Newsletter 2012/13 February 2013 Issue 1

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Newsletter 2012/13 February 2013 Issue 1

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Head of Schools Message Bilingualism: A Lifelong Gift

Each year, and particularly over the Christmas-Chinese New Year holiday season, many of us face the dilemma of gift-giving. We put much thought into giving gifts that reflect our love and care. At the same time, we wrestle with anxiety or guilt about materialism and the adequacy of our gifts. Through our gifts, we seek to express our generosity and thoughtfulness, but without spoiling the recipient or creating unrealistic expectations. We want to give gifts that are meaningful, enduring, and valued by the recipient. The rules and practices of gifting for children and adults alike can be complex and perplexing. For example, we assume a certain degree of reciprocity in a gift transaction, based on a shared perception of value for both giver and receiver. Of course, what each of us values and desires may be highly subjective. In many cultures, there are quite strict practices associated with the giving and receiving of gifts. In Chinese culture, gifts must always be received with two hands as a mark of respect to the giver. Certain objects, such as clocks, should never be given as gifts, as they signify negative outcomes in the future. In some western cultures, the exact cost of the gift should not be revealed to the recipient. Finally, our well-intentioned gifts may fail the test of time: a hot gift this year, may be out of fashion in months, or even weeks. We should not forget that our gifts have meaning, both now and in the future. As parents, what kind of gift can we offer to our children that is both lasting and precious? In my mind, one answer is obvious: the gift of another language. Some fortunate children, through the circumstances of their birth, come into the world in a language-rich environment where multilingualism is a given. For most of us, however, the acquisition of another language is the product of a deliberate, often frustrating, carefully planned and faithfully executed process. When we offer the gift of another language to our children at an early age through their education, both formal and informal, we give something very precious that resonates and grows with each passing season, shaping their lives, characters, values, and achievements in ways that we could not have imagined at the moment of giving. Language opens windows to the human spirit and soul in ways that no other aspect of our lived experience can. In the eighth century, Charlemagne, a lifelong champion of learning, said: To have another language is to possess a second soul. In the currency of Charlemagnes time, ones soul was valued above all else. The value of bilingualism has not depreciated through inflation or the passage of time. Perhaps, as in past times, the gift of language is priceless.

Dr. Malcolm Pritchard Head of School

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Contents
Head of Schools Message - Bilingualism: A Lifelong Gift - ...............................................1 The ISF Academy: 2012-13 Progress Report 2012-13...................................................2 Music Jam 2012 2012.................................................................................12 Admissions News ................................................................................................14 Secondary School Production 2012 - Ninety-Nine 2012 -....................................................16 The 49th Schools Dance Festival 49 - ...................................18 The ISF Academy Choir Performed at A Pulsing Musical Heritage .................................................................19 Secondary Music Festival ............................................................................................20 2012 ELP I Report 2012.............................................................................22 Primary Sports Day ...........................................................................................24 Secondary Sports Day ...........................................................................................26 Primary Library News ...................................................................................28 Hong Kong Battle of the Books Competition 2012-13 2012-13.............................................................29 Chinese Cultural Center Events ..............................................................................30 PTA Highlights ............................................................................................32

Enrolment At the beginning of the 2012-13 academic year, our tenth year of operations, we welcomed 314 Secondary students and 889 Primary students to our school, making up a total enrolment of just over 1,200. As an independent school, the encouraging enrolment numbers reflect the faith placed in the school and its programs by our parents. Demand for places at The ISF Academy rose again this year and there has been a similar rise in demand for places next year. Retention figures remain strong, with the majority of student withdrawals arising from family relocations away from Hong Kong. The high demand of places in our school has prompted a review of the admissions policies and practices. A review body, comprising members of The School Management Committee, the Independent Schools Foundation Board of Governors, the schools senior managers and teaching faculty, was formed to study the admissions practices and to propose areas of improvement for consideration or action. For example, our previous practice of processing two batches of applications for both Foundation Year and Grade 1 has now been discontinued. We have also worked hard to train our admissions assessors classroom teachers and streamline the ways of recording and collating assessments. At the Board and Management level, the school is seeking ways to meet the high demand for the ISF style of education,such as by increasing its capacity and deploying resources in an efficient manner. One further consideration is that the Service Agreement with the Hong Kong Government requires the school to achieve an overall enrolment target of 1,440 students by the 2014-15 academic year. This number remains an essential performance target for the school. Over the past three years, one important factor that accounted for the growth in enrolment was the significant increase in the number of applications from younger siblings of current students to be admitted by the lower grade levels. This growth demonstrates the confidence of our parents in the schools values and learning programs. It is important to point out that although sibling applicants are given priority in the admissions process, they must also meet the admissions standard for the enrolment year that they are interested in. Many ISF families are well aware of this requirement. At the time of writing this message, admissions interviews for both Foundation Year and Grade 1 applicants and their parents are already underway. 2012-133148891,200 2014-151440

The ISF Academy: 2012-13 Progress Report

As we pause to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival, we ask our students to reflect on their academic progress to date. Similarly, as a learning community it is important to take a moment to reflect on institutional progress achieved against the major school development objectives set at the beginning of the current academic year. The following sections provide a summary of the scope and complexity of the many tasks being carried out within the school and our progress to date in completing those tasks.

