The Black Kite - Issue 6

May 21

Public Holiday (School Closed)

May 27

ESF Film Awards – 6pm, Discovery College

May 28

Year 13 Graduation Ceremony

May 29

RAPT Coffee Morning – 10am, PAC

May 31

Secondary Student Led Conferences

Scholarship Review Sessions

June 1

Year 6 Transition Parent Info Evening

Year 7 Science Expo

Year 5 Beliefs Field Trip

Yearbook Pre-orders Close

June 2

Year 6 Transition

June 3

Sports Awards Ceremony

June 4

Primary Reports

June 6

Year 13 Graduation Dinner

June 7 – 11

Year 8 EOTC Camp

June 10

Scholarship Award Ceremony

June 14

Year 9 Science Fair (8.50am – 10.50am)

June 15

Year 8 Science Fair (8.50am – 10.50am)

June 16

Public Holiday (School Closed)

June 17

Year 11 Graduation Ceremony

June 23

Final Day of School

June 24

Summer Break Begins

Yearbook Orders

A Message from Louise Crossen, Comms Manager

Be first in line to get your copy of the 2010 Yearbook!

For the first time, the yearbook will come with a bonus DVD of all the year’s highlights.

The 2010 Yearbook retails for $175, but all orders placed before June 1 receive a $20 discount – don’t miss out!

Please return all monies and the order form to your child's class / advisory teacher.

LIRC Logo
A Message from Andrea Walker, Head of LIRC

Are you a creative whiz? Do you like to design? If so the Library & Information Resource Centre could use your help. The LIRC is running a competition to create a LIRC logo. We are looking for a striking image or graphic with a tagline.

You are invited to submit your design by 30 May, either in hard copy or via email. Please note, all design entries must include the abbreviation LIRC, a tag line and a relevant visual identity.

Outstanding College Resources
A Message from Andrea Walker, Head of LIRC

It is time to start tracking down library books, textbooks and other college resources that are overdue or no longer being used.

All such items should be returned to the LIRC for handling and redistribution. We ask for your support in this process by reminding your children and checking your collections at home. No late fees apply!

Battle of the Books (BOB)
A Message from Andrea Walker, Head of LIRC

Battle of the Books is a voluntary reading programme that requires students to read from a list of 20 titles.

On 6 May, our Primary and Secondary BOB teams were involved in the annual regional semi-finals against four other international schools. The competition was stiff and although we didn’t come away with any prizes, our students represented the College proudly, did extremely well and had lots of fun.

Congratulations to our BOB teams and thanks to all who have supported us during the year. The aim of BOB is to encourage reading and to have fun. This year we achieved both these goals.

Student Led Conferences
A Message from Bob Stearns, Head of Secondary

The Secondary Student Led Conferences will be held on 31 May.

The conference will involve only you and your child and will be held in your child’s Advisory classroom.

Students will prepare a 45-minute presentation on a range of work from different subjects and share reflections on their learning. It is intended that you should leave the conference with an increased understanding of the school, the programmes and of your own child’s learning.

There will be no scheduled classes on this day. Please discuss with your child the best time for you to come into school between 8:45am and 3:30pm. If possible, both parents should attend.

Scholarship Review Sessions
A Message from Wilma Shen, Scholarships Manager

Scholarship students and their parents will take part in a year-end review session on 31 May.

This review session will involve parents, scholarship students and one of the Secondary faculty. The purpose of this interview is to give each scholarship student an opportunity to present their portfolio and reflect on their learning experiences. The Scholarship Committee will give each student a summary of his/her performance.

Information regarding the location will be communicated to you and your child ahead of time. Please discuss with your child the best time for you to come to school, so that your family can attend the Student-Led Conference and join the scholarship review session afterwards.

Sporting Achievements
A Message from Tim Ross, Athletics Director

As part of the upcoming Sports Awards Assembly on 3 June, we are keen not only to recognise the sporting achievements of our College teams, but also the individual achievements of our students outside the College.

If your child has represented Hong Kong or participated in their chosen sport on the world stage, please email me the student's name and details of their achievements.

United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Competition
A Message from Shobha Sanker, Maths Department

More than 20, 000 students around the world took part in the UK Mathematics Trust Competition this year. Students competed at various levels of difficulty: the Intermediate Challenge, Kangaroo Round and the Olympiad Round.

Year 9 students Andrew Song and Vincent Zhao made it in to the Grey Kangaroo Round. Year 10 students Desmond Cheung and Maximillan Wong and Year 11 students Jonathan To and Grace Lee participated in the Pink Kangaroo Round. Congratulations to Desmond Cheung and Maximillan Wong who received merit certificates, which ranks them in the top 25% of all students who took part in the competition.

