Bradbury Newsletter 19 August 2016

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

A warm welcome back to you all and an especially warm welcome if you have just joined us.  I trust that your summer was wonderful and that your family is feeling excited about the year ahead.

At Bradbury, the year has started very positively and it feels great to be back.  We have a number of new initiatives ahead of us, which we will let you know about over time.

At this time of the year, there is a lot of administrative information to pass on, so please do take the time to read this newsletter thoroughly,  as getting these things right helps school to run smoothly.

My best to you all.

Sandra Webster

Principal

IMPORTANT DATES

ANNUAL GATEWAY STUDENT DATA VERIFICATION

John Ainsworth – Vice Principal/ Middle Phase Leader

ACTION AT BRADBURY 2016/2017

Action at Bradbury is defined as;

‘Acquiring knowledge, skills and attitudes that empower us to be socially responsible citizens and to take authentic, sustainable action within the local and global community in order to make a difference to the world around us’.

Why is Action based learning important?

It provides meaningful ways for students, teachers, administrators and community agencies to work together with deliberate thought and action toward a common purpose with reciprocal benefits. Students benefit academically, socially and emotionally and teachers make school and education more relevant for their students.The school becomes part of the community and community NGO’s and organisations receive much help and they too can learn from the students.The entire community benefits.

Through participating in Action based learning students:

• Connect academic subjects and is grounded in concrete, real experiences
• Meet real community needs
• Become leaders who contribute ideas, make decisions and solve problems
• Discover benefits for everyone involved and develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their community and society
• Work with community partners and witness first hand, real outcomes
• Develop as active members of society
• Consolidate and apply the attributes of the PYP Learner Profile
• Experience success no matter of their ability level

This year Bradbury will participate in many events organised by Sunshine Action a Hong Kong based NGO that works with  low-income or poor families, including street children, elderly, single parents, HIV/AIDS patients, Cancer patients, and many other severely sick patients; homeless and street sleepers, widows, jobless, mentally & physically handicapped, Refugees and many more… If you wish to know more, please refer to their website: http://www.sunshine-action.org/index.html

Upcoming Bradbury Community Events

1. Our first event of the year will be helping to pack 1,987 Fortune Food Bags on the 3rd September

Where: Buddhist Lim Kim Tian Memorial Primary School (MTR to Kwai Fong, take Exit A, then 5mins walk)

Time: 8.50am to 12.30pm

Please wear: comfortable shoes and clothing as you will be standing for a long period of time

2. Distributing Fortune Food Bags on Saturday 10th September

Where: Lai King Estate, Kwai Chung (MTR Tung Chung line to Lai King Station Exit A2, walk 5mins up Lai King Hill Rd)

Time: 8.50am-12.30pm

Please wear: comfortable clothing and shoes and bring an octopus card as this involves walking to and from residents homes and around the neighbourhood

We would love to have some Bradbury families help with these events so if you are available, please let Ms. Fritzi know in the school office and further information will follow closer to the events.

Amanda Bremner – P.Y.P. Co-ordinator

AFTER SCHOOL MUSIC ACTIVITIES

The upper choir will continue to rehearse on Thursdays from 3.00 to 3.45 pm starting on 15th September. Children should go to the lower playground at 2.40 pm and wait there until choir starts at 3.00pm. We do not select for choir and it is open to all children in years 4 to 6 who are interested in singing. However, most years some children come to choir who do not seem to want to be there and show little enthusiasm or make little effort. We want children to choose to be in choir because they enjoy singing and want to be part of a choir and we expect them to listen, learn the lyrics of the songs and make a positive effort during rehearsals.

The lower choir for years 2 and 3 children rehearses on Tuesday lunchtimes and is open to any children who enjoy singing. We will start this at the beginning of September and I will talk to the children about this in their class music lessons so that they know where and when to go for each rehearsal.

INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS

There are still some spaces for children to learn a musical instrument after school so if you would like your child to learn an instrument, below are the details of the instruments that are available, together with the contact information for the teachers. Please contact the teachers directly for more information or to express your interest. The lessons are generally taught individually, either at lunchtime or after school and on a private basis. Lessons costs approximately $300 for 30 minutes, but this does vary slightly depending on the teacher. The school has a number of clarinets that can be rented for $550/term and guitars for $400/term. We currently do not have a piano teacher who is able to teach at Bradbury School since the previous teacher recently left Hong Kong and I have been unable to find a suitable replacement.

Violin:                        Ayako Ichimaru – violinayako10@gmail.com

Violin:                        Grace Guo – yuwen914@hotmail.com

Flute:                         Jacqueline Leung – jacqueline.musictherapy@gmail.com

Drums and Guitar:     Tony Yau – anjofriends@yahoo.com

Singing:                      Celia Leung – celiakyleung@gmail.com

Information about drum and guitar lessons:

1. Fun Beginners Guitar Group Class

A) Monday or Friday lunch: 12:10-12:40  or  12:40-13:10

B) Monday After school: 14:45-15:15  or  15:15-15:45

Bring guitar, picks, or arrange rental from music department

Material: buy “Basix-Tab Guitar Method book 1 and 2” (Alfred Music)

Fee: $2800 for 16 lessons

2. Fun Pop/Rock Drum Group Class 

Wednesday or Friday

Time: 2:45 – 3:45 pm

Fee: $4800 for 16 lessons

Drumstick (optional): $30/ pair.

ORCHESTRA

The school orchestra rehearses on Tuesdays, from 3.00 to 3.45 pm, and will start on 13th September. This will be for children who play an orchestral instrument (violin, flute, ‘cello, etc.) and who would like the experience of playing in a larger group. If your child has been playing their instrument for at least a year and would like to join, please send me an email giving me your child’s name, class and the instrument that they play.

Gethyn Clothier – Head of Performing Arts

LIBRARY NEWS

We have welcomed many classes into the library this week and the students have already started to borrow books to read both in the classroom and at home. For new parents, and as a reminder to existing ones, below are the guidelines for borrowing books:

·  Y1 borrow one book

·  Y2 borrow up to two books

·  Y3-6 can borrow up to three books

·  Students can browse and borrow during their library session, during lunchtimes and in the morning from 8:30-9 am.

·  The loan time on each books is two weeks.

·  If the book is overdue we will send a reminder home to return the books. This notice is normally attached into the school diary.

·  Books can of course be renewed if your child has not finished reading them.

·  If a library book is lost there will be a $100 fee to help with the cost of replacement.

Ms Leung and I welcome parents to help us in the library. If you would like to be a parent-helper we will be running a training session on Monday 29th August from 9 am. If you would like to join us then please email me at jane.thompson@bradbury.edu.hk to register.

Jane Thompson – Teacher Librarian

GREAT START TO YEAR 1

 We have had a great first week meeting our new Year One children. There has been plenty of painting, drawing, stories, speaking, listening, playing and learning new routines. Thank you for all your cooperation in helping your child settled into Bradbury School.  Please sign up on the Gateway for next week’s meeting with your class teacher. We look forward to working with you throughout the year.

Year One Teachers

USE OF PHONES/CAMERAS/ SCHOOL START AND FINISHING TIMES/UNIFORMS/ FOOD

It’s been great to meet our new and returning students, who  have still been arriving with enthusiastic smiles despite getting rained on every morning.  Our new Year 1 students have certainly shown themselves to be ready for ‘big’ school and we haven’t needed any tissues so far! Students in Year 2 have also made a good start in their new classes with learning programs up and running smoothly.   I have also enjoyed chatting with so many of you as you dropped students in the first few days.

With many new families starting, this is a good time of year to inform/remind families about a number of procedures that ensure that things run smoothly and benefit all our students. If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact school.

