Head of School Message There is little doubt that 2019 has been a significant year in Hong Kong’s history, with unprecedented change to the fabric of our wonderful city. 2019 was not without some challenges and a degree of uncertainty, however, in the face of adversity we have all united as a school community and supported one another in true Australian fashion. Although the year started smoothly and the first half of the year was much like any other school year, from July to December was like no other we have experienced. As a result of the experiences of the second half of the year, we could easily view 2019 from a negative perspective. However; given the challenges we all experienced, in retrospect, 2019 proved to be an incredibly successful year for AISHK. Throughout 2019 I was extremely impressed by how all members of our community coped with the evolving and largely unfamiliar situation. During some very difficult times, our teachers remained steadfast and committed to the cause of caring for the students and providing them with the very best learning experiences possible, whilst ensuring that the wellbeing of the students was foremost in all our efforts. Our parent community showed incredible faith in the school. During some very disruptive and stressful times, parents overcame many challenges which would ordinarily be a simple aspect of their daily routine, for example, transporting students to school and supporting and caring for them. Most noticeably, I was so impressed with our students’ ability to adapt, to be flexible, and their unwavering positivity. In sometimes difficult circumstances, we continued as normal, with very little disruption to our daily routines and programmes. These experiences of adjusting and responding to a rapidly changing world have developed many of the skills which will assist our students to be successful in the future.
Mr Mark Hemphill Head of School
We often hear the phrase ‘being agile’ and this has certainly been the case in 2019 as together we carefully navigated a changing Hong Kong. 2019 was another incredibly successful year for the AISHK community as the school grew from strength to strength and firmly cemented itself as one of the very best international schools in Hong Kong. We enjoy an enviable reputation for: • Our focus on the wellbeing of our students which is our number one priority • Our promise to deliver a balanced education • Our academic results • our broad extra-curricular program and, most importantly • Being an inclusive, happy school Some of the major achievements of 2019 include: • Successful attainment of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) recognition to be able to offer the NSW HSC for the following 5 years (valid until 2024) • Important preparation work for our IB Self Study and review in 2020 • Significant school wide improvement in all areas across the school in the MMG Parent Survey. MMG staff commented that our results exceeded many of the very best independent schools in Australia. • Appointment of a Director of Student Wellbeing and further development of our student wellbeing programs • Restructure of the Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) and Sport Departments to enhance our sporting program • Continued strengthening of our relationship with Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW who continued to provide high quality Professional Learning for all teachers. We enjoy an outstanding reputation with AISNSW as one of the best independent schools in the state
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