jockey club sarah roe school annual report 2014-15

JOCKEY CLUB
SARAH ROE
SCHOOL
ANNUAL REPORT
2014-15
1
Message from the Principal
Dear parents and JCSRS community
This school year was, like every other, busy, productive and exciting. It’s always a pleasure to be
part of a learning community that assists students to grow and thrive. At the end of the year we
said farewell to our three graduates knowing that they are leaving school as confident young
people who have skills that are valued and valuable in the wider community. It has also been a
time for me to build relationships with families and I have greatly appreciated their partnerships in
the education of their sons and daughters.
This year was also a year of deep reflection, listening, collecting and examining data through the
Council of International Schools (CIS) self-study process. This detailed report gave us a very clear
picture of our current reality and has helped us to map out our vision for the future. In March 2015
the CIS visiting team spent time at our school discussing our report, observing learning and
teaching and engaging in conversations with members of the school community. We were thrilled
to hear that the visiting team approved JCSRS as an Accredited Member of the Council of
International Schools. We are only one of three special schools in the world to have this honour
and we are very proud of our achievement. Like most CIS accredited schools we do have to follow
up with recommendations that we know will only help us to strive further in our pursuit of
excellence.
The year would not have been so successful if it were not for the huge amount of support we have
from our School Council. To all the hardworking and committed members of the School Council,
especially to our Chair Virginia Morris I say a heartfelt thank you. I also acknowledge and thank
the staff who put in many, many hours of work over and above their teaching load. Our Parent
Teacher Association (PTA) also contributed enormously as always and again a lot of work goes on
‘behind the scenes’ to help our students make the most of what our school has to offer. Thank you
to the PTA, especially John Greene for your energy and sheer hard work.
Our Jazz Family Fest in February was a great event that brought together world famous
musicians, business leaders, community members, ESF students and our school families. We
raised a considerable amount of money to create an outdoor learning area for our students and
had a very enjoyable time listening to fantastic music and enjoying the talents of ESF students
from all over Hong Kong. Thank you to our Jazz Family Fest committee and the many volunteers.
At the end of the year the ESF Board approved the Kowloon Learning Campus (KLC) as a pilot
project. This is an exciting way to finish the year with much to look forward to in 2015-16.
During my first year here I have learnt a great deal about the amount of
expertise we have right here in our school as well as across ESF. It is
indeed a privilege and a pleasure to be part of the JCSRS community.
Karin Wetselaar
Principal
2
Guiding Statements
3
School Council
A message from our School Chair – Virginia Morris
2014/15 was a wonderful reflection of the dedication and partnership across the whole school
community. After many months of work preparing for the CIS (Council of International Schools)
visit, it was rewarding to receive the commendations from the independent experts. JCSRS is
now one of the three special schools globally to have received this CIS standard. Considerate
credit goes to all those who worked so hard to make this possible, including the senior leadership
team, teachers, therapists, support staff, parents, PTA members and School Council members. It
was a tremendous team effort.
It’s been a rewarding first year as School Council Chair. I am impressed by the community spirit
within the school, the dedication of the teachers, therapists and staff, the enthusiasm and joy of
the students and the contributions made by so many volunteers, including School Council
members. Thank you for all that you do. I look forward to another great year of partnership ahead.
School Council 2014/15
4
School Council Report
In 2014/15 the School Council met four times, once per term with an average attendance rate of
90%. The Council, which has been chaired by Virginia Morris since January 2014, consists of
parents, community representatives, Principal, teachers, support staff/therapists and an ESF
representative.
The Council is a group of enthusiastic and committed elected and appointed members who
oversee the governance procedures, set the strategic direction for the school and actively support
the work of the school as a critical friend.
The Council provides support, guidance and challenge as circumstances require. This process
leads to better decision making, greater engagement and ultimately a more successful school. In
the spirit of transparency, School Council minutes are available on the school website.
Committees
The Council is supported by two committees, whose terms of reference were reviewed and
updated at the beginning of the school year. Each committee also met four times during the year
and were attended by Council members, parents, staff and additional co-opted community
representatives with specific skills and experience helpful to the focus of the committees.
