Head of Secondary Message, Term 1, Week 1 2026

It was wonderful to welcome students back to campus yesterday for the 2026 school year. With the Year of the Fire Horse fast approaching, students have galloped into school routines and new challenges with great energy and enthusiasm. Campus facilities are looking fabulous after extensive renovation works over the holidays and we are looking forward to a highly successful and rewarding year ahead.

A special welcome to all new secondary families joining our school community. It was lovely to meet many of you at this morning’s Parent Association coffee event and we hope your children settle in quickly to life at AISHK. In secondary, we also welcome new colleagues: Ms Malini Nageswaran in Mathematics; Mr Joe Wilson and Mr Sean Wray in HSIE; Ms Isabella Russo in English; and Ms Haze Kwok in Chinese. Ms Alice Withers and Ms Maxine Tsang also join the learning support team as teaching assistants.

Academically, our students can draw inspiration from the class of 2025, who performed extremely well in last year’s HSC and IBDP examinations. With a third of the cohort achieving an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) over 90 and more than two thirds of students scoring over 80, our graduates are now confirming university offers both in Australia and abroad, and we look forward to hearing about their continued success post-school. Our social media accounts have been profiling some of the top 2025 achievers in recent weeks and more detailed analysis of AISHK’s excellent results will be shared soon.

Yesterday, the school year started with year level meetings, where expectations about student behaviour and school standards were clearly outlined. Students were reminded that they need to be through the school gates by 8:15 sharp each morning, with the names of latecomers recorded and detentions issued after three infringements. This year, students are also required to leave campus by 4:00 unless they are involved in after school classes or activities. No unsupervised play on the field or other campus areas will be permitted and the security guards will be enforcing this rule.

Uniform standards were also reinforced, including school rules regarding hair, makeup and jewellery (all outlined in the student diary). An important change for 2026 is that with no more Friday sport, students do not wear PE kit on Fridays unless they have a particular event or activity requiring it. At its best, the AISHK uniform is one of the most striking and distinctive school uniforms in Hong Kong, and we expect our students to wear it correctly and with pride. In 2026, we are committed to lifting dress standards across the school and we ask for your support at home to reinforce our efforts.

A final reminder that AISHK is a “phone-free" environment and students are not permitted to use their phones or personal devices during the school day. They must be stored in student lockers or bags. An exception to this in secondary would be a learning activity involving use of a mobile phone, which would be entirely under the

direction of teachers and closely supervised. Students may also use the Octopus app on their phone for cafeteria purchases. We firmly believe that teenagers have ample opportunities in their social lives to interact via mobile phones, but the AISHK school day is not one of them.

There are information evenings for year 7 families next Tuesday and year 8 families next Wednesday. I am looking forward to seeing many of you there. On Thursday, there is an online information session for year 9 families focused mainly on the upcoming HKAYP camping expedition run by Outward Bound. There are further information sessions regarding secondary Activity Week (2-6 March) scheduled across the coming weeks.

Monday is Australia Day, which is also AISHK’s 31st birthday, and we have so much to be proud of and excited about as we commence a new school year. I am looking forward to seeing our students thrive and succeed in all aspects of school life.

Wishing you a great weekend and all the very best for 2026.