Our Lady s College School Report

Transcription

1 Our Lady s College School Report

2 Table of Contents I. Our School 1. Brief History 1 2. School Vision and Mission 1 3. School Premises and Facilities 2 4. Structure of School Organization 3 5. School Management 4 6. Number of Active School Days (KPM05) 5 7. Curriculum and Allocation of Lesson Period/Time Time-tabling arrangements 6 Percentage of lesson time for Key Learning Areas (KPM06) 7-8 S1-S3 S4-S6 Subject Choices at Senior Secondary Levels (KPM07) 8 8. Policy on Medium of Instruction (MOI) 9-11 II. Our Students 1. Class Organization Unfilled Places Students Attendance (KPM21) Students Early Exit Destination of S6 Graduates (KPM13) Students within the Acceptable Weight Range (KPM22) III. Our Teachers 1. Number of Teachers Teachers Qualifications Teachers Experience Staff Turnover Rate Teachers Professional Development (KPM04) 17-18

3 IV. Areas of Major Concern : Achievements & Reflection 1. Develop students to be active learners Enhance students learning effectiveness through raising their language proficiency 3. Cultivate positive values through life education V. Our Learning and Teaching 1. Curriculum Student Learning and Teaching Assessment VI. Support for Student Development Student Support 39 Partnership Religious Formation Civic and Environmental Education National Education 42 Social Service Moral Education and Health Service Morning Assembly Counselling Discipline Career and Life Planning Extra-curricular Activities Percentage of students participating in territory-wide 48 inter-school competitions (KPM19) Percentage of students participating in uniform groups/community services (KPM20) Students Association Parent-Teacher Association Home-School Liaison 50 Parents Day Past Pupils Association Liaison between School and Past Pupils Academic Enhancement Programme Mentorship Programme Students Award and Development Academic Award 53 Merit Assessment 53 Self-Development Award Scheme for S1-S2 53

4 VII. Student Performance 1. Public Examination Results (KPM17) HKDSE Inter-school Activities and Prizes Won during the Year VIII. Financial Report 58 IX. Feedback and Future Planning 59 X. Appendices 1. Strengthening of Reading Culture among Students Provision of Co-curricular and Cross-curricular Activities Enhancement of Language Proficiency English Language Chinese Language Academic Guidance Pre-S1 Summer English Bridging Course 71 Summer Mathematics Bridging Programme for S1 to S3 students Technology & Living Bridging Course for S1 and S2 students 72 promoted from fine-tuned classes to regular classes Remedial class for S1 to S3 students English Language Chinese Language Mathematics 74 Afterschool Remedial Class for S1-S3 Lower Ability Students (Bottom 15) English Language Chinese Language 75 Mathematics 75 Free Lesson Tutorial Class English Language 76 Chinese Language 76 Mathematics 76 Extra Lesson for S4 and S5 students English Language Chinese Language 77 Supplementary English Lessons for S1-S2 Remedial and 77 fine- tuned classes MOI Adaptation Tutorial Class for S1-S3 Fine-tuned classes 78

5 5. Learning Support Academic Enhancement Homework Guidance Class 79 Students with Special Educational Needs Gifted Education Enhancement Courses for S4 to S6 Higher Ability Students 82 STEM Education NCS Students Language Across Curriculum in the English Medium Project Learning Library Development Campus TV Information Technology Support 91

6 I. Our School 1. Brief History The school was founded in 1953 and run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA), a religious order for women with about 13,000 members in over 90 countries. It is situated in Wong Tai Sin. The 3 sectors: Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary Sections are closely related in spirit but are separated in administration. The school nurtures young girls of all walks of life especially those working class and the less fortunate ones. In alignment of the education reform and with the constant support of parents and alumnae, it strives to provide quality education and to cope with the needs of society and the young. 2. School Vision and Mission School Vision Optimistic and Upright Character Life-long Learner Commitment to Society and the Nation School Emblem Crown, Sceptre : Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth-the Guide, the Teacher and the Mother of all those entrusted to her care Lily : Purity a pure heart strengthens the unity of mind, thus rendering it capable of assimilating all that is True, Good and Beautiful Rose : Puritas et Caritas : Purity and Charity OLC : Mission Statement Charity care, understanding and self-giving for the love of God and fellowmen, nurturing the flower of love and spreading the joy of love in action Our Lady s College Our School was founded by the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA). We have been educating the students according to the principles of Catholic education and the spirit of our Founders: St. John Bosco and St. Mary Mazzarello. Imbued with a joyful and family ambience, we carry out the Preventive System (Reason, Religion and Loving-kindness) which aims to nurture the students integral development of the spiritual, moral, intellectual, cultural and social aspects. We stimulate them to apply the acquired knowledge and the internalized values to life, to face reality with integrity and to serve society with dedication. 1

7 3. School Premises and Facilities The three blocks, namely Old Building, New Building and New Annex, form the outer wall of the school campus. The School Improvement Programme was completed in 2006 which provides more space and better facilities for learning and activities. Apart from the classrooms, laboratories, school hall, library, the school also provides rooms and facilities for campus TV production, multimedia learning and aesthetic development. 2