The following students qualified for the challenging Olympiad division: Year 10 student David Deng received a merit certificate, Year 9 student Ryan Nam received a distinction certificate and Year 11 student Andrew Chen was one of the top 100 students, receiving a gold medal.

Nagoya University Visit
A Message from Aletha Rossiter, F.E. Counsellor

Nagoya University representatives will visit RCHK on 27 May from 10:50-11:10am.

This university offers undergraduate degree programmes taught in English for students with international backgrounds in many fields, including Automotive Engineering, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Fundamental and Applied Physics and Social Sciences.

Year 13 University Applications - Gateway Updates 
A Message from Aletha Rossiter, F.E. Counsellor

Year 13 students should be finalising updates of their university application status on the Gateway website. The FE Office will send the final transcripts to the universities when required, so the accuracy of students' Gateway details is very important!

Year 12 Gateway Updates
A Message from Aletha Rossiter, F.E. Counsellor

Year 12 referees will be writing university reference letters soon. To give teachers detailed information about your further education plans, your academic and non-academic strengths and your personal characteristics, please enter all your details into Gateway.

Year 6 Transition

A Message from Nick Cotton, Deputy Head of Secondary

Our Year 6 students will spend a day in the Secondary School on Wednesday, 2 June. The aim of the day is to experience the routines and timetable that Secondary students follow.

We will be holding an information evening for Year 6 parents on Tuesday, 1 June, starting at 7pm. We will introduce the key people in the Secondary School and ensure that parents have all the information they need to support their child as they move up to Secondary.

If you would like more information or reserve a seat at the information evening, please contact the Secondary School.

Primary Touch Rugby
A Message from Mike Hogg, Year Six Teacher

This year RCHK has been involved in a number of Touch Rugby tournaments. A team of Year 5 and Year 6 students have trained hard, giving up their breaks and lunchtimes. For many of the team it was their first experience with playing touch rugby, and the students showed remarkable improvement.

Our first tournament was at Sandy Bay. We played against 17 other ESF schools. RCHK won their pool and narrowly lost the semi-final 6-5. Our second tournament took us to Discovery Bay. This time, we took a development squad and the children played with enthusiasm and determination. Our final tournament was at Kings Park, where both the boys and girls team were unbeaten before the rain forced organisers to abandon play.

Congratulations to all of our players on great performances and outstanding sportsmanship.

Sarah Brennan Blog
A Message from Andrea Walker, Head of LIRC

The LIRC would like to recommend a fun and educationally worthwhile website and blog to Primary parents.

The blog belongs to Sarah Brennan, author of the popular Chinese calendar tales. She is keen to share her powerful and positive messages about books, reading and writing with our kids. Check out the monthly competition which encourages kids to write their own poems, and a Wicked Word of the Week.

Congratulations ...

John Lee of 6PB participated in the Youth Table Tennis Championships held by the Hong Kong Table Tennis Association (HKTTA) in April. He entered the Group B Boys single competition, and beat more than 210 opponents to win the championship.

Horace Lam of 5SB was awarded a gold medal for “Most Valuable Player” at the Hong Kong 2010 Hockey 5' Tournament, the largest Ice-Hockey Tournament in Asia. This tournament attracted more than 70 teams and 1200 players from around the world.

Oscar Lee of 1DF won first place at the Hong Kong Students English Verse Speaking Competition, held on May 13. This was Oscar's very first speech competition - we look forward to more great results next year!

Congratulations to 5BD student BoBo Cheung, 5SB student Ruby Wong and 6JD student Joyce Yau who represented RCHK at the recent Hong Kong Inter-Primary Schools Gymnastics Competition. They participated in several individual events and their team won third place, bringing back a trophy for the College. Well done!

New Admission Days
A Message from Davina Lloyd, RAPT Co-Chair

We are asking for volunteers to help out at the upcoming “New Admission Days”.

These sessions are designed to welcome new families who are joining RCHK next academic year. During the day, new students will be able to try on and purchase uniforms and have photographs taken for their RCHK ID card.

We have families joining us from all over the world, so it would be great to match them with volunteers who can speak their mother tongue.

Please contact Davina Lloyd with the times and days you can help.

Date: 31 May - 3 June
Morning session: 9am – 12pm
Afternoon Session: 12.30pm – 3pm

Saturday Coffee Morning
A Message from Davina Lloyd, RAPT Co-Chair

RAPT will host a Saturday Coffee Morning on May 29.

Back by popular demand, this is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow parents and staff.

Come join us for coffee and cake, and the year’s final secondhand uniform sale.

The Coffee Morning will be held from 10am – 12pm in the PAC.

On a related note, thank you to everyone who has supported the secondhand uniform sales this year. All funds raised go to the LIRC. This year we have been able to fund the purchasing of a TV screen in the Secondary Library.