Issue No. 16 (15 December 2017)

Dear Parents,

After seven and a half wonderful years at SIS, it is my time to move on.

I can’t say that I have been surprised but leaving has been extraordinarily difficult. There are so many people here that I have been privileged to call my friends. So many wonderful memories of the children that have passed through our halls.

I say to our students that SIS is ‘no ordinary school’ and I believe that. The warmth, humanity and compassion in this community is unlike anything that I have ever known. The School has changed me in ways that have made me a better Principal and I feel, a better person. I leave SIS and (for now) Hong Kong with more than I could have ever hoped for. Hong Kong is our home and we will be back so I hope that this is only an ‘au revoir’ rather than a goodbye.

Schools are bigger than the sum of the people who work in them. SIS was a great school before I arrived and it will be a great school for many years to come. There are strong and principled people here who are aligned with our values and who care about children. Annette Chapman will be a wonderful Acting Principal for the next two Terms and the school will warmly embrace Tom Vignoles when he arrives in August. I almost envy him the experience because I know that he will feel the power of South Island as did I.

Of all of the many things that I will remember, the best experiences have been the simple ones. Seeing our children arrive in the morning and leave in the evening has been incredibly special. I will miss my friends from our IN department and I will miss my wonderful Tutor Group. Actually, I will miss all of it.

Thank you to our superbly supportive and positive parent community, this school is in safe hands. I wish you all the very best for the holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous 2018.

Warmest regards

Graham Silverthorne

Christmas is around the corner! Click the below image to send your Season’s greetings to your beloved ones with our SIS Christmas card!

Wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

ESF The First 50 Years’ is now published! This volume chronicles the ESF story, highlighting key events over the last 50 years. It also celebrates the successes and contributions of our students and staff, both past and current.

 What’s in the Book?

• Stories of ESF’s major developments and milestones over the past five decades
• Interviews of all 22 ESF schools with key historic events and current whole school photos
• Exclusive interviews of 22 prominent alumni
• Interesting stories from 5 key leaders and 12 long-serving staff

 The book is now available for sale via the ESF website: www.esf.edu.hk/50th-book/. Copies will also be available in major bookshops in Hong Kong by late December.

 Enquiries: 50book@esfcentre.edu.hk

 More details: http://www.esf.edu.hk/2017/12/11/esf50-book/

The Music Department would like to congratulate and thank the 160 wonderful musicians who performed at A Jazz Christmas on Tuesday.  It was a lovely evening of performances and we are delighted that we will be able to donate $12,000 from the proceeds to support IMPACT HK in their work caring for the homeless in Hong Kong.

We are also pleased to announce that Nga-Yiu Yeung (Y13) has been awarded runner-up in the Karl Jenkins Award for composition.  This international competition attracts entries from around the Asia Pacific region. Her piece, “It’s Only Just Beginning“  is a work for full symphony orchestra, composed as incidental music for Lord of the Flies.

Our girls’ team fencing foil – Ava Kim, Clara Cheung and Rachael Sung achieved bronze as they battled their way through each match despite injuries, illness and without a spare player in a full day competition.

In outdoor archery, students braved the cold and wind at Wan Chai Sports Ground. Ryan Tang got bronze and Karen Leung came in 7^th.

We are proud of their team sportsmanship, encouraging each other on, enjoying the activities followed with achievements!

Clara Li 

Activities Administrator