English newsletter 2012

PHC Wing Kwong College

Newsletter

Tel: 23370137 Fax: 23363142 Email: webmaster@wingkwong.edu.hk Homepage: http://www.wingkwong.edu.hk Address: 155 Lung Cheung Road, Wang Tau Hom, Kowloon

WKC Basketball Team: Crowned ‘Basketball King’ in Kowloon Boys Division 2

The Annual Prize Presentation of the Inter-School Basketball Competition 2011/2012 took place on 9th May 2012 in PHC Wing Kwong College. Our Assistant Principal, Mr. WM Cheung, was the Guest of Honour. In the presentation ceremony, our Boys’ Basketball Teams took away several prizes and won the Division 2 Boys’ Overall Championship in Kowloon.

Our basketball teams’ great achievements could be attributed to the effective and outstanding leadership of two experienced coaches, Mr. CY Leung and Mr. LP Tang. When asked about the secret of their success, Mr. Leung quoted ‘I told them to enjoy every single game. Players need to fall in love with basketball,’ he said, ‘and they need to exude confidence, determination as well as team spirit if they want to win the game.’ He added that the very key to victory was trust among team members, in addition to regular training.

Mr Leung and the A Grade basketball team

Mr Tang and the C Grade basketball team

Most students wondered how our basketball teams dealt with strong opponents during tournaments. Mr. Leung replied that when the team was lagging far behind, the first thing he did was to dispel the players’ negativity. He believed encouragement played a vital role to success. ‘They need to have a firm belief that nothing is impossible and to fight until the last second. I make this clear to them and point out the weaknesses of their opponent. It’s important that they have a strong will to win even under difficult situations,’ he said resolutely.

Next year, the teams will be competing in a new category – Division 1, which is the highest level of the Inter-School Basketball Competition.

Some of the opponents are the representatives of the Hong Kong Basketball Team. Mr. Leung hopes that our team members can rise to the challenges ahead and broaden their horizons. Let’s hope that WKC’s Basketball Teams can continue to be crowned ‘The Basketball Kings’ in the forthcoming school year.

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Champions of the Rosaryhill Sports Tournament

The Wing Kwong Handbell Ensemble The School Handbell Competition is a renowned contest held annually. This year our school coorganised it with the Handbell Association of Hong Kong and the semi-final was held from 23rd to 25th April 2012.

To prepare for such a big event, all of our teams, Team A , Team B a n d Te a m C , h a d s p e n t hours and hours practising for Our Handbell Teams performing at Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre t h e c o m p e t i t i o n . T h e y w e r e Handbell Showcase Concert determined to get a prize. Team A went straight to the final, but Teams B and C had to compete against other teams. After the fierce competition, Team B successfully achieved a place in the final which was held in early May. Team A got second place and Team B got third. Some members’ dazzling performances caught the eye of the judges and well-known musicians. They did so well that they were invited to participate in ‘Bells on the Go (2)’ and ‘The Handbell Showcase Concert’ scheduled for 18th and 25th May at Tsuen Wan Town Hall and Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre respectively.

Professor Ray Wang, Head of the Junior Music Department and Senior Lecturer (Strings) at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), was impressed by our Bell Ringers’ performance and therefore invited our team to join a concert on 9th June. Mr Clarence Mak, Head of Composition and Electronic Music, has even composed a song especially for our school Handbell Teams – Up with the sounds. The Hong Kong premiere of the song will be jointly performed by our school’s Handbell Teams (Teams A and B) and the cello group of the HKAPA in the concert.

Though our Handbell Teams did not come first in The School Handbell Competition, they all remembered the motto: To promote friendship and strive for the best. It is hoped that our Handbell Teams can strike up friendships with students from other schools and continue to improve themselves musically.

Our Team taking part in the 7th Handbell Festival

The First Religious-and-Study Trip to South Korea Ever The unprecedented Religious-and-Study Trip to South Korea took place between 2nd and 6th April 2012, which, according to all S2 to S4 student participants, was both fruitful and successful. Why did the school come up with this idea, what did the students learn from the trip and how did the students feel about it? To find out the answers to these questions, we talked to the teachers-in-charge, Mr CH Chan, Mr KF Chan and Ms KY Ng. When asked about the purpose of the trip, Mr CH Chan, our Extra-curricular Activity Master, said that there were many. One of which was to provide our students with a chance to experience a different culture in Asia. Another was to broaden our horizons. Finally and most importantly, students could see the differences between Hong Kong Christians and those in Korea.

