Community Spotlight with 5 AISHK Families

Harding Family

Vanessa & Andrew | Jude (Year 12), William, Harriet (Year 9)

Please tell us a bit about your family? What is your relocation

background and how long have you been in Hong Kong? We moved to Hong Kong from Sydney 9 years ago this July - a move that was intended to only be 3 years. Our three children started at AISHK. After 6 years at the school my two sons went back to Australia to go to boarding school.

It has been a challenging time for many around the world. In a school context, we’ve all had to adapt to changing circumstances more than ever. Are there any challenges or unexpected positives you might share about school life,

despite the varied years we have experienced recently? A couple of challenges, 1: has been the separation online learning creates between children and their friends. The social interaction the classroom and playground environment provides is so important, so it was a real struggle for my children to be deprived of this for so long. 2: We found that Covid and Boarding school were not working for our family so we were fortunate enough to be able to re-enrol at AISHK.

How would you describe your family’s time with AISHK? What do you think sets AISHK apart from other international schools in Hong Kong and what were your main reasons for

choosing AISHK as a school for your family? I would describe my family’s time at AISHK as all-embracing. AISHK is able to engage students in anything they may wish to pursue - my eldest was able to go on debating trips, my youngest was able to play netball and take up art, while my middle child was able to play rugby. What sets AISHK apart is that it is truly an international school; giving its students an international experience whilst still maintaining a sense of Australianism. This strong connection back to Australia is what made AISHK the clearest option for our children’s education.

How would you describe your neighbourhood in Hong Kong, and what would you say your family enjoys doing most in

your free time? Our neighbourhood (Happy Valley) is vibrant and convenient. There are so many restaurants of all different cuisines to choose from and most importantly plenty of foot massage options. Living in the Valley also means we are a 5 minute walk to Causeway Bay and a 15 minute drive to Deep Water Bay - this allows us to easily take part in our family’s favourite past-time, paddle boarding. The occasional camping trip has also been a great thing to do, but not all of them have been successful!

Do you have any friendly tips or advice you might share with

those newer to Hong Kong? I found the adjustment to Hong Kong an exciting one - it is such a fast-paced, cosmopolitan place! At the same time Hong Kong’s many hikes and beaches made this easier - they are a great escape from what can the initially be an overwhelming change in lifestyle. Even after 9 years I still feel I am discovering new things and places.

Carina & Joseph | Jethro (Year 3) & Cassidy (Prep)

Welcome to Hong Kong! Please tell us a bit about your family and how long you have been at AISHK? We started our Hong Kong adventure when we landed 2 months ago from Sydney and joined AISHK in Term 2. AISHK was our top priority, with the kids (Jethro, Year 3 and Cassidy, Prep) settling into a new school life on the second day out of quarantine.

It has been a challenging time for many around the world. We’ve all had to adapt to changing circumstances. How did you adapt to your new environment in a pandemic? Have there been challenges or unexpected positives you might share?

Our arrival to Hong Kong coincided with the relaxation of COVID measures, so our timing was really lucky. It meant we were able to enjoy the opportunity to come into school for a tour and attend a parent meeting with the Primary leadership team, both of which gave us a better understanding of what school life has been like over the past year, insight into how resilient both the AISHK students and teachers have been and to hear about the school’s focus on student wellbeing.

How would you describe your family’s time with AISHK so far?

We’ve felt very welcomed! School life at the AISHK has been a smooth transition with both kids having adapted to a larger and more globally diverse school community. AISHK teachers and parents have been very friendly and helpful to our family, sharing the same feelings of excitement for the early stages of our Hong Kong adventure.

What do you think sets AISHK apart from other international schools in Hong Kong? Were there any stand-out reasons

you chose AISHK as a school for your family? To be honest, we didn’t really look beyond AISHK. We wanted some familiarity with back home, so following the same curriculum and school term dates made a lot of sense. Both kids have enjoyed a seamless transition into AISHK school life in only a short period of time. Most importantly, we spoke with alumni AISHK families that had begun with the school when it first opened in 1995, and also with current families attending the school, with resounding feedback that AISHK kids are given an opportunity to experience a culturally diverse education. We are super happy with our decision.

How would you describe your neighbourhood in Hong Kong, and what would you say your family enjoys doing most in your

free time? Currently, we are staying in Kornhill which has great convenience, delicious restaurants and large supermarkets. We will be moving permanently to Happy Valley in the next couple of weeks, hoping to get involved with the football club and other sports around that area. We love to eat and Yum Cha is a MUST for our family - we welcome any recommendations to explore the thousands of varieties of dim sum Hong Kong has to offer!

