HOPE CONNECT
a new and convenient way to connect the HOPE community
January 24, 2020
Important Dates
JANUARY
17th - 30th ~ Mocks exam
28th ~ Y 8/10 OPTIONS MEETING at 3pm
31st ~ SPORTS Day
FEBRUARY
3rd ~ Volunteer Child Safety Training
10th - 14th ~ CAMP WEEK
17th - 19th ~ No School
27th ~ Parent Teacher Interviews
MARCH
4th ~ FRIDAY Timetable
26th - 31st ~ Read-a-thon
A message from our Deputy Primary Principal
Lower Primary Camp Week Reflections
It was a great pleasure to host a team of 10 from our church in Australia (Wollongong Baptist Church) last week. This great group of people, who are dear friends, led and organised the lower primary camp week.
Fresh eyes on a community are always welcomed, and I think it’s great as a community to share these reflections with you from the team. Be encouraged that your children at the youngest ages are growing in Christ, and that as a community we are seen as unique.
Tim Kime (Deputy Primary Principal)
Matt:
It was such a joy to come to Cambodia with our church team and serve the children and families of HOPE school! I loved seeing the school community centered around Jesus Christ. It is clearly a community of love and support for God’s people as they serve Him in Cambodia.
I had so much fun working alongside our team to teach the children more about God’s amazing promises in the Bible. We had some sickness that caused us a bit of difficulty in running our program; but we were so thankful for the prayer support of the school community.
As a team we pray that the children of HOPE International School remember the amazing promise from God that “If you trust in Jesus you will live in a perfect world with God forever”.
Heidi:
I’ll admit a couple of years ago my knowledge of Cambodia was limited – I knew about the land mines and a genocide carried out in decades gone by. Since visiting HOPE School in January this year my knowledge of Cambodia couldn’t be more different! Angkor Wat was breathtaking, the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum heartbreaking, and seeing Phnom Penh by roof and river left me impressed. Beyond these superficial glimpses I was able to probe deeper into the heart of Cambodia by visiting a few mission/aid projects, experiencing traditional music/dance and trying my tongue at Khmer. All of this helped me understand why HOPE School exists – why so many foreigners choose to make Cambodia home.
I loved the week I spent as a part of HOPE School – I instantly felt welcomed, appreciated and met so many genuinely friendly staff and parents in such a short time. Then there were the kids – what a bright, energetic and caring group of small humans! I was blown away by their knowledge of God and the Bible, by their willingness to make new friends and jump into any and every activity. Even though we were all tired from preparing and delivering the camp program, every moment of it was fun because of how much the kids were enjoying themselves. Their sadness was my sadness when we finally had to say goodbye at the end of the week.
If I had to choose a highlight, it would have to be the last half-hour of our time with the kids. As we led them in the memory verse they yelled it word-for-word from memory, recited the big promise with no prompting, then sang the songs with the most enthusiasm and the biggest actions I had ever seen. Seeing Cambodia was great, but seeing young lives speaking God’s truths is greater!
Notices
Y 8/10 OPTIONS MEETING Tuesday 28th January, 3pm in the Hall
Dear parents of year 8 and year 10 students, you and your child are warmly invited to a presentation about the IGCSE and IB courses available for your children when they enter year 9 or year 11, respectively.
There will be a presentation about the structure of the courses and which subjects are available. Detailed information about each course will be emailed out before the meeting for you to familiarize yourself with the course material and requirements.
Students will have until the end of February to make their course choices.
There will be an opportunity for you to discuss personal recommendations with the subject teachers at the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you then,
Cath Kershaw & Michael Emery
ISSAPP Track and Field
Last Friday evening, 14 Secondary students competed at the first ISSAPP (International Schools Sports Association Phnom Penh) Track and Field event held at ISPP.
The students competed in the Shot Put, Long Jump, Hurdles, 100m and 200m Sprint. They all raced hard and achieved some excellent results.
The students who achieved 1st, 2nd or 3rd place were:
Sokhawin Ly: 1st U15 Shot Put
Yein Lee: 2nd U13 Hurdles
Gabrielle Omondi: 1st U19 Hurdles and 2nd U19 Hurdles
Samuel Wong: 1st U19 Hurdles, 3rd U19 Shot Put and 3rd U19 200m
SiJune Jun: 2nd U17 Long Jump
Giryeong Park: 3rd U15 200m
Jacob Hodges: 1st U17 Hurdles, 1st U17 Long Jump, 2nd U17 Shot Put
Sihwan Han: 1st U13 Shot Put, 2nd U13 Long Jump, 2nd U13 200m and 3rd U13 100m.
Congratulations to all the students, and bring on HOPE Sports Day!
HOPE Families,
Sports Day is scheduled for Friday the 31st of January.
For the timetable of events, please click here.
Students will compete with their grade in a variety of events from sprinting races and the bean bag toss to Hurdles and Long Jump. By participating in an event or coming 1st, 2nd or 3rd you will receive points for your House. The winning House will be announced at the conclusion of the day.
Parents are welcome to attend to encourage students and to compete in the Parent and Staff running races.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Mrs. Kime at rebecca.kime@hope.edu.kh
Rebecca Kime
Coronavirus
In regard to Novel Wuhan Coronavirus, we have been monitoring the news and no case has been found in Cambodia, but it is still best to remind everyone to remain vigilant in staying healthy and the importance of handwashing.
We would want to ask all parents and families that if your child has a fever and respiratory symptoms, they must not come to school until the fever and all symptoms are resolved.
Please seek medical care if difficulty of breathing or other severe symptoms. A standard mask should be worn when going to seek medical care.
Helpful Tips for Staying Healthy:
Wash Hands Frequently! After using the toilet; before touching and eating food; after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose; after handling trash; after playing or if they look or feel dirty
Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth
Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow. Throw used tissues away in the trash and wash hands
Teach your children that while at school they should not suck or chew on toys, pens or pencils
Teach them not to drink out of the same cup, or water bottle as their friend.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
Lastly, please encourage your children to get plenty of rest, eat well and drink lots of fluid.
Here is helpful home care from the American CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/guidance-prevent-spread.html
Thank you for helping our school community as healthy as possible.
PSAT 10 is practice for the SAT, a 3 hour exam used for North American and Korean University applications.
When: 29 April 2020
Where: at HOPE School
Who: Tests are available to year 9 and 10 students. Anyone enrolled at HOPE or the HOPE Homeschool network.
Payment: Families will be billed after the test is completed in April
How to sign up: send email to guidance@hope.edu.kh and list the following:
- I would like to take PSAT 10
- Child's name:
- Child's year level: (Yr9/Yr10)
Contact the guidance counselor, Russell Mills, at guidance@hope.edu.kh if you have any questions.
Welcome to HOPE
Name: Gina Polley
Passport Country: Australia
How did you hear about HOPE?
I found out about HOPE on the website. My husband and I were wanting to work internationally after taking some time off for study and travel and had been looking and praying for several months to figure out where, when we looked at Cambodia as an option and found HOPE International School online. I saw there was a Business position (my preferred teaching area) starting in January and that the school was a mission school so applied online. Things moved quickly and here I am!
What will you be doing at HOPE?
I will be teaching IB Business Management and IGCSE Business Studies
What do you like about Cambodia?
Cambodian people are really happy, friendly people. We are still settling in but really enjoying the community atmosphere of our Borey and seeing our kids make friends so easily :-).
Learning Hub News
Did you know…?
You can access our collection from home!
Want to know if we have your favourite author on the shelf??
Looking for a particular title?
Then, go to http://koha.hope.edu.kh/ and search our catalogue, FOR FREE!
“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”
― Groucho Marx,