Full calendar and term dates here. The calendar for 2023-24 is now published. However, please note that the final calendar will be issued in May/June following the Hong Kong Government gazetting of public holidays.

Dear all,

Today, all students enjoyed the professional theatre performance staged in our school hall. It was not only a real feast for eyes and ears but also a fun way to learn how we can manage tricky feelings and how to help our friends. The joy on our students' faces was priceless.

It is hard to believe that it is only six weeks till the end of the school year. As always, it will be a busy and exciting time for staff, students and families. This is a period of happy anticipation of the well-deserved holiday and new beginnings but also a time when we have to manage anxieties linked to various demands or change, like moving class, saying goodbye to friends or different routines.

At times like this, it is even more important than ever to remind ourselves about our well-being motto to Protect, Connect and Respect. May is Mental Health Awareness Month; this year with a theme of Anxiety. It is also an important opportunity for us to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and promote good mental health practices. Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem.

I want to thank you all for the support that you offer others, for fostering empowering relationships and for modelling positive coping strategies and self-care. Thank you for your agility, resourcefulness and resilience and for being such great role models for their students and children, friends and colleagues, staff and parents. Our actions are a testimony to the culture we are creating together at JCSRS and our commitment to the school vision to be the best that we can be.

Please remember to check out our Facebook page for updates from the school and our partners.

Warm regards,

Anna

Let’s support Hong Kong’s urgent appeal for blood donations

Hong Kong’s blood supplies are at extremely low levels, particularly for blood types A, B and O-negative. These shortages put lives at risk, and I know many of us will want to take action and help those in need by giving blood.

Some good news is that more of us are now eligible to donate blood. This is due to the lifting of restrictions that prevented some former residents of the UK, Ireland and France from giving blood in Hong Kong. The ban, which was due to concerns around the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, ended in December.

While donations of blood types A, B and O-negative are the highest priority, donors of all blood types are urgently needed to replenish Hong Kong’s heavily depleted stocks. Our CEO Belinda Greer is a lifelong blood donor, and ESF continues to support the Red Cross’s appeal with blood drives happening across the organisation.

Those wanting to take immediate action in response to the city’s critical shortages can find information on how to donate on the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion website.

Does your child refuse to eat or are they a difficult eater? Does your child keep food in their mouth for too long or avoid meal times? Are they a messy eater? If your answer is yes to any of these, this workshop is for you!

JCSRS Therapy team is hosting an informative workshop on eating, food preferences and oral motor and sensory demands for eating. The talk will cover the following aspects: 

• Nutrition and when to consider an enhanced diet

• Picky eaters vs. problem eaters

• Sensory experiences of food and eating

• Tips to increasing the range of foods

• Suck, swallow breath: the importance of posture while eating

• Oral motor stages of eating

• Utensils: when to use them

Time: Tuesday 6 June at 5 - 6 pm

Venue: Hall at JCSRS

Please RSVP via the link in our App message.

Click to open as PDF and access YouTube links!

The world is rich with diversity, which is reflected in the observances celebrated by its various cultures and populations. We hope that knowledge of the holidays and celebrations for diversity in this calendar can enhance our school's diversity and inclusion efforts.

Attention all animal lovers - an inclusive internship possibility awaits!

Rise Wise are offering a 4-week internship - details on the attached flyer. The program consists of three sessions per week with scheduling flexibility from 4.5- to 8-hour days during term time or school holidays. If this is something that may be of interest to your son/daughter, please contact Belinda McLaughlin for further information.