Shi Jie - Spring 2012 by Discovery College

視界

SHI JIE - TO LOOK OUT INTO THE WORLD THE MAGAZINE OF DISCOVERY COLLEGE SPRING 2012 Grow. Discover. Dream.

Focus on

PHYSICAL EDUCATION DING!

A MOODLE of our own

ANIMAL FARM Four legs good, two legs bad

SPRING 2012

CONTENTS

CONTENTS 9

視界 Shi Jie

Spring 2012 EDITOR Amy Freed

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Contents | Spring 2012 STUDENT WORK The Art of Design Love is All We Need

4 5

FOCUS ON PHYSICAL EDUCATION Competitive Spirit P.hysical E.ducation Removing Boundaries Primary Physical Education Education in the Outdoors

6 9 10 11 11

STAFF PROFILE Tracy Chitty & Bob Priest

Mark Beach Rebekah Coates-Stephenson, Year 9 Boris Choy, Year 10 Claire Connor Lyn Coote Alexandra Dupey, Year 11 Ellen Gasser, Year 4 Lauren Gordon, DC Parent Taha Hashim, Year 10 Natalie Kunst Crystal Lam, Year 11 Peter Lasscock Natasha Lau, Year 10 Joe Leithhead Alexa Massingham Jason McKimmon Peter Muir Andy Munn Bob Priest Dominic Smith, DC Parent Debbie Tai Damian Trimingham Paddy Watson

PHOTOGRAPHY Danielle Libine

CLASSROOM Under Water A narrative story by Ellen Gasser, Year 4

SHOWCASE Animal Farm Four legs good, two legs bad

Energy Efficiency

ALUMNI Where Are They Now? Timothy Tam

DC NEWS Dance Like Dynamite Putting Pen to Paper Chinese Beyond the Classroom

20 20 21

SPORTS Cobra Sports

DC NEWS Year 3 Takes Action Model United Nations

26 26

CIRCULATION & CONTACT Discovery College 38 Siena Ave Discovery Bay HONG KONG

Tel: +852 3969 1000 Fax: +852 2987 8115 Email: office@discovery.edu.hk Website: www.discovery.edu.hk Circulation (1500)

視界 is printed on Alpine Satin which is PEFC certified, Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) and manufactured under ISO14001 certification, using 100% virgin fibre from well-managed forests.

CONTENTS

SPRING 2012

DC NEWS

e c a p S e t i h W

SECTION

Year 4 students, in order to further their understanding of the central idea, ‘Foods are transported and processed before they are consumed’, have been growing their very own vegetables in school. As part of a joint initiative by the HK British Chamber of Commerce and HSBC, a number of micro-gardens were delivered to and established in Discovery College.

THE ART OF

INSTALLATION ART

16/4/12 11:41 AM

SECTION

SPRING 2012

Year 4 students, in order to further

their understanding of the central idea, ‘Foods are transported and processed before they are consumed’, have been growing their very own vegetables in school. As part of a joint initiative by the HK British Chamber of Commerce and HSBC, a number of micro-gardens were delivered to and established in Discovery College. With the support and guidance of the College science committee under Mrs. Lesia Pringle,

Year 4 planted different varieties of vegetables on the 2nd floor roof in late September. These included carrots, choi sum, spinach, radish,

and sprout and following the advice of Mrs. Pringle, we will wait a little bit longer to harvest them in order to ensure that they are at

lettuce, tomatoes and beetroot.

their optimum size when we do so.

The students involved were required to create a growth plan for their particular vegetable and make a chart indicating when it would be

Our next issue now is what to do with our vegetables when we harvest them! Following our lines of inquiry on how food is processed and

ready for harvesting and how frequently each plant should be watered. Provision also had to

how it impacts on the environment, we have begun collecting glass jars with a view to per-

be made for holiday periods and luckily the DC security staff were more than happy to oblige.

haps pickling some of the vegetables in order to naturally preserve them. Mrs. Whitaker in

Our vegetables have now begun to blossom

the Food Science Department has also kindly offered to help show some groups how to

YEAR 4 WRITING TASK make sauces and relishes from their crops. Following on the success of this project through our unit of inquiry, Mrs. Pringle has offered to continue our investigations into growing vegetables as a CCA for the remainder of the school year. We can’t wait to see how big they will grow and maybe we will be able to plant some other varieties as the year progresses!

“Man who run in front of bus is tired, man who run behind bus is exhausted.” -Confucius

“I like writing” -Anne Xample 4.8

YEAR 4 WRITING TASK

Rachel.indd 2

16/4/12 11:54 AM

Rachel Yeung, Year 10

SECTION

DING!

SPRING 2012

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus lacinia sem id felis

Suspendisse nec felis tortor, id mollis quam. Nam euismod est

bibendum ac rutrum lacus ultrices. Duis et dolor massa. Curabitur massa odio, convallis

et justo lacinia facilisis faucibus felis cursus. Integer posuere

nec egestas non, mollis porttitor odio. Sed leo urna, volutpat at sollicitudin eu, pellentesque

vulputate ligula vitae faucibus. Phasellus posuere aliquet

ac ante. Donec hendrerit commodo elementum. Aenean vitae tellus mi, nec interdum

pretium. Sed et ipsum eget nisl laoreet dictum nec ac massa.

risus. Praesent cursus ultricies justo, a rhoncus erat tempus id. Sed risus nibh, tempor at fau-

Quisque libero lacus, tempor at cursus id, elementum at dolor.

cibus non, sodales at augue. Duis sed pulvinar nunc. Donec gravida magna id orci fringilla

Duis lobortis mi nec urna luctus sit amet semper quam mollis.

congue. Vestibulum sed velit justo, at lobortis augue. Proin et est quam, at ornare eros.

In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Vestibulum ante ipsum

Etiam a nunc nec dui feugiat aliquam sit amet id nibh. Nunc quam neque, iaculis ac tincidunt

primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae;

id, varius in tellus. Vestibulum egestas nunc a odio ultrices tincidunt. Vivamus dictum erat

Proin ultricies nisi vulputate augue tempor et facilisis arcu

quis augue tempor tempus.

vestibulum. In sed erat vitae est vehicula ultricies placerat non purus. Praesent eleifend tempor risus sit amet rhoncus.

Donec ut nulla eu ante convallis ornare id eget velit. Nulla vel odio neque, sed varius eros. Vestibulum rhoncus, ligula nec mollis cursus, lectus nibh viverra urna, ullamcorper congue

Ut lobortis lorem ut nibh

convallis eget placerat semper, bibendum eget

libero eros a felis. Suspendisse volutpat, libero a venenatis hendrerit, felis velit porta eros, non tincidunt diam est at neque. Maecenas

placerat ut aliquam lorem gravida. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et

nec turpis ipsum. Nulla sed odio at diam consectetur congue. Nunc eget quam in ipsum posuere congue ac in eros.

ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Sed et elit vitae sem blandit sagittis. Praesent volutpat lacinia massa quis imperdiet. Duis vitae pellentesque ligula.

nulla. Proin sit amet tellus eu libero pretium feugiat id vitae dui. Sed nec lorem vitae ipsum ornare consectetur a ut lacus. Sed dui purus, euismod in accumsan et, tincidunt nec ligula.