8 4. Structure of School Organization 3

9 5. School Management Implementation of 3-Year School Development Plan (SDP) This year is the second year of implementation of SDP cycle of the 2016/19 school years. The major concerns are as follows: develop students to be active learners, enhance students learning effectiveness through raising their language proficiency as well as cultivate positive values through life education. Implementation of School-based Medium of Instruction Plan for Junior Secondary Levels The school has devised a School-based Medium of Instruction (MOI) Plan for Junior Secondary Levels. Details of support measures for ensuring students learning effectiveness in the English medium would be implemented per annum until the 2021/22 school year. The measures would cover several areas as follows: measures taken by the EMI subject Panels, measures taken by the English Panel, measures taken by the School Library, measures taken to enhance the English learning environment as well as measures taken to enhance teachers capacity in MOI implementation. Formulation of Teacher Professional Development Programme The Teacher Professional Development Programme was designed to align with the school s major concerns. The programme mainly focused on learning and teaching, life education as well as the school mission and vision. Moreover, the School Middle Management Capacity Building Programme was implemented. Deployment of IT in Education and School Administration The use of IT in Education was deployed to enhance interactive learning and teaching effectiveness. The hardware was installed and a certain number of ipads were acquired so as to equip the school for implementation of e-learning. Training and sharing sessions on e-learning were conducted among subject panels. Meanwhile, the use of IT in School Administration was also deployed to enhance the administrative effectiveness with the use of electronic management systems. For instance, the MTR Management Octopus System was applied for the handling of student and staff attendance and collection of fees while Teamwork School Messenger (i.e. home-school communication system) was implemented to facilitate the communication among the school, teachers, parents and students. Launching of School Promotion Programme A series of programmes were conducted to promote the school to the community and primary schools. These programmes included P6 Experiential Learning Days, Wong Tai Sin Secondary Schools Information Day as well as Open Houses of Secondary Schools of the Wong Tai Sin District. In addition, joint school programmes were organized with Our Lady s Primary School to maintain a close linkage. 4

10 6. Number of Active School Days (KPM05) The number of active school days was 163 and sufficient to develop students learning experiences in different perspectives. The school days of classroom learning were the same as last year. Other than the structured learning activities, cocurricular and life-wide learning activities were held in activity days, with 5 half days and 1 full day. Those activities served as supplements to formal classroom learning and provided students with balanced experiential learning experiences for whole-person development. No. of Active School Days 15/16 16/17 17/18 S1-S No. of Active School Days (S1-S3) / / /2018 5

11 7. Curriculum and Allocation of Lesson Period/Time Time-tabling arrangements It was on a 5-day week basis, with a total number of 43 periods for S1-S6. Each period lasted 40 minutes. S1-S6 8 periods on Monday and Friday 9 periods on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Subjects offered in the school year and the time-tabling arrangements: Period HKDSE S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of No. of Subject Groups Periods Groups Periods Groups Periods Ethics Religious Studies Chinese Language Putonghua English Language Mathematics Maths. Module 1 1* 4 1* 4 1* 4 Liberal Studies Integrated Humanities Geography History Economic and Public Affairs Chinese History * 5 1* 5 1* 5 Economics 1* 5 1* 5 1* 5 Ethics and Religious Studies 1* 1* Geography 1* 5 1* 5 1* 5 History 1* 5 Science Biology 1* 5 1* 5 1* 5 Chemistry 1* 5 1* 5 1* 5 Physics 1* 5 1* 5 1* 5 BAFS 1* 5 1* 5 1* 5 Computer Literacy/Information & Communication Technology * 5 1* 5 1* 5 Technology & Living * 5 1* 5 1* 5 Information Literacy 1 Music Visual Arts * 5 1* 5 1* 5 Physical Education Notes : + split class * NSS elective Network School Programme 6

12 Chinese Language Education English Language Education Mathematics Education Personal, Social & Humanities Education Science Education Technology Education Arts Education Physical Education Percentage of lesson time for Key Learning Areas (KPM06) S1-S3 Most of the KLAs met the EDB s recommendation except that the percentages of the lesson time for Arts and P.E. KLAs were lower than the recommendation, and the percentage of the lesson time for PSHE KLA was slightly higher than the recommendation. In recent two years, lesson time for the three core subjects was increased in junior forms, with one extra lesson for S1 English Language and Chinese Language, one additional lesson for S2 Mathematics and S3 Chinese Language. The insufficient lesson time for Arts and P.E. KLAs was made up by organizing co-curricular activities in Activity Days, the post-exam period and non-school hours. As there were many subjects under PSHE KLA including I.H. (Chinese History, History, Geography & E.P.A.) and Religious Education, the percentage of lesson time was therefore above the recommended range. These subjects were important to equip students with cultural, social, moral and spiritual knowledge to enhance their personal growth and nurture social competence. The percentage of lesson time for Key Learning Areas is as follows: Key learning area 15/16 16/17 17/18 Chinese Language Education English Language Education Mathematics Education Personal, Social & Humanities Education Science Education Technology Education Arts Education Physical Education % Lesson Time for the 8 Key Learning Areas for S1 to S3 20% 15% 10% 2015/ / /2018 5% 0% S4-S6 The lesson time allocated to core subjects and electives was about right. However, some teachers had to give supplementary lessons during holidays for completing the syllabus and consolidation. The percentage of lesson time allocated to the OLE met the EDB s recommendation. 7

