Dear Parents and Students,

We have just completed our third full week of school, and it is absolutely wonderful to see the return of so many familiar activities and faces. Our students are clearly enjoying the opportunity to connect with friends and build new relationships. Thanks to the generosity of one of our wonderful parents, Mr. Andy Malhan, I am proud to feature some of the photos he kindly captured of our students on their first day back! On behalf of the AIS community, thank you for the wonderful gift and lasting memories that we can all enjoy, Mr. Malhan!! Those eyes!!!

Middle School Fun!

It was SO much fun hearing the Middle School students cheer each other on this morning as they participated in awesome activities in the Homeroom Housecup Challenge! Thanks to our wonderful Middle School team and Mr. Ant Lennon for organizing such a joyful morning for students! Click on the image (and make sure you’re signed into your AIS account) below to catch some of the action!

Education Bureau Messaging: Extra Curricular & After-School Sports

I recently received important new information from the Education Bureau (EDB) about the criteria that international and local schools must now follow when determining if students are eligible to participate in extracurricular activities and after-school sports. These new requirements have the potential to change who is eligible to continue to participate. Currently, individual students who have received two doses of a vaccine for more than 14 days, or those who have received one dose and have also been infected with COVID-19, are eligible for these after-school activities.

Beginning 1 October: 

• students must have received 3 doses of vaccine [or 2 (two) doses and a previous infection] in order to be considered eligible, and any vaccine recognized by the Hong Kong government qualifies for these 3 doses;
• students aged 5-11 years are only required to receive 2 (two) doses of the BioNTech vaccine by 1 October. If students aged 5-11 have already received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine, or a mix of any two vaccines, they are advised to obtain a third dose of the Sinovac or BioNTech vaccine which will then qualify them for eligibility. Students aged 5-11 are also eligible for ECAs and after-school sports, if they have received 1 dose of the BioNTech vaccine and they have had a previous infection.

Please be sure to keep your vaccination records up to date HERE to ensure that students can continue to participate in ECAs and after-school sports.

Also new from the EDB, all schools are required to upload vaccination records for their students and staff, including non-teaching staff, on a monthly basis. The first upload is due on or before 7 September. This data will be used to calculate school vaccination rates. Please be sure to upload your current records as soon as possible and keep your records up to date as this data affects the various permissions and activities that the EDB allows schools.

You are also reminded that only well-fitted surgical masks are permitted on campus by the EDB.

All of us at AIS understand that it can be challenging to keep up with the changes that continue to be made in response to the pandemic, and we encourage you to reach out with any questions you may have.

Early Release

A reminder that Friday, 9 September is an early release day next week. Students will attend classes in the morning until 11:00 am when they will be dismissed. Faculty will participate in professional learning activities during the afternoon that day.

As always, enjoy the weekend ahead, and please reach out with any questions you may have.

My best,

Anita Simpson
Head of School