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Construction of Campus Facilities After a years hiatus in construction, the school is currently managing two construction projects and the third one is in the planning and approval stage. The two ongoing projects the Secondary Annex (Phase IIIA) and the Primary School Library Extension (Phase IIIAA) are on schedule in terms of completion, i.e., before the commencement of the 2013-14 academic year. Both Phase IIIA and Phase IIIAA will significantly enhance our facilities once completed. The Secondary Annex will offer accommodation for teaching interns in the Secondary School from the beginning of the next academic year. Phase IIIB will be home to some special programs such as Shuyuan. The teaching internship program will provide better and more individualized support for important programs such as Sciences, Arts, Chinese Literature and Culture, school sporting teams and activities. The capacity to provide accommodation for on-site key staff members will be an important breakthrough in making room for more flexible and extended school programs, especial for programs that are held after school. The Primary School Library extension will effectively double the space available to store an extensive bilingual collection of books for younger readers. The additional space will be dedicated to meetings and presentations relating to parent coffee mornings, faculty meetings, and similar activities in the Primary School. After careful consideration, the Education Bureau has offered policy support of the Phase IIIB project. Relevant planning documents have already been submitted to the Lands and Buildings Departments respectively for approval. However, due to the delay in obtaining the governments policy support, the construction of Phase IIIB will not able to commence before December, 2013. As part of the schools planning process, the scheduling of construction works must be revised to minimize the impact that this large-scale project will have on the schools operations over the anticipated 18-month long construction phase. Upon completion of the project, Phase IIIB will offer a grand auditorium, a swimming pool with eight lanes, science laboratories, sports courts, an under-cover play area for Primary students and faculty office space. III A IIIAA - 2013-14 IIIAIIIAA IIIB IIIB IIIB201312 18 IIIB

Governance The Board of Governors continues to maintain a strong focus on the planning of the schools future development its values, ethos, policies and learning programs. Their work is detailed in the Strategic Plan. The Board carries on with their work on the research and review of global and regional trends of educational or institutional significance. For example, in November 2012, a group of the schools Governors visited four main public and private schools in Shanghai to learn their own experiences in developing a school of excellence. Out of the five schools that were visited, two offer IB programmes, one offers a modified form of Chinese national curriculum, and another offers the IGCSE, which is a non-IB international curriculum. At the time of the visits, the Governors also took time to review our current strategic direction and the schools development. 201211 IB (IGCSE) IB

CIS/WASC Accreditation and MYP Evaluation As reported in previous Circulars, The ISF Academy is seeking concurrent accreditation through two international school accrediting bodies: The Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Accreditation is one of the essential obligations in our service agreement with the Hong Kong Government. Accreditation will also confer advantages to students seeking admission to universities and colleges that favour applications from internationally accredited schools. In the months following the commencement of the cuurent academic year, the school has formed a number of committees and working parties to manage the self-study phase of accreditation and thee progress is well advanced. A whole-school survey, another mandatory part of the accreditation process, was conducted at the start of the current academic year and has already yielded important information on areas of school operations that require further study and attention. The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is also undergoing a form of review known as evaluation. In future years, the evaluation of our two IB programmes will most likely be carried out concurrently within the CIS/WASC five-year review cycle. This year, however, the MYP evaluation is being undertaken as a discrete process under the leadership of Ms. Xu Min, the MYP Coordinator. As a part of this process, the Secondary School has conducted a thorough review of the 2011/12 MYP certification results and is also developing action plans for the future development of the MYP at The ISF Academy. These plans include preparation for an expanded range of subject choice for Grade 9 and 10 students from 2014. Both the MYP evaluation and CIS/WASC accreditation remain on target for successful completion in November 2013 and March 2014 respectively. CIS/WASC MYP CIS WASC IB MYP IB CIS/ WASC MYP MYP 2011/12 MYP MYP 2014 20131120143MYP CIS/WASC