Maecenas vestibulum luctus ultricies. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Praesent vehicula auctor eros eget tincidunt. Etiam id scelerisque nisi. Aliquam euismod neque et felis blandit vel luctus libero condimentum. Quisque euismod vehicula eleifend. Praesent sagittis

‘Diet Coke is the girl coke.’ -Mr Kai Fong

Cras et velit et risus malesuada vulputate dignissim vel dolor. Etiam nec elit et ipsum euismod facilisis. Quisque dignissim neque sit amet justo consectetur luctus. In sed orci nibh, vel fringilla erat. Fusce sed mauris nec augue volutpat varius sit amet quis turpis. Quisque vitae libero dolor. Curabitur eget velit ante, ac vulputate tortor. Quisque ultrices, mi quis bibendum rhoncus, felis ligula vestibulum orci, eu feugiat metus erat non nibh. Aliquam faucibus luctus nulla in dignissim. Pellentesque luctus mi at est blandit molestie. In

sodales ipsum nec suscipit. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis

volutpat molestie augue, iaculis imperdiet odio tristique sit amet. Curabitur quis quam nec justo semper iaculis ornare vel diam. Duis id orci

in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Fusce neque sapien, pulvinar

diam, sed vulputate dolor. Aenean elementum sapien id tortor tempus posuere. Nam turpis lacus, laoreet ac luctus in, interdum et velit.

quis fermentum id, volutpat ac purus. Phasellus consequat iaculis porttitor. Cras mi nisl,

Maecenas sit amet purus est. Nullam vestibulum dignissim ipsum, nec gravida felis feugiat sed. Praesent faucibus elementum nibh, non suscipit nisl scelerisque vel. Praesent mi sapien, fringilla et fringilla ac, adipiscing id mi. Suspendisse posuere consequat enim a semper. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec semper porttitor bibendum. Vivamus imperdiet dictum porttitor.

DING!

david-shijie_article.indd 2

16/4/12 11:51 AM

David Lunn, Year 11

Amy Freed Development & Communications Manager

SECTION

SPRING 2012

SECTION

SPRING 2012

ENERGY SAVING Y

ear 4 students, in order to further their understanding of the central idea, ‘Foods are transported and processed before they are consumed’, have been growing their very own vegetables in school. As part of a joint initiative by the HK British Chamber of Commerce and HSBC, a number of micro-gardens were delivered to and established in Discovery College. With the support and guidance of the College science committee under Mrs. Lesia Pringle, Year 4 planted different varieties of vegetables on the 2nd floor roof in late September. These included carrots, choi sum, spinach, radish, lettuce, tomatoes and beetroot.

THE ART OF DESIGN

Following on the success of this project through our unit of inquiry, Mrs. Pringle has offered to continue our investigations into growing vegetables as a CCA for the remainder of the school year. We can’t wait to see how big they will grow and maybe we will be able to plant some other varieties as the year progresses!

Anastasia Serdyuk, Year 10

Looking at the principles of page layout, we focused on using balance, white space, repetition, proximity, alignment and contrast to set up the pages. When used properly, these can help to create interesting and readable pages. Unfortunately, as happens everyday in publishing, due to magazine size constraints, content shifts, story lengths, photo availability and, of course, deadlines, we were not able to complete and publish all of the completed page layouts. I would like to acknowledge however, the hard work of Anastasia Serdyuk, Rachel Yeung, David Lunn and Celia Roh as participants in this workshop. I would also like to acknowledge the many other student contributions to this issue of Shi Jie. As the magazine continues to grow and evolve, I look forward to more student-driven contributions through publication of written work, photography, artwork and design.

on how food is processed and how it impacts on the environment, we have begun collecting glass jars with a view to perhaps pickling some of the vegetables in order to naturally preserve them. Mrs. Whitaker in the Food Science Department has also kindly offered to help show some groups how to make sauces and relishes from their crops.

Anastasiya.indd 2

As part of Arts Fest 2012, students in Year 10 and 11 were given the opportunity to choose elective activities in areas of their interest. I had the opportunity to lead a group of four students through an introduction to design and layout, using the College magazine, Shi Jie as our basis. The all-day workshop focused on creating a page template in Adobe InDesign that could then be tailored when building a magazine. Workshop participants were given an assignment and, assisted by a student photographer, took on the task of laying out their own individual story pages or spreads. Throughout the day students faced the difficulties of laying out a story when the content had yet to be written. In doing so, they learned to use ‘lorem ipsum’ as placeholder text.

Our next issue now is what to do with our vegetables when we harvest them! Following our lines of inquiry

Repetition

DESIGN

Our vegetables have now begun to blossom and sprout and following the advice of Mrs. Pringle, we will wait a little bit longer to harvest them in order to ensure that they are at their optimum size when we do so.

With the support and guidance of the College science committee under Mrs. Lesia Pringle, Year 4 planted different varieties of vegetables on the 2nd floor roof in late September. These included carrots, choi sum, spinach, radish, lettuce, tomatoes and beetroot.

ras t

“Foods are transported and processed before they are consumed”

Con t

t n e m Align

SPRING 2012

Installation Art

The students involved were required to create a growth plan for their particular vegetable and make a chart indicating when it would be ready for harvesting and how frequently each plant should be watered. Provision also had to be made for holiday periods and luckily the DC security staff were more than happy to oblige. Our vegetables have now begun to blossom and sprout and following the advice of Mrs. Pringle, we will wait a little bit longer to harvest them in order to ensure that they are at their optimum size when we do so. Our next issue now is what to do with our vegetables when we harvest them! Following our lines of inquiry on how food is processed

and how it impacts on the environment, we have begun collecting glass jars with a view to perhaps pickling some of the vegetables in order to naturally preserve them. Mrs. Whitaker in the Food Science Department has also kindly offered to help show some groups how to make sauces and relishes from their crops. Following on the success of this project through our unit of inquiry, Mrs. Pringle has offered to continue our investigations into growing vegetables as a CCA for the remainder of the school year. We can’t wait to see how big they will grow and maybe we will be able to plant some other varieties as the year progresses!

ENERGY SAVING

ceriaaaaaa.indd 2-3

Balance

Celia Roh, Year 10

ENERGY SAVING

16/4/12 11:48 AM

SPRING 2012

DC NEWS

LOVE IS ALL WE NEED

...Who Says?

Is Love All We Need? Once again, like every year, the most pointless day comes up again in the calendar, Valentine’s Day, created so people can show their love for each other on one day of the year, and then shout, scream, and fight for the rest of it. If we had a greeting cards business, or a bouquet shop, we’d love this day, but unfortunately nobody is interested in investing in our greeting card shop. Many oppose our views. Nina Rossiter, from Year 10, told us that she thinks, ‘Valentine’s Day is romantic, especially for lovey-dovey people, and a day just to be happy.’ Unfortunately, Valentine’s day, though it can be labeled another ‘feel good’ day for the calendar and one for couples to enjoy, is yet another painful reminder to those who are single. I guess it is great for them (the couples), but, really, what’s it like for people who are alone? Whilst many take it upon themselves to ‘take action’, the day just presents another opportunity for rejection and disappointment, followed by the usual heartbreak and sorrow. It may well be enough to drive someone over the edge and give up on romance altogether.

Year 10 students Boris Choy and Taha Hashim wrote this opinion piece for “The Rattler,” the student based newspaper for Discovery College. This piece was published in the sixth volume which was released on 14 February 2012...just in time for time for Valentine’s Day.

Perhaps no one is ever really alone. If someone is single, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are lonely We all get by with a little help from our friends, and it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun on the way either. The point is, we all need to loosen up. We’re all still only in our teens. Love, loss, and desperation are all out of the question, so, really, there’s no need to worry about it. Don’t give up on love, but certainly do not let it control everything you do and who you are either. Why not just spend this Valentine’s Day as if it were as good as any other? Wake up, smell the flowers, and live life simply to it fullest, like every other day.

