Dear Parents,
Summer break has flown past it seems and we are about to launch into a new year of teaching and learning at HFS. I am delighted to serve as Acting Principal for the 2019-20 academic year and look forward to all that is in store. There are some exciting developments that I wish to share with you in this, the first newsletter of the year.
New Staff Introductions
I am thrilled to welcome Ms. Laura Nurse to the HFS teaching team. Ms. Nurse is from the U.K. and is new to Korea. She will be teaching the Year 1-2 cohort and I could not be happier trusting their teaching and learning to her capable skills. I am also pleased to have Ms. Barbara Kum join our Teaching Assistants crew on a part-time basis. Her support will no doubt prove invaluable this year. It is always a pleasure to welcome new staff members into our HFS community and I am sure they will have an enjoyable time here.
Induction Day
Today we also welcomed some new parents and students into the HFS community. I was happy to see so many new faces at our school and some familiar ones with younger siblings starting their schooling. The induction proceedings went exceedingly well as the students and parents explored the grounds and got to know their teachers. I am sure the new students will soon feel right at home in their new school.
New Curriculum Additions
The implementation of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) last year was such a resounding success that we have elected to extend that program to the early years’ group. I am very pleased to announce that for the 2019-20 academic year we will also be implementing the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) for the year FS 1-2 class. It is a dynamic, play-based curriculum with many exciting topics and activities for your child to begin their learning journey. I look forward to what they produce through it. An addition to our specialist teaching subjects is the introduction of a music curriculum for all classes. It is vitally important that learners get exposed to the creative arts and through this school-wide program they will have the avenue to explore their musical creativity this year.
After-School Club Activities
We will continue to have a full complement of after school club activities this term. Some days will have more than one and students will have to be selective as to which clubs they choose to join. Please sign up for the club activities during week 1 since we keep a limit of 20 for each club. Also note that the violin and swimming clubs require a minimum 3 and 5 participants, respectively, for them to be feasible and since they are run externally to HFS there is a cost involved. Please see the table below and take note of which clubs are available to which particular age groups and sign up accordingly. Sign-ups will work on a first-come-first-serve basis so sign up quickly. Clubs will commence from week 2, Monday 2 September.
I am pleased that HFS continues to grow and I am looking forward to school starting bright and early on Monday 26 August. The school bus will operate as per normal from then and I can’t wait to see everybody there ready to plunge into 2019-20 at HFS!
Mr. Kearney