With an extended trip outside of the region now at an end, I greatly look forward to reconnecting with colleagues in person next week, the dawn of August soon upon us.

As the summer concludes, thinking will turn swiftly to the arrival and regrouping of staff teams, professional development priorities, the orientation of student groups and that much-anticipated first school day. We start on Monday 19th August.

With the update of staff handbooks and the promotion of admission for the Hanqing Bilingual Pathway dominating engagements with colleagues, I write at the end of a second week outside of the region from Seminyak, Bali.

Next week will see us out on the East coast prior to a return to Hong Kong. Reengagement with our operational team will centre upon preparation for the arrival of a group of colleagues keen to hit the ground running, the start of a new school year now on the horizon.

Having recently launched a founding admissions cycle for the Hanqing Bilingual Pathway, a sector defining programme featuring a unique daily blend of study in both Chinese and English, I find myself at the end of a first few days outside of the region in Ubud, Bali.

With plans to travel around this beautiful island with our two boys, it won't be long before we're off: onward and East. More adventures lay ahead, along with plenty of time in the pool.

A week on from the conclusion of the academic year and the crowning of Anise as House Champions and I find myself back in the office alongside members of the Operational team. With admission for our new Hanqing Bilingual Pathway due to open next week, we look set for a busy summer period.

Soon to leave the region for a family break, I'll be back in good time for the arrival of a talented new group of teachers, all keen to make their mark. In the meantime, I'll remain closely connected with life on campus and the continued growth of our community.

The heralding of an exceptional graduating cohort and the crowning of Anise House brought an enriching and exuberant academic year to a triumphant conclusion.

Cheered out amidst a fever of purple and yellow, The Class of 2024 will be fondly remembered for their wit, their wisdom and their warmth. Their new schools will be lucky to have them, as were we.

Summer will bring the opportunity to recuperate and reenergise. Focus will soon be drawn to a series of early engagements with the latest additions to our teaching team and the opening of admission for a sector defining bilingual pathway that will supports the development of native or near-native level Chinese and international standard English.

Following a rousing Summer Concert, I am able to reflect upon a productive penultimate week prior to the formal acknowledgement of an exceptional graduating cohort and the closing of another extraordinary year.

I am also thrilled to be able to share more information about the development and launch of the Hanqing Bilingual Pathway (HQP), with enrolment for January 2025 soon to open.

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Underpinned by the academic rigour of the Early Years and Foundation Stage framework and the English National Curriculum, at the heart of the HQP lies a culturally rich curriculum that supports the development of native or near-native level Chinese and international standard English. The language of instruction evenly split, students will study Chinese Mathematics and enjoy fluid contact with an exceptional teaching team throughout the course of each school day.

Perhaps the most significant illustration of the ambition held within our Strategic Plan, Together We Flourish, the emergence of the HQP represents an exciting new phase in the journey of our school.

Next week, our 200th Senior Leadership Team meeting since foundation, a lunch meeting with a group of relocation agents, delivery of class placement notification the Annual General Meeting of the Shrewsbury Parents Association and the crowning of our new House Champions.

The relative calm of the summer break will soon be upon us, plans for the orientation and induction of new colleagues already in place.

Having concluded the week alongside our graduating cohort and with the formal award of two new Achievement Scholarships, I am also able to reflect upon the successes of our youngest students, who took to the Auditorium stage yesterday morning to mark their own significant milestone. The summer will bring change for all and we rest assured that our students are exceedingly well equipped.

Tomorrow, we look forward to hosting a concluding community event, in partnership with the Shrewsbury Parents Association. With approximately 200 attendees expected on campus, two giant inflatables are likely to draw most attention, with parents more likely to be seen with a cold drink and good company.

Our penultimate week of the current academic year will feature the final of what has been a tremendously successful run of parent workshops. Open to Shrewsbury parents and all others, and back by popular demand, Individual Needs Coordinator, Emma Burden, will step up to address the ways in which we can more effectively manage exhibitions of challenging behaviour at home.

Those keen to join us, can register here.

A bright and brilliant performance from Year 4 students proved the jewel in our crown this week. Featuring a staggeringly impressive range of performances, attendees were enthralled as they journeyed through an amusing and adventurous tale of yesteryear.

With just three weeks of the academic year remaining, attention will soon turn more exclusively to the experiences of our graduating cohort. Before then, we welcome our Early Years students to the stage for a celebration of their learning this year and can look forward to the hosting of a summer BBQ event for families and friends in partnership with the Shrewsbury Parents Association.

Drawing the seven-year tenure of John Clark to a close, the visit of the Board of Governors for a third and final time this academic year proved suitably commemorative, thanks to engagements with founding parents, current and newly appointed scholars and the undertaking of an interview for student magazine 创思 PLUS.

With us through the entirety of foundation and over the course of six full years of operation, John has proven an invaluable asset and worked hard to keep us sharp at the table, but will be most fondly remembered by students, parents and staff for his kindness, sincerity and warmth. We wish him all the very best with his future endeavours, forever grateful for all that he has given to us here in Hong Kong.

As we head into June, a flurry of performances and productions awaits. Students in Year 4 will take stage on Thursday, before an Early Years Celebration, a Summer Concert and the Graduation of The Class of 2024.

Next week will also bring a series of engagements with parents of students in Year 5 as they look to whittle down their secondary school shortlist under the considered guidance of School Partnership Coordinator, Chelly Tsang.

The hosting of a triumphant Recital Concert prompted reflection upon the integrity, endeavour and resilience that lies at the heart of all worthwhile endeavour last night. Attendees were left both impressed and inspired by a troupe of young musicians with the world at their feet. 

Meetings with the School Management Committee and the Shrewsbury Parents Association proved typically refreshing, with plans for the hosting of our Board of Governors next week now finalised. A final meeting for founding Member, John Clark, students, parents and staff are united in their commitment to the delivery of a fitting send-off. 

We can also look forward to the hosting of a special webinar with incoming Head at Packwood (Shrewsbury Prep), William Goldsmith. Particularly well placed to exhibit the myriad of benefits associated with the uptake of boarding education and the continuation of a Shrewsbury education, he will play to an attentive crowd.

With the hosting of a second and final round of academic recruitment drawing most attention this week, eyes were otherwise fixed upon preparations for an upcoming Recital Concert, scheduled to featured contributions from twenty exceptionally talented musicians, and a dramatic performance, led by students in Year 4.

Next week, we host the School Management Committee, the Shrewsbury Parents Association, the latest in our series of parent workshops and a digital campus tour. Plans for the hosting of our Board of Governors at the end of the month will also be picking up pace, following the recent confirmation of Achievement Scholars for 2024/25.

With just six weeks of the current academic year remaining, my thoughts are also on the preparation of plans for the orientation and induction of staff in August, a schedule now set.

Having drawn poetry week to a conclusion with the hosting of our final class-led assembly of the year and the finalisation of report content for an upcoming meeting with the Board of Governors, next week will see focus drawn more prominently towards the arrival of a new school year. With the induction of new colleagues to consider, development training to schedule and the detailing of a new management calendar to complete, August is at the forefront of my mind, as we journey steadily towards the rousing conclusion of another spectacular academic year.

Next week will feature a fresh set of engagements with a talented crop of teaching talent, as we seek to bolster our ranks following a flurry of recent enrolments. We'll also be drawing preparations for a Recital Concert to a conclusion, readying for an engagement with the School Management Committee and hosting our very first House Swimming Gala.