Principal’s Message
Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of WIS,
Last Friday was a real success with the WIS ID Coin Challenge. In total we will have raised $26,611 from small change to benefit local charities. It was great to see the whole community collaborating in a line out on the fifth floor. The front runners were Han who won by over $1500 (first), Qing (second) and Yuan (third). We will try again after the summer holiday for those lingering foreign coins that will do more good if we pool them together.
Friday looks to be equally successful with the Ming and Han Day and the Amplified event in the evening. Good luck to you and I hope to be there on the evening.
As we began our new year, I also received news from our students who have chosen Australian Universities and are now confirmed on their degree courses. Students have been successful in securing their first choices and our learners will be working with leading academics from the Group of 8, specifically Melbourne, Monash, Queensland, Sydney and UNSW. Please look out for notices as we have secured a visit from the University of Melbourne and University of Sydney later this month.
Wednesday morning was a cause for celebration as we honoured the first three students in West Island School to achieve their Gold Credit Award. Advey Rastogi, Miqdad Kasubhai and Laveen Rekhani were presented with certificates and applauded by the whole staff team for their efforts. We look forward to seeing who can be the first to achieve a Platinum Credit Award.
By Wednesday afternoon, we had heard the fate of our cross country runners who entered and won the ISSFHK Cross Country Championships. The team effort has ensured a first place victory for West Island School once again. There are over 80 runners to be congratulated for an incredible team effort.
And then to Wednesday evening which will also be particularly memorable for me. I have seen many student led teams and the Tedx leaders stand out for the quality and commitment of their event. Getting a Tedx license has taken two years so the teams deserve their success. We heard from a rich group of speakers who had much to share; the most memorable for me was from Ayesha who spoke about Islamophobia, Helen who spoke about her theories of imposter syndrome and finally, Krishna who shared what he learned from living with a mechanical heart. Although we could only sell 100 tickets, I hope you were able to watch the live stream. If these young people are in charge of our future, we do not have much to fear. A wholehearted well done to the entire Tedx team.
I have also celebrated Mathew Wong and Angel Lee’s achievements this week as they entered and won the Hong Kong Outstanding Student award. From eighteen entries at West Island School, these two have completed written tests, a weekend assessment camp and an interview. They were selected due to their outstanding academic achievement, extra-curricular and community service achievements. So too, in recognition of their morals. They are the only two students within ESF to receive the award this year and it is richly deserved.
Finally, I would like to remind families that it is crucial if both parents are absent from Hong Kong that the school is informed at wis@wis.edu.hk with details of the responsible person and an emergency contact in relation to your child here.
Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you at the PTA Quiz Night next Friday.
Yours,
Christopher Sammons
(Principal)