13 Core subjects English Language Chinese Language Mathematics Liberal Studies Elective Other Learning Experiences The percentage of lesson time for S4-S6: SS Curriculum 15/16 16/17 17/18 Core subjects English Language Chinese Language Mathematics Liberal Studies Electives (11.63/subject) (11.63/subject) (11.63/subject) Other Learning Experiences % 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Lesson Time for the NSS Curriculum for S4-S6 2015/ / /2018 Subject Choices at Senior Secondary Levels (KPM07) Students were given sufficient subject choices of 11 to 13 electives including Ethics and Religious Studies (ERS) operated under the Network School Programme. Mathematics Extended Part Module 1 (M1) and Applied Learning courses were also offered to cater for students diverse abilities and interests. Applied Learning courses were further promoted in this school year to help students explore their multiple career pathways. Over 86% of S4-S6 students took 2X or above, which indicated a better chance for them to fulfill the requirements of local tertiary institutions and overseas universities for further studies. The number of elective subjects offered to S4-S6 and the percentage of electives taken are as follows: Subject choices at Senior Secondary Levels 17/18 No. of elective subjects offered (Category A): S4 S5 S Percentage of students who have taken 1X, 2X, 3X and more than 3X : S4: >3 S5: >3 S6: >

14 8. Policy on Medium of Instruction (MOI) School-based MOI Plan S1 to S3 For each level, there were 3 regular classes and 1 fine-tuned class. For the regular classes, English was the teaching medium for all non-language subjects except R.S., Ethics, Chinese History, Visual Arts and P.E.. For the fine-tuned classes, Chinese was the major teaching medium of the non-language subjects with 2 discretionary subjects namely, Integrated Humanities and Science, with English being the teaching medium. Mechanism allocating students to fine-tuned classes: S1: Students were assigned to individual classes based on their performance in the Pre-S1 Hong Kong Attainment Test (English). Students who were ranked the lowest were allocated to the fine-tuned class. S2-S3: Students who were ranked the lowest according to the weighted average of marks of English Language, Science and Integrated Humanities were allocated to the fine-tuned classes. S4 to S5 English was the major teaching medium. Among the elective subjects offered, 4 were taught in Chinese. They were Ethics and Religious Studies, Technology and Living, Chinese History and Visual Arts. This ensured students of the fine-tuned students had sufficient subject choice in the senior secondary schooling. Building Teachers Capacity All the English Language teachers and non-language teachers adopting English as the medium of instruction met the English proficiency requirement. The school s professional development policy required and encouraged teachers to participate in Language Across Curriculum (LAC) and MOI-related professional development activities to enhance teaching and learning effectiveness in using the English medium. In recent three school years, 7 non-language teachers have attended a 24 to 35-hour course on teaching in the English Medium of their respective KLAs. By the end of school year , 3 resource persons had received a 40-hour training programme in implementing LAC in the English Medium and 23 non-language teachers had been trained. In the school year , the whole Mathematics Panel and 2 members of the English Panel attended a schoolbased support programme on developing curriculum materials to enhance teaching the Mathematics KLA in the English medium. Post-course sharing sessions on LAC initiatives for EMI teachers were organized and teachers were encouraged to apply skills and knowledge acquired in teaching and learning. Collaborative lesson planning & peer observation were conducted among teachers with a focus on MOI implementation for EMI teachers. Whole-school Approach Enhancing students learning effectiveness through raising their language proficiency was made a major area of concern in the School Development Cycle (2016/ /19). Work of content subject panels Enhance students learning of the subject through using English - Vocabulary and terminology lists accompanied with audio clips were prepared to facilitate learning and revision. 9

15 - Vocabulary exercises were included in the school-based workbooks to enhance students exposure to subject-related vocabulary. - Students were offered support over pronunciation and spelling through reading aloud practice, regular dictations, e-books and other audio aids. - Handouts and revision worksheets on subject-specific language functions & patterns were prepared for students. - Reading across the curriculum was promoted through visits to the school library during which the librarian introduced subject-specific readings to students and various kinds of subject-related reading programmes. - Students were required to write book reports to practice reading and writing in subjectspecific contexts. - A mapping of the curricula among Science, I.H. and English was conducted to facilitate the coverage of the text types, language patterns and skills required for Science and I.H. in the English curriculum. Help students switch from fine-tuned class to regular class - Measures included individual meetings with the students concerned to discuss the problems encountered in learning and the help needed, tailor-made learning materials, frequent revision quizzes and dictations, tutorial classes and small group coaching. - Bridging courses were conducted for Mathematics and T&L in which the teaching contents were re-taught in English. Make a better transition from junior forms to senior forms - Curriculum tailoring was done to cover part of the SS curriculum in the junior form curriculum to help students understand the requirements of the subjects so as to lay the foundation for the senior secondary curriculum and to facilitate their choice of subjects in S4. - The question types and the marking schemes used in HKDSE were introduced in the internal assessments for S3 to highlight the examination skills required for the public examination. Work of the English Panel The English teachers helped to equip students with language skills to enable them to communicate in English effectively and develop their study skills to enable them to learn effectively in the English medium. The panel also worked with the EMI content subject panels to provide language support for the learning of EMI content subjects. Reading and writing across the curriculum were promoted to enrich students exposure to English across the curriculum. The NET teacher was deployed as a resource person for EMI subject teachers. Language support was provided for the school through proofreading test and exam papers of EMI content subjects and school documents. The English learning environment was enriched through organizing various learning activities and programmes such as English Speaking Day, English Corner and Weekly English morning programme. Work of the Language Across Curriculum Team It co-ordinated the collaboration between the English Panel and the EMI content subject panels in implementing measures in support of learning and teaching through the English medium. LAC Programme for S1-S3 I.H. LAC Programme for S1-S3 Science Language support for S1 Mathematics Summer bridging programme for pre-s1 and S1 Extension Bridging Programme LAC reading scheme to promote reading across the curriculum Work of the School Library It strived to optimize students exposure to English and create an authentic English learning and application environment for students. 10