Boris Choy and Taha Hashim Year 10 Students

LOVE IS ALL WE NEED

SPRING 2012

DC NEWS

COMPETITIVE SPIRIT I never in my wildest dreams thought, when I came to HK, that we would be inundated with students who wanted to play sport for Discovery College. Although I was an active participant at secondary in cross-country, rugby and swimming, my experience of school sports was that the vast majority of students chose not to take part.

particular, provide a physical counter to the all-invasive social media sites our young people find so appealing.

When I saw the number of eager students lining up in our first year for the sports we were able to offer, my first instinct was to explain it by their age. After all, weren’t Year 7 & 8 students still at that stage where they would get enthusiastic about anything? As we power through our fourth year of operation, I’ve come to realise that, in fact, we simply live in a community where families and children value sport for what it can do for young people, not only now but also throughout their lives.

age gives children an opportunity to understand the healthy aspects of competition in a friendly environment. Students of all ages who participate in sports have been found to cope better with competition in other areas of their life.

It is my strong belief that the importance of sports in the life of young people goes much further than the notion that it simply keeps kids off the streets. Participation in sport helps students grow socially, emotionally and physically, as well as reinforcing values such as discipline, responsibility, self-confidence and accountability. In this day and age of television, internet, mobile technologies and game boys, sports also get students outside and active. Team sports, in

COMPETITIVE

SPIRIT

Team sports are useful for teaching the skills of competition. In today’s world, we are surrounded by competition, both as adults and as children. Participating in competitive team sports at an early

Playing a sport also helps a child’s physical well-being. Physical activity helps to increase a child’s self-worth, especially when the emphasis is on group or team success, rather than individual achievement. Children who are actively involved in a sport are more likely to describe themselves as being in good physical health than are students who do not participate in sports. Two years ago we launched our school mascot, the Cobra, which allowed us for the first time to have a symbol recognisable as Discovery College. Almost overnight the students became the Cobras, and the sense of pride and belief in themselves have been clearly

FEATURE

evident, even to where the primary choir wanted also to be known as the Cobras. In the past four years, participation and success in sports has become one of our hallmarks. From the early days, when we struggled against much larger and more established schools, often with our students forced to play against much older opponents, we have become a force to be reckoned with. Successes in badminton, football, rugby, cross country, equestrian, swimming, basketball and volleyball are common-place. To what can we attribute our level of success? I believe there are several reasons, the first being the dedication of the many staff and parent volunteers who donate their time and energy to coaching and managing the teams. Coaches are pivotal to the on-going success of a sports programme. For staff at Discovery College, it allows us the opportunity to interact with students outside of the classroom and to establish relationships we would not otherwise be able to build. It allows teachers to work with students from other areas of the school, and to earn the admiration and the trust of students, thus motivating them to perform at a higher level, not only in the actual sport, but also in their academic life.

SPRING 2012

Our location in Discovery Bay also works to our advantage, as this community had already developed a strong culture of sports long before Discovery College opened. While we may bemoan the lack of decent community sports venues, I have to acknowledge that DBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique environment, with relatively safe roads to cycle on, parks to play in and hills to climb, all help give DC students the edge. That was clearly evident last year at the HK Secondary Schools Cross Country Champs when the DC (and DBIS) students achieved outstanding results on a hilly course against local schools that only had flat surfaces to train on. Having built a solid sports foundation, we can all look forward to a future of continued sporting success that will not only enhance our image and serve as a source of pride to the whole of our DC community, but will provide the perfect complement to the academic success that is the goal of all of us here at Discovery College. Mark Beach Principal

COMPETITIVE

SPIRIT

SPRING 2012

P.hysical

P.HYSICAL E.DUCATION

SPRING 2012

E.ducation Why Move? The IB MYP PE guide’s introduction begins with a George Sheehan quote; ‘the mind’s first step to self awareness must be through the body’. This acknowledges the understanding that Physical Education is more than a series of sports activities and experiences. It helps to support the notion of ‘movement’ having intrinsic benefits beyond that of merely increasing the heart rate and ‘getting a sweat on’.

area, then the students in Joel Klien’s administrative region are destined for less movement, less often. Furthermore, this is on the back of the ‘No Child Left Behind’ initiative, devised to ‘close achievement gaps, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate college- and career-ready’ (www.ed.gov/esea), which has been implemented in many states, across the US, at the expense of Physical Education time allocation. We are forgetting how to and why we ‘move’.

So is the classic ‘hour of running around’ really such a bad thing? It is a well-documented fact that in western ‘developed’ countries child obesity rates are reaching epidemic proportions. After surveys carried out in the United States in 2008, The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported the following statistics; - Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. - The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. - The percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period. - In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. (www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm) These alarming statistics are not solely confined to the United States with countries such as New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom reporting similar trends. So what is being done about it? In a recent televised interview on the talk show ‘The View’, Joel Klein, the New York City Schools’ Chancellor, was discussing ways in which to improve his city’s schools. He was commenting on the ‘merit pay’ for teachers’ initiative and expressed his frustration at the fact that ‘Math and Science teachers receive the same pay as Physical Educators’. His insinuation that Math and Science teachers should be paid more than Physical Educators not only opens a rather large can of worms in terms of teacher equality and subject recognition and relevance, but it also highlights a certain level of ignorance to the problem of ‘kids getting fat’.

Participation in exercise and movement opportunities is more relevant now that it has ever been. The advent of the industrial and technological revolutions has changed the ways and opportunities we have to move and the meaning movement has to us. Long gone are the days of toiling in the fields and developing and maintaining sufficient levels of movement through our daily working lives. Now movement is scheduled, planned for and sometimes seen as an ‘inconvenience’. We are getting further and further away from knowledge of our physical selves through less and less movement. We are all familiar with the term IQ, and to some extent the understandings around EQ (emotional intelligence). KQ (kinaesthetic intellegience) is an intelligence that we need to begin regaining. Author of ‘Anatomy Trains’ (2008), Tom Myers, speaks about the removal from our kinesthetic understandings through a failure to ‘educate our children about how to live in a body’. It is paramount that in a populace now defined by convenience and technology, we are educating our youth about their bodies. Not only in terms of its changes and maintenance, but in terms of connecting with the kinaesthetic self and benefitting from the pleasure and appreciation of movement and the associated social, personal and spiritual experiences it provides us with. Paddy Watson Head of Department, PE

If teacher pay is a determinant of the regard and associated importance and relevance to which you consider a particular subject

P.HYSICAL E.DUCATION

FOCUS ON PHYSICAL EDUCATION

SPRING 2012

REMOVING BOUNDARIES The Middle Years physical education programme contributes to the holistic development of students during all five years of this International Bacculaurate course. It is an essential part of the IB Programme model and offers opportunities for students to engage and demonstrate ability outside the ‘boundaries’ of classroom delivery. The MYP endeavours to deliver more than just opportunities to participate in sports and games. It aims to produce ‘intelligent performers’. When one begins to consider physical education as more than just a mere ‘run around’, it becomes apparent how appropriately and easily fundamental concepts, knowledge and skills, particular to our adolescent student body, are so easily accessed and developed through the realm of Physical Education. Concepts and skills such as critical thinking, reflection, responsibility, conflict resolution, analysis, social development, the relatedness of intellectual, physical and emotional balance and self-motivation are all part and parcel of a competent programme. Couple with this the basic knowledge associated with this subject area such as invasion, attack and defence, movement composition, technique performance, and interpersonal skills, and time spent studying Physical Education is no longer a large ball-team game played enthusiastically and enjoyed by the competent, at the expense of the incompetent. Daryl Siedentop, a published author on the relevance of Physical Education, puts it well when saying Physical Education is, ‘learning in, through and about movement’. It’s not what we’re playing that is important, it’s how we are playing. At Discovery College, the Physical Education programme draws from a wide range of movement opportunities and pursuits. Our facilities and open spaces are not numerous, resulting in promoting the creative and diverse nature of the delivery of the programme. The DC MYP PE course incorporates units based on movement pursuits and sports such as canoe polo, parkour, dance, tennis, aquatics, SNAG (Starting New At Golf), flag football and

