ISSUE NO. 16 (10 January 2020)

10 Jan 2020

Message From The Principal

Welcome back! As ever, it was great to see our students and staff walk through the door on the first day of term. We trust you have had a very happy, restful and productive festive season.

If last half of term was something of a marathon, this half of term is very much a sprint – as I write this message, we are less than two weeks from the next break, for Chinese New Year! I know that everyone has very much hit the ground running in the first week of term, and I am sure we will all be seeking to keep up our momentum in what is a very short period of learning time before we once again pause for important family celebrations.

Happy New Year …and I look forward to wishing you Happy New Year for the second time very soon!

With best wishes,

Tom Vignoles

Principal, South Island School

10 Jan 2020

Flu Season Guidelines For SIS Parents

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

As you know, we are now into flu season in Hong Kong. As a result, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) via the Education Bureau (EDB) has issued proactive guidelines for managing communicable diseases. 

In order that we can manage information and report back to CHP and EDB, we ask you to kindly take the following measures:

  • If your child has a fever and/ or respiratory illness symptoms they should stay at home and recover.
  • If your child is absent from school with sickness, please email absence@sis.edu.hk on the first day of absence stating your child’s full name and tutor group. Please also state the nature of the illness. If you have a doctor’s sick note, please attach this to the email.
  • Keep sick children at home until symptoms have improved and the fever has subsided.  Then allow children to rest for at least 2 more days before returning to school.

 

Guidelines for preventing the spread of influenza.

It is incumbent upon all of us to prevent the spread of influenza.  To safeguard students’ health, parents are urged to maintain a hygienic household and remind students to observe personal hygiene and help to keep schools hygienic. 

Please remind your children to pay attention to personal hygiene and take the following  influenza-preventive measures:

  • Provide children with handkerchiefs or tissues and remind them not to share towels or tissue papers with others.
  • Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes; after touching public installations such as handrails or door knobs; or when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretions.
  • Wash hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel or hand dryer. If hand washing facilities are not available, or when hands are not visibly soiled, hand hygiene with 70 to 80% alcohol-based handrub is an effective alternative.
  • Cover your nose and mouth with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissues into a lidded rubbish bin, then wash hands thoroughly.
  • Please see this link for guidelines on the correct use of surgical masks. https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/460/19731.html.Children who present with a fever and/ or respiratory symptoms and require the use of a face mask, should not come to school. 
  • Avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly if feeling unwell.

If students are unwell at school they must report to the school nurse. We ask parents to cooperate with the school by picking up your child, if it is considered necessary by the nurse. Students must sign out at reception if they are leaving school.  Please do consult your GP immediately.

We appreciate your support.

Kind regards,

Lucie Purves            Jeanette Hui

Vice Principal           School Health Professional at South Island School.

10 Jan 2020

Message From PTA Chair

Happy New Year, and the Chinese New Year holiday break is around the corner!

I am pleased to update the upcoming activities facilitated and hosted by the PTA after the next break.

Workshop: Gaming Disorder, 6th February, 2020 (Thursday) 17:45 – 20:00 

The PTA is delighted to invite Dr. Ronnie Pao to host a presentation for us again. Dr. Pao hosted a presentation for us in last September for the topic: Depression – The Silent Disease. The new topic named as “Gaming Disorder” is a relatively new concept, and it has officially been recognised as a medical condition by the World Health Organisation. This presentation will concentrate on the concept of gaming disorder; how to recognise it and how to use modern technology in a healthy manner.

The Gaming Disorder presentation is one of 4 workshops within SIS Saftey Week. Please refer to the invitation letter issued by our Vice Principal – Ms. Lucie Purves, dated 7th January, for sign up details.

Annual School Fair: NIGHTFEST, 14th February, 2020 (Friday) 16:00 – 21:00 

NIGHTFEST is a school fair which combines fund raising and community-building. Funds raised will be used for facility upgrades for our school. The PTA welcome all sorts of support from parents, teachers, staff and students to assist us in organise the event.

