Ref : 37/2011 15th November 2010

From The Principal

An Historic ‘Win’ for KJS Footballers
Our Year 6 boys A Team including Jonathan, Takao, Daryush, Vishal, Tyshin, Long Yin, Matthew,
Dany, Tony, and Sam made school (and probably ESF) history on Saturday; by becoming the first
KJS football team for over a decade to win a football tournament.

The team performed exceptionally well from the start with each player showing great confidence,
determination and resilience. KJS beat Japanese International School 2-0 in the first match, then
went on to win the group stage by beating HKIS 1-0, by drawing 0-0 with Discovery Bay
International School, and defeating Bradbury B team 3-0.

In the Semi Finals KJS beat a very skilled Clearwater Bay School team 1-0 and went on to meet
Kennedy School in the finals. I personally cannot remember ever watching a school football
competition final that was as exciting and so full of drama as the match with Kennedy.

Kennedy School went 1-0 up but KJS fought back with a brilliant goal just before the final whistle.
Both teams were then forced to play 5 minutes ‘Golden Goal’ time with KJS having the better part
of the session - even hitting the bar in the last minute! However after extra time it was still 1-1 so
the teams had to play penalties. There was some talk at that point between the coaches from
both schools about calling it a draw but it was decided the result should be agreed through
penalties. This was perhaps the most nail-biting time for KJS who were 3-2 down with Kennedy
only needing to score their last penalty to win the competition. However our heroic goalkeeper
Tony dived to his right and made a fantastic save leaving both teams at 3 apiece.

It was then that Mr Tim Luck, PE Coordinator for Kennedy School and Mr Andy Thompson coach
for KJS (unfortunately Mr Riddell was unable to attend) felt that it would be a pity for either team
to lose; and thus by mutual consent the match was called a draw. Both teams were ecstatic and
very happy to share the cup for 6 months each!

This decision was taken in the best interests of all the students involved and I would like to
sincerely thank Mr Luck and Kennedy for their sense of integrity and fair play. I feel this type of
cooperation and camaraderie between KJS and Kennedy highlights the commitment of all ESF
staff to our students. Furthermore I believe it emphasises the close relationships and the shared
values that exist between ESF schools.

I would also like to mention the sterling performance of KJS B Team including Avir, Sam, Joshua,
Yat Nam, Kingston, Kyros, Parthiv, Yash and Nikil. All the players acquitted themselves
extremely well during the competition and showed great effort and determination in every game.
Whilst they didn’t manage to go beyond the group stage of the competition they nevertheless
played their very best in each match; well done to all of them! In several games they were
extremely not to draw.

Finally I would like to thank our coaches Mr Ian Riddell (PE Coordinator) and Mr Andy Thompson
(Year 5 Leader) for all their hard work with the football teams. Many of our A team footballers
already play for clubs outside of school, but as even top English Premiership managers know, the
difficult task is getting a group of individuals to play effectively as a team. This is something that
our coaches were able to do very successfully!
Empathy and Dress Blue Day
The school was closed on Thursday and Friday last week for CPD (Continuing Professional
Development). The focus of the training was teamwork and our facilitator Mrs Diane Willcoxson
shared a Youtube clip with staff, which I thought some of you would also like to see…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReQ4iuTNYtAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReQ4iuTNYtA

It is primarily a film about the importance of empathy to everyone and everything, including the
future of our species and planet. One of the things it brought to my mind was the huge amount of
empathy which already exists within our school community. An example of this has been the
school’s efforts to raise money for Mr Gui Vessaro. As you know we will be hosting a Dress Blue
Day this Friday (19th November) to raise funds for Gui, but I have felt very humbled and incredibly
touched by the kind and extremely generous donations that many parents and families have
already sent in to the school. Thank you so much to everyone for your support. Please make
cheques payable to: 'Island School Amalgamated Charities'. We will collect all cheques and
cash and pass them on to Island School, which is coordinating the collection for Gui.

School News & Information

Rose Street Exit
All children (and adults responsible for them) are reminded that no students are allowed to cross
the Rose Street car park area. This rule was highlighted again last week when a hurrying child
rushed across in front of a staff car at the end of the day. Please ensure that all students use the
small main gate to the side of the car park gates.

Poetry Competition - A Poem called "IF"!

The subject is "IF" and you can imagine what it would be like to be someone, or something, other
than you - you might be a dog or an elephant; you might be an alien or a werewolf; you might be
head teacher; you might be a television or a plastic bag!! Then write a poem about it in up to 8
lines!
The winner of the first prize will receive a free copy of one of Sarah Brennan's signed books of
their choice and the ten best entries will be published in her blog.
If you are interested in participating in this competition, send your entries to
sarah@auspicioustimes.com and make sure you include your full name, your age, your class,
and the name of your school. Deadline for entries is December 16th.

PTA & Community News

Calendar of Important Dates
The following dates are provided for your reference. Further details of trips will be provided closer
to the actual dates.

Date Event
15-11-10 1D & 1P visit to Sai Kung
18-11-10 1M, 1H and 1S visit to Sai Kung
23-11-10 to 26-11-10 Y5 Camp
22-11-10 3A Ark Eden
23-11-10 3S Ark Eden
24-11-10 3C Ark Eden
Y1 MMR Immunization
25-11-10 3D Ark Eden
26-11-10 3M Ark Eden

Yours sincerely

Mark Cripps
Principal