REMOVING BOUNDARIES

volleyball, to name a few. Add into this mix the more conceptual based units of work such as ‘space’, ‘net games’, ‘international games’, ‘fit4life’ and ‘super-coach’, and the diversity and breadth of movement experiences available to the Discovery College Physical Education student becomes apparent. The outcome of each of these and many other units of work, should not be characterised by the assumed confines of the unit title. The driving force behind any learning within Physical Education comes from the Area of Interaction, Significant Concept, and primarily, the Unit Question. This thought-provoking question sets the path for inquiry specifically within the Physical Education unit, and has examples such as; ‘How does an environment dictate action?’, ‘How does perception influence participation?’, ‘Why should we

include everyone?’ and ‘What influences the decisions I make?’. The activity or sport focus is merely a vehicle for the development of understanding around the Unit Question. Ultimately, the product of the Discovery College Physical Education programme is not solely driven by the attainment of high level sporting performances by a select competent few. On the contrary, it aims to develop the ‘mover’ in all students and promote a base knowledge, skills, understanding and enthusiasm for life-long enjoyment and participation in movement. It seeks to enable students to move on and engage with movement opportunities, and in so doing, developing themselves as invested citizens of the movement culture. Paddy Watson Head of Department, PE

FOCUS ON

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

SPRING 2012

PRIMARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION In the primary Physical Education programme we offer students the opportunity to explore the capabilities of their bodies in a variety of ways. We believe that by creating a safe and happy environment, students will have fun. Under the ‘Active Living’ strand of the PE programme, the students are involved in 5 major units of learning: Adventure Challenge, Individual Pursuits, Health-Related Fitness, Movement Composition and Games. In the adventure challenge unit the students learn to work as individuals or teams to solve various problems. Individual pursuits focuses on athletics and swimming where students celebrate their learning at the end with the sports days and swimming carnival.

Health-related fitness gives students the opportunity to learn about their body and their well-being. Movement composition provides learning experiences such as dance and gymnastics. The big unit of games varies at each year level, with the younger students learning the fundamentals such as throwing/ catching and spatial awareness. In Year 3 and 4, students play modified games, while upper primary are involved in the various invasion, striking and net games. When possible the PYP PE unit will become trans-disciplinary with the classroom learning, allowing students to gain a stronger understanding and connection to their learning experiences. Damian Trimingham and Andy Munn, PE Teachers

EDUCATION IN THE OUTDOORS The Discovery College secondary camp programme has seen students involved in a variety of diverse and exciting activities. The Year 7 students were involved in the Hong Kong Hustle, a 3-day event based from the Mothership (Discovery College). Students worked in teams exploring Hong Kong and Lantau Islands to find check-points in a competitive yet fun and friendly environment. The Year 8, 4-day camp was based out in Sai Kung. Activities included kayaking, overnight camping, hiking, swimming and a number of team challenge type activities. Year 9 students completed a five-day camp on Lantau Island where all students were involved in a number of team building activities, mountain biking and completing a 2 night and 2½ day hiking adventure. This hike covered over 30kms of the Lantau trail. The College is fortunate to have such a fantastic group of supporters to help these camps run smoothly and it is great to see the students engaged and challenged in so many ways. Jason McKimmon PE Teacher

PRIMARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION

SPRING 2012

STAFF PROFILE

TRACY CHITTY

The “talk about it” lady From a young age she knew she was destined for a career helping people. After leaving school she trained in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Tracey’s career has spanned over 15 years. In the early stages she found that she was passionate about teaching but soon realised that many students had a wider range of needs outside the classroom. These issues often prevented them from reaching their potential. This ignited a spark that led Tracey to complete a masters degree in counselling and subsequently she worked in schools as a counsellor for a number of years. In the last seven years she has been a lecturer in counselling education. Tracey firmly believes this is the best job in the school. She feels a high degree of satisfaction when she is able to help a young person work through problems and build their belief in themselves. Life can be difficult for many students. Childhood and adolescence can have many pressures from peers, home, achievement and hormones. Along with parents, teachers and friends, Tracey provides an opportunity for students to talk and work through these issues and challenges. She feels that her role is about the whole community and often works with parents as well as students. Tracey comes to Hong Kong with her husband Steve and children Jorja (3 1/2) and Charlie (20 months). After seeing the advertisement for the DC Counselling position, she rang Steve and asked what he thought about the opportunity. A whirlwind six weeks later they started their life in HK. The family loves their new life experiencing all sights, sounds and tastes that Hong Kong has to offer.

FATHER SON EVENING The DCPTA held a father and son evening with Dr Ian Lillico, the Executive Director of the Boys Forward Institute in Western Australia and a leading expert on boys’ education. I attended with my 11-year-old son and it was great to see so many other fathers present with sons from 11 years of age and up. The evening started with an insight into how important it was for us to bond with our sons and an overview of the challenges men face in their personal and working life in the 21st century and beyond. I found this incredibly useful as my son and I have recently been

TRACY CHITTY & BOB PRIEST STAFF PROFILE

discussing how different the environment I grew up in was compared to the one he is now experiencing. A great BBQ was then served and we were able to discuss a range of issues which had been raised over a hot dog and a drink. In the second half of the session, we focused on danger signs, communication techniques and some very interesting observations on how males and females perceive things in a very different way. There were also some magnificent tips on getting and staying close to your son.

The evening came to a close far too quickly but the website we were given to use has an extensive range of ideas and features which my son and I are already employing and thoroughly enjoying. Dominic Smith, DC Parent

SPRING 2012

STAFF PROFILE

BOB PRIEST

Admissions, Officer

One of our oldest members of staff, at least by age, Bob is the College’s Admissions Manager and a long-time resident of Hong Kong, having arrived here in 1977 as a Probationary Inspector in the then colonial Royal Hong Kong Police Force. He served with the Police for 32 years in a variety of roles, finishing his career at one of the Force’s training establishments responsible for the financing, administration and training of 4,000 Auxiliary officers. Having retired from the Police as a Superintendent in December 2009, Bob and his wife Lyn, a Filipina who is an even longer term resident of Hong Kong, wanted to stay where they had established a home and family. So began the search for a second career, ultimately leading to Bob’s arrival at Discovery College in January 2010, taking over as Admissions Manager from Maria Brusuelas. ‘Dropped in at the deep end would be the best way of describing those first few days on the job’, was Bob’s introduction to Year 1 Central Applications. ‘If you are going to learn the job quickly and what is associated with it, particularly the anxieties felt by parents seeking a good education for their children, there is no better way.’ Bob is responsible for the administration of all applications for admission to Discovery College at both primary and secondary levels. He has recently been joined in the Admissions Office by Angelina Niven. Whilst Bob has put to use those people skills developed in the Police when communicating with parents, he can also relate to the disappointment felt by families, having had his eldest son not succeed initially in his assessment interview for Kowloon Junior School. Bob’s philosophy in overcoming such hurdles is to face up to the reality of the situation and have in place options to fall back on. Ultimately, all three sons attended KJS and KGV, and went on to college in the UK. The youngest has recently graduated with a degree in Coaching Science and is currently working as a part-time

EA at WIS, picking up vital job experience, and funds, prior to heading off to Australia to start his Graduate Diploma of Education majoring in Physical Education. Bob is a keen rugby fan, a passion shared by all members of the family, and can be found every year soaking up the excitement of the Rugby 7s. Enjoyment of the game developed while watching his sons play Mini and Colts Rugby for DEA Tigers, one representing Hong Kong at Colts level, and in assisting with the administration of the Tiger’s Mini and Colt’s sections. His other main interest is history, particularly that of his native England. Reflecting on his time at Discovery College, Bob recently noted how fast the last two years had gone by as he welcomed the young applicants attending the current Year 1 assessment interviews, for the third time since his arrival. ‘Despite what I believe was some trepidation surrounding an ex-police officer joining DC, the camaraderie and friendliness of everyone at DC has been superb.’ As for the future, Bob and Lyn see themselves staying in Hong Kong for as long as possible but are planning to ultimately retire to the Philippines where they have recently built their dream home. Anyone visiting the island of Negros is more than welcome to savour its delights at the Priest household.