The Finance and Facilities committee (F&F) was chaired by Virginia Morris. The F&F committee
monitors the financial position of the school, making recommendations to the Council on the
annual budget. It also reviews the use of facilities, renovation projects as well as health and
safety.
The Learning and Human Resources (LHR) committee was co-chaired by Louise Thomas
(Community Representative) and Sandra Lee (parent). The LHR committee is consulted by the
school’s leadership team on matters relating to curriculum, structure, recruitment, staff
development and retention.
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Jockey Club Sarah Roe Parent Teacher Association Limited (PTA).
The PTA is a limited liability company registered with the Inland Revenue Department with
charitable status.
The current PTA Committee consists of the following elected (AGM 11th September 2014)
representatives:
Parent representatives:
John Greene - Chairman,
Minnie Ling - Treasurer,
Elaine Ward - Secretary,
Louis Ma - Corporate Advisor,
Sandra Lee, David Dickhudt - General Committee
Appointed representations:
Karin Wetselaar - School Principal,
Jenny Lingham - School Vice Principal,
LAP Kee Yau - PTA Coordinator.
The PTA has the following basic objectives.
- Maintain or create a mutually beneficial balance of cooperation between the school
administration and the demands of providing for the general and special needs of the students
attending JCSRS.
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- Raise funds to try and full fill financial shortfalls by ESF for renovations, equipment and
extraordinary needs.
- Provide, manage or run a to and from school and curricular bus service.
Bus Services:
As school and ESF have no responsibility to get students to or from school and home this is the
sole responsibility of the parents. The PTA tries to alleviate this pressure by organising and
managing a PTA bus service and is as well not obliged to accept all and any student on to its
busses. Acceptance on the busses is dependant upon seat availability, route availability and travel
time feasibility and safety. Ideally the PTA would endeavour to achieve bus travel time of 45
minutes (or less) each way where possible.
Fund Raising and Accounts:
The PTA is reliant on PTA membership fees, donations and fund raising events to support its
objectives. This year $280,000.00 was donated to the school to fund their plans for a renovated
arts area and an outdoor learning area. The 2014 audited accounts have been finalised. The PTA
currently has cash in hand of $1.4 million. Approximately $1million in 2016 will be spent for the
new school bus. Special thanks are due here to those few parents (you know who you are) that
did donate, some very generously, towards the funds for the new school bus. Thank you.
Special Education Needs Awareness:
JCSRS PTA initiated a SEN Awareness drive throughout all ESF schools. This is an annual event
that we hope will be adopted progressively by all ESF schools. Before any main stream school
can cater as well to special needs and total inclusion, the mind set of teachers, staff and parents of
all students need to be aware and accepting of the concept. So for the next generation to accept
change we must start now. For now the PTA continues to manage the program.
Special thanks to all PTA Committee Members … especially Treasurer Minnie Ling and parent
Amanda Cheung (Sedan Chair funds) and also special thanks parents Cecile Guitton and Oliver
Smith with whom the PTA runs the annual Jazz Festival and ESF's Got Talent which have been a
major financial boost for the PTA in the past two years and with which we hope to continue.
Special thanks to PTA Coordinator Mr. LAP Kee Yau for putting up with every one and remaining
good-natured, understanding and hard working.
John Greene
Chairman PTA
7
Curriculum and Assessment
2014-15 was another year of dynamic curriculum development for both the primary and secondary
teams. The primary team continued to work on the development of unit planners supported by
Laura Ferretti from ESFC, while the secondary team continued to provide a wide range of skills
based learning opportunities through the three ASDAN programs - New Horizons, Transition
Challenge and Towards Independence.
The introduction of cross phase literacy for both primary and secondary students was highly
successful; teachers commented that it was a very effective way to get to know students from
other classes and for students to work with peers in different groups. The two teams worked
collaboratively throughout the year to explore how they could align curriculum delivery for literacy
and work in this area included the introduction of the ‘Four Blocks’ model and regular meetings to
share best practice and expertise.