Do you have any friendly tips/advice you might share with

others newer to Hong Kong? Before we started this adventure, we told the kids that Hong Kong would be a fast, vibrant and dynamic city, with lots of new things to try and see… as the kids would say, ‘Let’s give it a go!’

Megan & James | Oscar (Year 11), Lily, Edward & Harry

Welcome to Hong Kong! Please tell us a bit about your family.

How long you have been in Hong Kong and at AISHK? We’ve recently relocated to Hong Kong from Melbourne, Australia with my (Megan’s) work as a Medical Planner working on the North District Hospital. Oscar is the youngest of 4, his 3 older siblings are all at Uni in Melbourne. They are Edward - 25 Masters of Electrical Engineering, Harry - 22 Aerospace Engineering and Lily - 20, U23 Australian Rowing Team (course undecided...). This is our first expat experience. My parents worked in Singapore when she was at school and as a result when the Hong Kong relocation arose, we were excited to take on the challenge. When Oscar was in his Primary years we lived in Perth for a couple of years working on the Perth Children’s Hospital, Oscar left Perth with many buddies having adapted well to change.

It has been a challenging time for many around the world, and for schools. How did you find moving during the pandemic? Are there any challenging or positive experiences you might

share? I have been talking to Pauline Dear via email since February 2020 and we eventually arrived in Hong Kong in March 2021. It’s hard work and unpredictable relocating during a pandemic, the amount of paperwork completed and apps downloaded just to arrive in the country was challenging but effective. Quarantine was surreal and we couldn’t wait to walk and explore after sitting in a Hotel Room for 3 weeks. We both miss our dalmatian Hugo (he likes a puppachino, as you can see).

How would you describe your family’s time with AISHK so far?

AISHK have adapted Oscar’s learning well to the complexities of relocating during Term 1. Oscar commenced classes when we were still in Melbourne and our time in quarantine coincided with the end of Term 1. Having met a few people during google classroom classes, Oscar managed to meet up with some of his classmates during the Term break. He described his first term on site as challenging because he was here physically but his mind was still transitioning. The partial onsite/online arrangement through most of Term 2 possibly contributed to that sense of not being fully here. Excursions, travelling to school on the MTR and starting Volleyball have all helped to settle Oscar in Hong Kong.

What do you think sets AISHK apart from other international schools in Hong Kong? What were the main reasons you chose

AISHK as a school for your family? Oscar will eventually return to Australia to University and continuing with an Australian curriculum was our primary reasoning for choosing AISHK. We both felt like we’d been there before when first visiting the school because there were so many familiar practices both in the classroom and in the organisation of the school. The Google classroom parent-teacher interviews was the highlight of the term for me, as it was nice to meet all the teachers Oscar regularly mentions at home.

How would you describe your neighbourhood in Hong Kong, and what would you say your family enjoys doing most in your

free time? We haven’t yet finalised our neighbourhood in Hong Kong but have been exploring many in the hope of finding one that appeals to both of us. We are currently in Causeway Bay and have looked at accommodation in Jordan, Kowloon Tong and Sai Ying Pun. At the end of last week we found a place in Sai Ying Pun which ticks all the boxes and has a nice balance of the old and the new, plus many good coffee shops and interesting food options which will be great when Oscar’s older siblings come to visit as we love family dinner get togethers.

Were there any unexpected experiences when you arrived? Any similarities to Melbourne? When first released from quarantine Megan went for a walk up to Jardine’s Lookout and was surprised to find that there were wild pigs on the Island. There’s a really strong coffee culture in Melbourne and I have struggled to find a favourite local coffee shop but as Oscar says, “We’ve got plenty of time Mum.”

Do you have any friendly tips or advice you might share with

others newer to Hong Kong? Take your time to explore before you settle on your new home. Hong Kong is so varied there will be something that connects you with whatever location you choose to settle in.

Kwon Family

Julia & John Michaela (Year 7) , Jane (Year 5) and Markus (Enrolment, Prep)

Please tell us a bit about your family and your travel and relocation background? How long have you been

in Hong Kong? We have lived in Sydney, Seoul and Hong Kong and decided to relocate back to Hong Kong from Seoul early this year. Our children, Michaela and Jane attended Korean elementary schools just across the Han River from Gangnam, where her maternal grandparents reside. With their paternal grandparents, aunties and cousins living in Sydney, we will probably head south one day, but we chose to spend the next few years of our lives in Hong Kong to experience the vibrant lifestyle and opportunities which this city can offer us.

