QBS Newsletter - Issue 24

Issue No. 24 - 11th March 2010

Principal's Comment

Clubs

Medical

QBS Charity Committee

External Canvasing

PYP

Gateway parent Logins

ESF Lions Football

QBS Brownies

PTA News

Chess

Hong Kong Philharmonic

Coming Up

Dear Parents,

Every time I turn on the television at the moment there seems to be some natural disaster that is having a devastating impact on some part of the world. Our immediate reaction is ‘How can we help?’ and it is quite difficult to make decisions around the action we should take particularly as our students are now so proactive in their own desire to take action.

After the recent disaster in Haiti we gave the Charity Committee, under Mr Leone’s guidance, the task of thinking carefully about what we can do that will really make a difference and they have now come up with a long term plan which is outlined below.

Sponsoring a child, or possibly two children is a great idea as it gives the QBS students a real connection with children who are living in very different circumstances and it helps them to understand exactly where their donations are going.

I hope, as parents you feel able to support this ongoing project and please talk to your children about it after we have launched the appeal next week.

Debra Gardiner
Principal

Clubs

QBS Clubs

Friday 12th March will be the last day for QBS clubs.

We are accepting Term 3 QBS club application forms the deadline is 19th March.

If you do not have a club form you may download it here

Please also note that the club Caring for Animals (SPCA) is cancelled.

Privately Run Clubs

Friday 19th March will be the last day for private and ESF clubs.

This will also be the last day for the AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY BUS.

TLC Kids

Term 3 enrolment now open!

Get ready for an action packed TLC Kids experience full of interesting new projects with Maths/Science & ICT Club!

Click here for more info and enrolment form.

Medical

Dental Health Care: The Primary Years
Your child's dental health needs change as they grow. Keep their smiles bright with these tooth tips.
Though your preteen and teenager will still receive care from their pediatric dentist, essentially their basic dental health needs are similar to adults. They (and you!) should:

Maintain a healthy diet rich in fruits and veggies, and low in sweetened foods and drinks.
Drink plenty of water.
Limit between-meal snacks -- especially those high in sugar.
Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
Floss at least once daily.
Get regular dental checkups and cleanings.

And be sure your kids know that if those pearly whites are to last a lifetime they're not to be used as ice crushers, fork tine straighteners, and crisp bag openers.

Now, smile and say cheese!

Charity Committee

The charity committee so far have been involved in many wonderful things to help make a difference in the world. First of all they raised over $8000 for the Crossroads Foundation, organised and helped collect gifts for the West Morninghope School and organised for some old books from Quarry Bay School's Learning Centre to be sent on to other schools who are in need of educational material.
Now they have taken on their biggest challenge so far. And need some assistance from the whole school community.

QBS have committed long term to a child sponsorship program through the World Vision Foundation. The charity committee have committed to sponsoring a child from the poor regions of China. The way this will work, is that for as little as $220/month, one child in China will have their education guaranteed and the village that this child comes from will be taught how to conserve water, shown latest farming techniques and develop health, sanitation and economy in the region.
To help raise initial funds the charity committee have organised a piggy bank collection. Each class will be given a small jar to fill with either $1, $2, $5 or $10 coins. Over the next two weeks, if you could encourage your child to put any spare change into the class piggy bank, then we can take the next step and organise our sponsored child.
Once the sponsored child has been chosen from China, then the children from QBS will be able to communicate with them via letters and our school will be able to follow the development of the whole village through these exchanged letters.
After the initial fund raiser then it is a matter of keeping up money collection over time. A collection box will be kept at school for this purpose. For this to be a continued success all that is required to fulfil our monthly payments is for each child at QBS to bring in about 40c per month. So the spare change that you normally put in a jar at home can now go towards making a difference for a whole village in China.

This is a chance for your child to live our school mission statement; 'EMPOWERING LEARNERS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE'

Mr Leone

Charity Committee Coordinator

External Canvasing

'Film Factory Limited'

It was brought to my attention that the company named above have been canvasing our students at the school gate, giving out flyers and promotional material. It appears that they were particularly targeting Korean children. Please note that this is nothing to do with Quarry Bay School and the company did not ask permission to distribute their advertising information.

PYP

Call for experts in our school community

In order to facilitate relevant, challenging and engaging learning experiences for our students we often invite experts in to work with us. This helps children to understand how learning that takes place in school is connected to real life, real people and real jobs.

We know that we have a talented community of parents who are keen to support their children's learning so we would like to compile a data base of parents who can offer expert help to our students throughout the school.

If you have experience or interest in any of the areas covered in our programme of inquiry and are able to offer your support, please email me with the following information:

Your Name
Name of Child
Area of expertise
How you could help (for example: in class, by email or SKYPE, by providing background knowledge for teachers, or any other ideas you may have!)

Examples of areas we would like your support with:

Social Studies:

Personal histories
Local history and geography
Migration
Consumer choices
Supply and demand
Geology, weather, natural disasters
Exploration
Celebrations in a range of cultures
Beliefs and values

Science:

Healthy living
Forces
Energy
Engineering
Architecture
Plants
Animals
Habitats
Biodiversity
Properties of materials
Changing materials
Water
How we learn

Environment:

Water
Waste
Sustainable Energy
Sustainability

Arts:

Sculpture
Drawing
Painting
Dance
Music

Donna Morley
PYP Coordinator
donna.morley@qbs.edu.hk

The Gateway

Parent Logins

Currently, around 45% of our QBS families have taken the opportunity to login to The Gateway.