BOB PRIEST

SPRING 2012

INSIGHT, ONSIGHT Unveiled at Discovery ArtsFest 2012, Onsight Insight is the culmination of a Year 11 MYP unit of study in site specific art. In this unit, the students explored the Area of Interaction ‘Environments’ through the unit question ‘How do artists respond to and affect the world around them?’ Students undertook an architectural study of the school building which was designed by Hong Kong-based architect Winston Shu. Following this, the students examined the work of a variety of artists who create artworks for specific sites. Students considered the significance of particular sites on the school campus and designed and created their own site-specific artworks for those particular sites. An emphasis was placed on the concepts underpinning the artworks and students explored a wide range of ideas, materials and approaches to art in their responses. Through exploring the work of site-specific artists, and creating their own site specific artworks, the students have gained a deeper understanding of contemporary art practice and the important relationship between artists and their environments. Natalie Kunst Head of Department Secondary Art

INSIGHT, ONSIGHT

SPRING 2012

Discovery College was brimming with artistic endeavours as students work-shopped with leading local and international artists and performed various works during Discovery Arts Fest 2012. The annual festival - from 27 February to 4 March - saw the College abuzz with visual and performing arts. For primary students, events ranged from a Punch and Judy show and Clown Camp for Year 1s, to hip hop dance lessons for Years 3 and 4, while Year 5s were treated to drama workshops with the Faust Theatre Company and Bollywood dance classes. Year 2s experienced the rigours of Chito Ryu Karate. Year 6s studied Chinese watercolour painting with Judyanna Li and sampled the rhythm and wow of Brazilian martial arts in workshops with Capoeira Brazil Hong Kong. In secondary, events included Drum Jamming for Year 7s, and Year 8s discovered the tricks and techniques of stage fighting with Faust Theatre Company. Year 9s worked with internationally acclaimed graffiti artist Ceet Fouad and impressed with performances from ‘Lord of the Flies’. New this year, the festival featured an elective programme for Years 10 and 11, allowing students to select from activities that met their interests, needs or aspirations both personally and leading onto the

IB Diploma. Workshops included creative writing, photography, gallery visits, app building, tango dance and graphic design. Our aspiring musicians and actors busked and performed street mime for their fellow students during breaks. Student art was also on display, with an exhibition from the PYP and MYP visual arts programmes, giving a taste of the genres, styles and media students have been studying. Year 11 students impressed with innovative artworks around the school campus, which they developed as part of their unit of study in site-specific art. Students, parents and the DB community were treated to public shows including Faust Theatre’s performance of ‘Splat!’, a ‘Comedy Night’ featuring comedians from the TakeOut Comedy Club, and a performance of Bach suites by internationally acclaimed cellist Richard Tunnicliffe. A highlight of the week was the DC Annual Music Concert, showcasing a wealth of student talent. Another highlight of Arts Fest was the silent auction of student art, for which each class created collaborative pieces, displayed in the Performing Arts Theatre corridor. The auction this year included the winning entries from the Year 10 and 11 photography competition. Lauren Gordon, DC Parent

INSIGHT, ONSIGHT

SPRING 2012

CLASSROOM

UNDER WATER

A narrative story by Ellen Gasser, Year 4 Julia was a lovely girl. She was patient, but she also loved the sea. Her father felt the same way about the beach. He was very mysterious. He always had a pained look on his face when they talked about Julia’s mother. Julia felt more relaxed ever since her dad had taken her to the beach to begin her summer holiday. She looked around the beach for a rock she could sit on. Julia saw one at the edge of the water, but there was something on it. Julia blinked and it was gone. Julia felt very confused. Every animal liked her, especially sea animals. But, then, why had this one jumped away so suddenly, she didn’t even know what it was. She quickly went to sit on the rock. Being near the sea always made her feel better. Julia began to think what the animal could have been. ‘Maybe it was an octopus, ‘ she thought to herself, maybe it would come back. While she was thinking, very suddenly, someone’s head popped out of the blue water. Julia stared. It wasn’t using its arms, it was using its legs. But only there weren’t any legs, it was using its blue tail. ‘Hi’ said the mermaid. She had lovely golden hair and magnificent blue eyes. ‘Uh…Hi’ Julia stammered. She didn’t know what else to say. Over the next few weeks Julia and Emily (the mermaid) always secretly met up. They became close friends. They always liked each other better, like Emily liked Julia’s chestnut brown hair. But today when Julia went to meet Emily, she only saw a note. It was addressed to her. She quickly opened it and there it said,

‘Dear Julia, I am kidnapped by Alycomos. He wants to destroy all seas and with them Mermaids. Come to Curdle caves as fast as possible. Yours truly, Emily’ Julia didn’t stare in horror, even if she was terrified. She ran straight into action. She took the next bumpy boat ride to Curdle caves. She got there at seven o’clock sharp. Standing alone in Curdle caves, Julia shivered so

much it was hard to breathe. Her eyes were heavy with tiredness, but she had to keep on waiting. Julia had already been waiting for several hours. There! Slowly a boat landed right in front of her. Out came a man with ash black hair. ‘Ahh. . . Welcome spirit of water. ‘Julia had no idea what he meant, but she silently nodded. ‘I will battle you,’ she said more bravely than she felt. ‘If I win you die, if you win I die.’ ‘What is your weapon?’ the man asked. ‘This.’ She slowly pulled out a heavy bronze sword her father had given her and she never knew why. The battle had begun; it looked like Julia was going to win. But the man was fighting hard. He twisted. She dangerously threw her sword and it landed right in his breast. Julia turned and unwillingly pulled it out again. The man turned pale but didn’t show any other signs of weakness. Julia assumed he was Alycomos. Alycomos smiled and quietly said, ‘Haven’t you read the prophecies? Only water can destroy me.‘ Julia didn’t know why but she raised her hands and pointed at Alycomos. Water rose when she raised her hands. It went straight at Alycomos, when she pointed. The moment it touched his wound he dropped dead. Julia’s shoulder was badly hurt but she had ignored it until then. Now her shoulder screamed in agony. She slowly crept into the water to swim to the ship and at once the wound disappeared. Julia kept on swimming to the boat, but now faster. In the boat Julia found every animal from Earth. She released them. Afterwards she swam home with Emily. And so Julia and her father moved to the beach. And she always met Emily until the very end. Emily explained that Julia was a water spirit. Julia shivered remembering the moment she killed Alycomos. She had never liked killing people. And she hoped she would never again have to lift the sword to kill.