Use of Phones/Cameras and other recording devices on school grounds

Due to privacy issues all parents/visitors/helpers are asked not to take photos or videos of other students or teachers whilst on school grounds. We ask for your cooperation with this request and please let other family members who may come to school to be with your child know about this requirement.

Also due to privacy issues teachers are unable to provide you with names, class lists or contact details for other students at school. Through the class parent system some parents have, in the past, set up their own contact groups to facilitate out of school social arrangements.

School starting and finishing times

Students line up for class at 8.20 a.m. and finish at 2.40 pm. Please ensure that students are not dropped at school before 8.10 am , as there is no teacher supervision at school before that time. Walkers need to be collected from school at 2.40 p.m. However, if you are picking them up by car, because of traffic concerns, a preferable time is after 2.50 p.m. Your child will be supervised until 3 p.m.

Uniforms:

A reminder that school uniform shoes are black.  These need to be sturdy school shoes, not party or slipon shoes, which may be hazardous in the wet or on stairs.  Sports shoes should be white, or if you have difficulty locating these, a small coloured insert is acceptable.  No coloured laces, lights or wheels. Sports shoes should only be worn on timetabled specialist PE days. We encourage our students to take pride in wearing the correct uniform and additional, non-uniform items should be left at home. No nail polish, stick on tattoos or jewelry is to be worn.

Raincoats

The PTA shop sell a very functional red , ‘poncho’ type raincoat that we find our younger students manage quite well on their own. We would encourage all students to have this raincoat for wet weather days. Students in Years 1 and 2 find umbrellas difficult to manage in the large group situation at school, so the poncho is the preferred option.

Food

A reminder that we are a nut free school due to a number of students with severe nut allergies. This includes all nut products. These foods must not be sent to school.

We encourage healthy food choices for all students. “Junk food” or special treat  items such as lollies, chips, and chocolate should not be sent to school and carbonated drinks (‘Fizzy drinks”) are not permitted. The best drink to bring to school is water, and students are able to refill their drink bottles at our drinking fountains when needed.

At Bradbury we are also working hard to be environmentally friendly and reduce the amount of waste that we produce. Please consider the packing of the food that your child is bringing. Some classes last year were very proud of achieving a ‘zero waste’ record with all food coming to school in reusable, washable containers.

Therese Gallen – Vice Principal

WANTED CLASS PARENTS 2016-2017

If you are interested to take on the role of ‘class parent’ for your child’s class this year,  please put in an expression of interest to Ms. Fritzi in the office, with your child’s name, class and phone number. You can do this by ringing the front office on 2574-8249 or emailing her on fritzi.yu@bradbury.edu.hk by Friday 26 August, next week. I will contact people the following week and arrange a meeting at school to briefly outline the role and answer any questions. The main role is supporting your child’s class as a link between our PTA and the families in your child’s class and touching base with new families. Most of this role can be done from home and by email and should not be an overly large time commitment.

Therese Gallen – Vice Principal

PARKING AT BRADBURY

Parking at Bradbury has always been problematic!

For this reason, we suggest using a taxi as public transport when coming to school.

·         Please note that the carpark is for staff as permitted cars only.

·         Please do not double park when waiting to pick up your child. This always causes dangerous congestion.

·         We will not be responsible for any tickets issued to private cars.

We do open the tarmac for parking for whole school parent meetings.  The newsletter will let you know which events have parking.

Sandra Webster – Principal

SCHOOL BUSES

Year 1 and ‘bus buddies’-

All Year 1 students have been allocated a ‘bus buddy’ as they start to use the buses.  The bus buddy is either their own sibling, or an older student who travels on the bus with them. The bus buddies will take their Year 1 child off the bus with them each morning and walk them to their lineup spot on the Year 1/2  playground. In the afternoon they will go to the Year 1 child’s classroom,  walk  to the bus with them and hand them over to the bus mother as they get on. If  a bus buddy is away from school the class teacher will help the student onto the bus. This program will run for the next two weeks.