Please sign up for the area(s) you wish to support / contribute to, as every bit helps.

  • Volunteer Task: a time slot at a food stall or game stall or entrance / decoration of the venue / set up or take down
  • Donation: a speciality food of your nation, bakery or money contributed by a cheque

Please feel free to contact the PTA Office for any question (email: pta@sis.edu.hk / phone: 2240 6773).

10 Jan 2020

Sports News

Happy New Decade everyone!

This week

Despite a 3 week break and activities not starting until the second week of term, our sports teams still had matches to play in the first week of term and some on the very first day back at school!

On Monday the senior girls netball team won 28-21 against DGS. Woman of the match was Alyssa Wong.

On Tuesday the U14 Boys tennis team kept up their unbeaten run by winning 3-1 (24 games to 10) against DBIS. Man of the match was Ashton Mar.

On Wednesday the senior girls netball team played again for a spot in the HKSSF finals next Monday but it  wasn’t meant to be. We lost to Kellett 22-15. They now look forward to a spot in the third / fourth place play off match against Heep Yun School next week. WoTM: Caitlin Donovan.

On the other hand the B grade girls achieved a strong win over Kellett to secure a spot in the Final, which is also against Heep Yun School on Monday. Kellett choice Most Valuable Player: Alyssa Wong. Coach choice Most Valuable Player: the whole team!

On Thursday the U16 girls football team played out a comfortable 4-0 win against Island School. Player of the match: everyone.

Before Christmas, a group of 8 students went on a ski trip to Beidahu in northern China, supported by the Hong Kong Ski Association. The trip saw the students receive 5 days of instruction and the Chairman of the HKSA invited them all to join the HK Ski team at future trainings across Asia this winter. Despite the freezing temperatures, the students had a great time as the snow conditions were amazing and the Club Med hotel, restaurant and facilities kept us well fed and entertained throughout the week.  There is a good chance the trip will run again next year for any skiers or snowboarders keen to get on the slopes before Christmas!

We are looking forward to another successful term for our sports teams but we are also expecting more students to sign up for our activities programme and get involved in sport outside of their sports lessons. A resolution for everyone at SIS should be to keep fit and healthy and make the most of the opportunities that are presented to you.

Looking ahead

This week we have the ESF Athletics competition on Wednesday 15 January at Siu Sai Wan track, where we will have close to 200 SIS students competing in various events, in preparation for the HKSSF championships at the end of February.   Also on Friday there is the CIS Invitational swim gala at Victoria Park, which will be very competitive and we expect to have our best swimmers competing in this event.

We also have lots of other matches and tournaments starting this week and we wish the best of luck to all our players.

10 Jan 2020

Interhouse Calendar – Years 7-11 Term 2

A reminder that attendance is compulsory for all students during the scheduled Interhouse event timetabled for their year group. External appointments should not be made during this timeslot. Students should be wearing their PE kit along with their house shirt for the event.

If any one has any questions or concerns about any scheduled Interhouse events, an email should be sent to Miss Nicola Bosson (Interhouse Coordinator – nbosson@sis.edu.hk) along with your child’s form tutor, explaining the nature of the concern.

8 Jan 2020

Scouts Enjoy A Wild Beach Camp

The Scouts enjoyed a fun, relaxing camp on Long Ke Wan beach in Sai Kung during the Christmas break.

The main theme was wild survival: they pitched tents right on the beach, trying to avoid bothering feral cows. They hiked up to a mountain stream to fill up water containers – a humbling reminder of how precious water is.

There was an impromptu game of rugby on the beach, and some Scouts went for a quick swim.

No camp is complete without roasting marshmallows over a campfire…

On Sunday, two new Scouts made their promise and were invested.

150th Hong Kong Scouts are now busy preparing for the HK100 Ultra Trail camp in January, and 20K and 30K expeditions in February.

Corinne Vigniel

Scout Leader, 150th Hong Kong Scout Group

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