Thursday 1 September 2016

Welcome to WEEKEND SPORTS 2016-2017!!

Hello HKA community,

As you may already know, HKA has given responsibility to a group of parents use of the gymnasium and soccer pitch on the school grounds with a limited schedule. As the parent volunteers, we have decided to use this opportunity to focus on the core sporting tournaments that our school currently participates in, namely, SCISAC, ACAMIS and Local HK League Soccer, Volleyball and Basketball. This parent lead program is designed to give the students who already participate, and especially those who are interested to, additional conditioning and practice, fundamental skill instruction, game play experience and most importantly, a general sense of ‘team bonding’ with fellow HKA students at all levels. These sessions will be continuous despite the SCISAC, ACAMIS and Local HK League schedules so it is encouraged that students take advantage of this offering if they are interested in developing their skills ahead of a given season OR post-season for continued development. This will also be a great opportunity for those students who are interested to try any of the sports being offered even if they have not played it before and to learn the sport in general.  

How much does it cost?
It’s FREE!

When and where are these sessions?
The sessions are every Saturday at HKA’s gymnasium for Volleyball and Basketball.  Soccer at HKA’s soccer pitch (pending parent coach availability) and Track at the Sai Kung Sports Centre

What is the schedule for every session?
A typical schedule will look like this but keep in mind that they may change due to parent coach availability and weather.  If you have signed up for a session, if there are any changes, you will receive an email notification.
  • 9am - 10am = Grade 4 & 5 Volleyball
  • 10am - 11am = Grade 4 & 5 Basketball 
  • 11am - 12:30pm = Secondary School basketball (court 1 and 2 depending on attendance)
  • 12:30pm - 2:00pm = Secondary School volleyball (court 1 and 2 depending on attendance)
  • 10:30am-12pm = track (SK sports ground)
  • 1pm – 2:30pm = soccer (soccer pitch)

What grade levels are these sessions open for?
Because we are initially gearing this for students who may want to or already participate in the SCISAC, ACAMIS and Local HK League soccer, volleyball and basketball, it’s generally open to all 4th thru 12th grade students. If your child is below the 4th grade and is interested to participate, special arrangements can be made on a case-by-case basis. In addition, availability for children below the 5th grade will vary on a weekly basis based on attendance and parent coaches per session.  

How can 4th thru 12th grade students and parents access these sessions?
Every month, there will be a sign-up . It’s *mandatory* for the students to sign-up to attend a session. Once they sign-up, they need to make every effort to attend as parent coaches and facilities (number of courts) will be allocated against the number of attendants. If there is a situation that you will be unable to attend the session after signing-up, notification *must* be given to this email (provide email ) 24 hours before the scheduled session. ‘No Shows’ without notifications will be recorded and may limit your ability to sign-up for future sessions.

Is there a limit on the number of students that can attend per session?
Yes there’s a limit. Here’s the maximum number per session assuming 4th to 12th grade students only. Younger grades will vary:

Volleyball = 25 students
Basketball = 25 students
Soccer = 14 students (pending parent coach)
Track = 14 students (pending parent coach)

How can parents help in these sessions?
If you’re a parent and would like to devote some time and share your skills at any of the sports or just help out in general, sign-up will be available through the HKA intranet under QuickLinks. You will be contacted by one of us via email to discuss some specifics. It would be great to get more parent volunteers to help create a balanced schedule. Not to mention the feeling of being looked at by your child as a supermom/dad! 

What students should expect from these sessions?
Develop and/or learn the skills required for a given sport, learn how to play the game, learn how to play in a team, make more friends within HKA, get a great workout and most importantly, have FUN while learning.

What do the parent coaches expect from the students?
Bring their desire to learn the sport, how to play it and work with teammates, be on their best behaviour and listen to the coaches, respect the school and all applicable school, equipment, facility and security rules.

What do the parents volunteers expect from the parents of the student participants?
The understanding that this program is NOT a Saturday morning babysitting drop-off service. If your child is Grade 5 and below, please make sure that you stay with your child for the entire session. If your child is OK to arrive and be dismissed by themselves, we will assume that they are responsible young adults and we will treat them accordingly. Keep in mind that we are not teachers but parents like yourselves. Our goal is to focus on what we have to teach and for the kids to have fun while doing it. We don’t have a lot of time during a session to be distracted with things outside of those parameters. Thanks in advance for your cooperation in this area.