Buses travellers and ‘walkers’

All students who do not use buses are called ‘walkers’. Walkers in Years 1 and 2 should be picked up by a carer in the blue undercover playground at 2.40 pm.

Students who are regular bus users in Years 1,2 and 3 will always be checked onto their bus in the afternoons. On any occasion that you do not want your child to use the bus you must write a note in the blue diary book that says “ today (child’s name) is a walker” and arrange to pick them up yourself. You must write the note on the actual day.   If there is no note in the diary the default is always that the child goes on the bus. Students in Years 3,4 and 5 are not required to use this system and must take on the responsibility of knowing if they should use the bus or not , themselves.

Bus swapping:

Under no circumstances may children in any year level swap buses for any reason. Any social arrangements made by families or students cannot be facilitated through school by swapping buses.

If you have any questions about buses please contact Lin Gong through the PTA.

Therese Gallen – Vice Principal

BRADBURY STUDENT HELPING TEACH CHILDREN IN NEPAL

Marilyn found that some of the children were really shy, so shy that a few hid under the table when she walked into the classroom. Apparently the children ‘got used’ to Marilyn after the first day! In fact, Marilyn made two good friends from the class that she was helping.

Marilyn found that there was a huge difference between the city of Kathmandu and the village where she was helping to teach. She found that the city was very dirty but the most damage from the earthquake was in the village.

Great action Marilyn! Well done!

Steve Fennelly – Vice Principal/Upper Phase Leader

P.T.A. NEWS

To get the year started there are a couple of important dates for your diary:

AGM / WINE AND TAPAS EVENING – MONDAY 3^RD OCTOBER

WINTER NIGHT MARKET – FRIDAY 2^ND DECEMBER

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Bradbury Parent Teacher Association Limited will be held on Monday 3rd October at 6:00 pm at the school. This will be followed by a WINE & TAPAS EVENING hosted by the PTA.

All parents are automatically members of the PTA. There is also an Executive Committee elected at the AGM who meet regularly throughout the year, not only to organize social and fundraising events but also to work with the school to support and fund a wide range of projects and initiatives.

We encourage all parent and teacher members of the PTA to attend the AGM and would love to see as many of you there as possible!

The agenda of the meeting will include:

·         Receiving the reports of the Committee members and auditors, the balance sheets and accounts for the preceding Financial Year (copies of the Audited Financial Statement for 2015/2016 including the Directors’ report will be available on the PTA website).

·         Election of the Executive Committee for the 2016/17 academic year.

·         Appointment of the auditor for the 2016/17 fiscal year and fixing their remuneration.

Parent and teacher members are welcome to submit other items for the agenda. If you have any matter which you would like to see included and discussed, please submit it in writing to pta@bradbury.edu.hk by Monday, 26^th September. Please mark it attention of the PTA Chairman.

The Executive Committee consists of Parent Representatives, Teacher Representatives and the Principle. The parent representatives include the following officers plus up to 10 other parent members:

·         The Chairman

·         The Vice Chairman

·         The Honorary Treasurer

·         The Honorary Secretary

There are 3 Teacher Representatives who are elected in a separate vote by the teachers.

If you are interested in joining the committee or in any of the officer roles mentioned above please send an email to me, Julia Dunn -PTA Chairman at juliaedunn@gmail.com for more information.

Current Vacancies on the committee for the 2016/17 academic year are:

Vice Chairperson

Honorary Treasurer

Honorary Secretary

2 Parent Representative members

Nominations for election should be submitted in writing by Monday 26th September and require the name and signature of a proposer, a seconder and the signed consent of the nominee to accept the post if, elected. A nomination form is included below. Please submit to the PTA Administrator, Lin Gong, at the PTA shop or send via email to pta@bradbury.edu.hk.

School Calendar

The 2016/17 School Calendar will be distributed in the next few weeks. Each family is issued with one calendar as part of their PTA membership fee.