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Performing Arts Dramatic and musical Performance has been one of the keynotes in the first half of the current academic year. The success of this years Music Jam rested solidly on the efforts of our students, faculty, staff and the dedicated parent voluntees. The individual and ensemble performances, both choral and instrumental, showed a very positive development. Following the successes of Chang Boils the Sea and The Wizard of Oz in 2011-12, the Senior School students tackled a much more challenging trilingual production - Ninety-Nine, which was staged in the H.J. Zhang Theater in October. A multi-grade musical production - Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, the much-loved childrens morality tale by Roald Dahl, is currently in rehearsal and will be staged in March 2013. Recent excellent student ensemble musical performances at school events and assemblies gave an indication of a growing maturity in our musicians. 2011-12 - - 20133 Strategic Partnerships One of the ways in which we are seeking to enhance learning across the school is through the formation of strategic partnerships. Such partnerships offer ISF students access to facilities and programs at other institutions of learning or bring educators and researchers into our school to further their work. In December, we announced the signing of a cooperative agreement between the Independent Schools Foundation and the prestigious Needham Research Institute (NRI), home to the East Asian History of Science Library at Cambridge University. The agreement struck with NRI will allow ISF Secondary students to undertake a unique intensive experiential research program at the NRI each summer. This experiential program will include learning activities at Cambridge University, Oxford University, and the City of London The program focuses on the history of science and technology, from both a Chinese and European perspective. In a first for our school, a researcher working in the field of underwater robotics through the University of Southern Queensland, Ms. Tjasa Boh, has moved her research site to The ISF Academy. Following the closure of the underwater robotics laboratory at City University in 2011, Hong Kong has been without an underwater robotics facility. A water tank to support this research is under construction; the water tank will also be used by the Science Faculty for water-based experimental activities. The opportunity to relocate this research program to our school has already led to 12 Grade 6-8 students registering to take part in the 2013 IET/MATE Underwater Robotics Challenge. Furthermore, following the Easter holiday break, terrestrial robotics, employing the Legos Mindstorm microprocessor, will be introduced as an ECA at our school. These programs are supervised by the Shuyuan Science Programs Manager, Ms. Diana Ibarra. 12NRI NRI NRI Tjasa Boh 2011 12 2013 IET/MATE Mindstorm Diana Ibarra

Diploma Programme Developments One of the operational priorities for the Secondary School this year is the review of Diploma Programme (DP) results from the Class of 2012 results and preparation of the Class of 2013 for their final examinations. Following a thorough review and analysis of DP results at a subject and individual student level, Senior School teachers are implementing action plans for the improved delivery of DP courses this year. Grade 11 and 12 students have a timetabled Guidance & Careers lesson cycle to provide Senior School students with better support in college selection and application process. Students are also being prepared for the various standardized tests that are used by US colleges and universities for admissions purposes. 2012 DP 2013 DP DP Primary School Student leadership, through participation in the Student Council, has been one of the highlights in the Primary School this year. Student leaders in Grade 4 and 5 have been active in assisting with managing the daily dining routines, assemblies and sporting events. We were very proud of the ISF school team that won the 64th Hong Kong Choral Speaking Competition at the end of 2012. The Read Aloud Festival, held just before the Christmas vacation, offered an excellent showcase for students bilingualism. 201264

Needham Research Institute

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Curriculum The development of curriculum, particularly in a unique school like The ISF Academy, is an ongoing task. In the first half of this academic year, curriculum development work has focused on the following areas: Primary School: fine tuning of the Guided Discovery (Chinese and English) curriculum for better alignment with the MYP (The Next Chapter), including collaborative planning with grade levels; review of scope and sequence of English curriculum; Chinese curriculum scope and sequence being documented for review in the second semester; development of additional subject offerings in response to the MYP: The Next Chapter; and development of scope and sequence for information literacy; Secondary School: English scope and sequence draft finalized (including Language A/B pathways); Chinese scope and sequence being documented for review in the second semester; Whole School Policies: Language Policy, Assessment Policy and Academic Policy reviewed; Transition: Research on Grade 5-6 transition curriculum issues (class observation, data collection, discussion with teachers, resourcing).

Education Technology There have been major developments in the provision and employment of technology in learning programs since the beginning of the year. The school installed and deployed a Citrix Server to facilitate our migration to a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) mode of IT service delivery. This system reduces the need for uniformity in IT hardware, allowing a range of devices to access internet resources in a more seamless manner. In the upper grades of the Primary School, iPads have been introduced for the first time. Planning is well advanced in the lower Secondary School to introduce a 1 to 1 laptop program in the near future. Off-site data storage and system back-ups have been expanded to provide a more comprehensive recovery system in the event of server failure at our Kong Sin Wan Road campus. The admissions on-line re-registration and application system has been refined and a new admissions assessment tool has been developed and trialled for the first time. Cirix BYOD IT iPads

