Message from the Principal

Excitement in the air at KGV

 There is considerable excitement and anticipation this week in the lead up to our Challenge week. I am still amazed as to the scale and variety of experiences our students engage in across the week. From ‘Culture in the Balkans, Salamanca Spanish Language, Borneo Wildlife Conservation, Japan Judo Camp, Shanghai Chinese Language, Taste of Cambodia, Mongolian Adventure, to Journey to the Himalayas (to name just a few). This week has it all! There is also an incredible variety of local trips such as Film workshops, Vex Robot Challenge, Basecamp Survival Training, Community Service, Hebe Haven Sailing, Young Architects, App Development and Underwater Robotics to name a few. These opportunities are just as amazing.

I am participating in the exciting Year 7 camp organised by Ms Beer and her team. We will be camping on our school field for four nights and participating in a range of exciting adventures such as dragon boating, hiking, rock climbing and cycling around Hong Kong. Like the students, I am very excited to be sleeping in a tent on our school field!

This week is all about learning. We learn most by doing, and when we are ‘in the moment’. Challenge week is not a ‘holiday week’; it is experiential learning designed to challenge capabilities, attitudes, thinking, identity and relationships with others.

This time last year I also wrote about how I believe that an important role for teachers, parents, and mentors is to seek opportunities to create meaning for our young people and to encourage them to reflect on their experiences, behaviours and attitudes during this exciting week. With this in mind, I think some reflection points to reinforce to our students could be around:

• Be in the moment. This is an amazing learning opportunity. Whether in Hong Kong or overseas, the challenge and experience will be unique. Take time to stop every now and then and ‘take it in’ and think about where you are and what a unique experience you are having.
• Be grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program and to have the support of parents, teachers and the school. In addition, to be grateful for your own circumstances, especially when you see other people who may not have the same opportunities.
• Be safe. Have a great time and be adventurous, but your safety and that of your group is the number one priority.
• Be a team. The challenge experience is about the people you travel with, as much as the people you meet. We encouraged our students to embrace the friendship opportunity and to strengthen bonds and create new connections. What they experience together will be unique and significant.
• Be a contributor. The amount of effort you put into something is usually strongly related to what you get out. We urged our students to be contributors and not just passengers. Be positive, encouraging, proactive and supportive of each other and of the KGV staff travelling with you.
• Be excited. Have some fun. Laugh with your friends and most importantly laugh at yourself.
• Be a learner. We encouraged you to try and make sense of what you were experiencing. What did you learn and what made you rethink your beliefs and perceptions?

I would like to thank the parents for their support regarding Challenge week. It is not easy to allow your child to travel and possibly be away from home. Your support for our international and local programs is appreciated, as together; we provide this experiential learning opportunity for ‘your child, our student’ to help them ‘be their own remarkable’.

Thank you to all our staff who have led the organisation for their trips and are taking the responsibility to ensure our students have a wonderful and safe experience. I would also like to acknowledge the work of our wonderful administration staff for their organisational contribution.

Lastly, I would like to thank our Vice Principal Mr Carrell and Mr Ian Goth who are our Challenge Week Coordinators, for their leadership and organisation of this significant event. Their work in overseeing the process will enable this learning opportunity to take place. We very much appreciate their efforts and leadership.

Kind regards

Mark Blackshaw
Principal
King George V