ISPTA Membership and Contributions
Dear Parents,
A warm welcome from the Island School Parent Teacher Association (ISPTA). The strength of Island School is its close-knit community and ISPTA strives to build a warm, welcoming and supportive environment for parents to instill a sense of belonging.
Your Membership Supports the Island School Community
ISPTA is an association established by the guidelines of the ESF Ordinance. When families join Island School they automatically become ISPTA members. ISPTA charges an annual membership fee from which we support the school in enhancing the learning experiences of students and bring the community together. Please note that the payment of the annual PTA membership fee of $200 per family is mandatory as per ESF Ordinance and Regulations and is payable via the school’s e-payment system. The invoice for the membership fees is issued at the start of the academic year in September. From this membership fee, ISPTA sponsors events for the school community and resources for the students.
We organise and support various school events, information sessions and get-togethers such as coffee mornings. We also support sponsorship for the Sports Awards ceremony for Island School Sports teams, House Nights and the Y11 and Y13 Photo Booths for the Dinner Dances and a splendid Graduation Reception to celebrate the outgoing class of Y13. In addition to community-building, we support student-led projects and initiatives. Recently, we have supported sponsorships for the Arts department and prizes for book week. For more details on our events and contributions, please see ISPTA News.
ISPTA continues to be one of the key donors of Island School Trust’s Nicola & Kenneth (N&K) bursaries that honour the memory of two Island School students. The bursaries fund financially disadvantaged secondary students in Hong Kong who are driven and committed towards their education. Since the start of 2019, ISPTA has supported fundraising for N&K through the Winter Fair silent auction and/or market sales.
Warm regards,
ISPTA Committee
ISPTA Committee
The ISPTA Committee comprises of dedicated volunteer parent members, elected in the Annual General Meeting and invited parent representatives. The ISPTA Constitution provides the committee a shared purpose of strengthening engagement and sense of belonging, community building and enhancing the educational experience for all students at Island School.
ISPTA COMMITTEE 2025-2026
Fatema Jangbarwala, Chair
Principal Nina Gunson, ex officio
Parent Members:
Lamey Chang, Gloria Chiu, Frank Lang, Karen Lau, Alicia Piguillem, Kandy Sum, Chris Tanaka, Florence Wan
Teacher Members:
Mary Lacey-Vittachi, Maryanne Mcphee, Stephanie Weathington
Invited Teacher Member:
Rachel Trinder
Invited Parent Members:
Zarrah Bhuta, Pooja Dhyani, Ali Ebrahim, Zainab Ebrahim, Catherine Ho, Teresa Kwan, Joyce Lam, Jasmin Mehta, Henry Pang, Sean Saar-Naville, Albert Teoh, Emilie Yabut
PTA Events & Initiatives
School Fair
Together with the teachers and students, ISPTA organises the annual School Fair. The School Fair brings together the whole school community for an evening of games, shopping, international food cuisines, live performances and arts. The international food court organised by our parent volunteers brings in delicacies that showcase the cultural diversity of the school community. The surplus of the School Fairs supports various initiatives that enhance the school life.
Cultural Events
ISPTA supports Island School’s cultural events for Diwali, Christmas, Lunar New Year and other cultural celebrations. Parent volunteers help to decorate the courtyard for the celebrations, and ISPTA funds the decorations and part of the cultural activities. We hold snack sales for students during Diwali and Lunar New Year, funded by our parents, to expose our students to cultural foods and traditions. Students love samosas at Diwali and dumplings and cheung fun at Lunar New Year.
Hospitality for Parent Information Evenings and Coffee Mornings
ISPTA organises and sponsors coffee, tea, drinks and treats for Parent Information Evenings at the start of the academic year and Coffee Mornings during the year. These events are a chance for parents to meet each other, build connections, and share the Island School life.
Curry Quiz Night
We host a curry quiz night to play trivia! Teams of staff, parents and students come together to compete by answering trivia questions on topics such as math, general knowledge, entertainment and the arts. It is an evening of good vibes and fun with vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, naan and samosas!
Y13 Graduation Reception
In addition, ISPTA continues to host the Y13 Graduation Reception in May for our graduating class to celebrate their time at Island School and successes.