16 It collaborated with subject panels in promoting reading across the curriculum. It promoted the use of e-learning platforms to enhancing students exposure to English in both language and non-language subject contexts. It facilitated the implementation of LAC in the English medium through S1 Information Literacy course. Library tours and book exhibitions were organized regularly. Subject-related reading programmes were held. An Environment Conducive to English Learning Weekly English programme hosted by the NET in the Morning Assembly with presentations on themes related to EMI content subjects English Speaking Day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays English Ambassador Scheme Promoting a text-rich language environment in the classroom and around campus Promoting the use of English in everyday communication by organizing learning activities in the English Activity Room and using English outside the classroom. Promoting the learning of English through drama and debating Promoting the use of English as the main language for school events 11

17 II. Our Students 1. Class Organization The number of operating classes and the number of students are shown below: Level No. of Classes No. of Students S S S S S S Total The percentage of S3 students promoted to S4 is as follows: Percentage S3 students who were promoted to S Unfilled Places 15/16 16/17 17/18 S1-S Students Attendance (KPM21) 15/16 16/17 17/18 S S S S S S % 98% 96% 94% Students' Attendance 2015/ / / % 90% S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 12

18 4. Students Early Exit The number and percentage of early exit students are as follows: Level 15/16 16/17 17/18 S S S S S S % 0.80% 0.60% 0.40% 0.20% 0.00% Early Exit Students 2015/ / / /16 16/17 17/18 Percentage of early exit students Destination of S6 Graduates (KPM13) The number and percentage of destination of S6 graduates are as follows: S6 Graduates ( 115 students ) 17/18 No. of Students Percentage Local full-time Bachelor degree programmes Local full-time sub-degree programmes Local vocational training and continuing education programmes Repeating 0 0 Studying in programmes outside Hong Kong Employment Others Majority of S6 students continued their studies in local universities or other educational institutes. About 6% of students furthered their studies outside Hong Kong. The percentage of students repeating S6 or engaged in employment was low. 6. Students within the Acceptable Weight Range (KPM22) Percentage of students within the acceptable weight range is as follows: Level 17/18 S S S S S S The data indicated that more S1 and S2 girls were overweight or underweight when compared with other forms. 13

19 The overall average of the percentage of students within the acceptable weight range stayed around 78.10%. Suggestions for improvement: promote physical activity among students during recess and lunchtime improve students access to sports equipment such as volleyball, basketball, etc. enrich students knowledge of the theory and techniques of body weight control 14

20 III. Our Teachers 1. Number of Teachers There were 51.1 teachers in our school: 15/16 16/17 17/18 Approved total teaching staff establishment No. of teachers in the Chinese panel No. of teachers in the English panel, excluding NET No. of teachers in the Mathematics panel No. of NET No. of Putonghua teachers Teachers Qualifications The qualifications of teachers are shown below: Highest Academic Qualifications attained 15/16 16/17 17/18 No. of Teachers with master or above qualification No. of Teachers with degree qualification No. of Teachers with tertiary non-degree qualification No. of Teachers with S6/7 qualification No. of Teachers with S5 or below qualification The chart below indicates the percentages of teachers highest academic qualifications in the recent 3 years: 15/16 16/17 17/18 % of teachers with master or above qualification % of teachers with degree qualification % of teachers with tertiary non-degree qualification % of teachers with S6/7 qualification % of teachers with S5 or below qualification More than 2 5 of the teaching staff obtained master or above qualifications. Percentage of teachers' highest academic qualifications 60% 50% 40% 30% 2015/ / / % 10% 0% Master or above Degree Tertiary (non-degree) 15

21 All teaching staff were professionally trained and the numbers and percentages of subjecttrained teachers in the core-three subjects are shown below: Subject-trained teachers in the core-three subjects 15/16 16/17 17/18 No. of subject-trained Chinese Language teachers No. of subject-trained English Language teachers No. of subject-trained Mathematics teachers /16 16/17 17/18 % of subject-trained Chinese Language teachers % of subject-trained English Language teachers % of subject-trained Mathematics teachers Among the 3 core subjects, English Language teachers had the highest percentage of subject-trained teachers. All English Language and Putonghua teachers attained their Language Proficiency Requirement. The number and percentage of teachers meeting LPR are as follows: 15/16 16/17 17/18 No. of English teachers meeting LPR No. of Putonghua teachers meeting LPR /16 16/17 17/18 % of English teachers meeting LPR % of Putonghua teachers meeting LPR % Percentages of (i) teachers holding qualified professional status; (ii) subject-trained teachers in the core-three subjects; and (iii) teachers meeting Language Proficiency Requirement (LPR): 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 2015/ / / % 10% 0% Professional qualification Subject-trained (English) Subject-trained (Chinese) Subject-trained (Mathematics) English teachers meeting LPR Putonghua teachers meeting LPR 16

22 3. Teachers Experience The experience of the teachers is shown below : Teaching Experience 15/16 16/17 17/18 0 to 2 years to 5 years to 10 years over 10 years % of teachers with 0 to 2 years of experience % of teachers with 3 to 5 years of experience % of teachers with 6 to 10 years of experience % of teachers with over 10 years of experience 15/16 16/17 17/ We have a well-experienced and stable teaching team. 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Teachers' Experience 0-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years above 10 years 2015/ / / Staff Turnover Rate One teacher retired and four teachers resigned. 5. Teachers Professional Development (KPM04) Teachers professional training Teachers were required to attend professional training for at least 15 hours for the whole school year. 78.9% of the teaching staff satisfied the requirement. The seminars/workshops attended covered various fields, most of which were subject-related. 15/16 16/17 17/18 Total no. of CPD hours undertaken by teachers Average no. of CPD hours undertaken by teachers No. of CPD hours undertaken by principal Teachers' Professional Development / / /

