28 Feb 2020

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents,

I hope you and your families are well and are establishing a workable routine around the online learning environment and the challenges this brings to HK homes and family life. It was wonderful to catch up with some of our parents this week via our Google Meet discussions. To be able to listen to your experiences and to pass on your thanks and kind words to my staff was a high point of my week. Please keep your feedback coming and we will continue to celebrate success with our staff, acknowledge the hard work of our students, and continue to reflect on your points for improvement (click here for this week’s parent survey).

Parent Updates for this week:

  • Student sickness: Should your child be sick and not able to attend Google Meet sessions, please use the usual email addresses to inform us of your child’s ‘absence’ for the day. Ms Beer has sent out emails to students and parents who have missed entire days of Google Meet sessions, as it is important we try to maintain high levels of ‘attendance’ during this period.
  • Year 11 & Year 13 Students: Next week we will be contacting Year 11 & 13 students and parents regarding the next phase of our support for examination classes. We will be offering a more comprehensive programme of small group tutorials, as well as individual support for students at risk. Targeted students across a range of subjects have already benefited from these sessions and we are eager to expand our provision.
  • Reflect, revise and recharge: Over the next 5 weeks, we will be providing opportunities for students to consolidate learning and identify areas for further improvement. Friday 6th March is our first WIN (What I Need) day, where students will be given the time to focus on what they need at this time. This is in response to parent and student feedback, both from the amount of work being set and the ongoing drive to support wellbeing. This will mean;
    • Year 7 – 9 Students: Will receive a bank of work from Mr Shiel (MYP Coordinator) who will send through a range of activities (which can be completed following the normal timetable) to support their learning, develop their organisation skills and wellbeing; wherever possible these activities will be away from the laptop, encourage collaboration and promote self-reflection.
    • Year 10 Students: Friday will provide an opportunity for students to complete additional reading, revision and extension tasks around their GCSE courses
    • Year 11 Students: To attend normal Google Meet lessons, focusing on course completion, revision and exam preparation
    • Year 12 Students: IBDP students will work through a range of IB Core activities focusing on their EE and CAS, plus opportunities to work with Careers Counsellors. BTEC students will continue to work on the assignments.
    • Year 13 Students: To attend normal Google Meet lessons, focusing on course completion, revision and exam preparation
  • Tutor time and assemblies: Next week I will lead school assemblies with the students during tutor time. I will meet Year 11-13 students online on Tuesday 3rd March at 10.35am, where I will focus on the support we can offer our exam year groups from now until we return to school. On Thursday 5th March at 10.35am, I will meet Year 7-10 and focus on their wellbeing and experiences during the lesson suspension.

Difficult times will always challenge communities and I continue to feel extremely supported by our parents. I believe in honest, open communication and have always taken feedback head-on and prioritised students and their learning. Thank you for continuing to work collaboratively with my teachers to ensure we do everything we can to support your child, our student through this challenge period of their education.

Please continue to look after yourselves and each other and let us know if we can be of any further help.

Kind regards

Mark Blackshaw
Principal
King George V