Whilst steadily working through applications from teachers keen to join our ranks in August, preparations for Christmas are now well underway in the Keeling household, with the youngest members keen to enjoy another winter season in the region.

Wherever you find yourselves, I hope you revel in the festivities of the season, surrounded by those you most cherish. 

Our annual Winter Concert and the announcement that Balsam House have taken to lead for the much-coveted House Cup this year drew another eventful term to a conclusion this week.  A restful and regenerative break ahead, I hope that students, staff and parents alike enjoy a very merry Christmas.

We return on Monday 6th January for three weeks, before marking the arrival of the Year of the Snake. Between now and then, I look forward to engaging with a select group of talented teachers keen to join our ranks for August 2025. 

Following the release of news this week, you will now be aware that this is to be my last year in the role of Principal at Shrewsbury International School Hong Kong. 

Having seen the school develop and mature over the full span of eight exceptionally eventful years, my departure presents a significant professional and personal juncture. Events upcoming now brim with significance and the months ahead are sure to test my poise. Whilst excited about the adventure ahead, I will desperately miss all that it has become.

Among the many highlights of this week, a festive performance from our youngest students stands out most prominently. Having enchanted a packed Auditorium on Thursday morning, they have set a high bar for the upcoming Winter Concert.

Next week will be our last of the current term. Marked by the delivery of academic reports, a campus tour and the gathering of our School Management Committee, five school days will lead us neatly towards a three-week long winter break. 

Just a few hours from the annual regathering of Alumni and we can reflect positively upon the passing of another productive week. Featuring the collection of an acknowledgement at the Ritzy Magazine Education Awards Ceremony and a meeting with the Education Committee at the British Chamber, it also centred upon the review of academic reports ahead of their delivery to parents.

Monday will open the penultimate week of an incredibly eventful first term. A musical performance led by our youngest students is sure to feature among the highlights, whilst the gathering of colleagues for a social evening will provide a firm reminder that December is now upon us.

An extraordinary pantomime performance led by students in Year 6 left a packed auditorium astounded this week, their confidence, commitment and camaraderie on full show.

Also featuring a meeting with the School Management Committee, a campus tour for prospective parents and delivery of a workshop on the subject of attainment tracking, we have set up well for the arrival of December and the many wonderful events that characterise the end of our first full term.

Next week, I look forward to joining the Ritzy Magazine Awards Ceremony, reconnecting with members of the Education Committee at the British Chamber and gathering Shrewsbury Alumni for an evening meal on campus. A year on from our successful accreditation with the Council of International Schools, a meeting with our assigned Support and Evaluation Officer, Helena Sobulis is also now on the horizon.

This week, I write from Bangkok and a conference for school leaders hosted by the Federation of British International Schools in Asia. Whilst there's been plenty of serious business to attend to, it's always a pleasure to reconnect with colleagues and friends working across the region.

The jewel in the crown next week is likely to be the evening presentation of a pantomime performance by students in Year 6. Kicking off a season of theatrical production, the quality of rehearsals would suggest that guests are in for a real treat. I can also look forward to the gathering of the School Management Committee and the hosting of the latest in our series of parent workshops, entitled Five Ways to Track Academic Progress. If you've yet to register, you are very welcome to do so here.

An incredible weekend Open House led us neatly towards the flurry of engagements that typifies the arrival of the Board of Governors, with members rightly keen to engage broadly. Able to meet with current and prospective Shrewsbury families, members of staff, various student groups and a host of connected supporters of our school, they left suitably impressed by the commitment, camaraderie and consistency exhibited by all. Able to conclude the week with the shared hosting of a very first event in partnership with the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA), we have a lot to be grateful for on approach to the winter season: Together We Flourish.

I'll spend part of next week at a conference in Bangkok, but can look forward to joining friends at Bloomberg and Guidepost Montessori Kindergarten for events connected to the broadening of appreciation for all that a Shrewsbury education has to offer before departure. My time outside the region will be spent alongside an esteemed group of school leaders, with the rising influence of Artificial Intelligence a central theme.

Following an enriching day of professional learning on the theme of oracy, we were thrilled to welcome students back onto campus for the second half of our first term on Tuesday and it has proven to be an extraordinarily enriching return. Featuring an evening musical presentation in partnership with a host of young travelling musicians from Shrewsbury School (UK) and a Halloween Disco led by the Shrewsbury Parents Association, it was entirely fitting to conclude the week with an assembly on the theme of Community.

With hundreds of guests due with us for an Open Day tomorrow, next week will centre upon the arrival of our Board of Governors. Culminating with dinner at the Hong Kong Club in celebration of the contributions made by a select group of parent volunteers, we will be joined in Hong Kong by two new members following the retirement of John Clark last year.

Friday will see us host a first event in partnership with the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA). Part of the wider commitment to partnership held within our strategic plan, content will focus upon Humanities, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the power of service initiatives.

A restful break now behind us, I greatly look forward to reengaging with our academic team for a day of professional learning on Monday, prior to the return of students on Tuesday and the visit of the Shrewsbury School Orchestra. Led by Music Director, Maria McKenzie, we look set for an enthralling and inspiring evening.

Next week will also see the arrival of Halloween and the hosting of an early evening disco. We then open to the public on Saturday and can count on the arrival of hundreds of visitors from the local community, all keen to learn more about the myriad of benefits associated with a Shrewsbury education.

With the first half of a first term brought to a triumphant conclusion with the marking of a House Day, I also reflect with great pride upon an outstanding exhibition of musicianship, the hosting of several events for prospective parents and the conclusion of an enormously successful series of Parent Teacher Conferences.

The break ahead will allow for rest, recouperation and the refreshment of our boundless enthusiasm for change, growth and improvement. It will also see preparation for the arrival of our Board of Governors finalised.

Students return on Tuesday 29th October. Featuring the arrival of a visiting orchestra, a parent led Halloween Disco and an Open Morning on Saturday 2nd November, we have a great deal to look forward to.

Featuring a second showcase of our Hanqing Bilingual Pathway, delivery of the latest in our parent workshop series and the gathering of our School Management Committee, I write from home this week, in advance of a final week prior to the arrival of a mid-term break.

With preparations for the arrival of the Board of Governors taking good shape, the coming five school days will see a first set of Parent Teacher Conference meetings drawn to a conclusion, the hosting of two separate campus tours and the continuation of a lesson observation cycle that will act to focus professional dialogue among the academic team for many months to follow.

The time away from school will allow for reflection, rejuvenation and re-engagement of the restless mind that continues to drive for the incremental improvement of all we offer to students and families.

The onset of Parent Teacher Conferences and a lesson observation cycle designed to facilitate the analytical exploration of student engagement in the light of our teaching and learning policy, reminds us that a mid-term break is now on the horizon.

Between now and then, the regathering of our School Management Committee, the finalisation of plans for an upcoming meeting with the Board of Governors and the hosting of three separate events for prospective parents are sure to keep us occupied. With the next in our series of parent workshops also featuring on 9th October, those keen to learn more about the process of school selection are warmly encouraged to register here.