23 Whole school professional sharing Four sharing sessions were organized for the teaching staff. Date Topic Speakers 24/8/2017 Salesian Education Sr Enid Tso 29/8/2017 Use of Data Analysis to Enhance Learning & Teaching Dr Francis Cheung 16/10/2017 Ways to help Students overcome adversity Ms C Ho 30/4/2018 Discussion about teaching and learning based on a video-taped lesson Teaching staff Staff Development Day Four Staff Development Days were held for the whole year. Date Topic Speakers 25/10/2017 English as the Medium of Instructions A Candid Reflection Dr Francis Cheung 5/3/2018 FMA Joint School Staff Development Day /3/2018 4/5/2018 Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers in the Time of Change School Self-evaluation: Three Major Concerns of the School Development Plan Dr Francis Cheung All teaching staff Intra-panel professional sharing Individual subject panels were required to organize at least one sharing session for the whole school year. 100% of the subject teachers joined the sharing sessions. Collaborative lesson planning & peer observation 100% of the teaching staff had completed the scheme by the end of the school year; each teacher had observed his/her peer and had been observed once a year. Professional training on Special Educational Needs (KPM 04) 13.2% of the teaching staff had received training on special education for the provision of professional support to students with special education needs. 18

24 IV. Areas of Major Concern : Achievements & Reflection Major Concern 1: Develop students to be active learners Target 1 : Nurture students effective learning skills to enhance motivation Achievements Measures were taken to enhance students understanding of their learning styles and equip students with learning skills. Workshops on training learning skills on memory, note-taking and science literacy were organized for S1, S2 and S3 respectively. Students generally found the interactive workshops interesting and useful in enhancing their understanding of their learning styles and improving their learning effectiveness. The workshop on memory skills helped S1 students master memory techniques so as to enhance their ability to remember and recall information learnt. Through the workshops, S2 students improved their note-taking abilities and learned to retain information for study whereas S3 students enriched their knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts relevant to their everyday life. Ethics lessons on The Importance of Learning, Raising Learning Motivation Learning Strategies and Time Management and Learning Strategies were conducted for S1, S2, S3 and S6 respectively. The feedback from class teachers and students were positive. In general, students participated well in the interactive activities during the Ethics lessons and their learning strategies were enriched. They also learned to master the techniques in goal setting and adopt appropriate strategies to achieve their goals such as checking the progress of their plans, revising strategies if necessary and evaluating their own performance at the end of each term. Learning skills were incorporated into individual subjects. Apart from the subject-specific skills, some learning skills were also incorporated into individual subjects, for example, note-taking and proofreading (English Language), data analysis and processing (Mathematics, I.H.-E.P.A., Computer Literacy, Science and Chemistry), graphical skills (Geography), interpretation of graphical information (Mathematics, I.H.-E.P.A.), organization and analysis of information (Liberal Studies, Geography and Economics), time management skills (BAFS). Various subjects including non-language subjects strengthened students skills in critical thinking, reading and writing skills. Examination skills were also incorporated in most subjects for improving students performance in school and public examinations. Improvement was made in the target learning skills as reflected in students coursework and performance in internal assessments. Students positive and active learning attitudes were nurtured. The school stepped up effort to strengthen the role of class teachers in promoting a positive learning attitude among students. Under the guidance of class teachers, students set class-based goals, strategies and action plan and implemented them throughout the school year. Class teachers monitored and encouraged students to achieve the class-based goals regularly and evaluations were made for improvement. Most classes were able to set concrete goals and action plans to promote positive learning attitudes. Some of the goals included punctual submission of homework, regular reading practice, setting revision timetables and organizing study groups. Though students performance varied from class to class, both class teachers and students generally agreed that class management could enhance students learning motivation and the class spirit. Class teachers also found the sharing of class management strategies and experience at the form meetings helpful in handling the problems of their own classes. Diversified assessments were conducted to enhance students learning motivation. Apart from catering for diverse learning styles and interests, the diversified modes of assessments helped sustain students interest and effort in learning. Assessments 19