Assessment and achievement continued to be reported in a variety of ways during 2014-15. Plevel assessment was used by all staff with additional moderation sessions held for English and
Maths across the school.
ASDAN achievements were of an exceptionally high standard with ten New Horizons Awards and
three Towards Independence Awards being completed by the end of the academic year. JCSRS
continues to act as the lead for moderation for ASDAN across ESF with the External Moderator
commenting on the ‘outstanding quality’ of the evidence submitted – an accolade indeed!
Vocational Experiences
This was the second full year of our
vocational programmes and as such
was an opportunity to extend and
embed best practice with our
vocational partners.
Our links with Crossroads
International, Sai Kung Community
Centre and Lok Kun Centre were
extremely successful with students
involved in extensive range of
community activities. These included
sorting and packing clothing at
Crossroads, supporting a group of
elderly people to learn English at Sai King Community Centre and assisting with gardening,
kitchen duties and laundry at Lok Kun Centre.
Many students were looking forward to the start of their vocational sessions and were greatly
disappointed when the start date was delayed by a few weeks!
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The JCSRS team were very sorry to see Michael Newman leave the school at the end of the
academic year as he had played a significant role in establishing the excellent vocational
provision. The team, are, however, delighted to welcome JoJo Lai as the new lead for this area of
work. Her previous experience as an Education Assistant has prepared her extremely well for this
role and she has already established herself well. During 2015-16 Jo-Jo will work closely with the
ESF Work Placement Co-ordinator Fion Ng to introduce the ASDAN Workright accreditation to all
students who attend vocational placements, this in turn providing students with another
qualification to add to their portfolios.
Secondary and Primary Inclusion programmes
This year we had a lively range of inclusion programmes operating between JCSRS and partner
ESF schools. These included links with Clear Water Bay, Beacon Hill, Kowloon Junior, KGV and
South Island School. Students participated in a wide range of activities including Social Skills
Classes, PE, Art, ICT, Cookery and Design & Technology.
JCSRS also hosted visits from partner schools both within and beyond the ESF community. These
included the Beacon Hill School Choir coming to sing for us, musicians from KGV joining our
assemblies and children from Kingston International School joining primary classes as part of their
‘exploring and understanding others’ unit of inquiry. Following the Kingston visit to us a group of
JCSRS primary students took part in a return visit and spent a fabulous day at Kingston enjoying a
range of activities including music, PE, Art and ICT.
We intend to extend and develop our inclusion programme during 2015-16 with a particular focus
on opportunities to work with our partner schools in the Kowloon Learning Campus - KGV and
Kowloon Junior School.
Watch the newsletter for further updates!!
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Independent Living Space (ILS) and The LEAZ (The Library and Expressive Arts Zone)
2014-15 was the first year of operation for the new ILS room and the LEAZ. Both spaces have
been used to full effect and have rapidly established themselves as popular teaching spaces!
Michael Newman led the curriculum development and delivery of Independent Living Skills
supporting students to access a wide range of life skills learning opportunities. These included
learning how to sort laundry and put on a wash, learning how to make a bed and learning how to
make a snack and clear up afterwards.
All students have had opportunities to spend time in the ILS room and occasionally, when it has
been free, we have held some meetings there too! Visitors are always delighted to sit on the sofa
or comfy chairs for a meeting!
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The Library and Expressive Arts Zone have also proved to be a fantastic success.
With the welcomed support of a number of volunteers we managed to keep the library end of the
room tidy and organized. Huge thanks here to Oz and Katie in particular and some very focused
support from Sandra Feran and Sarah Clifford who were instrumental in organising books for us.
Our music therapist Joanne wasted no time getting to grips with the lay out of the room and very
quickly adopted it as her new home. She has made great use of the Opti Beam throughout the
year and we look forward to being able to share this resource with students and colleagues from
KGV and South Island School this year.
The room ‘doubles up’ as being a space for meetings and an area used for playtimes. The new
light and flexible furniture has been welcomed by students and staff alike and the colour scheme
seems to have been widely accepted too!