In retrospect, the trip to Korea was filled with God’s grace, in the view of Mr KF Chan. ‘A lot of preparation had to be done beforehand. Initially, we planned to go for 4 days. However, due to the Easter Holiday, we couldn’t book enough tickets for everyone. After seeking advice from the Principal, we decided to change the 4-day trip to a

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Of the South Koreans who have religious beliefs, more than half of them are Christians. During the trip, students were asked to compare the two megachurches in Hong Kong and Seoul: The Wing Kwong Pentecostal Holiness Church and The Yoido Full Gospel Church. Over 100,000 believers attend the Yoido Full Gospel church but it can only accommodate 25,000 people at a time. Because Do we look cool? of this, the church holds services throughout the week. Our students joined their service on Easter Sunday and the sermon was translated into eight languages. Therefore, people from all around the world were able to understand it. Another difference is that Christians in Hong Kong sit quietly listening to the gospel.

The Korean Christians, however, move their body back and forth slowly, lift their hands and say ‘Amen’ like a big choir.

During the Easter Friday service, they not only listened but also interacted with the pastor who was preaching the gospel. ‘We felt that Hong Kong Christians are more passive whereas Korean Christians are more ‘excited’ and engaged Students dressed in Hanbok in their service,’ said Ms Ng. Every night, the participants had devotion time together. They read short stories about the Jews and shared memorable and grateful moments from that day. They enjoyed praying together – the Christians leading the non-Christians.

A time to stay close to God

Bells On The Go (2)

Christians in Yoido Full Gospel Church were absorbed in the service

5-day one. After the change, we could get enough tickets! Thank God!’ said Mr KF Chan, smiling. ‘Another gift from God was that when we went to Lotte World, it snowed! That was the first time most of our students had seen snow and they were elated,’ added Mr Chan.

There was one hidden purpose of the trip. Apart from enabling our students to know more about the Korean culture, students were expected to go out of their comfort zone and learn to be more independent. They also learnt the importance of punctuality because if they were late, everyone had to wait for them or they would miss the most interesting part of the day.

Students’ sharing on the trip to South Korea From the trip to Korea, I learnt that one religion could have two different characteristics.

The most unforgettable thing was when we joined the Easter Sunday service at the Yoido Full Gospel Church, translation in Putonghua was provided. It was great that I could understand what they were preaching. The Christians there were passionate and Yanki Kwok in traditional Korean dress devoted which surprised me.

The service was lively yet so moving. Only through joining the service could you feel the locals’ passion and power. I was thankful that I had the chance to go to Korea to learn more about Christianity. It was a wonderful experience I will cherish for many years to come.

I have been to Korea before, but when my best friends asked me to join this trip, I quickly agreed. When I was in the Yoido Full Gospel Church, the people there shook their heads and shoulders to pray for me. They were so zealous.

Although we were in Korea, we learnt more about the Jews.

Every night, we read a story about them. Once Mr. Chan bought us some grapes and bread and said it was our lunch!

He said the Jews had them as lunch. It was very special.

Chan Ching Man, Emily (2C)

Kwok Yan Ki, Yanki (4B)

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A visit to an organic farm

Mr. Ho Received the Best Teacher Commendation Award

Successful Cross-subject Collaboration and a Rich English Environment

Discipline teachers are often considered ‘unapproachable’ by students. Yet, our Discipline Master Mr. Ho is an exception. He was one of the teachers, voted by the whole school, to receive the ‘2012 Best Teacher Commendation Award’. Everyone but S1 students knows that he has been presented with this award for the past 3 years. As a discipline teacher, how can he win the applause of the students? To find out the ‘magic’ Mr. Ho uses, we invited him for an interview in which he shared with us his rich experience of dealing with students and his ‘secrets’ of being so popular with them. The following is the interview between Mr. Ho (H) and our S3 reporters (R).

The Education Bureau conducted an inspection of our school on 6th, 7th and 9th December 2011 to help us review the effectiveness of the medium of instruction (MOI) arrangements for S1 and S2 in the 2011/2012 school year. During the three-day visit, the inspection team observed Maths lessons at S1 and S2 and various school activities, had meetings with the Principal and some teachers, read school documents and studied samples of students’ work.

R: How long have you been teaching at WKC? And how long have you been a discipline teacher?

The inspection team praised our school for what we had been doing in terms of the curriculum, the English environment and classroom learning and teaching. The results of the focus inspection are summarized in the table below: Area 1. Curriculum

R: What is your most memorable experience teaching here?

