Dear Parents, Students, and Families,

I hope this message finds everyone well. You have all likely heard the latest news issued late yesterday afternoon that the Education Bureau has now confirmed that all face-to-face classes in Hong Kong will be suspended until 21 February. That means that Online School will continue at American International School, beginning on 8 February, 2022. You are reminded that there is no school on 7 February, as it is a Professional Learning day.

Lunar New Year

We had wonderful online Lunar New Year celebrations this week! Congratulations to our outstanding Mandarin teachers and students for their talented performances. As you can see from the wide array of performances shared by our Middle School students in their online assembly, they were inspiring! Even the teachers participated in a traditional fan dance!

Student Vaccinations

As I mentioned in my last message, the EDB is asking schools to encourage families and students to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect all members of the community and better ensure that schools are able to resume face-to-face instruction as quickly as possible and remain open when they do.

You are reminded to kindly complete this Google Form to help us better assess our families’ willingness to have newly-eligible children aged 5-11 vaccinated. As previously mentioned, we will let you know if enough parents choose this option and we meet the required threshold for the shots to be administered on campus. If you missed it before, it is important to note that students are now only considered to be vaccinated if they have two (2) shots of the Sinovac vaccine. Previously 1 shot was considered enough, and that is no longer the case. One (1) shot of the BioNTech vaccine continues to meet the requirement.

EDB Vaccine Bubble for Adults

You are also reminded that if you have not received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 24 February you will no longer be allowed to come on campus, as per the EDB’s 20 January message regarding the expansion of the vaccine bubble.

Positive Parenting Workshop

Please be sure to read Ms. Kris Bumpus’ Counseling Corner message sent yesterday afternoon. There are many resources there that you may find helpful to support wellbeing and positive approaches to dealing with change. If you would like to learn more strategies and find new ways to better support your child, please complete this form to indicate that you plan on attending a whole school family webinar on 10 February from 12:30 – 2:00, led by Odette Umali.

South China Morning Post

It was lovely to have a reporter from the South China Morning Post visit and interview students just before the Winter Break about our Charitable Free Dress Days and Operation Santa Claus. Here is the article they wrote about our lovely school. We are grateful for the opportunity to showcase the ongoing charitable work of our AIS community and truly proud of the monthly contributions we make to helping those less fortunate. Even in difficult times, we remain committed to improving the lives of others and developing a global citizen mindset.

Gratitude

We trust that you are enjoying the opportunity to connect with your children’s teachers during our Parent Teacher and Student-Led Conferences throughout the day today and yesterday evening. We know that parent engagement is one of the strongest determinants of student success, and we are confident that our students do well because of the wonderful relationships we enjoy with our families.

Please stay safe, enjoy the Lunar New Year break, and remember that regular physical activity helps each of us stay positive and healthy. Consider joining in on our next Cross Country Challenge PE fundraiser, the Lunar New Year Race which starts tomorrow 29 January and runs until 13 February.

Sending peace, love, and all good things at this very special time of year.

新年快乐 / 新年快樂 Happy New Year!

My best,

Anita Simpson
Head of School