25 adopted included news clippings portfolio (Liberal Studies and BAFS), web-based self-learning tasks (I.H.-E.P.A. and History,), mini-project/project work (Science and Integrated Humanities), mini-research and presentation (English Language), self/peer assessments (Chinese Language, English Language, Project Learning), post-activity self-reflection (Religious Studies), case study (Geography), self-learning kits (Chemistry) and questioning, discussions and experiment report (T & L). Some subject panels also assigned self-learning tasks and made use of e-learning platforms to enhance students self-learning abilities and extend learning beyond the classroom. Students achievements in academic and non-academic aspects were recognized to boost confidence and enhance resilience and learning outcomes. During the morning assembly, students were offered the chance to share their successful learning experiences in daily lives with their peers. Good work of students was shared in class to promote peer learning. Students shared their work with their fellow students and teachers pointed out their strengths and the areas for improvement on the spot. The whole class could learn from the work presented and the comments made by the teachers. Some subjects uploaded good work to e-class to make it accessible to all students for self-learning. Good work was also displayed in classrooms and on the school campus. Robots designed by participants of external competitions were on display at the STEM Room. The good work exhibited on the campus promoted cross-level learning among students. Campus TV also provided a valuable platform for peer sharing. Campus TV programmes on subjectbased projects or learning experiences such as Adopt a Water Buddy were produced to enable participants to share their learning outcomes with schoolmates. Reflection The target learning skills were relevant to students needs. However, for the junior levels, it would be better to focus on fewer skills. The KLA co-ordinators could help identify the core skills to be covered by subjects of the KLA. In terms of the ability to apply the skills in learning, students performance varied, which was often related to the students learning motivation. Improvement was made in general though there was plenty of room for improvement in vocabulary skills, multiple perspective thinking and certain examination skills such as the handling of different question types and the interpretation of rubrics and question words, which required further training in the coming year. Moreover, it was suggested that in S1 Ethics lessons, a session should be arranged for students to share experience on their learning styles, note-taking strategies and successful learning experience so as to enable students to learn from their peers. Home-school cooperation could be further strengthened in nurturing positive learning attitudes among students. Parents were kept informed about students problems with homework submission via School App and parent education workshops were held to improve parent-children communication. In view of the positive feedback from parents, workshops on study skills could be organized for parents to strengthen the learning support at home. Students of each class had clear goals and action plans for improving their learning attitude but they had problems in attaining their goals. Most classes took the class-based programmes seriously but some lacked persistency to implement their plan. More guidance and regular supervision had to be provided by class teachers to enhance students positive and active learning attitudes. In general, teachers found that class management played an important role in nurturing students positive attitudes in both academic and non-academic aspects. Different formative assessment practices could boost students participation and effort in learning. Multimedia learning was also found to be useful in boosting students learning motivation especially among the junior levels and those lower-ability students. However, more strategic planning and extra resources in terms of time and effort were required. Closer collaboration among teachers and more professional sharing of knowledge and experience could facilitate the implementation of those practices. The overall feedback from class teachers and students about the sharing of successful 20

26 learning experiences in daily lives was positive. However, as the theme had been used for two years, some of the ideas presented seemed to be repetitive. Alumnae could be invited to share their success stories, which would have a stronger impact on students. The dissemination of good work and practices among students was well-received. It could boost students confidence and sense of achievement while promoting peer learning. With concrete and specific feedback from subject teachers, the learning outcomes could be enhanced and sustained. Moreover, through sharing across the levels, junior students could learn from their senior schoolmates. All these helped foster a positive competitive academic atmosphere among students. Target 2: Strengthen teachers professional development to engage students in active learning Achievements Measures to familiarize teachers with student-centred learning and teaching strategies were implemented. Teachers pursued professional development in areas relevant to the school s key concerns. They attended workshops, seminars and training programmes on e-learning, catering for learner diversity, handling students with special educational needs and subject-based pedagogical knowledge and skills. Teachers had made an effort to apply the skills and knowledge acquired at the professional development activities in their own teaching, including the use of online platforms and e-learning resources, skills in cooperative learning and strategies to motivate students. School-based training programmes were held on the Staff Development Days covering topics like Whole School Approach to the use of English as the Medium of Instruction, Core Values of Catholic Education, Legal Issues for Schools, Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers in the Time of Change. Student-centred learning and teaching strategies were incorporated in individual subjects. Students were motivated to be more active in acquiring knowledge and skills of individual subjects by methods such as cooperative learning, flipped classroom, fieldtrips and visits. A greater readiness was demonstrated in implementing IT in teaching and learning so as to engage students. E-learning tools like EduVenture, Google Form were used to facilitate field trip activities. Teaching apps such as NearPod, Kahoot and Plickers were used to promote interactive and collaborative learning in the classroom. E- learning platforms such as Reading i-learner and BrainPOP were recommended to students to promote self-learning and extend learning beyond the classroom. E-class was also used as a self-access learning tool, in which students could find additional information to supplement formal lesson learning and additional assignments to facilitate self-access learning. To broaden students horizons, they were actively encouraged to participate in visits, workshops and other educational programmes organized by external organizations and institutions, for example, Adopt a Water Buddy Programme (Chemistry), Ocean Park Education Programme (Biology), Tai Po Organic Farm Visit (T & L), Visit to Sam Tung Uk (I.H.), Visit to Court of Final Appeal (I.H. E.P.A.) and From Kowloon City to the World Cultural Exchange Student Forum (English Language). Teachers professional sharing culture was optimized for promoting effective pedagogies. The school reinforced effort to promote a sharing culture among teachers. Intra-school and intra-panel sharing sessions were organized on the use of assessment data, studentcentred pedagogical strategies and other subject-based concerns and issues. Collaborative lesson planning and peer observation was conducted by each subject panel, which strengthened the culture of co-planning and collaboration. Cross-KLA collaborative lesson planning was also promoted through the LAC Programme, which is a cross-curricular collaborative effort to facilitate the use of English as the medium of instruction. 21