H: About 6 years ago, there was a F.3 student who was extremely rebellious. 2 years ago, he was a F.7 graduate. I was so touched when he told me on graduation day that I was one of the few people who had encouraged and supported him when he had not been accepted by most people.

H: Well, I’ve been teaching here for over 30 years and working as a discipline teacher for about 20 years. 30 years is a long time. Although I’m a bit older now, I still feel very young at heart.

R: How did you feel when you were announced as one of the teachers to receive ‘The Best Teacher Commendation Award’ this year?

R: How do you feel about using English to teach Maths in junior forms?

H: I was over the moon! Being the Discipline Master, the naughty students and their parents always think that I’m harsh. I have to make difficult decisions about students’ behavior alone, so the award means a lot to me. With the support of the students and teachers, I feel more confident now and know that I’m working in the right direction.

H: This is the 2nd year our school has been using English as a medium of instruction to teach Maths. Undeniably, students have to work very hard as they haven't learnt Maths in English before. Personally, I welcome this policy as I think it helps students improve their English, and their test and exam results for Maths have remained unaffected which means it isn’t hindering their learning of the subject.

R: How do you maintain your relationship with the students?

H: I try to be my students’ teacher as well as their friend. I often express my appreciation for their achievements no matter how big or small they are. I also avoid labelling or humiliating students even if they have done something very wrong. To be friendly and caring is important. Meanwhile, I stand firm on principles and uphold good values.

After talking to Mr. Ho, we realize the difficulties of being a Discipline Master. It is a long journey to help a student reform. We are thankful to have such a patient and caring teacher in our school.

Good Points

Suggestions

- Launched a bridging programme with suitably designed materials

Mathematics

- Rearranged the teaching sequence to yield better learning - Provided students with a glossary

- Should gradually reduce the use of Chinese in the long run

An English environment

- Used two sets of graded exercises with a good range of questions - Chose themes that both IS and English would teach

Subject Integrated Science

- Designed materials based on the common themes chosen

and

- Developed vocabulary lists

English

- Categorized scientific terms

- Should share the experience of cross-curricular collaboration with other subjects We like these English storybooks

- Produced an audio-recording of the vocabulary items

2. Classroom Learning and Teaching

- Created a harmonious learning environment - Should revise key learning points at suitable times - Presented the teaching points clearly - Should encourage students to do - Used examples with progressive levels of pre-lesson tasks and take notes difficulty - Should improve students’ - Provided graded tasks and timely individual responses by providing them with support guiding questions English Express Re-run

- Posted a wide range of English materials on the campus - Broadcast English Express

3. English environment

- Used English drama to motivate junior form students’ interest in English - Promoted English reading at the junior secondary level

- Should reserve some time for the class teachers to discuss or follow up the contents of English Express

- Showed movies and documentaries at lunchtime and afterschool

S2 students collecting air samples for analysis

- Organised Chat of the Cycle for S1 students

Life-wide Learning and Language Across Curriculum No one can deny the importance of learning outside the classroom in the 21st century.

Holding such a belief, S2 Integrated Science (IS) and English teachers worked together to guide our S2 students to do a project on air pollution in Hong Kong. They had to measure the seriousness of air pollution and interview tourists about the air quality in the territory.

R: Have you ever encountered any difficult students? How did you deal with them?

H: Yes, I have. My duty is to deal with the naughtiest students in the school. First, I’ll give them time to explain their misbehavior and listen to what they say carefully and patiently. Once mutual trust between myself and the students is built, I can teach them, guide them, or even punish them if necessary. Love, care, patience and acceptance are very powerful tools in making students change.

S2 students interviewing tourists in Tsim Sha Tsui

Mr. Yung, Ms. Wong, Mr. Ng, Mr. Leung and Mr. Ho receive their awards from Reverend Chan

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Many happy smiles after the interview

On 18th and 19th April 2012, IS and English teachers took S2 students to Tsim Sha Tsui to collect air samples for an experiment on air quality, and interview tourists about their views of air pollution in Hong Kong. Despite the bad weather and heavy rain, students’ interest in collecting the air samples and interviewing foreign travellers was not dampened. They politely interviewed the tourists who were friendly and kind.

After the interviews, students, with the help of the IS teachers, analysed the air samples and completed a report in English. They also had to present the experiment and interview results to the whole class with their IS and English teachers judging. Overall, students found learning English and Integrated Science in this way fun. Both teachers and students agreed that the project be undertaken again next year.

