Glenealy School Newsletter
22nd November 2017
Year 3 Bake Sale this Friday!
Message from Brenda
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students
A Big Warm Welcome to Rekha Mahbubani
It is with pleasure that I introduce you to Rekha who has begun working in our school office as our new Admissions Secretary. Rekha is an ESF alumni herself and has been involved with ESF in a variety of roles from PTA to School Councils and has also been a parent of ESF children. Rekha is very proud to be part of the Glenealy family and we are thrilled to have her on board in this very important role. Please make yourself known to Rekha when you pop into the office next time you are in school.
Your Child’s Well Being and the Importance of Sleep
As we are drawing closer to the end of the term we are noticing many children are tired, restless, acting out with unexpected behaviours and are generally a little bit grumpy in class and in the playground. All the teachers and senior management have noticed this change in the last week or so and have spoken to the children about this. Interestingly this follows a fairly similar pattern each year at this time. Maybe you are noticing the same at home?
Term one is an especially long term - 18 weeks in total and this coupled with busy weekends and late nights can mean children are struggling with attention and showing a lack of interest and motivation, not maximising their learning time and are generally a bit out of sorts! We know the lead up to Xmas is always a busy time for families however we would encourage you to ensure your child gets adequate sleep so they are coming to school ready to learn. Here is an interesting article which highlights the importance of sleep in your child’s health.
Annual Report 2016/17
Please click on this link to read the annual report written by school staff and School Council members which highlight significant aspects, celebrations and events of the 2016/17 academic year.
Please refer to the calendar of events below - and book the relevant dates in your diary!
School wide events include: Sports day at Kowloon Cricket Club and Christmas Carols in the school playground. Please refer to the other year group activities too.
Here’s the reading for this week.
This reinforces our learning and well-being philosophies. This article focuses on managing ‘worry’ or ‘anxiousness’ in our children and ourselves. I’m sure you will find these simple strategies empowering to share with your child.
10 Steps for Parents and Kids to Tame the Worry Monster
Regards
Brenda
Dates for your Diary
22nd - 24th November
Year 5 camp
Friday 24th November
Year 3 fundraiser @ 3pm
Friday 1st December
Glenealy sports day @ KCC
*Friday 8th December, Sports Day wet weather back up date
Thursday 7th December
Christmas Carols Concert 2:15-3:00 pm
Tuesday 12th December
Class Christmas Parties
Thursday 14th December
GGT - Glenealy's Got Talent show
11:30 am & 1:45 pm
Friday 15th December
End of term, school finishes at 12pm
PTA News
The Year 3 Bake Sale fundraiser will take place on Friday, 24th November at 3:00 p.m. in the playground. Please bring $10-20 and join us for games and sweet treats!
DONATIONS OF 2ND HAND WINTER UNIFORM AND WARM CLOTHING NEEDED!
Time to clean out your closets! The PTA is asking for your support for a warm clothing drive for the people of Bangladesh.
We will be donating good quality, 2nd Hand Winter Uniform and we welcome your donations of Winter items of the old school uniform (long-sleeved shirts & blouses, sweatshirts, trousers & sweatpants and Fleece Jackets). As well, warm casual clothing is welcomed. Remember – all donations must be in clean, in good condition and ‘fit to wear’ – no stains, rips, tears or holes. We are not seeking donations for recycling for this campaign.
These items are urgently needed offshore so bring your donations to the PTA Shop in the morning on Thursday & Friday this week only. Collection cut-off is this Friday, 24th November.
PLAYGROUND SALE COMING SOON!
Our playground sale of Kitchenware and 2nd Hand Books is coming soon – watch the newsletter for details and be ready to snap up a bargain!
SCHOOL UNIFORM
The new School Uniform is proving popular but the PTA is still fielding questions from parents. Click for our Uniform Update, a quick guide to ordering, exchanges and returns.
Glenealy Top Tech Tip
This week’s Top Tech Tip originates from Kevin Tibble, ESF’s Primary Learning Technology advisor. He has highlighted an increasingly worrying trend on YouTube:
If you have small children you may be aware that videos aimed at kids have become YouTube's biggest grossing area thanks to 'Egg Surprise' and 'Ryan's Toy Reviews' and other channels targeted at a young audience.
Although many of the videos here are safe for young viewers, a more disturbing trend is emerging, with unofficial cartoons of popular characters appearing with inappropriate and disturbing contents. These often contain violent messages as well as many other inappropriate themes.
Many popular cartoons have been targeted, even those aimed at pre-schoolers including Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Frozen, Mickey Mouse, PJ Masks etc. These videos deliberately manipulate YouTube's algorithms to bypass filters on some children's searches and the site's YouTube Kids app.
These cartoons are heavily monetised through adverts and in some cases, have received millions of views, which means they appear frequently in 'suggested videos' play lists and are queued alongside legitimate videos by the show's owner, Nickelodeon. As it's clear these videos are making money, they are becoming far more prolific, with the New York Times picking up the issue in a recent article along with the BBC. (Due to the sensitivity of these issues, we have chosen not to include the hyperlinks, though we can e-mail them to you if you would like to read more).
As we all share a desire to ensure the content our children are accessing online is safe and age appropriate, we suggest that the use of any electronic devices be in a central area and in the direct line of sight of parents and care givers at all times. We also suggest that the use of headphones is discouraged when your children are accessing videos on YouTube, allowing parents and caregivers to easily hear if inappropriate content has been added to video clips.
End of Term - Student Leavers
Should you be withdrawing your child/children from Glenealy School at the end of term, please complete the Student Withdrawal Notice and submit to the school office before November 15th.
Please click here to download and print the form.
The book will be published in November 2017. Place your online order now at http://www.esf.edu.hk/50th-book/ for the ESF 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book Jubilee Gift Set!
Enquiries: 50book@esfcentre.edu.hk
50th Anniversary Gala Dinner Postponed
We look forward to concluding this year of celebrations with a fun-filled, family-friendly event, as we look ahead to the new vistas that the next 50 years will bring the ESF community. Having shared in many expressions of our vision, being the best you can be, over this past year, we look forward to a final carnival to share in our joy of 50 years.
Useful School Forms
Medical Authorisation Form - required should your child need to take medication whilst at school, on a school trip or camp
Extra Curricular Activities, Term 1
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