ARANAHDthe weekly newsletter of the Australian International School Hong Kong

29 June (Term 2, week 9)Dhanara is the Aboriginal word for message stick

Dhanara 29.06.2011 Page 1

Making the most of the Summer HolidayAs Term 2 draws to a close and the first semester of the school year finishes we are all looking forward to the summer holidays. For many this means time to relax and take it easy here in Hong Kong. For others it is time to travel to Australia to visit family or to journey to interesting and tantalising places around the world.

For our Year 12s the holiday break is a time for study, revision and consolidation. Being able to complete these tasks at this time of the year is like having won the lottery and should be treated as such. Keep in mind the Trial/Mock Examinations take place only a few weeks after school recommences. Furthermore, next term itself is only nine weeks long and for Year 12 students specifically, there is only about seven weeks of class time because of time taken to complete the Examinations. So Year 12s endeavour to work hard and resist any temptations to put off your studies. It will be worth it in the long run.

This year our theme is Responsible Citizenship with the catch phrase “Learning to make a difference” and throughout the first semester much has been done to support this focus. Our contributions to service and charitable giving have been magnificent and certainly the money raised has exceeded what we have achieved in the past. To date, over HK$300,000 has been raised by the school community and provided to those less fortunate.

In the second half of the year we will turn our focus to the environment and issues of sustainability. Many activities have been planned including the formation of a Sustainability Committee chaired by John Aras, Business Administrator and the appointment of Primary Student Energy Managers to assist with monitoring of energy use and finding ways to use our utilities more prudently.

Under the guidance and direction of Alex Gibbs, Director of Development and Community Relations, plans for our proposed green roof project will be communicated to the school community. Towards the end of the year we will be seeking the support of the entire community to help raise funds for this very worthwhile initiative. This is to be a self-funded project, so without your help our dreams for the ambitious leisure and environmental learning area will not become a reality. The last time we sought the community’s assistance with a capital fundraising project was in 2009 with the Aquatic Centre. We are sure you will all agree that the outcomes of building the roof over the pool have lead to significant benefits to all of our students. We endeavour to make the green roof project just as worthwhile an investment for us all.

We look forward to the second half of the year with great enthusiasm. There are swimming lessons planned for primary and secondary classes, as well as swimming carnivals. Chinese Week celebration this year coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival so that will be a very colourful time. There is the Sports Awards Assembly as well as primary music recitals and before we know it we will be saying goodbye to our Year 12 students at their valedictory dinner and assembly as they leave to prepare for their final exams.

We take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy holiday break and we look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 2 August.

Leonie Drew - Principal Primary, Co Head of School Phil Waugh - Principal Secondary, Co Head of Schoolleonie_drew@aishk.edu.hk phillip_waugh@aishk.edu.hk

End of Term 2 - Dismissal TimesTerm 2 will end on Thursday 30 June. Primary classes will be dismissed at 12noon and Secondary at 12:50pm.

Next Autopayment of School FeesThe next autopayment of school fees will take place on Wednesday 6 July, 2011.

Secondary Silver Award WinnersAidan Shirley 7EJustin Yeung 7ENicholas Yeung 7EEmma Vize 7HHenry Feng 7JNatalie Ho 7WMichael Leung 9E

Clarence Chan 9JJacqui Chiu 10EVivian Lin 10EJennie Liu 10EJessica Archer 10HCalvin Chan 10HRachel Krust-Weekes 10H

Sean O’Reilly 10HElizabeth Poon 10HTiffany Chan 10JJody Gilligan 10JJohn He 10JBrian Lim 10JKristy Ngai 10J

Dhanara 29.06.2011 Page 2

School-wide Notices

Secondary Bronze Award WinnersVivian Chui 7HNatalie Ho 7WKashish Mahbubani 7JFinn Loiterton 7HOtto Sander 7EAidan Shirley 7ENicholas Yeung 7EJustin Yeung 7EReena Chow 7HAlpha Barratt 7JHenry Feng 7JPhoebe Lawson 7EEmma Vize 7HChristabel Yiu 7JJoyce Lui 8JGordon Young 8WCharmaine Lui 8EMichal Prinsloo 8EIsabel Mantynen 8WKiran Shivalingam 8WPasu Tam 8WSeamus Anderson 8EGodfrey Chan 9EMichael Leung 9EJanessa Chou 9HIvan Tan 9HAbbey Thorley 9HCharlotte Wan 9HClarence Chan 9JKelly Hebestreit 9JMadeline Parkinson 9JJason Huen 9W

Nicole Tram 9WMelanie Kleinschmidt 9EAllen Lam 9JMonica Lo 10ESean O’Reilly 10HBrian Lim 10JCalvin Chan 10HLorraine Cheng 10HTiffany Chan 10JBrian Lim 10JKristy Ngai 10JJessica Foong 10WJoanne Chan 10HCelia Chen 10WBonnie Cheung 10EJacqui Chiu 10EJoshua Davies 10ETaylor King 10EVivian Lin 10EMonica Lo 10EMikaela Vergona-Stockman 10EJasmine Yeung 10EJessica Archer 10HAdele Foster 10HRuby Miles 10HElizabeth Poon 10HTiffany Chan 10JJody Gilligan 10JJohn He 10JRachel Li 10JHayley Reed 10JWinze Tam 10J