Please refer to the letter sent to you recently and login to activate your family account.

Please check your childs demographic info and notify office@qbs.edu.hk if any information needs corrected/updated.

Any problems logging in then please contact jamie.cadman@qbs.edu.hk

ESF Lions Football Club

Lucas Dale and Anya Saunders played in the Under 8's HKCFL tournament at KGV School on Saturday February 7th, and lost just one match.

Congratulations to both players!

ESF Football is offering Spring Football Clinics at a nearby venue. Check the ESF website for more details!

Sports Section
ESF Educational Services Limited

sports@esf.org.hk http://www.esf.org.hk

QBS Brownies

In co-operation with the Shoots and Roots Institute, the Girl Scout, USA on Foreign Soil in HK invited HKGGA to develope the Roots and Shoots Badge to help girls brainstorm ways to balance the needs of people, animals and the environment.
In response, CLP and HKGGA and its Leaders organised a "Tree Planting Day which will be held on the afternoon of 13th March, 2010 at the country park in Tuen Mun. NT.
Please note that our QBS Brownie Pack will be participating on this worthy cause to enhance the girls environmental awareness. The activity will start at 1:00 PM and ends at 3:45 PM.

PTA

SCHOOL BUS - NEWS

SCHOOL BUS FEES – TERM 3

Unpaid Bus Fees

1) Replacement Cheques: We still have a number of parents who have not as yet sent in the replacement cheques.

2) Bus Fees: Term 3 – we still have parents who have not sent in a cheque at all for Term 3,

PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING CHEQUES IS :
18th MARCH 2010

** Please note that the PTA reserves the right to prohibit those students with outstanding formalities (i.e. unpaid bus fares, and/or uncompleted application forms with parental authorisation for travel) to travel on the school buses. [This is a requirement which is in the best interest of the School, the PTA, the Bus Company, and all parents and students.].

All cheques should be payable to : “QBS PTA LTD BUS”
All cheques are to be dated 20th March 2010.
On the reverse side of the cheques – please specify student name / class number & bus number.

For further information please do not hesitate to contact either Mona Diwan or Dorothy Ho on 28871004.

Special Travel or Change in Travel Arrangements

All Parents and Guardians are reminded to inform PTA as well as the School for any change in the regular travel plans of their child(ren) 1 DAY before the date and time concerned. Please note that no students will be authorised to travel on other buses without prior authorisation by the PTA – as most of our bus routes are running full.

After-School Activities

All Parents and Guardians are reminded to inform PTA in writing, for all the after-school activities of their child(ren) for Term 2 - as soon as possible by email to pta@qbs.edu.hk

PTA SHOP - NEWS

Summer Uniforms

Summer Uniforms will be available for purchase after the Easter Holidays – starting from 12th April 2010.

PTA SHOP - SHOP TIMINGS

Please note the shop will be operating as per the regular schedule until Friday 19th March 2010 (as stated below):

Regular Times:

Monday - SHOP CLOSED

Tuesday - OPEN - 8:00am - 11:00am / 12:00noon - 4:00pm

Wednesday - OPEN - 8:00am - 11:00am / 12:00noon - 4:00pm

Thursday - OPEN - 8:00am - 11:00am / 12:00noon - 4:00pm

Friday - CLOSED

[The shop will also be closed on all CPD and Public Holidays and when school is closed].

Please note the shop will be operating as per the special schedule from Monday 22nd March to Friday 26th March 2010:

Special Schedule:
Monday, 22nd March 2010 - OPEN (8:00am - 12:00noon)
Tuesday, 23rd March 2010 - OPEN (8:00am – 12:00noon)
Wednesday, 24th March 2010 - CLOSED (for stock check)
Thursday, 25th March 2010 - CLOSED (for stock check)
Friday, 26th March 2010 - CLOSED

PTA OPERATION TIMINGS

PTA OFFICE: will be open from 8:00am to 3:00pm from Monday to Friday (as per the school calendar).

PTA SHOP: will be open from 8:00am to 4:00pm from Tuesday to Thursday only, with a 1 hour closure for lunch from 11:00am to 12:00noon.

For further queries on the above please do not hesitate to contact either Mona Diwan or Dorothy Ho at the PTA office either by phone no: 28871004, or by email: pta@qbs.edu.hk

Chess

The ISF Academy 2010 Chess Open tournament, organised by The ISF Academy and Chess4Life, will be held on March 27th 2010.

It is open to all students in local and international schools in Hong Kong where students can compete for “team” and “individual” championship titles in three different sections:

(1) ages 6 and under

(2) primary level

(3) secondary level.

International Chess Master Mr. Larry Evans, US Chess Federation-selected lecturer and national columnist for Chess Life Magazine, will conduct opening ceremonies and provide expert game analysis for participants.

For more details, please go to the Chess4Life section of www.activekidshk.com.

To register, please contact ActiveKids by email at info@activekidshk.com, by phone at 9178-7376, by fax 8143-0070 or register online at www.chess4life.com/chess- events/tournaments.

Music

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Performance

23rd March 4~5pm (Buses will return to school by 6pm)

Please print, complete and return this reply slip to secure your FREE seats.
All year 6’s are encouraged to attend as this is a unit we will be inquiring into for the rest of the term.
We have managed to secure a large number of seats so family groups are most welcome (but, sorry, no under 3yrs old).
The fee for the bus is $20 per person.