A particularly energising meeting with the School Management Committee followed another excellent parent workshop this week and, with Chinese New Year now firmly on the horizon, the Auditorium has been a flurry of activity too. 

Monday will see the arrival of our seasonal flower market and the gathering of parent volunteers. It will also mark the arrival of the Year of the Snake. For the many of you leaving the region for the upcoming break, I would like this opportunity to wish you well on your travels - and to all, my fondest hopes for a prosperous and enriching new year.

新年快樂

新年快乐

With students back on campus and plans for the marking of Chinese New Year in partnership with parents well underway, we have hit the ground running and can report positively upon the resumption of the many trusted routines that ensure the successful engagement of students each day.

With a first round of interviews for academic appointments also underway, plans for a return to Shopshire to finalise the makeup of our team for August are now safely in the diary. The search for my successor, meanwhile, has now begun.

Next week, we welcome the restart of our parent workshop series: Computing Coordinator, Jess Wheeler, is due to take the reigns on the subject of internet security. The School Management Committee is also scheduled to gather, shortly prior to the hosting of a first full dress rehearsal of a production that will draw upon the expertise and enthusiasm of students in Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5.

The return of students for the start of our second term now firmly on the horizon, this week has supported reconnection with our operational team and the opening of a report for Governors ahead of a meeting scheduled to take place shortly after Chinese New Year.

Next week will see the hosting of a coffee morning for parents, the hosting of a campus tour, a flurry of academic interviews and the delivery of an assembly on Chinese culture and celebration - I can't wait!

A new calendar year now on the horizon, thoughts have turned to the return of students on Monday 6th January and plans for the first half of our second term.

A trip to Shropshire now in the diary, a three-week run open with a coffee morning with parents and conclude with a flurry of events designed to mark the Year of the Snake. 

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.