Bradbury Newsletter 2nd September 2016
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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE |
| Greetings to you all!
Thank you for attending our Parent Information Evenings. I trust you found the sessions informative and interesting. If you do have any follow up questions, please do contact us. Our next school event is the Family Picnic on 23 September. You are all very welcome to attend. It is a great way to meet other Bradbury families. For this reason one or both parents need to attend with their children, helpers may not bring children on their own. Advance notice for the Child Protection Parent Meeting that I highlighted at our Parent Information Evenings, it is scheduled for 25 October, 5.00 p.m. so please note this in your diary. Regards,
Sandra Webster Principal
ALL ARE WELCOME TO THE BRADBURY SCHOOL PICNIC Date: Friday, 23 September 2016 Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Venue: Tarmac (asphalt) playground Bring a picnic and a rug, mix and mingle, meet other Bradbury School parents, listen to live music |
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MEDICAL NEWS: STUDENT HEALTH/DENTAL FORMS |
| Please note that the Student Health Service/ School Dental Service Application has been sent out. Please fill in the form and hand it in to your child’s classroom teacher before 23 September.
If you are interested in applying for the School Dental Service for your child, you are required to submit the completed application form together with a cheque of HK $20, made payable to Bradbury School. Please write your child’s name and class at the back of the cheque. If there are any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me at telephone number 2834-5396 or 9229-2297. Thank you. Lauren Lau – School Health Professional |
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HOME READING PARENT WORKSHOP- YEARS 1, 2 AND 3 |
| There will be a workshop for parents of students in Years 1, 2 and 3 on WEDNESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER at 8.30 – 9.30 am.
This timing allows you to come to school, drop your child off, grab a cup of tea/coffee and then attend the workshop. Please RSVP to Ms. Fritzi in the front office on 2574-8249 to give us an idea of numbers. Hope to see you there Therese Gallen – Vice Principal |
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IMPORTANT DATES |
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BRADBURY COOKBOOK |
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This year the Eco Dudes, Student Council and the PTA will be collaboratively designing, publishing and selling a Bradbury cookbook filled with ideas for tasty treats and healthy lunches. This great initiative was suggested by Eco Dudes as a form of action. Our vision is to significantly reduce the amount of pre-packaged snacks that are coming to school, and work towards becoming waste free. We are also hoping that it will make the task of preparing healthy lunches and snacks much easier. Already there are some amazing lunches and delicious snacks coming to school. Over the next few weeks, members of the PTA will be on the lookout for great lunch box ideas. If you receive a small ticket/note in your child’s lunch box about the cookbook it means that they have spotted something tasty that would make a great entry into our cookbook. A link will be sent out in the next newsletter for parents to enter recipes. Additionally, if you have any great family recipes you are willing to share we would love these to be submitted as well. The Ecodudes will also be running a competition for Bradbury students to design the cover of the cook book. Advertising for this will be placed around the school and promoted to students through class emails, talks and flyers. Please see the next newsletter for more information and further details about this exciting project. Amanda Bremner (PYP Co-ordinator) and Lorinda Thomas (Environmental Leader) |
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ACTION AT BRADBURY |
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I am pleased to inform you that more than 30 people signed up for our first event of the year which is helping to pack 1,987 Fortune Food Bags on the 3rd September. Emails have been sent to the volunteers and a telephone number to contact in case you get lost. The second event is distributing Fortune Food Bags on Saturday 10th September. You can still sign up for this event. 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 more 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. Please call 2574-8249 or email fritzi.yu@bradbury.edu.hk.
Clayton Heggie – Y5 Teacher |
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DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AT BRADBURY SCHOOL |
| As our children get older, we are aware that they are using technology in many areas of their lives and are spending a larger amount of time online. Whilst this time online is essential for many reasons, navigating cyber bullying, privacy concerns and student safety are a real challenge for both teachers and parents. We realise that we need to educate our students and children, to help them to become safe and responsible users of the online world.
I shall be holding an information session on digital citizenship at Bradbury School. In this session I shall share information on the program of work that runs throughout the school, including aspects of self image and identity, relationships and communication, digital footprint and reputation, cyber bullying and digital dramas, information literacy, internet safety and privacy and security. I will also be sharing some helpful tips and tricks to help parents set up safer online working environments for their children. This session will be held in the school hall at 5pm on Wednesday 7th September. If you are planning on attending, could you please reply to me at stephen.fennelly@bradbury.edu.hk so that I can plan accordingly? Stephen Fennelly – Vice Principal/ Learning Technologies Leader |
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EARLY YEARS UPDATE |
| It has been great to see all our new Year 1 students settling so well into their learning routines. They now know their specialist teachers and are getting increasingly brave as they venture out on the playgrounds and better know the layout of the school. It was also great to see so many of you at our information sessions this week. If you were unable to make it the slides used by the teachers should be on our website by next week. They will be under the ‘communications/parent evening on the drop down at the top.