If you do not receive yours it may be because your membership fee has not been paid. Bus users pay the membership fee as part of their bus fee however families that do not use the bus need to make a separate payment for their membership fee.

ALL PTA MEMBERSHIP FEES NEED TO BE PAID BY FRIDAY 26 AUGUST

Payment can be made at the PTA shop by cheque payable to Bradbury School PTA Limited.

Parent Lounge

I know most existing parents will have now had a chance to make use of our great Parent Lounge. For all new parents please come and say hello, have a coffee, relax and enjoy the view!

We would love to hear from anyone who has any suggestions, comments or questions or if you are interested in getting involved.

Useful links:

Email: pta@bradbury.edu.hk.

Website: https://www.bradbury.edu.hk/pta-2/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BradburyschoolPTA/

Julia Dunn – PTA Chairperson

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Bradbury School PTA Ltd

Nomination to Bradbury School Parent Teacher Association Limited

Executive Committee for the year 2016/17

(Nominations must be lodged with Bradbury School PTA Limited,

43C Stubbs Road, Hong Kong by 5.00pm on Monday 26 September 2016)

We hereby nominate ________________________________________________________________________

Proposed by: _________________________________                Signed ____________________________________

Seconded by: _________________________________                Signed ____________________________________

If elected I am willing to serve as a parent member of the PTA Committee for the 2016/17 school year.

Signed _______________________________________________Date ______________________________________

INFORMATION FOR YEAR 6 PARENTS

It will held in the Hall at KGV School.

Please note there is no visitor parking on the school site.  For any enquiries, please contact  sarah.jones@kgv.edu.hk.

Stephen Fennelly – Vice Principal/Upper Phase Leader

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES BY THIRD PARTIES

ESF Educational Services Ltd. – Language and Sports Programme, contact Candy Leung at 2760 3900 or cleung@esf.org.hk website: www.esf.org.hk

Adventure Sports Academy Ltd. – Soccer & Basketball Training, contact Eilis Cheung at 3998 4042 or info@adventuresportsacademy.com website: www.adventuresportsacademy.com

Banana Art Club – Art Class, contact Megan Lee at 6020 5476 or bananaartclub@gmail.com website: www.bananaartclub.com

Brainchild Ltd. – DIY Robotics and Technology Workshop, contact Ice Chan at 2528 6862 or icechan@brainchildltd.com website: www.brainchildltd.com

Brilliant Learning International Ltd. (Sanskriti) – Sanskriti/Hindi Language Class, contact Geeta Dhar at 3563 4300 or sanskriti@sanskriti.com.hk website: www.sanskriti.com.hk

CentreStage Studios HK Ltd. – Performing Arts Training, contact Imogen Taylor or Kaijah Bell at 5236 7960 or 5689 2272 or admin@centrestagestudioshk.com website: www.centrestagestudioshk.com  

HoYinPingChess / Hong Kong Junior Chess Club – Chess Class / Junior Chess Tournament, contact Yin Ping Ho at 9215 2682 or hoyinpingchess@gmail.com website: www.HoYinPingChess.com / www.hkjuniorchess.org

LanguageOne – Global Mother Tongue Education, contact Leandra Lok at 5501 5262 or leandra.lok@languageone.nl website: www.languageone.nl

Primary Matters – Writing Workshop, contact Marion McNally at 9465 4468 or primarymattershk@gmail.com website: www.primarymattershk.com

RugBees Ltd. – Rugby Play Programme, contact Kit Wong at 2117 3055 or kit@rugbees.com website:  www.rugbees.com

Starlit Voice Ltd. – Drama Programme, contact Vincent Warren at 2108 2182 or info@starlit.hk website: www.starlitvoice.com

World All Styles Martial Arts Association – Martial Arts Class, contact Ka Lok Ho at 9120 4689 or wamakfyip@yahoo.com website: www.wama-karate.com

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 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.

Percy Mak – Finance Manager