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Volume No: 2004-05/16 |
Date: 4 February 2005 |
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Dear Parents With
only four weeks gone of an eleven week term, it seems odd to be breaking up
today for our half term break. Our holidays are, of course, to some extent
dictated by the local public holidays and that occasionally produces rather
lopsided terms. This is one of them. Nonetheless, it has been a hard-working
and productive half term and we look forward to returning after Chinese New
Year for an equally profitable session. Over
the last four weeks, a number of concerns have arisen that I would like to
share with you. If I voice them now, we can hopefully get the second half of
term off to a crisp start. Punctuality I
was standing on the balcony of the secondary block recently at 8.00 and was
disappointed to see a steady stream of children still entering the school
gates. They were all ages and sizes but they had one thing in common –
they were all late! Students register in their classes at 7.50 and should be
on school premises by 7.45. Please do your utmost to ensure that they are.
As most children are dropped off at school by parents or drivers it is
difficult to be strict about punctuality unless we have full parental
support and co-operation. Football
Alert! Primary
staff have asked me to draw your attention to the potential danger of
leading small children through the middle of football games. This happens in
the mornings when children are taken to the F1, F2 and Year1/2 classrooms.
If you cut diagonally across the playground there is a risk of collisions or
of your child being hit by a kicked ball. It is safer to walk up the steps
by my office and down the corridor.
Like
most of KK, we have been plagued by mosquitoes lately. We have been in
regular contact with the Health Department and pest control companies but
the truth of the matter is that even extreme measures like fogging are of
very limited use. We are doing what we can, but if your child is one of
those unfortunate people beloved of mosquitoes then a thorough application
of some form of repellent before school might be helpful. Old
Newspapers Clubs,
Hats, PE Kits etc Please
ensure that your child has whatever is necessary for PE, Games, Swimming and
certain Club activities. PE kit should be worn for all PE and Games lessons.
It is also preferred for Club activities such as football. However, we
recognize both that it can be difficult to have clean kit available for
clubs if PE/Games have taken place earlier and also that younger children
like to wear their “own” football strip. We have no objection to this
providing that children change and that the clothing worn for a club is
entirely suited to the activity. If you are in any doubt, please talk to the
class teacher.
There
have very recently been one or two cases of chickenpox in school, so keep an
eye open for those telltale spots appearing over the next week if your child
has not already had it.
Staying
with medical matters, I need to clarify the school’s policy on the
administration of medication. The school’s basic position is that we do
not and will not issue any from of medication. If a child is unwell, parents
are contacted and asked to take the child home and/or to a doctor.
However, we recognize that
children are sometimes put on courses of antibiotics or certain other
prescription drugs and that these need to continue when the child is
otherwise well enough to attend school. In these rare cases, please send the
prescribed medication, in the container in which it was issued, to the class
or form teacher, with a covering note explaining clearly what the medication
is for, when it should be taken and the dosage. We will then organize the
administration of the medication.
A
reminder that the Year 5/6 environmental and conservation trip to Rasa Ria
will take place on Wednesday, 16 February. There is a separate letter to
parents. Channels
of Communication |
The
most common phrase of the weekend was, ‘ I hope I don’t come last’ as
they knew they were competing against national swimmers who represent Sabah
and Justin
Knussi came away with our only medal of the event, receiving silver for his
time of 1:48 for 100 metre freestyle. I
would like to congratulate the following swimmers for a superb performance:
Christopher Law, Logan Hamilton, Franziska Klauser, Francine Pilcher,
Isabelle Yap, Joana Kollert, Joss Knussi and Aimen Kamal.
I
would like to thank Mrs Wickham for devoting almost her entire weekend to
supporting this event and for giving our students the opportunity to compete
at such a prestigious event.
And finally, another sports
report from our resident reporter: Basketball
in KK Town As
many parents and students are aware, Mr Leak has been plagued with a
debilitating back injury for the last six weeks, a recurrence of an old
tango injury sustained one dark night in the back streets of However the class of Leak’s squad was evident from the start. Guest player Andrew Wong brought some much-needed prowess to a very pedestrian team. Ford started well but due to intensive study has lost some of his cat like agility. Ying, as ever, was tigerish around the hoop. Half time saw a four point advantage for Leak’s band of merry men (and Ying). A
concerted comeback materialized in the third quarter but was soon crushed by
the excellent play of Marco Marsh. As legs tired, the victory deservedly
went to Leak’s team. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, which I
hope will be repeated soon. Healthy
Eating Week This
week was Healthy Eating Week and I was pleased to see some rather healthier
food in evidence at break and lunchtimes. For those of you who attempted
last week’s quiz, here are the answers: 1)
Town
where bitters come from (bitters is a cocktail condiment). Angustura 2)
This
fish gets a raw deal in 3)
A
spicy relish reputed to aid digestion. Horseradish 4)
5)
People
in the Southern states of the 6)
Ancient
large fish known primarily for its delicious eggs, which if caught in the 7)
Blini,
a Central European peasant staple, is a type of what? Pankake 8)
9)
This
fruit is a Jamaican tangerine, grapefruit cross. Ugli
fruit Re-arranging
the first letters gives you that northern English culinary panacea: MUSHY
PEAS
Gong Xi Fa Chai! |
