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Keep up to date with what's happening in the school with our fortnightly newsletter.

There’s a lot happening …

 INTERNATIONAL FOOD FAIR

Please be sure to read the Food Fair Update and the Cake Stall notice accompanying this Newsletter. Saturday 27 November is closing in – be sure to keep the day clear for our school’s spectacular community event.

 Food Fair Upate #4

Major School Announcement

FOBISSEA Membership:  I am delighted to announce that our school has been accepted as a full member of the Federation of British International Schools in South and East Asia (FOBISSEA) school group.  FOBISSEA is membership association of 36 international schools with over 30,000 students.  Our school has been through a robust process of accreditation over the past two years.  FOBISSEA has a stringent membership policy and will only admit schools that provide a high standard of education.

Our school has successfully met all of the detailed criteria required by FOBISSEA throughout a focused process, culminating in a Heads of Schools on site inspection earlier this year and joint presentation to the FOBISSEA Heads of Schools by a School Council member and myself.  A special thank you to Peter Nixon for your time and work in this recent School Council role.

Membership of FOBISSEA is a major step forward for our school and will enable us to continue the development of quality education for and with our students.  Key advantages in being a FOBISSEA school include:

• Inter School liaison at all levels to promote and support the sharing of good practice;

• Student participation in a host of activities including performing arts festivals, sporting tournaments, community and environmental services and a model United Nations conference;

• Enhanced Professional Development opportunities for our staff with a range of quality international schools throughout Asia.

Our success in being admitted into FOBISSEA is a direct result of the high quality work by all of our talented staff and hugely supportive Discovery Bay International School community.  So a huge well done and thank you everyone!

Year Six China Trip:  Our Year six students and staff enjoyed a superb trip to Hangzhou in China last week.  It was a full on week with a range of exciting and challenging adventures enjoyed by all.  Thank you to Hannah Cole and our Year Six teachers for your outstanding organisation leading up to the week.  Thank you to all staff and students on the trip for being such superb representatives of our school.  Thank you also to our Year Six parents for your thoughtful and positive support for this trip.

Christmas Carols Evening: We would like to invite you to a very special evening of Christmas carols and Christmas cheer on Thursday 2 December.   


Please join us for a glimpse of Santa and some Christmas cheer in the Boardwalk Café between 5:45 pm and 6:20 pm before making your way to the school pitch to join us in some of our favourite Christmas carols.  The carols will begin promptly at 6:30 pm and will conclude by approximately 7:15 pm. 


Please feel free to bring a blanket or cushion along to sit on.

Secondary School Performance: We look forward to our very first Key Stage 3 MADD (Music, Arts, Dance, Drama) evening, on Wednesday 17 November in our Globe Theatre.  Within the short time working with our students this term, we have seen them further develop their creative talents and confidence. 

The evening will showcase just how diverse those talents really are. From sculpture and painting, drama skits and musical theatre, original class compositions to complex body percussion, dance and rock bands.  This event is one of the times where both the students and staff of our Secondary School operate as one unit towards a shared goal. The true sense of solidarity and friendship between our students across all year levels is strong and is celebrated throughout the whole performance, but particularly illustrated in our version of ‘We Go Together’.   …and the best part of all this? This is only the beginning!  

More information on our MADD evening will be sent to our Secondary School parents.

Advisory Committee: Our new Advisory Committee for the 2010 – 2011 period has been confirmed and the group has already met once.  Thank you to everyone who put their names forward.  Our parent representatives on our Advisory Committee are as follows:

  • Mrs Birgitte Christensen
  • Mr Richard Bryant
  • Mr Martin Wardle
  • Mrs Kylie Wilson
  • Mr Julian Wyatt

Please read the attached AC Introductions on each of our parent AC members.

Box of Hope Charity:  A reminder - If you are participating this year, the Box of Hope collection days will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before school next week, at the entrance to the Primary and Secondary school campus and the Kindergarten campus. If you have any questions, please call Dana on 6012 3613 or check out the charity's website at http://www.boxofhope.org.

Christmas Holiday Programme:  Our DBIS school holiday programme will be up and running again during the first week of the Christmas break.  The programme will be available for 5 – 8 year olds and will run from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm each day. With a range of activities including cooking, computers and games all on a Christmas theme, there will be plenty for your child to do.  Everyone is welcome.


Please look at the attached Christmas Programme and Application Form attached.  Bring your completed applications to the DBIS Primary and Secondary School office now as places are limited!


Young Entrepreneurs: The Young Entrepreneurs are really looking forward to the Food Fair this year. Please support them and make sure that their stalls are on the list of places you visit on Saturday 27 November.
 
Year 6 student James Sawyer is once again setting up his wonderful second hand stall to support a nominated charity. The stall can only be a success with your donations of unwanted items. Please see the attached message from James.

Library Book Stall:  A further reminder that we will be holding our popular book stall once again this year.  If you have any books that you would like to donate for the Library Book Stall, please bring them to the library at our Kindergarten or to our library on the first floor of the Discovery Centre at our Primary / Secondary School.

