PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

I am looking forward to catching up with you all at tonight’s Bradbury family picnic.  This is a social event where families come together, bring some food and a rug and enjoy each other’s company.  Students leave school in the usual way and then return with their parents from 5:00 p.m. onwards.  Two things to note:

·         Children may not attend unless they are accompanied by one or both parents.  Helpers are welcome, but they need to come with their family and not bring the children on their own.

·          Also, teachers and staff are not ‘on duty’ so children are the responsibility of their parents who need to watch out for them.

If we need to cancel because of the weather, we will make a decision at 1:00 p.m. and post on the website.

We have had some parents concerned that the buses are arriving late for school.  This is not the case.  School starts at 8:30 a.m. We line the students up at 8:20 a.m. to get the majority of them up into the classrooms, recognising that some students will come up after this time.  By doing this, teaching can start at 8:30 a.m. as all children have arrived by this time.  We found that we were losing 10-15 minutes of teaching time when we were lining the students up at 8:30 a.m., so this way ensures, we make the most of each day.  Of course, on rare days, buses are late because of traffic, weather or an accident.  This is something beyond our control and we understand this, as I am sure that you do too.

It is also worth a mention that Bradbury School does not operate the bus service.  This is run by an outside company overseen by the P.T.A.  Using the bus service is optional to all parents and is not an expectation on our part.  I hope this clarifies, please feel free to email me if you have further concerns.

Regards,

Sandra Webster

Principal  

2016 ELECTION OF PARENT MEMBER TO THE BRADBURY SCHOOL COUNCIL

The term of office of School Council Members is three years.

The election arrangements require a candidate to have a proposer. I attach a Nomination Form to enable you to propose a candidate. The candidate must indicate in writing his/her willingness to stand and should be asked to prepare a brief Personal Statement setting out his/her relevant experience and stating what he/she would hope to contribute to the Council and the School. Parent Members of the School Council may not be employees of ESF.

The last date for the receipt of nominations, which should be handed in or posted to the school office, is Thursday 20th October 2016.

Ballot Papers will be issued on Thursday 27th October 2016. Ballot Papers must be returned in the ESF envelope provided and may be sent by post or placed directly in the Ballot Box in the school office, to arrive no later than Friday 11th November 2016. Ballot Papers not in the correct envelope will not be counted.

Please note that Ballot Papers will need to be carried home by students on Friday 28^th October 2016. It would be helpful if you could ask your son/daughter for the Ballot Papers to make sure they are not overlooked. If you have any questions, please contact me at  2574 8249 or sandra.webster@bradbury.edu.hk

Schedule of Election of Parent Member to the School Council

23 September 2016 – Notice of the Election of Parent Member to the School Council

20 October 2016 – Deadline for receipt of nominations for the parent member to the school council

27 October 2016 – Ballot paper issued to Bradbury School

28 October 2016 – Students take home ballot paper to their families

11 November 2016 – Deadline for submission of ballot papers

18 November 2016 – Results announced.

Sandra Webster – Principal

IMPORTANT DATES

GATEWAY PARENT TEACHER CONSULTATION BOOKING – TERM 1 2016-2017

If you wish to secure an appointment please log onto Gateway between 26 September and 18 October and book a time that is convenient for you.

John Ainsworth – Vice Principal

PROGRAMME OF INQUIRY

Amanda Bremner – PYP Coordinator

ACTION UPDATE

As well as this, on the 10th of September Bradbury Students and teachers got together to distribute the fortune food bags around housing estates in Lai King. This involved going to the elderly people’s houses to deliver the bulky items in preparation for the upcoming holiday period. Once again I would like to thank the 25 students and teachers for their commitment to this cause.

Please keep an eye on the Bradbury website and newsletter for upcoming Action events that you can get involved in. Our next community event will be feeding people in need on the 25th October from 6.00pm-7.30pm in Nam Cheong.

If you are interested in joining this event please let Ms. Fritzi know in the school office and direct contact will be made with you closer to the time. There is a cost of $200 to participate which helps to purchase the hot meals as well as crackers, mosquito repellent, fruit and juice boxes.

WORLD FOOD DAY

As part of World Food Day which this year is 16 October, Bradbury families are being asked to donate items in the 1×3 food drive. Families could really help out by bringing in 3 items. For example 3 packs of noodles, 3kg of rice, or 3 cans of food etc.  etc.

All items can be dropped off at the school office from Monday 26 September until pick up which is scheduled for the 6 October .Your support is appreciated by many.

Clayton Heggie – Year 6 Teacher

YEAR 5 VISITS ZERO CARBON BUILDING

Amanda Bremner – P.Y.P. Co-ordinator

YEAR 4 VISITS HK WETLANDS PARK

Amanda Bremner – P.Y.P. Co-ordinator

YEAR 4 WORKING WITH RESIDENT ARTIST EL MCCOLL

Tom Flaherty – Year 4 Teacher

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

How can I make sure my kid doesn’t get addicted to technology?