Gifted and Talented Program Mr. Joel Nainie, the Gifted and Talented Coordinator, has administered the Higher-Ability Selection Testing (HAST) to selected Grade 6 students. Those studentswho were found to be within the gifted range have been invited to join the Creative Leadership activity with Mr. Nainie as a part of the Big Learning Day program. Students in higher grades, who are formally enrolled in the Gifted and Talented program, have continued their studies under Mr. Nainies supervision. Mr. Nainies work with Gifted and Talented students will be extended into the Primary School during 2013. Joel Nainie HAST Nainie Nainie 2013Nainie

AB

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Faculty and Staff Professional Development The professional learning and training of teachers forms an important part of the development of the school. Professional development has focused on the following priority areas this year: preparation for CIS/WASC Accreditation, practical strategies for learning language, the integration of information technology into learning, support for Special Educational Needs (SEN), assessment for learning, and team building through Experiential Learning. We have also been encouraging teachers and administrators to submit proposals to deliver lectures and presentations both within our school and beyond. For example, in 2013, representatives of The ISF Academy will make two presentations at the IB Asia Pacific Annual Conference, one of which will focus on our schools experiential learning programs. Administrative staff have also taken part in professional development activities with team building and information technology skills development their main foci. Individual staff also participated in specific job-related professional development by attending conferences and workshops relating to financial planning, learning support, the role of a personal assistant, nursing and student health assessment. The major professional development activities undertaken so far this academic year include: CIS/WASC accreditation team training Active participation in CIS/WASC committees (all teachers & administrative staff) Team Building through Experiential Learning (all teachers & administrative staff) Middle Leader Development (Primary School subject heads and Grade Level Leaders) First Aid certification (Foundation Year & Grade 1 Teaching Assistants) An introduction to Reading Street (Foundation Year Grade 5 English teachers) Technology Integration using iPads (all Grade 3-5 teachers) Technology Integration using Google Docs (all teachers) Technology Integration for 1:1 programs (selected Grade 9 teachers & selected Primary School teachers Grade 3 to 5) Strategies for teaching Guided Discovery (Foundation Year Grade 5 Chinese teachers) Strategies for teaching Physical Education (Primary PE teachers) IB DP workshops (Chinese, English, Mathematics, University Recognition, IB School Governance, and Library Management) IB MYP workshops (25 participants in Visual Art, Drama, Sciences, Technology, Language B-Chinese & English, Language A in both Chinese & English, Humanities, Physical Education, 21st Century Assessment and Pedagogical Leadership)

CIS/WASC CIS/WASC iPads Google 1:1 IB IB IB 25B A

IB IT

Further professional development activities and programs are planned for the remainder of the academic year, including: 21st Century Learning Conference, Hong Kong SENIA Conference, Indonesia IB Asia Pacific Region Annual Conference, Kuala Lumpur IT Skills workshops Strategies for teaching Mathematics in Chinese (Chinese teachers Grades 1-5) Strategies for teaching Pinyin (Foundation Year Chinese teachers) Using Drama to teach English (Foundation Year Grade 5 English teachers)

Conclusion It is apparent from the foregoing that the school is a very busy place for students and staff alike. With the growth in size and complexity, it is now a challenge to gain an overall grasp of the schools operations at a glance. This is an entirely natural and in fact desirable evolution of the school to a more mature institution of learning with a rich array of courses and activities underway at any given time. I believe that, like our students, we can rest assured that the time this year has been spent wisely and productively, with much more to come in the second half of the academic year!

One of the ways in which we assess our own performance and develop teaching skills is through the faculty and staff appraisal system. Appraisal involves formal and informal observation, self-appraisal, and appraisal conducted by a supervisor or line manager. This year, we have implemented a more focused system of performance appraisal for the middle level leaders. This is aimed at developing leadership skills in the middle leaders, and identifying leadership skills that are in need of further development. Such skills are not necessarily the focus of professional development with a focus on teaching practice. CIS/WASC SEN 2013 IB

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At The ISF Academy we strive for excellence: excellence in academics, excellence in personal achievement, excellence in creativity, and excellence in working together as teams and as a unified school community. Our fifth annual fundraiser for the Aspire Campaign, Music Jam, was held on Saturday, November 24, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the school campus. This campaign was launched in 2008 with an aim to raise HK$300 million over the next few years to fund the advancement of three crucial initiatives for The Academy. Advancing Innovation: Advancing Excellence: Advancing Opportunity: Buildings and Facilities (HK$245m) (spent around HK$170m) Student/Professional Development Programs (HK$40m) (spent around HK$3m) Scholarships and Financial Aid (HK$15m) (spent around HK$15.2m)