We are very grateful to Paul Cheng from ESF centre for his focused efforts to ensure that the
room was fitted with a sliding sound proof panel during the summer vacation. This means that we
maximise the use of the room with Joanne able to run music sessions in one half of the room
while library/reading sessions or meetings run in the other half.
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Diamond Class
What a busy year it has been for Diamond Class. It has been filled with a variety of learning
experiences, with each student giving their best effort from day one, and as a result, each have
made great strides in their learning journey.
A key priority in Diamond Class is developing well-rounded students who will be able to function
day to day as members of the community. In order to do so, we strive towards providing a holistic
learning program for the children where personal and social expectations are embedded into
everyday expectations and their individual learning targets. As a team, we collaborate and create
an individual learning plan best suited for the students to ensure success. This year,
communication and independence continues to be the overarching target in our learning. For
each student, the process and the output may look different, but the expectation remains the
same. Their use of language has expanded to a variety of functional learning situations.
Our students have made tremendous strides in communicating in all areas such as wants and
needs, retelling their own experiences, and in social and creative play situations.
Diamond Class has had an amazing year filled with the typical activities that occur in any school
year: Educational visits, interaction with mainstream peers, and participating in a variety of school
events. What has made this year above and beyond the usual is being a witness to the personal
growth of each student and taking that step forward towards being well-rounded and functional
global citizens. It is our hope that as we move ahead in their learning journey in the coming years,
we continue to provide the necessary tools and motivation to help the children flourish and
succeed.
Sandra Gee
Diamond class teacher
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Pearl Class
This past year was a fun and exciting year for the Pearl Class. Our focus throughout the year was
on communication. The Speech and Language department introduced Proloque2go augmentative communication with the I-pad as a whole school initiative, and the Pearl class found it to be
extremely helpful for many of our children that were either non verbal or struggled with expressive
language. We used it during whole group activities, individual sessions and throughout the
school setting. Many of our students also began using this communication program at home as
well.
As a class we had fun exploring and learning about our different units throughout the year. For
personal responsibility we learned making good choices and how those good choices affected our
friends and teachers around us. As a class we instituted a positive behavior model and worked as
a team to manage our behaviors in more effective ways. We also introduced mindful practice and
yoga and used it through out the year. In our Health and Hygiene unit we had a lot of fun exploring healthy cooking, proper hand washing and our favorite book Germs are Not for Sharing. The
final unit of the year was the most fun. As a class we explored materials and had a lot of fun experimenting with the different states of matter. Liquid, specifically water was our favorite state of
matter without question.
The end of the year brought fun and celebrations as we enjoyed two special outings provided by
our parents. The children had a lot of fun playing and enjoying lunch at the Aberdeen Marina Club
and had a blast at Fun Zone in Kennedy Town.
Erika Dubinsky
Pearl class teacher
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Gold Class
We had a wonderful year. Here are some high lights to share with you. We used various apps and
websites for learning Maths, Literacy, PSPE and other areas. Parents were informed of the apps
and websites. Some students can get around different activity zones on certain websites independently. It was joyful to see students learn online and so eager to learn. The parents who have
supported the students first deserve our applause.
All students can use the keyboard. Some can type fast. Some were learning to type in words or
short sentences. The students’ drawings and handwriting were amazing. Students also wrote
about their school days and weekend events.
Some wonderful sessions during the term were: visiting to the Dream Comes True Educational
Centre, Chritmas Cowboy Performance, adding objects together and then doing mental addition,
reading stories that touched our hearts, growing marigold etc.
The students learnt of Health and Hygiene, Communication,Responsibilities and Materials. We
focused on personal, social and environmenatl health and hygiene.We learnt to choose health
food, take care of our body and recycle materials. Our Speech Therapist Stephanie worked closely with me to use different means and methods to help students in communicating effectively with
others. It had been a rewarding year for all of us.