It’s unlikely that your kid will become addicted to technology. A person with an addiction can’t stop doing something that is extremely harmful, despite severe negative consequences. But you’re right to be concerned. According to a Common Sense Media poll (in the USA), 50 percent of teens say they “feel” addicted to their mobile devices, and 59 percent of parents “feel” their kids are addicted to them. Still, experts aren’t sure whether true, physical technology addiction exists (although the American Psychiatric Association has identified “Internet gaming disorder” as “a condition of interest”). And if it does, it’s very rare. More likely, your kid may have problems balancing technology with other parts of his or her life.

Problematic technology use is a growing concern. You can help avoid it by showing your children how you want them to use technology. Let them see your own healthy habits. Set rules for how much technology they can use during the week. Share what’s important to you.

These ideas can help your family figure out how media and technology can be a part of your family’s healthy lifestyle.

Create media free-zones and times. These will be different for every family, but you can consider making phones off-limits at the dinner table, before bed, and in the car, when important conversations can happen.

·         Limit multitasking. Multitasking makes it harder to focus on one thing and can be harmful to face-to-face conversations.

·         Do family activities. Take time for tech-free activities. A simple walk around the block or a game of hangman can bring you closer together.

·         Co-view and discuss. When you can, try to watch shows or play games with your child. Children whose parents take part in their media lives make better choices and spend less time with media.

·         Talk about the pressure to respond. Nearly three-quarters of teens feel pressure to respond to their mobile devices quickly. While friends and online socializing are super important to teens, not every text is critical. Discuss how they could break the habit, perhaps by responding once an hour to all messages instead of constantly being at the ready.

Steve Fennelly – Vice Principal/Learning Technologies

LIBRARY NEWS

We would like to increase our number of board games for the children to play in the library during break times. If you have any games for two players that are in good condition which you no longer need then we would be delighted to receive them. We are particularly looking for Connect Four, Mastermind/Code Cracker, Simon, draughts, Othello/Reverse.

This term has seen a change in break and lunch times in the library. We are now allocating two break times per year group per week. Please see the timetable below for your child’s break times. Students can of course come into the library to change books during these times but can only stay for the duration of break if it is their allocated day.

Jane Thompson (Teacher Librarian)  & Connie Leung (Library Assistant)

MUSIC THERAPY

 In addition to offering private instrumental lessons at Bradbury School, we are also able to offer either individual or group sessions using music as a means of developing a range of skills in children. One of our current peripatetic music  teachers is also a trained and experienced music therapist and is able to run music therapy sessions after school. Here is some information which you may find useful:

What are Registered Music Therapists?

Registered Music Therapists assess emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills through musical responses to identify abilities and needs of individuals. Music Therapists design, implement and evaluate sessions in individual or group settings based on children’s needs to promote therapeutic goals using various music interventions, such as improvisation, vocalisation, music and movement, song writing, lyric discussion, and music relaxation.

As an evidence-based health profession, Music Therapy can offer both effective and sustainable outcomes in individual children when intervened at early stages of child development. Music Therapy does not require children to demonstrate high levels of coordination, verbalisation or cognition for individuals to engage and benefit from this therapeutic medium.

By using an interactive and engaging creative therapy, such as Music Therapy, individual needs and developmental challenges can be identified and assessed by a trained Registered Music Therapist, and specific interventions can be implemented at an early age to maximise a range of desired outcomes in differently-abled children.

How can Music Therapy benefit children? 

·  Music provides children with positive and enjoyable experiences, and children have always incorporated music as a part of their everyday life (Wigram, Pedersen & Bonde, 2002)

·  The responses to music of children are often more noticeable than to other educational and therapeutic strategies (Davis, Gfeller & Thaut, 2008)

·  Music activities can provide success-oriented opportunities and make children to feel better about themselves (American Music Therapy Association, 2005)

What is a typical Music Therapy session like?

Music therapy is offered in both individual and group settings. Initial music therapy assessment will be conducted by Registered Music Therapists with the child to identify the goals needed to be addressed. This is followed by the implementation of music therapy sessions where each session is tailored for the child’s individual needs to work towards their target goals. Common music therapy goals include:

For more information or to discuss this further, please contact Mr Gethyn Clothier in the music department (gethyn.clothier@bradbury.edu.hk). Thank you.

Gethyn Clothier – Head of Performing Arts

Thanks to Liz Worley, Sigrid Balle and Chanelle Candy, from the Valley Sports Academy, for helping to manage the programme this year.

Ally Maclay  – Head of Physical Education

AGM

Please check the PTA website https://www.bradbury.edu.hk/pta-2/ for more information.

