Head of Secondary Message, Term 2, Week 4 2026

We’ve almost reached the halfway point of term, and as I reminded the Year 12 students earlier in the week, it’s less than 70 school days until their graduation! As always, campus life is busy and dynamic, with our students embracing varied opportunities inside and outside the classroom.

Assessments and Exams

Academically, the students face a busy month ahead, with half-yearly exams for Years 9 and 10 in week 7, and assessment tasks due for other year levels across all subjects. I encourage parents to talk to your children about the tasks they are working on and how you can help them manage study and stress at home. The year level assessment booklets shared by Ms Bennett last term are very informative, while summative assessment tasks are now posted on iSAMS. Families should also make use of the excellent study skills resources and website shared by Dr Prue Salter after her visit to Hong Kong last month.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Last week, Year 7 homeroom teachers conducted online interviews with parents as we continue to support the students’ transition into Secondary school. Additionally, our Head of Year 7, Mr Guest, hosted a number of informal coffee mornings with Year level parents this week to further build the home-school partnership. There are face-to-face parent-teacher interviews scheduled for Thursday 28 May for parents of Years 11 and 12 students. These come at a critical time in the students’ senior studies and provide the opportunity for frank discussions about student progress in the HSC and IB Diploma programs.

Please note that due to a start time of 3pm for interviews that day, all Secondary students will be dismissed at the conclusion of period 5 (2:35pm).

Youth Mental Health First Aid

As part of AISHK’s commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students, all Secondary teachers are required to maintain youth mental health first aid accreditation, including refresher courses every three years. Staff training was conducted earlier this week by Shirralee Sisson of Positive Wellbeing, giving us an opportunity to keep up to date on the rapidly changing factors that affect young people’s mental health. One emerging and concerning hazard is how students interact with AI and the rise of “chatbot emotional dependency”. We are closely monitoring the latest research on this as we continue to hone our approaches to AI use in school.

Online Learning in Weather

As we have seen in recent days, the rainy season has definitely arrived and the Hong Kong weather is highly unpredictable. I have previously shared our updated guidelines for online learning when school is cancelled due to adverse weather, which includes enhanced provision for students. Please remind students that completion of set work and participation in online meets is expected, so long as it is safe to do so.

Mufti Day

Wednesday’s ‘Tropical Takeover’ House mufti day was a huge success, with students from all year levels enjoying the games, bake sale and sausage sizzle under sunny skies. A big thank you to the House captains and student leaders who led the activities with great gusto, with warm thanks also to the House patrons, staff and parent volunteers who contributed to a fantastic and fun day. It was wonderful to support the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, a charity partner for over two decades. There will be more House spirit in the air next week, with the long-awaited return of the Secondary swimming carnival, set for Thursday at Morse Park.

Wishing all our Secondary families a fun and relaxing weekend!