Year 4 have just completed their creative writing unit. In this unit, we focussed on what the elements of a good story are and what features we should use when we write a creative story. These included writing an interesting beginning to grab the readers attention, adding descriptive detail to our writing by showing and not telling, using correct punctuation at all times and bringing our stories to a logical and entertaining conclusion. Damien Barry, Year 4 Team Leader

UNDER WATER

SPRING 2012

SHOWCASE

ANIMAL FARM

Four legs good, two legs bad ‘George Orwell’s Animal Farm was written in 1945 as a satire on the perils of Stalinism. Written as a ‘fairy story’ in the style of Aesop’s fables, the story uses a farmyard as a metaphor for the Russian Revolution. This powerful and straightforward dramatisation by Ian Wooldridge sticks very closely to Orwell’s book and retains both its affection for the animals and the incisiveness of its message.’ The process began in January when auditions were held. The standard of work and the skill shown by all those who auditioned made the casting decisions really difficult, and as a result we are immensely proud of the fact that we have such a talented and hard working cast. With roles cast, the hard work really began with a demanding schedule of rehearsals for the actors. The process has

also involved a fantastic team of students who form our technical crew, and have managed the technical and design aspects of the show. Rehearsals have been lively and creative with a real sense of the whole company owning the work.

Discovery College Presents

As we go to print, the production company are in full swing with the final weeks of rehearsals. Excitement is mounting as acting comes together with set construction, costume, sound and lighting. The energy and enthusiasm shown by everyone is outstanding and a fantastic team spirit has emerged.

ANIMAL

by George Orwell

Farm adapted for the stage by ian wooldridge

May 9, 10, 11 7.30pm

Discovery College Performing Arts Theatre

Tickets $100

(Sources: www.sparknotes.com and Ian Wooldridge’s stage adaptation of Animal Farm by George Orwell is published by Nick Hern Books in the UK).

By arrangement with Nick Hern Books ANIMAL FARM POSTER Alt3.indd 1

23/3/12 2:56 PM

Claire Connor and Alexa Massingham Drama Teachers

ANIMAL FARM

SPRING 2012

DC NEWS

ENERGY EFFICIENCY $400,000 grant helps DC implement energy saving measures

uilt with an innovative and high-tech design, part of the architectural aim of the Discovery College structure was to become a tool to help educate students on environmental awareness and the need to conserve natural resources. The signature transparent ETFE roof design of the school was built to draw air through the building and reduce solar gain, thus improving the thermal environment of the school space naturally.

successful in our application for a grant from the Environment and Conservation Fund of over HK$400,000.00. This grant is specifically to carry out Environmental Education and Community Action Projects (Minor Works). The ECF was established in 1994 and provides funding to support over 2,200 educational, research, and other projects and activities related to environmental and conservation matters.

Since opening in August of 2008, a major focus for our facilities team has been to continue looking at energy saving works throughout the school. On a daily basis, our system engineer closely monitors the usage of utilities, and carries out different approaches to minimise the use of energy. Taking advantage of our ETFE roof, which optimises daylight penetration and induces air flow to many area of the building, we can programme lights to turn on at specified times, open up windows instead of turning on air-conditioning, and use just one light bulb instead of two in most of the light fittings.

Two major items were approved to be implemented at the school. The first was to change all ‘Exit’ signs from standard light bulbs to LED lights. We have replaced a total of 173 sets of ‘Exit’ signs within the school, helping to reduce the daily power usage and producing a cost saving of around $10,000 per year. As an added benefit, the useful life of the LED lights are 3 to 4 years longer than a standard light bulb resulting in extra cost savings.

Among the regular maintenance works that are carried out by the facilities team, we frequently study ‘Green’ projects implemented in other schools in Hong Kong. Last year, we were

The second ‘green’ measure addressed with this grant was installation of solar film to windows on the west side of the school building, including at the Primary Sports Hall, Library, Years 1, 3, 5 and some secondary classrooms. The film will reduce the total solar energy transmitted to the room and keep it

from turning into heat. It interrupts the transfer of this energy by reflection and absorption. Reducing the rate that energy enters the room will help reduce the cooling load of the air conditioning systems, an essential component to creating a more energy efficient environment. In addition to this grant, the College has received funding from DCPTA to purchase a swimming pool cover in December 2011. The use of energy on the heater has been significantly reduced and we are still able to maintain the water temperature at 26 to 28 degrees during winter season. The facilities department will continue to look at energy efficiency projects that will be of benefit not only to the school, but also to the community and the environment. While we are making steps in the right direction and always try to reduce, reuse and recycle, we also rely on students, teachers and parents to have environmental awareness to save our planet. The facilities department is here to improve the College environment for all of us, so if you have any suggestions, please feel free to come and talk to us at anytime. DC Facilities Team

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

SPRING 2012

ALUMNI

WHERE ARE THEY NOW Timothy Tam Where do you live now? We live in Shanghai, China. We moved here on 1 January 2011. What brought you there? We came to Shanghai because my dad got a new job in China. Where do you go to school? I am currently attending Dulwich College Shanghai and am in Year 8. The school is British as well and is a branch of Dulwich College London. What are some differences between your new school and Discovery College? One of the main differences between Dulwich College Shanghai and Discovery College is in the curriculum. Dulwich follows the English National Curriculum and prepares the students

for IGCSE at Year 11. And IB is only offered at Year 12 and 13. Another difference is in the uniform, we are required to put on a formal uniform – a shirt, tie and a blazer on Wednesdays. Discovery College’s uniform is a lot more causal and comfortable. What types of activities are you involved in? I was in one of the school’s bands last year and the band did a couple of performances at fairs and special events. About 2 months ago, I started learning fencing. I am enjoying this new sport and take lessons twice a week. It has been a great experience. It is not a school activity and the fencing centre is about a 20-minute drive from our house. What do you like best about your new home, how is it different to living in

Hong Kong? Although there is not much community in Shanghai and there are fewer people who speak English, our house is much more spacious compared to our apartment in Hong Kong. It even has a backyard with a small stream running though it. It also snows in Shanghai during the winter, which is something that never happens in Hong Kong.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - TIM TAM

SPRING 2012

DANCE LIKE DYNAMITE

This is the second year of the Let’s Dance CCA. I started it because I love to dance and wanted to share my passion with the younger students; and I know kids love to dance. Some of the students attend other dance classes, but for others it is their first introduction to dance. I wanted to give students the opportunity to explore different types of dancing techniques, including stretches and various types of popular dance moves. The CCA takes place after school for a half-hour. Twenty Year 2-4 boys and girls attend. The students worked very hard to put a dance together and perform for the whole school. Last term we did a mix of music and were able to perform at the Easter assembly. The students were so excited. It is very rewarding for me as I love teaching them, but most of all the students enjoy the dancing and we all have fun. Rebekah Coates-Stephenson, Year 9 Student

PUTTING PEN TO PAPER The Battle of Wuhan was written by Year 11 student, Alexandra Dupey given the theme New Tales from the Old Yangtze River. Alexandra is a talented and enthusiastic writer who hopes to possibly make writing part of her career. Creative writing is growing into a strong tradition at Discovery College. Each year our students have been published in the Hong Kong Young Writers Anthology and gained recognition in the international Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Competition. Our students are proving themselves to be dazzling, independent writers who can write on a range of different topics and contemporary issues. Flora Mather, Head of Department, English

DANCE LIKE DYNAMITE

Battle of Wuhan – 1938 Conspiring beasts line my shores Preparing for their relentless destruction of one another How they know whom to destroy, I do not know My waters stained by the chosen Cattails trampled by their rubber soles My life within me shot with bullets Only for them to find, they do no harm I bear witness to these beasts’ horrific actions Their furtive motives and impertinent doings My waters poisoned by the unceasing fallen Corrupted by the relentless destruction Tainted by the unjustified deaths My soul contaminated by mankind A life once reaped to support them Their hungers, their thirsts, their desires Discarded in a moment of disgust I retaliate Rise up My patience peaked Pushing my waters above my banks hold Flooding the land beside me Sending the beasts scurrying for cover Cowering, cradled in the safety of higher ground The peace restored, the battle ceased I relax back to my normal flow The rise of the rain The fall of the summer heat Only for the beasts to come crawling back Their bellies to my banks Their muskets in my mud Alexandra Dupey, Year 11 Student

SPRING 2012

DC NEWS

DING!

