CWBS Newsletter – Friday 21 August
Principal’s News Diary Dates PTA News Disclaimer
Principal’s News
Welcome
As we end our first full week of this new school year, students are settling into learning routines and showing energy and enthusiasm. When joining Zoom calls, I have been impressed by students’ careful listening, respectful contributions and self-management. We know that during distance learning, this can only happen with strong support from families, and this is greatly appreciated.
Communications – PTA News / ESF App
During the period of distance learning, weekly newsletters will now be combined school / PTA communications rather than a fortnightly rotation as previously. We hope this will help to keep families informed of ongoing developments.
Thank you for your support of our transition to the ESF app. From next week, the ESF app will be used for all whole school communication. Please ensure that your app settings allow for notifications so that you do not miss important messages and updates.
We will also be bringing additional features online over the weekend, that will assist families during distance learning, and with the return to school. These features include access to a visual weekly timetable of lessons and learning engagements for each of your children, and direct links to our school virtual learning environment ‘Cahoot’. To get the new features, it will be necessary to refresh the app. This can be done by swiping downwards on the app home screen.
Distance Learning Provision
CWBS distance learning continues to develop, with enhanced live contact with teachers. From Monday, all class teachers will connect with their classes three times each day in order to support learning and progress. Specialist teachers will also begin live lessons next week and are looking forward to connecting with the students. We are also mindful of the challenges of screen time, and will monitor this provision to ensure appropriate balance. Earlier this term, a summary of our distance learning plan was shared. Please click on the link here if you would like to access this overview.
Weekly Timetables
We appreciate it is valuable for parents to have oversight of their child’s learning week. During the distance learning period, weekly timetables will now be shared each Friday by class teachers, and will also soon be available on the ESF app. These timetables will provide a summary of live sessions for each class to provide support and structure to the daily learning. Daily learning engagements will continue to be emailed to families a day in advance, with the exception of Monday’s learning, which will now be shared on a Friday. Please note there is no expectation that students begin learning tasks over the weekend.
Resource Collection
Next Friday, 28th August, there will be another opportunity to collect resources from school to support your child’s learning. As previously, this will be managed carefully according to social distancing expectations, with specific times for each year group. Class teachers will provide further information about what resources will be available next week. We hope this will assist families in supporting the learning at home.
Support
Should you require technical assistance with accessing the distance learning, please contact our educational assistant for ICT, Ms Grace Chan, via grace.chan@cwbs.edu.hk
Feedback
At the start of this unusual term, we are in the process of enhancing our distance learning provision. We greatly value feedback and would encourage any families with ideas, suggestions, questions or concerns to contact us should you wish to share these. Please email either myself, or your child’s phase Vice Principal, using the contact details below:
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Michael Dewey Principal michael.dewey@cwbs.edu.hk |
Kathy Derrick Vice Principal (Y1-3) kathy.derrick@cwbs.edu.hk |
Matt Dyer Vice Principal (Y4-6) matt.dyer@cwbs.edu.hk |
New School Counsellor
As a learning community we extend a very warm welcome to our new school counsellor, Christine Meaney. At CWBS we provide counselling services for students who need additional support to address any social or emotional challenges. During the distance learning period, counselling support is provided via Zoom. Christine can provide students with tools to help cope emotionally during this difficult time, and strategies for those with high anxiety. If you have any concerns about your child’s wellbeing and think counselling will help, please contact Kathy Derrick: kathy.derrick@cwbs.edu.hk
Christine Meaney, school counsellor
Parent Information Evenings
We look forward to connecting with all our families in next week’s parent information evenings. The sessions are scheduled for Tuesday 25th August (Years 1-3) and Thursday 27th August (Years 4-6). These meetings provide an opportunity for parents to know and understand the curriculum, routines and expectations of the year level, and support a home school partnership that enhances student learning.
The information evenings will take place in two parts. I look forward to welcoming you in the initial session, which will include a general introduction and overview of the school, followed by specific information about the curriculum and approaches to learning, shared by the year level teachers. The second session will be an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s class teacher. The year level meeting links are in the schedule linked below. Class teachers will use their regular class meeting link for the session. Please log in with your child’s name for easy identification and communication.
Please follow this link for the Parent information evening schedule
Looking ahead, a specialist information evening will also take place online on 2nd September 2020. More details will follow next week. We look forward to connecting with parents during these sessions.
PYP – Approaches To Learning
The approaches to learning (skills) are taught implicitly and explicitly through units of inquiry to help students learn how to learn. Over the last couple of weeks in our ‘Who we are’ units of inquiry we have been developing our communication skills as speakers and listeners.
Michael Dewey
Principal
Diary Dates
- 25 August – Y1-3 Parent Information Session (Zoom) – 6:00pm (Y1), 6:30pm (Y2), 7:00pm (Y3)
- 27 August – Y4-6 Parent Information Session (Zoom) – 6:00pm (Y4), 6:30pm (Y5), 7:00pm (Y6)
- 2 September – Specialists Information Session
PTA News
If you are interested in becoming a class contact for your child’s class please email us on cwbspta@cwbs.edu.hk The class contact role is designed to help parents form social connections and feel involved in the wider CWBS community, and we can provide more information if you get in touch.
We are making all efforts for our AGM to run on the 16th September, so if you are interested in becoming a PTA committee member, and want to be involved in the future success of the CWBS, please email the PTA.
Please be reminded that the deadline for PTA fees was the 19th August. Please check your email for the Paypal invoice where you can easily link a credit or debit card from the link provided.
Disclaimer
Clearwater Bay School (CWBS) reserves the right to accept or reject any advertisement submitted for CWBS publications and on its websites. However, CWBS does not attempt to investigate or verify advertisements appearing in CWBS´s publications and on its websites. The appearance of advertising in CWBS´s publications and on its websites in no way implies endorsement or approval by CWBS of any advertising claims or of the advertiser, its product, or services. CWBS disclaims any liability whatsoever in connection with advertising appearing in CWBS´s publications and on its websites.