Separation Anxiety It is not unusual for some students to demonstrate separation anxiety about coming to school, particularly in the first term of starting school, or even when older if starting at a new school. As a few families have been dealing with this recently I will share some suggestions and a couple of useful websites with good information: · Make sure that your child is not overtired and is getting enough sleep. Being overtired makes it harder for them to manage at school. · Try to project a calm and matter of fact attitude about the situation. Acknowledge the child’s concern eg. “I know that you are worried about going, but it will be OK” or “I know that you can do this, and I’ll see you later at pick up time”. Avoid entering into long drawn out negotiations or bribery! · It is easier if just one person does the drop off…preferably the person who your child find easiest to separate from. · Try to have the child arrive in time for the morning line-up at 8.20 am, but not too early so that they are not waiting around too long for the ‘goodbye’ moment. · Having an agreed routine helps some students. Eg. First you will put your bag on the line, then I’ll give you a ‘high five’ and say goodbye and head off to work”. · It is important to then leave promptly and not prolong the goodbye. When adults show that they are upset or anxious the student will pick up on this and it makes them more anxious. · Let the teacher on duty know if you need support and we can take your child with us while you leave – they usually settle within a few minutes of parents’ departures. Attached are a few links to articles that you might find useful:
http://childhood101.com/2012/01/starting-school-12-tips-for-easing-separation-anxiety/ http://www.education.com/magazine/article/How_Handle_Separation_Anxiety/
Sleep We often notice that students become increasingly tired as they move into the term, as school is a big and busy day for our younger students. This may result in less willingness to come to school in the morning for some students, or teary or cranky behaviours being more evident. It is recommended that they do not have after school commitments in Term 1 as they do need to have ‘down time’ to just play and rest after school. It is also very important that students are getting enough sleep each night. I am including the chart that we showed to all Year 1 parents at our recent parent information night as a guide. This shows the time that a child should be going to sleep at night in relation to when they get up in the morning to get the required hours of sleep recommended to function well at school. It shows the age ranges from 5 yrs to 12 year. Have a look at the recommendations for your child’s age group and see when they need to be getting to bed. Many students like to bring a small toy to school to play with during morning and lunch breaks. Please make sure that any toys brought to school are not expensive or of sentimental value to your child. Please also note that we cannot take any responsibility for them if they get broken or lost. Toys that are ‘weapons’, projectiles or have laser lights are not permitted at any time. Suitable choices might be – a small soft toy or doll, a toy car, a soft ball (no hard balls please), skipping rope.
LED/Laser Lights Please do not send any bag-tags or toys that have LED or laser lights in them as they are a health risk when shone in other childrens’ eyes.
Therese Gallen – Vice Principal |
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CLASS PARENTS |
| We now have Class Parent volunteers for about half our classes. Thank-you to everyone who volunteered. If you have not been contacted but were an additional volunteer, we will keep your name to share with the class parent for your child’s class in case they need any additional help.
Class parents will also be contacted by our PTA president, Julia Dunn, in the next few weeks with further information about the role and a planned meeting. As we had additional volunteers for a number of classes. We still do not have a ‘class parent’ volunteer for the following classes:
1N/ 3D/ 3C/ 4T/ 4FP/ 4P/ 4H/ 5H/ 5B/ 5F/ 6C/ 6DK/ 6B.
Please contact your child’s teacher directly if you are able to take on this role. It is a great way to support your child’s class and our PTA. Most of the work can be done by email from home and is usually not too time consuming. Therese Gallen – Vice Principal |
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PARKING OUTSIDE BRADBURY SCHOOL |
| As we are all aware, our school is situated in an area with very little easy parking spaces and reasonably heavy traffic at the start and end of the school day. This makes dropping off and picking up children by car a tricky task. Whilst we are aware of this, we would like to request the following:
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 this week.
SH 9330 (Silver Honda), TU 5963 (White Toyota), SP5982 (White Audi) , BR9995 (Silver Toyota), MY6232 (White Toyota) , HA (White Toyota), BBB333, RL8088 (Silver van), JC111 (Silver Mercedes)
Steve Fennelly – Vice Principal |
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P.Y.P. PROFILE : IB LEARNER PROFILE |
| Over the course of the year I will be including information in the school Newsletter about different aspects of the Primary Years Programme (PYP). To begin with, I have included a description of the IB Learner Profiles as these underpin successful learners and learning at Bradbury School.
The Learner Profile The aims of the PYP are expressed as a set of desired attributes that characterise successful 21st century Learners. The Learner Profile supports students to be “internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world”. IB learners strive to be:
Caring Students who are CARING want people around them to be happy and are sensitive to their needs. They think about the world and work to take care of their community and the environment. They remember to treat others how they themselves would like to be treated.
Knowledgeable Students who are KNOWLEDGEABLE have explored relevant and significant concepts and can remember what they have learned. They can draw on this knowledge and apply it in new situations.