27 Professional exchange with teachers of other schools was also highly encouraged. A number of subject panels including English Language, Liberal Studies, Economics, Physics and Chemistry had organized exchange visits to other schools. The participating subject teachers generally found the professional sharing a worthwhile and an insightful experience. A resource bank on student active learning programmes and activities was set up to provide a platform for sharing experience and ideas regarding the promotion of active learning among students. Every KLA had contributed to the resource bank. Reflection Teacher professional development programmes and internal sharing could enhance teachers professional growth in subject knowledge and pedagogies. In particular, those related to catering for learner diversity and e-learning were found to be helpful in dealing with the academically low achievers with poor basic competence and low self-esteem. A greater readiness was demonstrated in implementing IT in teaching and learning so as to engage students. In general, subject panels made greater use of online resources, e-learning platforms and software in raising learning motivation and enhancing student participation. Many teachers reflected that the feedback of students was good. As the use of e-learning technologies to improve the quality of education would be increased, corresponding hardware and software support should be stepped up to encourage greater use of technology in teaching and learning. For example, more i-pads should be purchased and the IT facilities and equipment should be regularly updated and well-maintained. A culture of sharing and collaboration had already been established among teachers. To further promote professional exchange of knowledge and skills and broaden teachers perspectives, experience sharing or collaboration with other schools or institutions should continue to be encouraged. The practices regarding collaborative lesson planning and peer observation as well as class observation could be further refined so as to facilitate professional dialogues and enhance teaching and learning. Target 3: Motivate students of diverse abilities Achievements Curricula, quantity and quality of assignments were reviewed and refined. Curriculum and assignments of individual subjects were reviewed and refined to make learning manageable to students of different learning abilities. Effort was made to smoothen the transition from junior levels to senior levels. School-based learning materials were developed in some subjects to cater for learning diversity and facilitate student adaptation. Many subjects arranged tiered assignments for the junior levels to address students diverse needs, ability levels and interests. Some subjects allowed students to choose from different topics and choose their own ways to present their ideas while some varied the assessment criteria and teacher input with reference to students levels of ability. Optional challenge tasks were set to stretch students potentials. It was found that students welcomed the availability of choice and a satisfactory percentage of students attempted the more challenging tasks. Academic support programmes were provided to strengthen students academic abilities. Two Homework Guidance Classes and one Homework Guidance Class were arranged for S1 and S2 respectively. The attendance rates of all classes were over 97%. Students were satisfied with the support measure. They generally found that the tutors could explain clearly and offer helpful guidance over their homework. They also found that the measure could help them concentrate on doing homework. Tutors were also satisfied with the students performance. Most tutees were punctual and asked 22

28 questions actively and politely though some of them were rather talkative and inattentive. Afterschool Remedial Classes of the 3 core subjects, namely English, Chinese and Mathematics were organized for S1-S3 bottom 15 students. For English, though the participating students did not make any significant improvement in their scores in internal assessments, they were generally cooperative and participated well. However, the great learning diversity and short attention span posed a problem to the tutors. As for Chinese, students were attentive and cooperative though some of them were rather passive. For Mathematics, the tutees generally participated well and some made noticeable progress in their scores. Remedial teaching was arranged for S4 and S5 less able students. Small group and individual tutorials and conferencing were organized by individual subject teachers after class. Students were cooperative and willing to learn. They generally found the small group coaching useful to clarify misconceptions and improve their understanding of the subject knowledge and skills. However, the availability of time was the biggest constraint as students were busy with their school work and other school commitments. Pull-out programmes were run for high-achievers. A variety of STEM courses were held afterschool including aerial photography, videography, robotic engineering, micro:bit programming, app inventor programming. Many students expressed strong interest in STEM programmes and activities and they participated well in the courses. They were also encouraged to apply the skills acquired in external competitions and events. The higher-ability S1 students were invited to participate in a series of writing workshops held on Saturday. They were guided to learn story writing skills and participate in external writing competitions. For the higher ability S2 and S3 students, an afterschool enhancement class was arranged to increase their exposure to English. S2 students learnt more about different aspects of language arts like drama and poetry and S3 students were exposed to topical social issues such as cosmetic surgery and social media. Students were able to interact with native English tutors who conducted a range of listening and speaking tasks covering diverse topics. Participating students generally found the learning programmes useful in enriching their exposure to English. Training courses for core subjects were organized for S4 to S6 higher ability students to promote their high order thinking skills and to enhance their examination skills. Most of the students reflected that the courses for Chinese Language and English Language could effectively enhance their language skills especially speaking. However, the enrolment and attendance rates for the S6 courses were rather low as many of them were busy with their school work. It would be better to focus the resources on S4 and S5. Gifted students were encouraged to join different types of learning programmes and competitions held outside the school, including Global Youth Ministers, Inter Secondary School English Debate Competitions, Australia Big Science Competition, Joint Schools Robotic Sumo Match Competition and Spaghetti Tower Challenge. Moreover, students were also nominated for courses organized by the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education and learning programmes organized by tertiary institutes. Reflection The junior-senior transition posed a problem to S1 and S3. For the former group, many of them found it hard to cope with the academic demands such as assignments and the use of English as the medium of instruction. Subject panels would continue to review and adjust their homework policy to meet students learning needs in terms of quality and quantity and the MOI adaptation plan of the EMI subjects would also be reviewed and adjusted. As for S3, to prepare students for the senior secondary curriculum, elements of the senior curriculum were progressively included in the junior curriculum. To equip students with the required learning skills, two new subjects would be introduced in S3, namely Liberal 23