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As of December 2012, Aspire has raised over HK$260million. Music Jam was an astounding success this year as it surpassed our expectations by raising over HK$7million! It was a great day of fun for our school community and it also successfully showcased the rich musical learning taught at our school and the talent of our students. The days atmosphere was brought to life by the decorations, performances, activities, and catering arrangements that all reflected enormous behindthe-scenes coordination and planning. One might say that this years Music Jam was very well orchestrated! The Music Wall and the entertaining students performances were truly highlights of the day. To top it all off, our Guest of Honor and parent Mr. Kenny Bee sang so beautifully with the Secondary Student Choir. Everything blended in perfectly with the overall feel and mood of Music Jam. Each year, we are more and more amazed and inspired by the commitment that parents and our many donors demonstrate to The ISF Academy during these events. Your continued support is vital to the success of the Aspire Campaign and to the realization of the mission, vision and values of The ISF Academy. Please accept our heartfelt gratitude once more for all of your unyielding efforts that make ISF such a remarkable school community.
(Contributed by: Ms. Mimi Yeung, Assistant Director of Development and Community Relations)

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Admissions News
1) Important Dates for 2013/14 Academic Year Admissions The school is now accepting applications from transfer students for the 2013/14 academic year. Please see the table below for the admissions deadlines. 2013/14 Grade Level Primary School Secondary School Grade 2 to Grade 5 Grade 6 to 11 Application Deadline March 22, 2013 Dates for Student Assessment April / May, 2013 Notification of Result Before end of June 2013

1) 2013/14 2013/14 2013/14 2013322 201345 20136

2) 2013/14 Admissions Briefing Sessions and Open Campus Days Admissions Briefing Sessions for the 2013/14 academic year kicked off with the Primary Session held on September 8, 2012. The Primary Session, together with the Secondary Session on December 11, 2012 and the Regular Open Campus Days, saw about 1,100 prospective parents visiting our school since the start of this academic year. For many of the parents, the highlight was talking to our parent volunteers and our student ambassadors. Our upcoming admissions events will include the Open Campus Days on Tuesday, January 15 and April 16 as well as the whole school Open Day on Saturday, March 9, 2013. Please contact our Admissions Office by email admissions@isf.edu.hk for seat reservations. 3) 2013/14 Primary Grade 2 to Secondary Grade 11 Admissions Applications The Admissions Office is currently processing the 2013/14 Foundation Year and Grade 1 applications. Student assessments were held in October for Grade 1 and in November and December for Foundation Year. We are now accepting applications for the 2013/14 Grade 2 to 11 classes. Admissions Applications can be made on-line from the link below or obtain application packages from our Primary and Secondary School Offices or have it downloaded from the school website. On-line application: http://www.isf.edu.hk/en/admissions/on-line-admission-application/ 4) Application Deadline for 2013/14 Merit-Based Scholarship Programs The ISF Academy is committed to accepting the most talented, hard-working and principled students to our community. Our Merit-Based Scholarship Programs reflect our commitment as it encourages students to strive for excellence in their chosen passions, be it in academics, the arts, sports or other areas. Scholarships are for Secondary applicants and we offer both full and half scholarships. Scholarships offered include: The ISF Academy Academic Scholarship The ISF Academy Special Talent Scholarship International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) Scholarships The Amy Li Chong Yuet-Ming Scholarships for University Students

2) 2013/14 201298()2013/14 1,100 115416() 39 () admissions@isf.edu. hk

3) 2013/14 2013/14 101112 2013/14 http://www.isf.edu.hk/tc/admissions/on-line-admission-application/ 4) 2013/14 -

The admissions application deadline is Friday, March 22, 2013 and admission assessments will be arranged between mid-April and late May 2013. Scholarship application deadline is Friday, January 11, 2013 but late applications will be accepted if scholarships remain available. For admissions enquiries, please contact the Admissions Office at 2202 2028 or email admissions@isf.edu.hk.
(Contributed by: Mr. Coleman Chau, Manager (Admissions))

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Secondary School Production 2012 Ninety-Nine

Theatre will always be a subject that will be rarely recognized in Hong Kong, even in international schools since time, cost and space are always the factors that are put into consideration. However, many schools are unable to realize the usefulness that theatre can bring to students, especially considering the fact that there are many elements of theatre in our daily lives. And this was the realization that I discovered after being a cast of the secondary School production - Ninety-Nine. The first element was critical feedback. I remember with clarity the moment when I first walked into the theatre for my physical theatre training. The tension was palpable in the air and I could feel the pressure heavy upon us. The theatre director Noa Rotem ordered us to perform several physically demanding exercises such as balancing our body weight on tiptoes on one leg. It was challenging mentally and physically as we, the younger Grade 11, had to accept numerous critical feedbacks from the senior grade. The Grade 12 theatre students yelled at me for not being focused and the director would also tell me to sit down because I was not performing at an acceptable standard. The second element is creativity. Unfortunately, many Hong Kong students neglect creativity in favour of practical yet boring methods. During the six weeks of intense physical training, we had to devise the script of Ninety-Nine from scratch, based completely on our own imaginations. We had to explore the connection between two different generations and the idea of time and beauty. After several discussions with the director, we decided to merge traditional Noh theatre into physical contemporary theatre, as well as adopting several cultural aspects of Hong Kong, through video footages of our grandparents stories and adopting a trilingual approach. It was unbelievable how heavy the impact the play had on the audience as we witnessed more than a few crying faces within the crowd. This is a perfect example of the impact of creativity compared to down-to-earth approaches, and how we can produce unique ideas and concepts that may move someone to extreme emotional levels. I personally believe that theatre is a composite form of art that allows people to think from different perspectives and I highly encourage people to be risk takers and engage themselves within this wonderful subject.
(Contributed by: Victor Yun, Grade 11 Fire Student and Vi Ka Chaang, Grade 11 Wood Student)