A MOODLE of our own This year Discovery College introduced Ding!, Discovery College’s MOODLE. Now what’s a MOODLE you ask? Moodle is an abbreviation for ‘Modular ObjectOrientated Dynamic Learning Environment’. In plain English, it is a platform upon which you ‘plug-in’ teaching

• • • • • •

and learning tools that can be accessed from anywhere on the Net.

• •

Like an iPhone with its ‘apps’, MOODLE, too, is a platform on which many people (typically Teachers around the world) build ‘plug-ins’ for other educators/students to use.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? We needed to come up with something that distinguished our MOODLE at Discovery College. Invitations were opened up to staff and secondary students within DC. Original names put forward included: DC Connect, DC Doorway, Discoodle, Moodlicious and Ding.

MOODLE is a free source e-learning software platform, also known as a Course Management System, Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment. Some typical features of MOODLE are: • Assignment submission • Discussion forum • Files download

Grading Wiki Online news Moodle instant messages Online calendar Online quizes

Developers can extend MOODLE’s modular construction by creating plugins for specific new functionality. MOODLE’s infrastructure supports many types of plug-ins: • Activities - word and math games • Resource types • Question types - multiple choice, etc. • Data field types • Graphical themes • Username and password accessibility Enrollment methods Content filters

These various options were then put out in the form of a Google survey to all staff and students. Criteria for selection were: 1. Be representative of Discovery College 2. Catchy and easy to remember 3. Connected with teaching and learning

Overall, it was ‘Ding!’ that came through with double the votes of any other name. This name came from Kimberley Surya, who also supplied her own logo design to support the name. ‘I got inspiration from the (DC) website itself. It represents how sharing, informing, blogging, glogging, and texting are key elements of the learning gateway. The ‘D’ stands for Discovery and the ‘ing’ stands for what I said earlier, sharing, blogging etc,’ says Kimi about her name and logo design. HOW DO WE USE IT? Discovery College is now using the online learning environment, Ding!, to support the teaching and learning aspects of the PYP, MYP and DP programmes. Students and teachers have received their passwords and are now active Ding! users. Patience, of course, needs to be shown for the younger students (Year 1 and 2 typically) in remembering their log in details! Joe Leithhead Digital Literacies Coordinator

CHINESE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM... ‘What do you remember about Chinese lessons the most?’ If you have asked primary students, you might have got all these different answers.

Chinese lessons relevant, connected and applicable in life.

For Year 1 ‘12 animals race story for Chinese New Year.’ A Year 2 students might say, ‘Making fruit salad!’ or ‘Chinese Passport Control’ Some Year 3s might choose, ‘Little Red Riding Hood ‘ or ‘Chinese Opera face mask designing.’ Year 4 ‘Chinese Flea Market.’ Year 5 ‘Lunch at Chinese restaurant,’ and Year 6 ‘Beijing Trip’…

during Chinese New Year. They brought things which were still good and new to raise funds for a Beijing-based charity called Bethel. Bethel is the first and only dedicated organisation which targets the Chinese blind and visually impaired orphan population. The donation was delivered to Bethel by 25 Year 6 students in April when they visited Beijing with ESF. Like the title says, when Chinese is not just a lesson in the classroom, students feel it is useful and applicable. The motivation and engagement will naturally grow in learning. Debbie Tai, Primary Chinese Team Leader

It has been a hardworking year for the primary Chinese team. The team has focused on making

For example, when Year 4 learned about language for trade, they organised a flea market CHINESE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM...

SPRING 2012

MUSIC PERFORMANCES MUSIC CONCERT SERIES During the week of Arts Fest, and the weeks preceding this amazing week, DC musicians and College Ensembles celebrated with performances at Young Performers Evening, Recital Evening and the Annual Concert in consecutive weeks. Once again the performances and concerts were outstanding.

MUSIC PERFORMANCES

SPRING 2012

DC NEWS

UNICEF As part of the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (HKCU)’s UNICEF club initiative, which creates a partnership between schools and UNICEF, Discovery College, among many other schools, has established our first UNICEF club (UC) this year. The UC programme allows students to have a direct partnership with HKCU and aims to promote the Convention on the Rights of Children and the work of UNICEF. It also allows students to plan and implement different projects based on advocating the aims and fundraising for UNICEF under the guidance of an advisory teacher, as well as HKCU’s staff and volunteers. This year UC in Discovery College has a total of fourteen members and has implemented two main projects based on Global Handwashing Day and World AIDS Day. Global Handwashing Day (GHD) is on

15 October each year and intends to advocate the importance of washing hands with soap. Each year, over 200 million people, in over 100 countries around the world celebrate this day. For the first time ever, HKCU officially launched the GHD campaign. In response to this, UC in Discovery College sent four representatives to become one of the 40 GHD Student Handwashing Leaders around Hong Kong. Furthermore, a three-day event was held at school during recess and lunch for both primary and secondary students to teach the student body both the importance of hand washing, and the proper ways to hand wash. World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and in response to this, HKCU initiated a charity sale to raise funds for UNICEF ‘Unite for Children. Unite Against AIDS’ global campaign and help promote the 3, zeros: ‘zero new HIV infection, zero discrimination and zero

AIDS-related deaths’. To show our support, UC in Discovery College sold tailor-designed hand warmers in the shape of blood packs for three days during recess, lunch and afterschool for the entire school community, raising a total of $2880 HKD for UNICEF. In addition to this, presentations were also given to secondary school students on issues related to AIDS. This year has been a meaningful and interesting one for UC in Discovery College, and we hope that you will stay tuned for further activities hosted by the UC to advocate other issues related to children rights. Crystal Lam, Year 11 Student

STEPPING OUT OF BOUNDS Students experienced an exciting week of unique learning opportunities during No Boundaries 2011. As expressed in their posttrip reflections, students learned much about themselves and others from participating in an array of activities in a number of locations. Students spoke about experiencing a range of emotions, from the sense of achievement after completing adventurous and challenging activities, to the satisfaction of seeing their own personal efforts help other communities. Post-trip reflections also revealed the benefits that students gained from interacting and learning with those from other cultures, a major part of No Boundaries activities. The learning continued well after the week, especially in the case of those students on the Laos trip. The experience of working together with a rural Laos community to build them toilets inspired students to raise funds to further improve sanitary conditions in that community. Through their efforts and the support of the DC community, enough funds to build another 20-plus toilets were raised.

No Boundaries 2012 will again provide students with experiences that cannot be met in the confines of the classroom. Plans are already well underway for trips in Hong Kong, South East Asia and further afield. These international experiences will complement the planned involvement of DC students in a number of activities in the Hong Kong community, giving them learning in both local and global contexts. The aims of No Boundaries have been further refined so that the week of activities continues to not only reflect the school vision of ‘Grow. Discover. Dream.’ but also the objectives of the CAS Programme. Year 12 trip options will have a specific emphasis on students working closely with a community for mutual benefit, with the off-campus trip being combined with independent and group pre- and post-trip activities to form a part of each student’s CAS programme. Peter Muir CAS Coordinator

UNICEF

SPRING 2012

COBRA SPORTS Badminton The season has been off to a flying start for the U12 Boys. They are currently 2nd in the competition with a chance to go to equal first after the next round. The U12 Girls are on their heels and placing highly with near certainty to make the finals. Both the U14 Girls and Boys are much improved in what is one of the most competitive divisions in the competition. COBRA BASKETBALL U14 Girls Basketball The U14 Girls had a very successful season, finishing the regular season with a record of 6 wins and only 1 loss. It was a pleasure seeing all the girls grow as individual basketball players as well as players who value teamwork. Well done, girls; you’ve done Discovery College proud!

