Principal's Message

Dear all,

I truly hope that you are all well. 

It is during the most difficult times we appreciate more than ever our fantastic school community; one that continues to shine brightly because of the strong moral purpose that underpins everything that we do.

Two years ago, a global pandemic hit our shores and just as we thought we could focus on recovering from the massively challenging effects caused by it, we have to shift gears once again. This did not stop our students from working hard to achieve their potential, participating in a rich curriculum within and beyond online lessons, valuing their dedicated and talented teachers and therapists and very committed Educational Assistants who support them in their studies each and every day and who are so well supported by our outstanding support staff. 

Our school community is very blessed by the hugely positive body of parents and carers who form an integral part of our ongoing success journey here at JCSRS. As a school, we are always incredibly grateful for your support and encouragement.

During the most difficult times, it is the ordinary people and the everyday decisions we make that have the biggest impact on people around us. We can show kindness, compassion and understanding and we can take actions to make a positive difference.

When nothing can be guaranteed and as we continue to search for clarity, I can promise you that we will always take actions to support our students and we will continue to focus on what is best for them.

Please keep safe and well,

Anna

NPDL Project: Come Cook With Us!

It was a pleasure to introduce our upcoming whole school project during a parent Zoom session. This is a whole school project culminating in a three-part published digital cookbook developed in partnership with our local (parent) community and shared globally online.

Please find the slide deck introducing the project here to find out more details of the plans so far. Please reach out to Belinda McLaughlin if you would like to access a recording of the Zoom presentation.

We would like to invite our families to support and contribute to this project.

Please take a moment to complete this short Google Form if you would like to be involved and can support the project in any of these ways:

• Sharing family favourite recipes

• Expertise with Digital platforms

• Expertise with food preparation/cooking

• Any other ideas

Class teachers will be in touch with more details about the project in the coming weeks.

An Invitation to our JCSRS Community: Youth Mental Health First Aid

Save the Date: March 30th 4.00 - 5.00pm.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

JCSRS will be hosting an online information session delivered by Shirralee Sisson from Positive Wellbeing HK. This 60-minute Zoom session designed specifically for our community will focus on raising awareness around Youth Mental Health, providing information on signs, symptoms and next steps in identifying and supporting the mental health of our youth. The session is suitable for families/staff supporting students of all ages who are interested to understand more about this topic. More details to follow soon. Please note this session will only be offered in a live format.

AAC Top Tips

AAC Top Tips: Helping Beginning Communicators Expand Their Sentences - Part 4

Many beginning communicators are motivated by requests for things they want or activities they want to do. But that isn’t true for everybody. Others may be much more motivated by social interaction, attention, and connecting with other people just for the joy of it. Some initial targets could be: “Go” →  “Go see” →  “Go see Carly” or “Me go see”. Another example is “Play” →  “Play now” → “Me play now” or “Carly play now”.

Click here for a video with lots of opportunities to model the word ‘play’.

Share what the learner is working on so that others can facilitate the learning as well. We build generalization through planning and teamwork.

Diversity: Celebrating and Supporting

Spotlight: Winter Paralympics and Special Olympics

What are the Winter Paralympics?

Held every four years, the Winter Paralympics is an international multi-sport event for people with an impairment - Para athletes. It directly follows the Winter Olympic Games.

Competitors take part in over 70 events across six snow and ice sports. The current list of winter sports includes:

• Alpine skiing
• Biathlon
• Cross-country skiing
• Para ice hockey
• Snowboarding
• Wheelchair curling 

The first Winter Paralympic Games were in Sweden in 1976. 

A history of the Winter Paralympics

In 1944, a British doctor named Dr Ludwig Guttmann opened a hospital for serious injuries to the spine in Stoke Mandeville, England. Before this, he worked with badly-injured soldiers who often needed wheelchairs. He noticed that sports was an excellent way of building up strength and making the soldiers feel much happier. So in 1948, he organized a sports competition called the Stoke Mandeville Games. These Games took place on the same day as the start of the Summer Olympic Games in London.

About The Winter Paralympics In 2022

The Winter Paralympics in 2022 are scheduled for 4th to 13th March 2022. The ‘Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games’ will be the first Winter Paralympics to be held in China.

The Special Olympics

Special Olympics is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community, where every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of ability or disability. We are helping to make the world a better, healthier and more joyful place—one athlete, one volunteer, one family member at a time.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

The Special Olympics mission remains as vital today as it did when the movement was founded in 1968. The Special Olympics strives to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people.

Through the power of sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills and success. Our athletes find joy, confidence and fulfillment —on the playing field and in life. They also inspire people in their communities and elsewhere to open their hearts to a wider world of human talents and potential.

Further information:

• International Paralympic Committee 
• Special Olympics 
• Special Olympics Hong Kong