go wrong!
The Emperor knew that because he was clever. He never went to war if the new islands denied his request insultingly, for he would give them a stern warning, showing that he would not take these types of allegations lightly. He would also tell them about all the things they could be losing if they refused his request, friendship, gold and an extra helping hand in war.
OK… on with the story……..
Just then, a charming young lady with hair as black as a blackboard, a glinting sword with many jewels on the hilt tucked into her belt, entered the meeting quarters and collapsed into a chair, a frown cutting deeper and deeper onto her sleek face.
Suddenly a puppy-fat, curved little man came bouncing towards her.
‘Captain Yu Yan! Captain!’
‘Oh what is it Jiang?’ She asked, clearly bothered.
‘Land Captain! Land Ho!’
Next thing a beautiful smile cut the frown across Yu Yan’s face. ‘Really?! You mean it?’
‘Yes Captain! Please do see for yourself!’ said Jiang beaming.
Yu Yan then sped up the creaking wooden staircases, and onto the deck. She then ran towards the railings. Jiang was telling the truth, for there it was- land, covering most of the sea like a warm quilt.
Yu Yan’s smile of pure happiness was, once again displayed on her face. Ever since they left for this voyage 11 weeks ago, she had never felt this happy. They hadn’t been able to find a single island which could be befriended. They had faced barbarous pirate attacks and monstrous storms but they had failed to find a single island for weeks.
A few moments later, Jiang came tottering next to her, clutching a gold salver piled with jewels bulging and precious accessories glinting and expensive attire made out of the finest silk begging to be worn.
‘Go! Proclaim the good news to The Emperor!’ ordered Yu Yan.
‘As you wish, Captain’ Said Jiang, bowing.
As the ship headed towards the island, tiny little men and women and children (about 50) spotted the ship and headed towards the edge peering in astonishment. They were wearing clothes made out of deerskin. The girls had flowers arranged in their bumpy and indented brown hair and the boys were holding tiny emerald green leaf kites, sown with spider-webs. As the ship docked and hit the island with a little bump the tiny people suddenly backed away. Just as the members of the ship were walking off the land-plank, a little person who had to be the chief (because he had a little feathery crown) spoke in a voice no louder than a mouse’s squeak, ‘W-w-who you?!’
An announcer with a fancy hairstyle done at the back of his head stepped away from the crowd and headed to the side of the land-plank and cleared his throat: ‘ His Royal Majesty- Emperor Hongwu Of The Ming Dynasty”.
The Emperor then turned to the announcer and said ‘ Let me take it from here, thanks June.’ June bowed and then turned away.
Then the Emperor started speaking in a very peculiar sort of voice which would even make super posh people who barely noticed anything, take notice. It was as if it was something a dog left on their doorstep. (Aribus! Wu Empour zu Hungw).
After a few moments with the little crowd of people peering fearfully at the Emperor and their Chief in deep conversation, the little man started gasping and then nodding his head like a maniac. He was then seizing the Emperor’s hand and starting to shake it like mad, squeaking joyfully. The Emperor smiled and turned to his crew, ‘These are the Muckleshoots, they have accepted our deal and have agreed to send 25000 of their soldiers to us when we need them, in return for 26000 pounds of jewels. They also have very kindly have allowed us to stay at their island for the night’.
The King paused, then continued with a wink at the Muckleshoots. ‘Bring the platters of jewels; we will impress our friends with them’.
As soon as the Chief saw the gold plates filled with treasure, he squeaked happily and hugged the Emperor’s legs (he barely came up to his waist).
The weedy little man then indicated all of the Emperor’s crew to follow him, and they marched away from the edge of the island into the leafy trees. As they emerged from the trees into the clearing, they saw a beautiful blue waterfall. The water at the top was rushing down at high speed like a water cooler at a party. As their eyes followed the water, down, past many rocks and into a small lake where some Muckleshoots were swimming and gathering water into pots, a beautiful rainbow spun over the waterfall, making a horseshoe shape with it’s reflection glimmering in the water.
The rest of the day was greatly enjoyable. The Chief led them into a small village where little people were running around, in and out of weedy little houses, with wood and bark for the outside and stitched with spider-webs, leaves and rabbit’s fur for the inside to make it soft and comfy. After the Chief addressed his crowd, the little people cheered happily and started scrambling around, getting ready for a party.
They plucked down mangoes and coconuts, breaking and cutting them for coconut water and mango juice. They did some hunting and cooked deer and other animals. For dessert they made rock cakes, which were basically rocks, cooked over a fire. When they offered some to the crew, they only persisted to not be rude, but for a second helping they shook their heads (using sign language) telling them they were full.
At night they danced around a campfire, singing songs. They played games too! There were flower making competitions and even a fashion show! They were wearing deerskin of course. The little people made beds out of rabbit fur and leaves, it was very comfortable! And they even put heating pans in , which was roasting a lot of rabbit fur over the fire and using it to make a bed too.
In the morning the Emperor thanked the Muckleshoots gladly, and they went on their way. As the ship drifted out to sea, the people shouted things at them which (according to the Emperor) were goodbyes and thank you.
This went on to be a happy and enjoyable trip.
Fair Trade Products
We have plenty of Fair Trade products sourced by Crossroads from around the world for sale in the foyer.
Invitation for Student Artists and Parents to The Journey: An Exploration of Art
From May to June, there is an art exhibition in K11, a well-known, high pedestrian traffic and busy art mall in Hong Kong, showcasing numbers of ESF students’ artwork around the city: ‘’The Journey: An exploration of Art’’.
This is the first time we will have organised an exhibition showcasing the effort and many artistic talents of our students across the ESF Schools, from kindergarten through secondary school, PIS and special school. The exhibition is not just a journey through the years of our schools, it represents the way in which our young men and women grow and develop as people. This is a 10-day art exhibition and the art works cover a wide range of media. We are hoping that you’re able to participate in the Opening Ceremony, scheduled on the 24th May, 4pm.
The Journey: An Exploration of Art
Exhibition Date:
24 May – 2 June 2019
Location:
Exhibition Hall: chi K11 art space, B2/F, K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Time:
12 pm – 10 pm, daily
(Free admission, open to the public)
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.