Mimi Kong
Gold Class Teacher
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Emerald Class
Emerald Class has had another busy and fruitful year. The students have been exposed to a
variety of interesting and educational activities. We have worked on four new units this year which
included “Communication”, “Personal Responsibility” “Health and Hygiene and “Materials”. In
these units, students have acquired knowledge and skills relating to their daily life. Their social
and communication skills are further developed as well. Students have joined in various
educational visits to consolidate and generalise their learning in different settings such as, Pizza
Express, Science Museum, Health Education Centre, Elements and Dream Comes True.
Students have had great fun joining in different school events. The Drum Concert, Festive
Celebration, Christmas Performance, Puppet Show, Maths Day, One student one plant, Health
Week and Book Week are the highlights of the year.
Developing self-help skills is one of the key areas of learning in our class. Students are also
encouraged to use various communication devices to express needs such as Super Talker,
Switches, PC Eye, iPod Touch, communication book and Proloque2go. Feeding and toileting
programmes are also implemented in daily teaching and learning. Some students have had the
precious opportunity to go horse riding throughout the terms. The programme has greatly
contributed to building up their motor skills and self-confidence. They looked really proud in the
passing out parade.
This year, the primary classes adopted the Four Blocks Literacy model and students have the
opportunities to cross group with other primary classes for literacy sessions four times a week. It is
encouraging to see them growing and making progress in different learning areas. I am sure they
will keep at it. Well done Emerald Class!
Heidi Lee
Emerald Class Teacher
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Jade Class
It has been a very busy year for Jade. Students have completed two modules of ASDAN
(Business Enterprise and Knowing About Myself) and their work will be rewarded with ASDAN
certificates.
Vocational training
Besides ASDAN modules, students have
also been given ample opportunities to
experience vocational training at Sai
Kung Community Centre as office
assistants, at Cross Road International –
a charity organisation – as sorting and
packing (logistics) assistants, at Caritas
Lok Kan School as café staff and
gardeners. Some students have also
been given opportunity to work in the
KGV PTSA shop to help with sorting and
shelving stationaries.
Independent Living Skills
This year students have received training weekly on selfcatering and self-care skills. Students have made progress
in areas such as making a meal for themselves and doing
laundry. Our Occupational Therapist, Laurena, has also
spent a lot of time to work with students to further develop
their self-care skills.
Adventure Camp
The Asia Pacific Adventure Camp has always been a highlight of school
activities. Students have learned to be sensible risk takers, willing to try
out new things and set higher targets for themselves to achieve in
various challenging activities such as rope course, climbing wall and
kayaking.
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Graduation
Three students (Tom, Nikhil and Teri) have
graduated. Parents had organised a graduation
party and invited all the students and staff to
celebrate with them. Tom’s parents had also
brought in a magician which students and staff
enjoyed watching and participating immensely.
During the ceremony certificates were given out
to the graduates, and those who participated in
vocational training.
The ESF Chairman’s Awards
The 2014-15 ESF Chairman’s Awards ceremony
was held in Shatin College on the 26th Aug 2015.
This year the awards go to Thomas Morgan and
Nikhil Hasija. Thomas received the award for
‘Embodying the Spirit and Values of the School’,
and Nikhil received the award for ‘Sporting
Achievement’. Both families attended the ceremony
and thanked JCSRS and ESF for recognising their
sons’ effort in overcoming their difficulties in
learning and honouring their achievement.
Jackie Newman
Jade class teacher, vocational and PSHE
co-ordinator
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Sapphire Class
2014-2015 has been an amazing year for Sapphire Class. Not only have they experienced new
and exciting things, they have also achieved personal success and recognitions of their efforts in
various events and activities.
During this year, students from Sapphire class joined many different out of school activities such
as APA camp, kayaking, Special Olympics, Sports Day and sailing. Each of them overcame many
challenges which tested their physical abilities and had enjoyed the experience that came with it.
In ASDAN Transition Challenge programme, Sapphire Class has completed Mathematics,
Science and Design and Technology activities. In Mathematics, students learnt about telling time
and using a calendar. They were excited to input their friends’ birthdays on a calendar to remind
them to make a birthday card. In Science, students learnt about materials change texture through
cooking. They investigated the material changes of an egg when using four different methods of
cooking (microwaving, frying, boiling and steaming). They were given an experiment book to
complete during each session. The book consisted of a prediction, method, result and conclusion.