How would you describe your neighbourhood in Hong Kong, and what would you say your family enjoys doing

most in your free time? We live on the most eastern tip of Hong Kong overlooking Green Island, where you can see the sunset over Lantau Island. Down the road from where we live is Kennedy Town, and old neighbourhood interfused with new developments, the latest one being the only independent cinema in Hong Kong. The area has a real town community feel and we have been using it as vantage point to discover other parts of Hong Kong during the weekends, which include visiting many of the outlying islands which is in sight from our home. In our free time, we enjoy visiting the Parkview pools, and exploring the Tai Tam trails from there to Repulse Bay and Stanley.

It has been a challenging time for many, globally. For schools, we’ve all had to be flexible to changing circumstances more than ever. Are there any challenges or unexpected positives you or your children might share about school life, despite the varied year we have had?

During the course of this year, we experienced the gradual transition to full time school attendance. We were surprised to discover how keen the children were to get back to school, to be back in their classrooms with their teachers and friends. We were happy that they were able to learn the importance of kinship and interaction through this experience.

How would you describe your family’s time with AISHK so far? The whole family had to quarantine for three weeks upon arrival in Hong Kong in January. The very day we got out of quarantine, we visited AISHK to buy school uniform and pick up laptops. That day has become a milestone for our family to commence our new lives in Hong Kong with AISHK being an integral part.

What do you think sets AISHK apart from other international schools in Hong Kong? What were the main reasons you chose AISHK

as a school for your family? We chose AISHK as it offers the option for our children to continue their studies in Australia in the future. We also chose the school as they can also have the option of studying anywhere else in the world in the future through the IB stream, which they can decide on later. We see AISHK as a boutique school where care and attention is given to each student, so that they have the room to develop their character and identity while being exposed to many students from multinational backgrounds.

Jacqueline & Shung Pan | Natalie (Year 9) & Naomi (Year 7)

Please tell us a bit about your family and how long you have been with AISHK? This is our first year joining AISHK. We have 2 girls - Natalie is in Year 9 and Naomi is in Year 7. Our daughters are born and raised in Hong Kong. Natalie was in boarding school in Sydney in 2019-2020. It was actually our intention to move back to Sydney when Naomi starts Year 7 this year.

How would you describe your family’s time with AISHK so far? We have had a very smooth transition to AISHK and the credit goes to the school’s “buddy” system where each new student is assigned to a buddy at the beginning of the school year to assist our children to adapt to school life at AISHK. Teachers and year co-ordinators have also been an excellent support.

It has been a challenging time for many around the world, and for schools, we’ve all had to adapt to evolving circumstances

more than ever. Are there any challenges or unexpected positives you or your children might share about school life? We never expected the pandemic would lead our girls to join AISHK. With compulsory quarantine requirement imposed by both Hong Kong and Australian governments since last year, we realised we would not be able to fly back and forth that easily to visit Natalie and due to business commitments in Hong Kong, our move back to Sydney is now on hold. During this challenging time staying together is priority and we decided that Natalie should come back to Hong Kong to be with us. We were very fortunate that AISHK accepted both our girls and so far they are adapting very well.

What do you think sets AISHK apart from other international schools in Hong Kong? What were the main reasons you chose

AISHK as a school for your family? Having been to other international schools in Hong Kong before joining AISHK, in our opinion, AISHK has one of the best support networks for both students and parents. We feel we are part of the family and that is one of the most important ingredients to making a successful school. In addition, with AISHK offering the choice to undertake either the NSW HSC or IBDP curriculum, it gives our children the flexibility and opportunity to choose their tertiary studies whether in Australia or other parts of the world.

How would you describe your neighbourhood in Hong Kong? What does your family enjoy doing most in your free time? We live in a lowrise building in Pokfulam and we thoroughly enjoy the space that we have. In our free time, we like doing outdoor activities: hiking at different trails in Hong Kong Island and the New Territories; Dragon’s Back is one of our favourite trails with spectacular views of the southern side of Hong Kong Island. Our girls love going to horse riding at Clearwater Bay on the weekends and during summer there are many beaches you can go to, and Big Wave Bay Beach is our favourite.