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English Extra-Curricular Activities 1. English Camp Though our school attaches importance to learning in English across the curriculum, the role extra-curricular activities play in students’ learning process is not neglected. A series of activities was organized in the second term to provide our students with more opportunities to use English. One big activity was the English Camp held from 22nd to 24th March 2012 at Pak Tam Chung Holiday Camp in Sai Kung. Around fifty S2 to S4 students and four English teachers took part.

The English Camp was fun

Different from the English Camps organized previously, this year there was a Double ‘D’ competition: Dancing and Drama. It was definitely a big challenge for the participants. Though it seemed like an impossible mission, it is often true that people can unlock their potential in the face of ‘danger’. Meaning what? Our participants did amazingly well in both contests! When it was Seven Teens’ turn to sing ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Challenge me! I'm unbeatable Lavigne, they moved their body in tune with the music and looked like super stars! The audience screamed at the top of their lungs to express their excitement, ecstasy and enjoyment.

The drama competition, required the students to adapt a famous fairy tale. Despite limited time our participants had for preparation, they did not give up but bravely took on the challenge. They closely collaborated with their team members and unleashed their creativity, making the performance a huge success. By the end of the 3-day camp, the participants were no longer tongue-tied when talking to others in English, which was wonderful to see!

Our surprise guest visitor - the Principal

3. Chat of the Cycle

S1 students waiting to chat with a teacher in English

Although the S2 actors were all cooperative, they did encounter some difficulties while preparing for the show. At the beginning, some actors could not pronounce the words accurately and did not know how to express their feelings. Ms Cheung had to encourage and teach them patiently. She kept telling the students “You can do it!”. With her encouragement, the students gradually restored their confidence and learnt how to act naturally on stage.

The drama show was a great success

Despite numerous rehearsals at lunchtime and after-school, Ms Cheung thought it was worth all the hard work. Students learnt a lot from their participation and their hard work paid off with the thunderous rounds of applause from the audience. She encouraged students to join the Drama Club in any capacity for a fun and rewarding experience.

Have you ever thought about going to another country for a year? Have you ever thought of living in a stranger’s house and being part of their family? This year, I got the chance to go to America on an exchange programme and experience the American culture. In Hong Kong, I used to watch American drama series and that was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to America to embark on a new life in a place I’d only learnt about on TV. Life in America is not totally different from life in Hong Kong; the biggest difference is that you have to drive everywhere!

Skiing with my friend Since I don’t have a car and can’t drive, I have to ask other people to take me home by saying, “Can you give me a ride?”

Julia Roberts starring as the Queen in Mirror Mirror

The final activity before the end-of-year exams was Chat of the Cycle in late May. S1 students had to read pollution- or hiking- related words to both teachers and English Ambassadors who listened to their pronunciation and asked them some questions. Students who read the words and answered the questions correctly could get signatures from teachers and the Ambassadors. Those with the most signatures were awarded. One of the S1 students said, ‘I like this activity very much because my friends and I can speak more English, and our speaking skills and pronunciation can improve.’

All the above activities were geared towards one direction: helping students improve their English skills. It is hoped that more activities of this kind will be organized in the upcoming school year so that more students can benefit from them.

Learning through Drama

I have joined the soccer team this year and this is the first time I have played. I remember one funny experience. When I said ‘football’, my teammates were confused. Some even laughed at me. Guess why! In America, people say ‘soccer’ instead of ‘football’. If you say football, it means ‘American football’. How funny is that?!

Girls dressed up for the prom

Let me share with you another fun experience. I remember the first day I went to a restaurant and asked the waiter, “Where is the toilet?”. The waiter seemed a bit embarrassed. I finally realized that Americans don’t use ‘toilet’ but ‘bathroom ‘or ‘restroom’.

An American football player

There are some more examples about words they use in the daily life that are used differently in Hong Kong. For example, Hong Kong people say ‘tissue’, but Americans say ‘Kleenex’ (A brand name for a variety of paper-based products). ‘Do exercise’ is another term used differently. Americans will not say ‘do exercise’ but ‘work out’. We use ‘supermarket’, but they say ‘grocery store’. You can see there are huge differences between some vocabulary used by Hongkongers and Americans.

The English play “The Lost Son” was successfully held in the school hall on 11th December 2011, a day on which we welcomed Wong Tai Sin primary six pupils and their parents to our school. They gave thunderous applause after the show in recognition of the actors’ great performance. The Father, The Pig and The Son performed so well that it was hard to believe that they were only Form 2 students! To find out the reasons for their stupendous performance, we talked to Ms Cheung, a teacher with rich experience in drama education, who trained our second formers for the play.