Everyone did a fantastic job for the lessons; they were very engaged during discussions and
participated very well during the experiments. In Design and Technology, students learnt different
skills and techniques for different art and craft materials to create various things they can use at
school. One of the projects was using fabrics and duct tape to make a ‘No Sew’ bag. They
worked patiently to complete the project and were very pleased of the bag they made.
One of our students has moved up to Jade class to further his studies. We wish him the best of
luck and success in the future.
Carol Li
Sapphire class teacher
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Silver Class
ASDAN
This year we were excited to have students completed the New Horizons module and received
accreditations for their hard work.
When we worked on the Unit on our Local Community we were invited to go to Wei Min’s house
as he was going back to Penang for good. We made good use of the visit and spent time looking
at the area where Wei Min lived through Google Earth and Google Map. Then students visited the
shops and supermarket in that area applying what they had learned in the Unit. Our class also
joined with other secondary classes going to the cinema to see a movie in the area close to our
school. All students had a great time.
Some students participated in the Nurturing Music Programme where they learned and enjoyed
music and movement.
Independent Living Skills
To teach students to be more independent they were encouraged to buy lunch from either the
SENsations or the KGV canteen. We could see students understanding the whole process and
were able to buy lunch with minimum support.
We had three TEACCH stations where students were trained to work as independently as
possible on their own. Some students showed improvement being on task and finished all the
tasks well without support.
Some students had weekly Fine Motor sessions with the Occupational Therapist. Students
benefited from the support of parents who volunteered to come in building up fine motor skills of
students through different activities.
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Proloquo2go
In term three students were encouraged to use Proloquo2go on iPad both in school sessions and
out of school activities. Most students picked it up really well and could make simple sentences
with minimum prompts. Well done students!
Floria Siu
Silver class teacher
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Ruby Class
Throughout the school year Ruby class have had many an adventure, both inside and outside of
school; from ASDAN educational visits, over-night camp, sporting events and amazing first-time
experiences, such as rock climbing and archery. All this, as well as succeeding all IEP targets and
nine ASDAN modules with in the New Horizons program.
During the first term at school, Ruby class students enjoyed making full use of the
new Independent Living Skills room, where as part of the curriculum they were
taught independently to mop floors, cook breakfast using kitchen equipment, make beds and how
to hang and fold clothes and store them neatly in cupboards. As a result they have built the
competence and ability to master important skills and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Additionally
students have learnt how to develop safety strategies and follow different rules in a variety of
scenarios such as in the kitchen, swimming at the pool and hiking around Hong Kong.
Also during this term we experienced a fun sports day at the Sai Kung Camp where several
students practised archery and a rope course for the first time. Although activities were
challenging Ruby students showed huge determination in attempting and mastering these new
skills. Each student also had the opportunity to try rock-climbing and trampolining at the YMCA
and a number of students reached their goal and advanced to a higher level in climbing - some
impressive heights were reached! This was definitely a year for building courage and selfdetermination!
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During term three Ruby class had the pleasure and excitement of a visit to the Science Museum
and Kowloon Park to view the bird aviary and Sculpture Park. During this trip there was an
opportunity to discover various types of bird species and sketch different statues that consisted of
a variety of media, such as rock and metal. Exploring new materials was fun and intriguing.
During our art lessons this term we also acquired new skills such as mosaics and lino printing - a
somewhat messy but fantastic experience that ultimately produced superb results!
Recent ASDAN units studied included ‘Healthy Eating’, ‘Public and Private Places’, My Family’
and ‘Understanding Changes’. Students engaged in each topic by completing
worksheets, participated in class discussion and took part in studying and researching relevant
books, material and the internet. Congratulations to Gavin, William, Kimika, Rebecca and Renee
for completing the two-year ASDAN programme and achieving their award certification.