BRADBURY SCHOOL PTA

Invites all Parents to join us for Wine and Tapas

Immediately following the Annual General Meeting

Come and MEET the PTA Committee and SOCIALISE with other parents.

All PTA members are welcome – NEW and Existing Parents!

MONDAY – 3 OCTOBER 2016

BRADBURY SCHOOL HALL

6:00 – 6:30PM             AGM

6:30 – 7:30PM     HAPPY HOUR

RSVP – Julia Dunn AT PTA@BRADBURY.EDU.HK

WINTER NIGHT MARKET

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

VOLUNTEERS needed to help with the Winter Night Market planning. Please email me if you would like to get involved. We would love to hear from parents with event planning experience but also anyone with great ideas and lots of enthusiasm!

Please also keep an eye out for emails from your CLASS PARENT. They will be contacting you over the next few weeks asking for volunteers and donations for the Night Market including:

• Items for Year Group Hampers

• Silent Auction and Tombola Prizes

• Used books / New and Used Toys.

Don’t forget to check out and like our Facebook page for all the PTA news and upcoming event details!

Julia Dunn

PTA Chairperson

Email:               pta@bradbury.edu.hk.

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

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

REMINDER: PARKING OUTSIDE BRADBURY SCHOOL

In order to keep our students safe, could all parents who pick up their children from school by car please be reminded to not double park outside school whilst waiting for your children. As this picture shows, this causes very dangerous situations with the heavy traffic at the end of the school day.

Our buses can occasionally find it very difficult, if not impossible, to leave the school gates due to cars being parked opposite the school gates. Please ensure that this area is kept clear.

Please consider using the pedestrian crossing when crossing the road as the traffic coming down the hill can be moving very fast, on a corner.

And finally, please do not leave your car unattended as we may need to move vehicles quickly in case of any emergency.

Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe.

These are some of the plates noted which have been double parking the week of 12 September 2016

Steve Fennelly – Vice Principal

On Saturday 24 September there is a fund raising event; “Charms for Life” , being held at the Gold Coast for Charmian Puels, who is fighting liver cancer.

A number of you will know, and remember Charmian and her husband Rupert, as their children; Milo and Vegas both played Mini Rugby in the younger age groups at the HKFC for several years.

They all recently moved back to Sydney to help get the best treatment for Charmian. The evening is being organised by her closest friends to both celebrate Charmian’s passion for music; local singer Karen Linder will be performing, and to raise some funds from tickets: HK$250 each. It is an informal evening where you bring your own drink and nibbles.

Organiser contacts are Maxine; 6102-4959 dmshaw@netvigator.com and Wendy Cramond.

https://www.mycause.com.au/page/131565/charmsforlife

Sandra Webster – Principal

Congratulations! to Erin, Joseph, Nicholas, Charles, Kotoha and Riya (6B ex-students).  The 6B Pollution group, won the Silver Award in the 2016 Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Student Contest Film Category. Their submission was amazing and stood out from the nearly 900 middle school entries from around the world. They should be incredibly proud of their accomplishment!

The winners will be featured on the website at www.fromthebowseat.org, and the group will personally be featured on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram over the next several months. Follow them on social media (@fromthebowseat) to see the group’s work showcased so you all can share it with your friends and family.

 Amanda Bremner – P.Y.P. Co-ordinator

ISLAND SCHOOL REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2016

We have benefited hugely from being able to work so closely with TCA architects. They have been so committed to listening to our needs, wants and ideas. Having said all this we are no nearer receiving a final confirmation that the project can go ahead starting June 2017 and therefore cannot be 100% sure that we will be relocating for August of the same year. We are hoping that the redevelopment project, and the government funding towards the project, will be ratified by the end of this month. As soon as we have had this confirmation, we are confident that we are on track to plan a very successful approach to temporarily relocating next year.

An invitation

As we embark on what is hopefully our final year in this building prior to decant, it is vitally important that we A, plan supportive, safe and efficient strategies for student travel to and from the temporary school sites. And B, that we become more strategic and anticipatory in our planning for sustaining our school ethos and community cohesion throughout the decant period. On top of that we need to be mindful that a sensitively planned community engagement programme is essential if we are to integrate with the Tai Wai communities and develop a reciprocally beneficial relationship with the people in the areas around the temporary school sites.

We already have a small group of primary parents that wish to work with us as we contemplate the concrete details of a transport plan, but we need more prospective parents to get involved. We need to hear your views and work together with you to ensure the complete success of the temporary relocation arrangements. Please email me on gareth.stevens@online.island.edu.hk if you wish to be involved. Also if you wish to accompany us on a visit to one of the school sites on 21 Sep 2016 please let me know. The campus we will be visiting is for Years 7,8,12 and 13

Gareth Stevens – Island School