Dear parents Greetings in the name of the Lord to you all. I trust that the school holidays are going as well as they can be under these unique circumstances that we face. It has been wonderful to see on Facebook the photos of students participating in the Summer reading program. I do hope that all students have a balance of screen-time, family time, reading time and where safe to do so, some outside recreation time. Last week I completed the Wilson Trail, which was hard and hot! Since arriving in Hong Kong last year, I have been able to hike the Hong Kong Trail, MacLehose Trail and now the Wilson Trail. Only the Lantau Trail to do to complete the 'Big Four!' The purpose for writing to you is not to tell you about my hiking but rather the start of the school year! On Monday 27 July, I attended via ZOOM a meeting with the Education Bureau (EDB) and other Heads of International Schools. It is important to share this information with you to keep you fully informed of developments. The EDB have informed us that no onsite (at school) learning may take place before 17 August. This relates to those International schools which early/mid August. For other schools such as ours which start of 24 August, we were told to plan for the high probability that we also must have online learning for the start of the year. This will be confirmed closer to the time but at this stage, it is highly unlikely that students will be at school for the start of year. For all of us this is not the best news and we would much rather see everyone at school. It is our prayer that the local community transmission rates will drop significantly in the next few weeks. That will be a blessing for everyone! We are acutely aware of making sure students and families new to CAIS this year are well looked after, and I know that Maggie Chan-Lee and her Admissions team have done some excellent planning to ensure this occurs. Today I have informed the staff of the outcome of the EDB meeting and even though they are on holiday at present, I know that they will already have begun thinking and planning for the start of the year. The Senior leaders are making plans for a smooth start to the year. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom, discernment and insight. Be assured that the staff of CAIS are fully committed to ensuring your child has the best quality education whether it be online, half days or full days. I will continue to keep you fully informed of developments as they come to hand, it is our commitment to you as parents that we have clear, regular communication between home and school. Grace and Peace to you all Richard VanderpylHead of School