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The 49th Schools Dance Festival

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Please join us in congratulating The ISF Academy Dance Team which, once again, won the Grand Prize in the Upper Primary Chinese Dance Category! The team, comprising 49 14 girls from Grade 4 to Grade 6, started to practice for this competition since the beginning of this academic year. They spent two days a week after school hours for rehearsals. On the day of the competition, one of the team members reported sick as she was running a fever. Ms. Amy Wan, head coach of the dance team, acted instantly to rearrange the steps and form of the dance. As for our well-trained dance team, they took up the new arrangement almost immediately and showed the audience a wonderful performance. Yet another example of The ISF Academy spirit. Our heartfelt thanks to all parent volunteers who helped our team with costumes and make-up, as wells as their cheering!
(Contributed by: Ms. Amy Wan, Dance Teacher)

The ISF Academy Choir Performed at A Pulsing Musical Heritage

The ISF Academy School Choir sang beautifully at the A Pulsing Musical Heritage concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in collaboration with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) on Saturday, December 15, 2012. The songs which they presented were Song of Colors of the Spectrum, Catching Butterflies and Jasmine. The echos of singing from the balcony of the Concert Hall was just amazing. The songs were sang expressively, the voices of our Choir members were mellifluous, and the audience was touched. It was a memorable experience for the children to perform together with HKCO, a world class Chinese Orchestra of Hong Kong with international standing and numerous successes.
(Contributed by: Mrs. Rondie Howard, Head of Music (Primary))

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Secondary Music Festival - October 26, 2012

A hush fell over the darkened The S. K. & Margaret Wong Gymnasium as we all anticipated the start of the ISF Academy House Music Fest 2012. For the students, it was a chance to see their musical peers in action. For the teachers, it was a wonderful opportunity to see our students show off their other talents. The judges gave the sign and the first band, representing Water House, strutted their stuff on stage. This was followed by a wonderful classical piece for eight hands, played by a quartet of talented Earth House Musicians. Three more bands, representing Wood, Fire, and Metal followed. The first round of the competition completed, each house choir sang a popular song, some with accompaniment, soloists, and even stage props. It was marvelous seeing so many ISF Secondary students take part in what will undoubtedly become a fine ISF musical tradition. We congratulate all performers for their hard work and look forward to even greater performances next year.
(Contributed by: Mr. Chris Coetzee, Shuyuan Comparative Classes Program Manager)

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2012
(Chris Coetzee)

Wood House

Fire House

Earth House

Metal House

Water House

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2012 ELP I Report

The 2012 Experiential Learning Program (ELP) I for Grade 4 to 9 students were held in four different weeks between mid-October and the last week of November. The main aim of ELP I is character building, specifically, to instill the 8 Virtues + 1 and attributes of the IB Learner Profiles in the participants through outdoor activities, such as, hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, camping and ropes course. The activities and locations vary from grade to grade each year, though the belief that Practice Makes Perfect would call for repetitions that provide the participants with opportunities for the continual refinement of their technical and relational skills and temperaments as they move up the grades. The following photos and their captions fittingly describe their experiences:-

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Grade 7

Grade 4

Learning Chinese folk art

Happy Team, Happy Time A journey of discovery

The Ladder of Confidence

Well equipped & ready to go!