Communicator Students who are COMMUNICATORS are able to think and communicate in more than one language. They can express their ideas by speaking, drawing and writing. They can also communicate using mathematical language and symbols.
Reflective Students who are REFLECTIVE know their strengths and weaknesses. They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and consider their personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner.
Inquirer Students who are INQUIRERS are curious about the world. They can conduct research independently. They love learning and discovering new things and will carry this love of learning with them throughout life.
Open-Minded An OPEN-MINDED student knows that all people are different. They listen to the points of view of others and consider many possibilities before making a decision. They celebrate the differences that make all people unique.
Principled Students who are PRINCIPLED have a sense of fairness and are honest with themselves and with others. They understand that sometimes there are rules and they follow them. They have an understanding of moral reasoning.
Courageous Students who are COURAGEOUS have the courage to try new things. They try to solve problems in a lot of ways. They have the bravery to tell people what they think is right.
Thinker Students who are THINKERS work to solve problems independently. They can imagine many solutions to a question or challenge. Thinkers make good decisions and can predict the outcomes of their actions. They think creatively and critically.
Balanced Students who are BALANCED are healthy and are aware that eating properly and exercising is important in their lives. They understand that it is important to have a balance between the physical and mental aspects of their bodies. They spend time doing many different things. Source: Making the PYP happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education (2009) Amanda Bremner – P.Y.P. Co-ordinator |
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P.T.A. NEWS |
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AGM / WINE AND TAPAS EVENING – MONDAY 3RD OCTOBER
WINTER NIGHT MARKET – FRIDAY 2ND 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, 26th September. Please mark it attention of the PTA Chairperson.
The Executive Committee consists of Parent Representatives, Teacher Representatives and the Principal. 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 we would love to hear from you! Please send me an email, Julia Dunn – PTA Chairperson at juliaedunn@gmail.com for more information. Current Vacancies on the committee for the 2016/17 academic year are:
Honorary Treasurer Honorary Secretary 3 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.
WINTER NIGHT MARKET This year the PTA will be forming a Winter Night Market planning committee that will be responsible for organizing this fantastic event. If you are interested in joining the committee or helping out in any way please let me know. We would love to hear from people with event planning experience but also anyone with great ideas and lots of enthusiasm. Please email the PTA or pop into the shop to talk to Lin or myself for more information.
Julia Dunn PTA Chairperson
Email: pta@bradbury.edu.hk.
Website: https://www.bradbury.edu.hk/pta-2/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BradburyschoolPTA/
————————————————————————————————————————————————————– 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 _____________________________________
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| GLENEALY SCHOOL: WANTED BOOK KEEPER PART TIME |
| Glenealy School PTA is recruiting a part-time Bookkeeper (10-14 hours per month, term-time only). For more information and to apply, please see Glenealy School’s websitehttp://www.glenealy.edu.hk/working-with-us/. For enquiries, please contact Becky Steel on 2522 1919, email: pta@glenealy.net.
Becky Steel – Glenealy School |
| AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES BY THIRD PARTIES |
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The following companies are currently hiring our facilities to provide Extra Curricular activities for students. You may browse the school website under “Community” for their programs and enrol your child directly to the company:
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: http://brainchilddiyworks.wixsite.com/brainchild/school–activites or https://www.facebook.com/Brainchild-DIY-Workshop-305849122876304/?fref=ts
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
Canadian Children’s Technology Workshop (Asia) Ltd. (The Genius Workshop) – Engineering & Mechanic Workshops, contact Vince Fung at 2591 0100 or vince@g-workshop.com website: www.g-workshop.com/schools/bradbury_2016-17
CentreStage Studios HK Ltd. – LAMDA Performing Arts Training: LAMDA Musical Theatre & LAMDA Public Speaking. Courses taught by LAMDA LSDE Certified Coaches, 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
Backershagen B.B. (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. – LAMDA Musical Theatre (Tuesdays) & LAMDA Group Drama (Thursdays), 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 |
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SOUTH ISLAND SCHOOL OPEN DAY |
| We are delighted to announce the date of our 2016 OPEN DAYas Wednesday 21st September. The School will be open for visitors from 8.30 to 1.15 and the programme for the day is – business as usual!
OPEN DAY is a wonderful opportunity for prospective and existing parents to take a look at the workings of our School on a ‘normal’ day. We don’t put on any special presentations or special lessons, it is just a routine Wednesday morning with a chance for parents to walk around, either with Student Guides or on their own. We will have refreshments available and there is a chance to mingle with teachers, including members of the School Leadership Team.
Whether you are a Primary 6 (or a future Primary 6) Parent or an existing SIS Parent, we would love to welcome you. Visit lessons that you used to enjoy as a student, pay a visit to your child(ren), have a cup of tea with teachers and other visitors…it is always a lovely day at SIS and our students are always very excited to see our visitors! We look forward to seeing you.
Carolyn Andrews – South Island School Leader |
| QUARRY BAY CHESS TOURNAMENT |
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