Online Safety and Digital Citizenship:  Online safety is a key component of our programmes of learning at DBIS as we work together to promote considered and wise use of the Internet and digital resources.  We are delighted to extend an invitation to you on behalf of Discovery College to attend a parent evening being presented by Robyn Treyvaud – a leading international authority for online safety and digital citizenship.

The presentation will be held at Discovery College on Monday 15 November from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm.  Please email Margaret Lee () by Friday 12 November to reserve a place, providing her with the names and numbers of those who would like to attend.  Please also let her know that you are a DBIS parent.

For further information regarding E-safety please refer to the E-safety section of our school website:

http://www.dbis.edu.hk/our_school_in_action/our_classes/e_safety

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease:  Recently the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has recorded an increasing trend of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).  The CHP is reminding us to take the following measures to help prevent an outbreak of HFMD.

  • Build up a good body immunity by having a proper diet, regular exercise and adequate sleep.
  • Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene.
  • Keep your children at home for rest when they develop a fever or a rash and see a doctor if they develop symptoms suggestive of HFMD.
  • Children should not attend school until 48 hours after their fever has subsided and once all of the vesicles have dried and crusted.
  • Continue to monitor temperatures at home.

The main symptoms of HFMD are fever, sore throat and skin rash over the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.  Although the illness is self limiting and mild in most cases, some cases may be caused by the EV71 virus and may be associated with higher risk of complications. No specific treatment is available for HFMD.

School Uniform:  We have good supplies of warmer weather uniform items in stock, including the long sleeve and sleeveless fleece tops.  Thank you for your assistance in ensuring that your child is always in their correct and compulsory school uniform.

Lost and Found:  It was good to see some of our Lost and Found items being claimed but there is still a large amount of clothing that has not been reunited with the owner. All items have been returned to the Lost and Found storeroom in the Globe Theatre until next week when all unnamed items will be sent to a charity in Hong Kong.

Thank you for your support by labeling all your child’s clothing and equipment.

Upcoming Events in November

  • Thursday 11 November | IPC parent evening
  • Thursday 11 November | Reception parent teacher conferences
  • Friday 12 November | Year 3 Airport trip
  • Friday 12 November | Reception parent teacher conferences
  • Saturday 13 November | DBIS Football tournament
  • Monday 15 November | Y1KW - Pizza Trip
  • Tuesday 16 November | Y1EL - Pizza Trip
  • Wednesday 17 November | Secondary School Performance @ 7:30 pm
  • Wednesday 17 - 19 November | Year 5 Sai Kung camp
  • Thursday 18 November | Year 6 open morning
  • Tuesday 23 November | Year 4 parent conferences - RM, KW, KY, MM
  • Tuesday 23 November | Y1LB - Pizza Trip
  • Wednesday 24 November | Year 4KY parent conferences
  • Wednesday 24 November | Y1FW - Pizza Trip
  • Thursday 25 November | Year 4 parent conferences - RM & KW
  • Thursday 25 November | Year 3 Open Morning
  • Saturday 27 November | DBIS International Food Fair
  • Sunday 28 November | Team Fear
  • Monday 29 November | Year 6 parent conferences

 

Kind regards

Grant Ramsay

Principal

 

Community Notices

Disclaimer - The following notices are presented as a community service.  While the content is proofed and generally summarised, it is important to state that the information contained in these Community Notices in no way reflects Discovery Bay International School policy or practices.

BodyTalk Access Seminar:  DB Resident Angie Tourani will be running her next BodyTalk Access Seminars on the 18th & 19th of November in Central.  BodyTalk Access is a one day seminar which teaches you the simple, safe and very effective tools to look after your family’s health.  BodyTalk is a holistic approach to health care based on the belief that the body contains the ability to heal itself in most cases.  The techniques are all non-invasive, no medications are given, and do not require any outside tools or resources. 

  • Strengthen your immune system against allergies, viruses, bacteria and parasites
  • Enhance your child’s focus and memory
  • Address your child’s learning difficulties
  • Enjoy peaceful sleep
  • Reduce stress immediately


For more information call Angie on 6683 5755, or visit her website http://www.bodytalksystem.com.hk

CLEARANCE SALE:  Von Treskow Jewellery up to 50% off, Stuck on You up to 30% off and Penny Scallan 40-70% off all items.  Visit us at Zaks, Wednesday 17th November, 8:30am - 4pm.  All welcome!  Call 2549-2245 for more details.

Escapade Sports: Escapade Sports encourages you to help people less fortunate that permanently have to go barefoot by sorting out your shoe cupboard and dropping off your old sports shoes at their store in Causeway Bay, or at Stuck on You (8E Mountain View) from now until Christmas.  Old shoes will be shipped courtesy of V-Logic and distributed to needy people through the help of Barry Phipps of the American International School in Lagos, who works closely with a number of NGOs that support street children including Child Life Line and the Jakande Project. 

Escapade Address -  1/F Yee Hing Building, 19 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay.   http://www.escapade.com.hk or telephone 2891 1855.

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