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ESF hosts topping out ceremony
The English Schools Foundation (ESF) celebrated the topping out of their new Island School campus last month. Co-funded by the HKSAR Government, this one billion Hong Kong dollar redevelopment is the largest construction project in ESF’s history. The renovated campus, which is expected to reopen to students in August 2022, will offer state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities. “Today marks not just a milestone on the journey of Island School, but it marks a day closer to bringing Island School home to where it belongs on Borrett Road,” said Belinda Greer, ESF’s Chief Executive Officer. Greer thanked the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, JP, the EDB and the Hong Kong Government for supporting ESF and this project. Yeung, who was present at the ceremony, commented, “I trust that ESF will make good use of these new state-of-the-art facilities with a view to inspiring creativity amongst their students and nurturing responsible citizens and leaders of the future. May I wish Island School continued success in the years ahead”. esf.org.hk
IMS race across Stanley
Against a backdrop of beautiful blue skies and sunshine, The International Montessori School community gathered in Stanley to compete in a PTA Amazing Race charity event. With an enthusiastic turnout, the outdoor area at the Stanley campus was buzzing with excitement as parents, teachers and children chatted, played and socialised. Teams set out to complete missions and gather clues all around Stanley, as they competed for the most points in the least amount of time. Challenges included building a sandcastle at Stanley Back Beach, having the largest team member go down a slide, and finding ferry times from Po Toi. A wonderful collection of neighborhood clues, tasks, and puzzles that were fun for both adults and children alike. ims.edu.hk
CDNIS looks to a sustainable future
Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) has long been a benchmark for educational excellence and enjoys a strong reputation as one of the top international schools in Hong Kong. Over the past year, the school has reflected on how the community can work towards a more sustainable future. They published the Education for Sustainable Development Report which highlights the ways in which everyone in the CDNIS community can work towards common environmental goals. The report provides an overview of significant environmental, social and governance impacts for CDNIS in the past academic year and includes strategies on solar energy, energy management, transport emissions, sustainable menu options, food waste and water sustainability which the whole community can get involved with. To learn more, visit
cdnis.edu.hk
Secrets of Subject Selection
Tina Wu on the importance of making the right choices in high school
International high school curriculums in Hong Kong (IBDP, A-levels and AP) allow students to pick their intended subjects, ranging from humanities and sciences, with varying difficulty levels. In addition to choosing subjects best suited to students’ strengths, families and students must consider specific combinations university courses would look for.
In the UK, most engineering courses would look for advanced level Math and sometimes Physics and/or Chemistry, depending on the type of engineering. Aside from STEM-oriented courses, some social science courses such as Economics may also require higher-level Math.
The nuances of subject selection are sometimes overlooked. Even selecting the two different math subjects offered under the IB curriculum – Math analysis and approaches (AA) and Math applications and interpretation (AI) may limit students’ university choices down the road. For example, the University of Cambridge requires students to take Math AA HL for any courses requiring Math.
As a Senior Admissions Counselor, Tina has over 10 years of experience in assisting students gain admission to top boarding schools and colleges in the U.S. Contact her via
