Principal’s Message

Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of WIS,

August almost complete!

The school has begun well and new students are settling into their new routines with ease. We have already begun thinking about our new Year 7 for 2020 and will be holding an Open Day on Wednesday 18 September.

This morning we rehearsed our ‘lock-down’ procedure which happens annually. This means we can secure our building from potential intruders and keep children safe in different areas of the school in less than a minute. All classrooms have locks, blinds and trained staff. It’s quite strange when 1400 people keep silent in a typically noisy and energised school. Thank you to Mr Hewson who leads us through this.

Congratulations to Nitish Aswani and Sean Lam who have been presented with certificates and trophies for their graduation from the summer HKU Academy for the Talented programme.

Students met with their teacher leaders this week to finalise information for Horizons Week. Planning and logistics for the week can sometimes overshadow the many extraordinary experiences that students will have including hiking in Hong Kong, developing culinary skills, learning secrets about the Great Wall, giving out food to street children in Cebu, diving or well-being retreat.

Talking of which, faculty are delighted to see more connections around the building between students at break and lunch. The way in which students have respected our new policy on cell phones during the day is commendable; very few forget not to keep it in their bag. A reminder to parents to avoid texting and messaging during the day because vibrating phones really does distract the mind from learning. Best to leave anything that needs saying until after 3.15pm and if there is an emergency, don’t hesitate to contact the main office. ‘Digital-distancing’ is a first step to lowering distraction and anxiety levels in ourselves.

Having seen heavy rain and a typhoon this week, a timely moment to remind yourselves of the Bad Weather Procedure.

Finally, if you haven’t already, please find a few minutes to log into Gateway to update your child’s medical information as this is vital information needed for CAS activities and Horizons Week.

Hoping the weekend brings some sun and you enjoy your rest.

Yours,
Christopher Sammons
(Principal)