Grade 5

Grade 8

Grade 6

A moment of pride

Grade 9

Attaining personal breakthrough

Happy Wanderers

Learning by doing

Naturally, being out of ones comfort zone and the unpredictable weather made the experience challenging. The inspiring quotation below should help many participants gain a deeper appreciation of that unforgettable experience and the benefits it reaps: Under pressure, your character is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So dont try to get out of anything prematurely. Let the testing do its work so you become mature and well developed, not deficient in any way.
(Contributed by: Mr. Geoffrey Ko, Head of Experiential Learning)

Helping Hands

Through thick and thin

I believe I can fly

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Primary Sports Day - November 22, 2012 - 20121122

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Secondary Sports Day - December 7, 2012 - 2012127

Winner of the 8 + 1 Virtues Winner of Team Building Winner of House Cheer Winner of Track, Field & Relay Winner of Sports Day

Wood Fire & Earth Wood Fire Fire

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Primary Library News

Amid much anticipation from students, teachers and parents, the ISF Book Fair was held at Prof. Sir Charles Kao Square from 26 to 30 November 2012. Despite of the new venue, the Book Fair was met with the same excitement and joy from the whole school community. Seeing the great variety of English and Chinese books on display, everyone was eager to buy to their hearts content. Many parents were also keen to make generous donations to the class libraries, going out of their way to search and purchase the books on the teachers wish lists. Much appreciation must go to our parent volunteers, who devoted their time and efforts to assisting students with their wish lists and making the operations possible.
(Contributed by: Ms. Karen Ip, Head Librarian (Primary))

Hong Kong Battle of the Books (BOB) Competition 2012-13

Like previous years, the ISF Academy Secondary BOB team has entered the Hong Kong Battle of the Books for our avid readers. BOB is an annual inter-school reading competition which brings together students from almost twenty international schools. Prior to the competition in May 2013, competing students co-operate to read twenty books selected by the BoB organizers and practice for the competition. At the competition, teams from each school square off against each other in a series of matches testing the students knowledge of the books they have read. Teams are eliminated one by one until the last school standing is declared the winner. This year, our Battle of the Books School team is still going strong! Students meet every Wednesday to discuss and share their views of the books they have read. I am very impressed with the level of commitment and enthusiasm our school team members have shown for the competition. I feel we have already won the greatest battle our students love to read!
(Contributed by: Mrs. Annie Tam, Head Librarian (Secondary))

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2012-13
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1126-30 - 70 50

Here are our teams:

G6Fire Manlin Chen

G6Metal Vanessa Liew

G6Metal Cheryl Tong

G6Metal Michael Wang

G6Water Andrew Tam

G6Wood Olivia Ellery Harper Cordes

(() ) G6Wood Yuk Ki Qiu G7Earth Charles Yeung G7Earth Thomas Lam G7Metal Audrey Tsui G7Wood Holly Leung

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Chinese Cultural Center Events

Past and Present of Dun Huang by Ms. May Yin Lee

Chinese Geography and Folklore Photography Exhibition

http://isfccc.blogspot.hk/
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The Chinese Cultural Center (CCC) of the ISF Academy is specially established to promote Chinese culture. The aim of CCC is to enrich community life, explore cultural depth, encourage lifelong learning and encourage exchange of ideas. In the past half year, CCC has organized several exhibitions and seminars. Some impressive activities are: Colorful China: Chinese Geography and Folklore Photography Exhibition, A Stroll Among the Historic Buildings in Sheung Wan and Central by Dr. Joseph Ting, Past and Present of Dun Huang by Ms. May Yin Lee and etc.. CCC runs a lot of courses related to Chinese culture, like Adult Tai Chi, Family Chinese Calligraphy Class and Fun Cantonese Class. A monthly-held reading club gathering is also hosted by CCC. A lot of colorful activities held by CCC are coming in the future. More information can be found on CCCs blog (http://isfccc.blogspot.hk/). You can also collect and read CCC Events issue No.6 at the Clifford C. F. Wong Secondary Library.
(Contributed by: Mr. Bingqing Zhao, Teacher Librarian (Sec) and CCC Programs Manager)

Chinese Tea Traditions by Ms. Oi Ling Chiang

A Stroll Among the Historic Buildings in Sheung Wan and Central by Dr. Joseph Ting

Reading Club

Adult Tai Chi

Fun Cantonese Class

Creative Art in Mandarin

CCC Events No.6

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August PTA Jumpstart

PTA Highlights
The PTA kicked off the new school year in the Jump Start week in style by offering new parents their first exposure to the 2nd Hand Uniform sale, which was well attended by those looking to start the year with a bargain. Parent volunteers offered their perspective by arranging three sessions during the week: What if I dont Speak Chinese, How to Get Your Child Off to a Strong Start and an orientation session giving parent perspectives. Thanks to Amy Lamotte, Susie Henrich, Jayne Kim, Joanne Kan and Ann Bridgewater for making those sessions possible.

