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25/01 (and 26/01?) Primary School Closure

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  1. #31

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    I am sure if you send your kids to good international kindy you have no issue with the cold.

    If you live in the NT, it takes you 1hour plus to get to a governement school with no heater..you think differently.

    Just saying....

    Last edited by shri; 25-01-2016 at 03:28 PM. Reason: cleaning up

  2. #32
    Mamba

    We used to live in a country that regularly went up to 45 degrees celsius in summer, the first winter we were there the temperature in winter plummeted to 3 degrees for over two weeks. Coldest winter in 70 years.

    Our boy was at international school. The winter uniforms were not sufficient, no heating and the headteacher was quite frankly an idiot. She wouldn't allow any items of clothing except for prescribed uniform. No extra layers and thin shoes.

    Half the school went down with chest infections. My boy ended up with pneumonia and in hospital for 6 weeks.

    One thing to be an adult suitably togged up and on the move in this weather, another to be a little kid in an inadequate winter uniform sitting still in a classroom all day.

    Home may or may not be warmer but at least you have an option to add more layers of clothes or move about as you get colder.

    EDB made the right call; schools and uniforms in HK are not made for this weather.

    jaykay, shri, Mat and 4 others like this.

  3. #33

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    No big loss with the school closures - son had to go and was miserably loud this morning about going to school.

    David Webb is being a bit of a dick in this case about the legal aspects, as he has some issues with schools being closed during Occupy and the unsatisfactory replies he got from the EDB.

    The guy is good... very good with his shareholder activism, but in this case... he's being a dick.

    Last edited by shri; 25-01-2016 at 03:18 PM.
    HK_Katherine likes this.

  4. #34

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    Original Post Deleted
    No EC type charts. All I can go on is the large number of heaters for sale in various shops, someone must be buying them all. All the houses I have been to (admittedly not many but none of them were expats) have had heaters.

  5. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by rani:
    I heard Delia School actually sent messages to parents saying kids must be warm and not to worry about the uniform.
    What's this? Common sense, in Hong Kong?

  6. #36

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    Personally after being at the school this morning and again having to sit on my hands in the office it's too cold. Particularly as schools are designed to maximise air flow to keep them cooler in the summer which creates huge drafts and further cooling effects during the winter (information thanks to a long term architect I spoke to yesterday who has worked on several government schools). All the kids will do today is try and stay warm, they will learn the equivalent of fuck all.


  7. #37

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    Don't think I was vehement. Up to the schools I think. Another comparison just for fun, schools in Winnipeg close when temperatures fall below minus 35 degrees!

  8. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob2020:
    What's this? Common sense, in Hong Kong?
    This is a school that actually cares about its students. My son went to a primary school with a principal who would stand by the gate every morning and harass kids for wearing long sleeve undershirts under their short sleeved uniform shirts (wasn't a winter version) and other warm layers cos the winter uniform wasn't warm enough. Even the grey winter trousers could only be worn if the mercury level hit a certain level, otherwise you had to wear shorts!
    Last edited by shri; 26-01-2016 at 09:43 AM.

  9. #39
    Mamba

    Morning no vehement argument from me, stating facts from experience.

    As for today, it's 5 degrees warmer. (I'm in Tuen Mun and yesterday was not funny.)

    If the schools, like Delia, are being sensible and allowing a no uniform day so kids can get togged up, adapt activities to the weather and they make sure the kids move around and get warm then fine. It could make for a memorable day.

    If, like I suspect, there's a lot of jobsworths in charge sticking to the rules then no.

    Little kids shouldn't be at school in this cold in inadequate uniforms and sitting still all day, recipe for disaster but I also appreciate that some parents don't have a choice and have to send them in. Rock and a hard place.

    Last edited by Mamba; 26-01-2016 at 09:42 AM. Reason: Clarification of location and temp difference

  10. #40

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    Should have been closed today too. F'ing cold in the office!!

    But I guess David Webb persuaded them to open the schools back up.