Primary Sports Year 5 and 6 teams have successfully participated in various competitions throughout the last few months. These included the ESF Athletics at Tai Po, where we finished 7th out of 16 schools; mixed basketball at RCHK and KGV; beach rugby where the girls finished 2nd overall and the boys reached the semi-final; and Touch Rugby at CIS. Swim Squd Several of our Cobra Swimmers Placed at the CIS Invitational Swim

U14 Boys Basketball This season saw the return of some of last year’s players to the squad, as well as a host of newcomers. With solid numbers at training, the development of all players was impressive, with many of the younger players shining. The boys finished an admirable fourth in the league and are looking to an even greater season next time.

Meet. Hunter and Grace placed first in the 50 Freestyle and 50 Butterfly, respectively. Natalie placed second in the 50 Freestyle, and the girls 11-12 freestyle relay had a second place finish for Alice, Rachel, Hera and Grace. Third Place positions were won in the 50 Breaststroke, 50 Freestyle, 50 Backstroke and 100 Backstroke by Pierre, Alice, Grace and Natalie.

U16 Girls Basketball With a small squad, the girls competed particularly well against other strong basketball schools, winning 3 out of 6 matches. The highlight of the season was beating local rivals DBIS 24 – 21 in the last play of the game.

U12 Mixed Rugby The Cobra squad qualified for HK Division 1 competition, winning their way to the final against AISHK. The highlight of the finals afternoon was the team’s determination to keep the opposition from scoring, and a number of big tackles were made on the Cobras try line. The team ended up finishing in second place for the season. Congratulations to the squad for a very successful season.

U16 Boys Basketball The under 16 boys team had a very successful year finishing with a 4-2 win-loss record, which was a huge improvement from last year’s frustrating season. The general improvement in team play and disciplined defence was a real highlight of the season, as was the effort of Jeff, Tim, Wei Chen, Shaun, and Kurt coming up from the under 14s and playing so well in under 16s. The dramatic leap in skills of the guys coming off the bench was the main reason we were able to beat teams like DBIS and FIS and were competitive with YMCA. All of the extra training sessions throughout the year have paid off with great results. Equestrian The Cobra team of 7 participated in 2 different divisions of the Interschool Equestrian Challenge at HKJC Tuen Mun Public Riding School (TMPRS). The Higher Division of Olivia Wessler, Natalie Walker, and Isabelle Thoreau were placed 3rd in the competition. The lower division team of Cheryl Sze, Alix Leonard, Francesca Lavarone and Katya Mueller participated very well in both the jumps and dressage. Golf At the annual ISSFHK golf competition, DC came in 7th from 15 schools, with Shinya Mizuno winning the Longest Drive (White Tees). Mimi Ho won the Mizuno Winter Junior Championship 2011 by scoring

70 and 66, a total of 4 under par, then followed up by earning second place in the HSBC China Junior Open, scoring 77/75/76 for a total of 12 over par. Last but not least, Mimi came third in the Hong Kong Ladies Amateur Close Championship scoring 73/72/74, total 6 over par with only three shots behind the winner.

COBRA SPORTS

U14 Girls Rugby A perfect end to the perfect season sums up the U14 girls tackle rugby competition. The Cobras are HK Division 1 schools champions with a 100% winning record. The team played with fantastic running lines from the backs and strong rucking and mauling from the forwards combining to become a successful champion unit. Well done to all of the students for a very enjoyable season. DC Cobras A Netball The DC Cobras A Netball team had a fantastic winter season this year. All players should be proud of the progress they made, both individually and as a team over the season. It is very exciting to see the level of netball that is now being played at DC. Congratulations to the girls for reaching the final, and beating the eventual winners during pool play. Bring on next season! Under 16 Football The Cobras have fielded 2 squads in the ISSFHK 11 a side football competition. Both squads have been extremely competitive so far, with each team looking to finish in the top 2.

SPRING 2012

FLYING HIGH The 2012 Primary Athletics Day was held on 16 March. The competition between the Houses was fierce in events ranging from the long jump to sprinting, shot put to tug-of-war. A rousing House cheer competition broke up the afternoon and gave competitors a brief reprieve from the heat. The day concluded with Houses from Years 4, 5, & 6 going headto-head in the 4 x 100 relay. Final results on the day were close, with Yellow house taking most points overall.

FLYING HIGH

SPRING 2012

DC NEWS

YEAR 3 TAKES ACTION Thoughtful and appropriate action is one of the essential elements of the Primary Years Programme and ‘an explicit expectation of the PYP is that successful inquiry will lead to responsible action, initiated by the student as a result of the learning process.’ (Making the PYP Happen, IBO, 2009). Action may extend students’ learning, as was the case in 3CTA where students’ individual and collective awareness of local and internationally endangered animals was heightened.

and the District Council to protect the marine habitat of these creatures. Students in 3CTA created a graffiti wall and their own art works to express their opinion about caring for endangered animals and a seed was sown.

During the Year 3 ‘How we express ourselves’ unit, students inquired into artists and how they can use works of art to express ideas and opinions. Guest speaker, Jamie ‘Yook’ Coote, shared his underwater photography with the students. His photographs included leafy sea dragons, an endangered species found in

In the following unit of inquiry, Year 3 investigated the impact of humans on the environment and a connection between the leafy sea dragon and human impact flourished. Students from 3CTA wrote a letter to the Tumby Bay District Council expressing their concerns and asking for

Tumby Bay, South Australia. He told the story of how some local people did not believe that these creatures lived under the local jetty. The new awareness and positive impact his photographic evidence and artworks had on people’s knowledge and understanding of marine activity in the area gave recognition to the plight of the leafy sea dragon. He explained how he was working with local tourism providers

information about how the local community were protecting the leafy sea dragons. They received a reply thanking them for their interest and with additional information about how the Council was taking action. Through class discussion the question was raised, ‘Are there any animals in our local environment around Lantau Island that are endangered?’ Several of the students had been to Tai O to view the

pink dolphins and knew that these creatures were endangered but they weren’t sure how or why. Students began taking action by bringing in personal research, information and pictures from websites they had investigated, brochures, information about local organisations, newspaper articles and artwork about the wild pink dolphins of Hong Kong. All of these were displayed to create awareness of the plight of the pink dolphins. Student learning was extended, awareness was raised and connections between the action taken in another country and their immediate environment were made. Action! Lyn Coote, Lower Primary Leader

MODEL UNITED NATIONS

On Wednesday 14 March 2012, fourteen Year 10 and 11 students from DC’s Model United Nations team flew to Beijing to attend the four day Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) conference at the Beijing Convention Center. Our delegates joined a total of 1200 students from over 25 countries in representing Bulgaria, the UK, Guyana, Monaco, and the United Kingdom in several committees of the UN. Natasha Lau, Year 10, was accepted to the Press Corps where she wrote for the Guardian and collaborated to create a video for closing ceremonies. In addition to researching, debating and crafting resolutions, students participated in the Global Village which showcased the food, dress, and cultures of the countries represented, followed by a delegate dance. Other highlights from the trip for DC students included a tour of the Forbidden City and a spontaneous snowfall that was a first for several of our students. At the closing ceremony, we were delighted when Sie Rossiter received an honourable mention for best delegate in the Organisation of American States regional body. We also commend Momoko Ishii for her meticulous planning and organisation of our delegates. Students flew home from the intense four days exhausted but happy, with thoughts already turning to next year’s conference.

YEAR 3 TAKES ACTION Natasha Lau, Year 10 Student

SPRING 2012

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