Sally Fryer
Ruby class teacher and Art coordinator
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Therapy
2014-15 was an exciting year for therapy with new initiatives, programs and resources.
Speech therapy: We welcomed Stephanie Eber to the therapy team as our Speech Therapist
working within primary. A school-wide communication initiative commenced which involved a
stronger focus on core vocabulary, using a consistent communication system throughout the
school (Proloquo2go), and more staff and parent workshops to help everyone learn how to
support the communication needs of our students. This year four Proloquo2go workshops were
run, tow Makaton workshops, and one workshop for helpers (a joint initiative between speech
therapists and occupational therapists).
Occupational Therapy: We have worked closely with the secondary team in updating the PSHE
curriculum. Girls club and boys club were introduced to the primary students to further facilitate
the self awareness, well being and relationship with others. We incorporated different mindfulness
activities in class and explored various ways of keeping our mental health balanced. We also
organized a few “Coffee Chat” meetings with parents throughout the year with the purpose of
linking up parents and sharing resources. Special thanks to some of the secondary parents as
they supported fine motor training groups regularly on Mondays.
The physiotherapy service focused on two new initiatives for the academic year 2014-15:
The hydrotherapy facilities review: A thorough audit of the hydrotherapy policy and procedures
was undertaken in order to ensure that our students and staff can enjoy their sessions in our pool
with the highest standards of safety and efficacy. As a result, we have implemented new water
quality assurance measures including continuous digital monitoring of chlorine and pH levels to
ensure these are within safe and comfortable parameters at all times. There is now also
comprehensive laboratory testing of water samples from the pool each month to ensure the water
is bacteria free. Our pool staff have also undertaken bespoke water rescue training and we have
new procedures in place for any emergency in the pool.
24 hour postural care: This is an area that is quite new to Hong Kong and the JCSRS
physiotherapist and occupational therapist are involved in a special interest group committed to
raising the profile of this very important aspect of care. It’s aim is the protection and restoration of
body shape for at risk individuals with physical disabilities, through 24 hour therapeutic
positioning. We are looking forward to developing this initiative further in the coming year and
putting systems in place for our students and the wider Hong Kong community.
Mencap Postural Care Campaign
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Music Therapy: We used iPad technology in music lessons this year as one of the tools to
increase students’ attention, hand-eye coordination, creativity and self-expression. There are
quite a number of apps which are fun and free (which can be downloaded from Apple Store).
“Piano Dust Buster”: A piano playing game which helps trained students’ attention, sense of
rhythm, and hand-eye coordination. Also, the scores and rewards the students earned from
playing each piece encourage them to play better each time!
“Singing Fingers”: This app lets you finger-paint with your voice. Colorful paint
appears as you sing and draw. When the paint is touched again, the sound is
played back to you. Secondary students liked to draw and record their own
voice. This app encourages students’ creativity in drawing, singing, and even
storytelling. It’s a great tool for expressing themselves!
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PE
This year was once again an eventful time at JCSRS.
We participated in Special Olympics once with 19 students in both rowing competition and track
and field coming away with multiple medals and pride.
Both Primary and Secondary Sports Days were a success with assistance this time from Year 6
KJS students
and our regular
supporters The
Church of Jesus
Christ Latter Day
Saints.
On Mondays we
continued with
our Rugby
sessions
supported by
HKRFU and we participated in a training session at KGV with former England international
rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson for a 2-hour session with students from KGV, KJS.
We held our first Aquathon event and invited other primary schools from ESF of which 6
participated. JCSRS students participated first with each athlete swimming independently and
then running alongside an adult from JCSRS. It was so encouraging to see all of the ESF athletes
supporting our students throughout. We shall look at doing another one next year.
From an integration perspective we played KGV LSC three times at football and won all matches.
Next year we will be playing against our star player of last year as he has moved to KGV LSC.
Training is now is now underway.
Secondary camp was a great success with our largest numbers so far. It will be the last time at our
present camp in Sai Kung. Next year’s venue is Tai Tam Scout camp.
We advertised a family two day over night camp for students and family but, due to a shortfall of
participants below the minimum required, it needed to be cancelled. We will offer it again next
year.