The biblical story “The Lost Son” was about a young man who went away from home and spent all the money his father had given him. He soon became poor. In the end, he went back to his father who forgave him. The main theme of the story was “Even though we do something wrong, God

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When asked about why S2 students, but not others, were chosen, Ms Cheung responded that Form The audience loved Two students were not too young and neither were they as busy as S3 and senior form students the Little Pig who dedicated most of their time to their schoolwork. Though S2 students were targeted, if they wanted to have a role in the play, they needed to fulfill three criteria. Firstly, they could not be shy. Secondly, they needed to speak loudly and clearly. Finally, they had to be able to express a feeling or emotion in the right way.

Li Oi Shun on A Student Exchange Programme

2. Movie Night Equally attractive was the Movie Night held on 20th April 2012, the second English activity organized in Term 2. Approximately sixty students and teachers went to watch the film called Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts as the Queen and Lily Collins as Snow White. Mirror Mirror is a new version of the age-old story ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.

Familiar as the story was, laughs and giggles filled the theatre. It was an educational experience as students learnt some English vocabulary watching the movie, but they could do so in a fun and relaxing way with their friends. This killed two birds with one stone.

always forgives us.” It also explicitly told us the presence of God’s love on our campus. One reason behind the selection of such a story was to get the message across to the primary six students that Wing Kwong College is a loving place. Another reason for choosing the story was its simple plot.

Ms Cheung told us that the Little Pig was a newly-added character as they thought primary school students would like to watch a cute ‘animal’ on the stage and that was why ‘The Pig’ became one of the important characters in the play.

The Lost Son was in character

Big smiles!

Time flies! In two months’ time, my life in America will come to an end. I’m enjoying this wonderful experience here, but at the same time, I’m also looking forward to returning to Hong Kong to see my family as well as my friends. See you guys next year!

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Idioms Related to the Body to lose your head ( 突然變得生氣 )

to see eye to eye ( 與某人持有相同看法 )

to suddenly become angry e.g. He was quite happy, then, when the waiter brought the wrong dish, he lost his head. to have the same opinions as someone e.g. My boss and I see eye to eye on the direction of the department.

to be wet behind the ears

to be young and inexperienced

( 還年輕；沒經驗 )

e.g. Give him a chance – he’s still wet behind the ears.

to have an evil tongue ( 有說人壞話的惡習 )

to sit on one’s hands

to like to say bad things about people e.g. My neigbhour has an evil tongue. She loves to talk about others behind their back. to do nothing about a problem; to be inactive when action is required

( 束手無策 )

e.g. The government can’t sit on its hands. It has to do something about the problem!

to keep your fingers crossed

to hope that something will be successful

( 期盼或祝願某事成功 )

e.g. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the plane will be on time.

to pull someone’s leg

to kid, fool or trick someone

( 開某人的玩笑；耍弄某人 )

e.g. Don’t believe him. He’s just pulling your leg.

to put your foot in your mouth ( 無心說了讓人尷尬的話 )

to unintentionally say something which is embarrassing e.g. I put my foot in my mouth at dinner last night. I asked Jack about his girlfriend but I forgot that she’s left him.

Editorial Board

Think outside the box 1. What looks like half an apple?

2. What kind of guns do bees use?

Consultant

: Mr. M. K. Kwok, Principal

Editor-in-Chief

: Ms. W. F. Chan

4. What kind of flower is on your face?

Associate Editors : Ms. E. Horne, Ms. S. K. Wong and Ms. W. M. Wong

5. What can you never eat for breakfast?

Reporters and Contributors :

3. Why wouldn’t the shrimp share his treasure?

6. What do you call a deer with no eyes?

2C : Chan Ching Man

7. What travels around the world and stays in a corner?

3A : Chan Chan Man, Chan Lok Hang, Fan Sai Fai and Yuen Wai Shing

8. What 3 letters change a girl into a woman?

Answers: 1. The other half 2. Bee Bee guns 3. Because he was a little shellfish (selfish) 4. Tulips (two lips) 5. Dinner 6. No idea (No eye deer) 7. A stamp 8. AGE

4B : Chow Wing Sze, Kwok Yan Ki, Leung Satrithip, Ngan Ka Ming, Wong Chi Shing and Wong Sze Wan

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