For Creativity“Demonstrating creativity in their work”Conlan Bailey Preparatory CBridie Spiller Preparatory HTiare Short Preparatory VClare Doherty Year 1TAnita Culhane Year 1BScarlett McLellan Year 1WClaire Luther Year 2BAlexandra Wright Year 2CNicole Meyer Year 2LAlicia Chiu Year 2RAshvin Malkani Year 3MHarrison Morgan Year 3WAmelia Mendham Year 3CBenny Hu Year 4FLillian Chan Year 4MDaniel Gough Year 4RJeremy Brake Year 4SCalvin Tang Year 5DAidan Leonard Year 5CChloe Seeto Year 5PStephanie Norton Year 5OChristopher Luk Year 6SKasey Tang Year 6NElla Thubron Year 6RJodie Grudzien Year 6A

Wendy Yip 10JCheryl Au 10WGarrick Lai 10WElizabeth Ng 10WCheryl Young 10WJacqui Chiu 10ECourtney Cox 10EEdan Goodall 10EJennie Liu 10EChester Siu 10HZachary Manning 10JJacqui Chiu 10EVivian Lin 10EJody Gilligan 10JJohn He 10JRachel Krust-Weekes 10HCheryl Au 10WDaniela Ing 11WMelissa Tan 11JTammy Vanderhoek 11HNichole Wong 11HJocelyn Le 11JMelissa Tan 11JMichelle Chow 11WSarah Murray 11WPeter Foster 11ENicolee Tsin 12BJerry Poon 12VAce Kremmer 12BAlanah Boxall 12VNicole Corkhill 12VMonique Hodson-Smith 12V

For Integrity“Always doing what is right”Jeannie Leung Preparatory CMila McRobert Preparatory HNoah Shirley Preparatory VEshaan Balani Year 1TGeorgina Williams Year 1BDarby Carroll Year 1WEthan Bristow Year 2BLuca McRobert Year 2CNathan Veitch Year 2LLucia Holt Year 2RJessica Culhane Year 3MIsabelle Jackson Year 3WMadeleine Dudman Year 3CVictoria Hogan Year 4FKyle D’Souza Year 4MWilliam Phillis Year 4RHarshita Sodhi Year 4SCassandra Wong Year 5DSharon Cheung Year 5CChloe Reed Year 5PVictoria Lee Year 5OChristy Yeung Year 6SHannah Raper Year 6NGabriella Lee Year 6RKyle Van Beers Year 6A

Primary Value Star Awards – Term 2

School-wide Notices

Dhanara 29.06.2011 Page 3

Upcoming Interhouse Swimming CarnivalThis term all students in 7-10 PDHPE have been busily undertaking an aquatics unit in PDHPE classes. This unit has worked on stroke technique and development as well as some water safety techniques and principles. There has also been the opportunity for the students to play some modified water polo games. All this activity in the water has been very beneficial for all students who have taken part. There are still a small number of students at AISHK who would benefit from regular swimming lessons to become proficient in the water.

On Tuesday 6 September, AISHK will be running the Secondary Inter-house Swimming Competition at Kowloon Tsai Park. This year, the aim is to have a large percentage of secondary students swimming the 50m Freestyle event. This event will be in divisions and the Year 11 and 12 students will get their opportunity for swimming trials early in Term 3. This will happen during Friday activity periods. All other events will be finals, based on student achievement in their swimming trials within PDHPE lessons. Individual age championship points will be based on student’s four best possible swims, out of five events, excluding the relay.

There will also be two occasions for students to participate in a 10 minute swimming time to secure maximum participation points for their house. The holidays provide an ideal time for students to continue training for the lead up to our swimming carnival and future Inter-school swimming events. All students are encouraged to include exercise in their holiday plans.

Lee Pilgrim - Co-ordinator PDHPE (Years 7-12)lee_pilgrim@aishk.edu.hk

Stage 3 Inter House Newcombe Ball CompetitionLast week saw all students from Years 5 and 6 compete in their annual Inter House Newcombe Ball competition during their regular sport time. The house spirit was tremendous, with cheering from all teams heard throughout the school grounds! Congratulations to all teams for their fine sportsmanship, enthusiasm and team work.

Results were as follows: 1st – Jacaranda 2nd – Waratah 3rd – Eucalypt 4th - Wattle

Christine Simms - Co-ordinator Physical Education (P-6)christine_simms@aishk.edu.hk

Staff News - Farewells and Welcomes We would also like to use this opportunity to farewell two of our support staff who are leaving at the end of this term:

• Ms Chan Kam Fong (Ah Ling) - will be retiring on 30 June. Ah Ling has worked as a support cleaner and assistant with the school since 1 January 1997

“Ah Ling has been with us at AISHK since 1 January 1997 when she joined the school at our original Kowloon Tong campus. She has seen our school grow from its small beginnings to where we are today as we moved from Kowloon Tong to Cheung Sha Wan and back again. Over her 13 years with us she has been a vibrant member of our support staff – working with all our set ups, moving and rearranging – looking after Reception students at bus times, and being a well respected and caring member of our team. We will miss her smiling face and wish her well in her retirement.” - John Aras - Business Administrator

• Ms Joyce Cheung - will also be leaving on 30 June. Joyce has worked as a Library Assistant with us since 26 June 2006.

Early next term we will be farewelling:• Ms Megan Lindsay, Teacher Librarian (P-6) on 12 August - Mrs Kate Reid has been appointed to this position and will arrive in Hong Kong from Tasmania to take up her appointment on 1 September.

• Ms Kate Tuxford, Specialist Teacher - Primary Music will be leaving us on 2 September and Ms Janet Beaver has been appointed to this position from 5 September to 15 December.

• Mr Nathan Clarke and Miss Cayenne Ng, our Technology Assistants, will also be leaving us during the month of August to take up further studies.

To each and everyone of you, thank you for your dedication and hard work for our school community. We will miss you.