Sandy Bay Beach Clean-up In September, families of our community volunteered time to help clean up Sandy Bay Beach. Parent volunteers Ann Bridgewater, Pauline Chan, and Lisa Gove coordinated the days activities. Over 112 bags of rubbish weighing over 600kgs were collected. Balls, a refrigerator, underwear, a huge tire and false teeth were among the items collected.
Ann BridgewaterPauline Chan Lisa Gove 112 600

8 Amy Lamotte Susie Henrich Jayne Kim Joanne Kan Ann Bridgewater

Moving Beyond Worry Parenting the Digital Natives The first PTA Speaker Series event of the school year featured Dr. Allan H.K. Yuen. The talk aimed to help parents understand the changing digital lives and guide their children to use the internet safely and positively.
Dr. Allan H.K. Yuen

September PTA Network Starts The PTA Network with its Grade Coordinators and Class Representatives got off the ground in September. One milestone for the PTA Network was the establishment of parent volunteers in every grade. Both Primary and Secondary PTA Network parent volunteers held meetings, answered questions, and channeled relevant information to our parent community. We welcomed Jin MacGeoch as the Secondary PTA Network Coordinator who began discussions on topics of interest that concerned both the Primary and Secondary schools.
9 Jin MacGeoch

Introduction to Cornell With a connection made by parent Patricia Tan and the efforts of Leslie Tam, parents Oliva Chan and Sherry Huang organized a Parent Mini Session titled Intro to Cornell University in September. Secondary school parents attended this session to learn about Cornell University and its admissions process.
Patricia Tan Olivia Chan Sherry Huang

Chinese Language Support Group The Chinese Language Support Group kicked off its second year with meetings on the Chinese curriculum, Mathematics, Pinyin, and a technology workshop. Parent volunteer, Amy Lamotte, continued to guide this group.
Amy Lamotte

PTA Evenings This years five PTA Evenings cater for different audiences with an evening each targeted at Primary, MYP and Secondary Parents. The seasons opener was an all school event that featured members of the Schools Management Team. In November, the Primary evening was held. The Middle and Senior School evenings are coming up this spring. Thanks to Vivian Lau, Daniel Poon and Olivia Chan and attending members of the schools administration team for making these evenings possible.
11 Vivian Lau Daniel Poon Olivia Chan

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October AGM The PTA held its annual general meeting in October and elected six new parents to the Representative Council. They included Mark Chan, Jo Clatworthy, Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Joanne Kan, and Joy Koo. Donald Knapp and Brian Tang were elected to new terms and rejoined returning members such as Olivia Chan, Stacy Rockwood Chen, Annie Fifer, Sherry Huang, Chi Wai Gavin Lam, Judith Lee, and Hoi Kit Michael Ng. Rena Ho and Karmen Wu retired as their terms finished.
10 106Mark ChanJo ClatworthyAlicia Garcia-HerreroJoanne Kan Joy KooDonald Knapp Brian Tang Olivia ChanStacy Rockwood ChenAnnie FiferSherry HuangChi Wai Gavin LamJudith Lee Hoi Kit Michael Ng Rena Ho Karmen Wu Louise Porter :

Dr. Louise Porter November saw the return of Dr. Louise Porter for the second event of the 12-13 PTA Speaker Series. Over 200 parents were in attendance to hear Dr. Porter giving a talk on how we motivate our children to succeed. The topic covered self esteem, motivation, and reward based systems for the achievement of goals.

Second Hand Uniform October also included a transition of sorts as parent volunteer Ann Bridgewater passed the role of 2nd Hand Uniform coordinator on to Jo Clatworthy. Two further sales were conducted before the end of term and more will be upcoming as spring rolls around.
10Jo ClatworthyAnn Bridgewater

1112-13 Louise Porter 200 Porter

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In December, parent volunteer Brian Tang began the Meng 12 Brian Tang Mu column on the PTA website. This column intends to provide an online parent resource of events and activities that the ISF Academy families can enjoy.
This year the PTA elected to give two $50 book store gift $50 certificates to each teacher and staff as the annual holiday gift giving tradition continued.

November Parent Race Primary Sports Day PTA volunteers organized grade level parent teams to compete in the Parent Relay Race on the Primary Sports Day. Grade 5 parents beat the rest with a convincing win. This year most parents made it through smoothly.
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The PTA arranged for parent volunteers to assist in the following activities:

CIS/WASC

FY& G1 Lunch Parents Library Volunteers & Story Readers Childrens Chinese Book Recommendations List Tour Guides for School Open Days Members of CIS/WASC subcommittees Box of Hope support & Holiday Food Bank support PTA maintained Event Calendars

The PTA was a proud sponsor of the Chinese Cultural Centers Colorful China: Chinese Geography and Folklore Photography Exhibition, which was held in the Clifford C.F. Wong Secondary Library.

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The Independent Schools Foundation Academy 1 Kong Sin Wan Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2202 2000 Fax: (852) 2202 2099 Website: www.isf.edu.hk Email: enquiry @isf.edu.hk Editorial Team: Communications and Community Department

1 (852) 2202 2000 (852) 2202 2099 www.isf.edu.hk enquiry@isf.edu.hk

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