Staff Appreciation Banquet
We host an annual banquet for Island School teaching staff, support and site staff. Our parents prepare home-made dishes of different cuisines with appetisers, mains and desserts. It is an opportunity for parents to thank staff members for their hard work and dedication in supporting our students and families. The Sports Hall transforms into a formal banquet hall with music and all staff members enjoy their meal together relaxed, and feel loved and appreciated.
Coffee Morning ZOOM Webinars
ISPTA and school leaders, organise Friday Coffee Morning ZOOM webinars, which are extremely popular on topics relevant to IS education and school life. Topics include webinars on: curriculum, languages, quest week, student support services, pastoral care, ECAs and social media. ISPTA with staff members work to design the sessions to provide a deep-dive in these topics. The highlight of these sessions is the Q & A session at the end, facilitated by ISPTA committee members to enhance parental understanding.
Sponsorships for Events
House Nights Sponsorships
Starting from last year ISPTA has dedicated sponsorship for food and beverage for the three House Nights held at Island School for students, staff and families. Two houses combine to host these House Nights over three nights. These bring together the community to celebrate the strength and the strong house communities.
Sports Awards Ceremony Sponsorship
Island School takes pride in its strong sports program and elite sports teams. These teams offer students an opportunity to try different sports, represent their school and excel at sports. To celebrate the 500 plus students that take part in these sports teams, ISPTA sponsors the trophies and food and beverages for the Sports Awards ceremony held in May every year. Our students deserve the applause, recognition and appreciation for their commitment to the school and their sport.
Y11 and Y13 Dinner Dances: Photo Booths Sponsorships
Starting from last year, ISPTA had dedicated sponsorship for the photo booths for our two year groups reaching milestones of exams. For Y11, the iGCSE board exams and for the Y13, marking the end of IB exams and Island School journey. Students cherish the photo booths to celebrate their milestones and create lifetime memories with their peers.
ISPTA Parent Communications
Join the community, get connected, stay informed, ask questions, share experiences and enjoy the Island Spirit.
The ISPTA organised Parent WhatsApp groups are a platform to bring together the IS parent community.
Existing members are automatically carried forward to the next year group.
To join our various WhatsApp Community Groups, please fill in this online form.
ISPTA can arrange for parent buddies for new parents who join the school. We also pair fluent English/Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin) speakers with parents who may need a bit more help with the English speaking culture of the school. Depending on the language preference, we may be able to pair parents in other languages.
How to Get Involved
Volunteer, Connect & Support
ISPTA values the support and time that parents dedicate by volunteering for school and ISPTA.
Sign up as a Volunteer to help during various cultural events and at the Winter Fair.
- Join our Volunteer Team: If you can commit to volunteering regularly, do join our energetic and engaging team of volunteers to help with event coordination.
- Join the ISPTA Committee: If you can dedicate time, consider joining the ISPTA committee. The committee is elected in ISPTA’s Annual General Meeting during Term 1 of each academic year. The committee meets once every six weeks.
- Sponsorship: There are sponsorship opportunities (if you have a company or business) related for events.
- Career Talks: If you are professional and/or run your own company, get in touch with us to contribute to the Higher Education career talks and industry visits.
Please contact the ISPTA office pta@online.island.edu.hk for more information.
ISPTA Sustainability
Promoting Sustainability: Second Uniforms and Books
ISPTA promotes sustainability in Island School with the ISPTA Secondhand Shop collecting and recycling, gently-used (in good condition) school textbooks, calculators and uniforms. Please use the Ssecondhand Order Form to purchase available items: Secondhand Readers; Secondhand Uniform. All funds raised from the sale of secondhand items go towards student-led initiatives and events.
Please consider donating your school uniforms and books to the ISPTA’s Secondhand Shop. Items can be dropped off at PTA Office, Room LG202, address your donation to “ISPTA Secondhand Shop”. Please see here for more details of accepted English Readers/Books. You can also sell school related items on our Buy, Sell and Swap Facebook group.
ISPTA Contact
ISPTA Contact
The PTA Office is located in Room LG202 next to the Sports Hall.
The opening hours are Monday to Friday: 9.00am – 4.00pm
For any inquiries, questions, comments or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact our PTA Manager Azeez Kasubhai:
- Email at pta@online.island.edu.hk or
- Phone 2524 7135 or
- Mobile 6765 2453.