Kayaking went ahead with 13 students and was fully supported by EAs and helpers without whom
many of our programs would not run with such efficiency.
Sailing was also another success with 14 students attending. We had one solo sailor and another
student getting in the boat after four weeks of trying which in itself was a huge achievement and
he has signed up again for next year. Like us, his parents were thrilled for him .
We had eight students participate in Dragon boating for the second year running and this time
three were from KGV LSC. We finished one place closer to the first placed team this year .
Mike Watson
PE teacher
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Educational Assistants
We would first and foremost like to welcome our new additions to the very talented and well
educated EA team - Glo Bantigue, Jeanette Chow, Jaclyn Chow, Leanne Wu, Eu J Roldan, Moira
Cameron and Edel Recto.
Also congratulations to a few Parent Funded EAs who were promoted to full time EAs for the start
of this year. Congratulations to Alfert Arrogante, Katherine Kam, Edwin Kwong and Scott
Grodewald, who also then successfully applied for the position of Senior EA within the first term.
This year marked an especially productive year for the whole school as we were visited by the
Council of International Schools.
Our senior leadership team called for all hands on deck and the EAs were asked to help gather
evidence and write reports that were needed for our school to be gain accreditation. The process
involved a self-study of the whole school and gave everyone a chance to really look at ourselves
and to ask questions about the different policies and procedures that were in place. There were
many sections we had to look through ranging from Teaching and Learning, Governance and
Leadership, Guiding Statements and Operational Systems.
As challenging as this task was for the whole school, it gave all EAs an opportunity to learn more
about how the school was run from the leadership team to the support staff.
Sadly, we must end with farewells to some of the most dedicated members of our EA staff. Good
luck to Wai Wong, Katherine Kam, Edwin Kwong, Leo Chan, Candy Yeung, Moira Cameron,
James Whyman and Trevor Wong. We are very proud that some of these EAs won positions as
teachers in ESF and local schools.
CIS visit to School 2015
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Graduation
The graduation party organised by the parents of our three graduates, Teri Hsu, Thomas Morgan,
Nikhil Hasija was held on June 19, 2015 at JCSRS school hall. Thomas Morgan’s parents hired a
magician to perform and interact with the audience. All secondary students and staff celebrated
with, and send their farewell to the graduates and their families.
Before leaving JCSRS, all three graduates were given a transition programme which includes
written exit reports from the therapists, a student profile and a team visit (teacher, therapists and
educational assistant) to the parents’ chosen centre to ensure that students’ needs are noted and
good practices are shared to support the students in their Post 19 settings. Teri and Nikhil have
enrolled with Nesbitt Centre for their five days week programme. Thomas will split the week by
attending both Young People Empowerment Services Centre and Nesbitt Centre.
Graduates Thomas Morgan and Nikhil Hasija have also been awarded with the ESF
Chairman Awards. Thomas received the award for Embodying the Spirit and Values of the School,
and Nikhil received the award for Sporting Achievement. Both families have attended the
ceremony and thanked JCSRS and ESF for recognising their son’s effort in overcoming their
difficulties in learning and honouring their achievement. The 2014-15 ESF Chairman’s Awards
ceremony was held in Shatin College on the August 26, 2015.
27
Budget Summary
Actual
2014/15
Budget
2014/15
19,632,469
19,632,469
Non-cash Funding
Staff funding
Adjustments on staff funding
Total non-cash funding
10,304
-
19,642,773
19,632,469
1,932,041
1,857,427
Cash Funding
Capitation & ICT Funding
Grants
Rental and other income
School Activities
33,402
5,353
35,000
-
43,118
40,000
2,013,914
1,932,427
21,656,687
21,564,896
19,174,039
19,632,469
1,307,242
1,677,000
135,556
240,000
Total Expenditure
20,616,837
21,549,469
Surplus / (Deficit)
1,039,850
15,427
Donation
Total cash funding
Total Funding
Expenditure
Staff expenses
Other expenses - Operating
Other expenses - Capital
28