29 Studies and I.H.-Economics and Business. Tiered assignments proved to be effective in motivating students of diverse abilities and addressing the issue of learner diversity. However, the practice required teachers to vary their approaches in teaching, giving instructions and designing learning tasks. Teachers should therefore be encouraged to attend relevant professional development activities to hone their skills in that area. Both teachers and students found the S1-S2 Homework Guidance Classes helpful in promoting a positive learning attitude among students and addressing the problem of homework non-submission. To enhance the effectiveness of the measure, greater attention to class discipline was needed. Students should be made clear of the purpose of the measure and the rules of the class at the very beginning. The tutors should enforce the rules strictly. The Afterschool Remedial Classes for S1-S3 provided helpful academic support for those who lagged behind. Given the fact that students were exhausted after a full school day, their short attention span and poor learning motivation posed a challenge to teachers. To ease the problem, a greater effort should be devoted to the course content and teaching strategies so as to ensure more active student participation. It was also decided that in the coming school year, the afterschool academic programmes would start 15 minutes later so as to give students a longer break and the session would be adjusted to 1 hour so that students could concentrate better. In response to the positive response of students towards STEM education, courses on 3D printing and micro:bit programming would be organized for the junior levels in the coming academic year. The STEM Club would also be established next year to stretch the potential of talented students in STEM-related fields through fun extension learning activities. To boost students English language proficiency, additional resources would continue to be devoted to the junior levels to consolidate students English learning skills. An English enhancement programme would continue to be offered to the high ability students at the junior levels. Conclusion Various measures were taken to equip students with the skills and attitudes to be active learners. Pleasing progress was made in students understanding of their own learning styles and knowledge of learning skills relevant to their studies. To ensure better learning outcome as reflected in coursework and assessments, more opportunities should be provided for students to apply the skills and knowledge acquired. To sustain students interest and effort in learning, teachers should continue to update and refine their pedagogical skills and the subject curricula to cater for students diverse needs, interests and ability levels. Students should also be made aware of their responsibility in their learning. Class management, peer support and home-school cooperation should be further promoted in nurturing in students a positive attitude towards their studies. Major Concern 2: Enhance students learning effectiveness through raising their language proficiency Target 1 : Provide English language support for MOI adaptation Achievements Cross-curricular planning and collaboration of English, I.H. and Science were implemented through LAC programmes for S1-S3 students. 24

30 Mapping of the curricula of English, S1 I.H., S2-S3 Humanities subjects (Geography, E.P.A. and History) and S1-S3 Science was done to match the syllabus of grammar teaching and the syllabus of the EMI content subjects. The English curriculum particularly the grammar syllabus was adjusted to address the language needs of the content subjects. Cross-curricular modules and projects were implemented namely the S1 I.H. term project Sustainable Development of Monuments in Hong Kong, S1 Science experiment Designing a slingshot and the S2 Science experiment Prevention of the browning of apples. Language support and training on presentation skills were provided in the English lessons. Exercises on subject-specific language patterns and vocabulary items were given in the English lessons and for self-learning. Reading and writing across the curriculum were promoted at the junior levels. Cross-curricular reading activities were held in collaboration of the school library and EMI content subject panels to widen students exposure to English and broaden their knowledge base. In English lessons, students were assigned writing tasks on EMI content subjectsrelated themes to enrich the content of student writing and consolidate the content subject vocabulary and knowledge. Support measures were provided for fine-tuned students switching to regular classes. Special attention was given by EMI subject teachers to S2 and S3 students switching to regular classes to monitor their performance. Teachers met the students after class regularly to discuss the problems they encountered and offered individual coaching and tutorials when necessary. Most students were found to be able to adapt well to EMI teaching. Language support was provided for S1 Mathematics. The Mathematics Panel and two members of the English Panel joined a 2-year schoolbased support programme organized by the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong on developing junior secondary curriculum materials to enhance teaching the Mathematics KLA in the English medium. Teachers found the support helpful in refining the junior teaching resources and teachers pedagogical skills in catering for the subject-specific language needs of the students. Bridging programmes were organized for MOI adaptation. S1 summer bridging course was organized for the Pre-S1 students - A 16-hour course covering school orientation, classroom language, language skills and vocabulary of EMI subjects was held for the pre-s1 students in August. According to a survey conducted at the end of the course, all students found the programme helpful in preparing them for the new school year. - An extension bridging programme was held by the English Panel in early September to consolidate the skills and knowledge covered by the summer bridging programme. Summer Mathematics Bridging Programme for S1-S3 students - A 4-day bridging programme was held in August to help junior level students adapt to the change in medium of instruction before the start of the new school year. - The course focused on getting students to revise the Mathematics concepts in English. Students were generally attentive and actively participated in the class activities. Technology and Living Bridging Course for S2-S3 students - Three sessions were held in early September to help students understand the subject-related concepts in English. A set of bridging workbooks was designed for students and dictations and summaries were done in the lessons to consolidate students vocabulary. Students found the course very helpful. Computer Literacy MOI Adaptation for S2-S3 students 25

31 - Language elements were integrated into the curriculum so as to help students cope with the use of the English medium throughout the school. Teachers were encouraged to participate in LAC-related professional development activities and work collaboratively to facilitate learning and teaching in the English medium. Reflection The LAC Team and EMI subject teachers were encouraged to attend LAC/MOI related workshops and post-workshop sharing was arranged to enhance their skills and knowledge in LAC implementation. Collaborative lesson planning and peer observation were organized among the NET teacher, English and EMI content subject teachers to refine the language support materials and strategies. This year, the whole Mathematics panel, four English teachers and one teacher of the PSHE KLA attended related courses in implementing LAC and teaching in the English medium of their respective KLAs. Teachers of the Humanities subjects and Science found the language support provided through the LAC Programmes relevant and helpful. Students generally showed greater readiness and confidence in using English. They also showed greater care in spelling and language accuracy in their coursework and examinations. As shown in the final examination, students were still weak in interpreting questions and handling questions requiring extended answers. More attention should be given to question words, rubrics and sentence structures in the next academic year. Teachers found the promotion of reading and writing across the curriculum helpful in enriching the content of students writing and consolidating their knowledge of EMI content subjects. The practices would continue next year so as to boost students exposure to the EMI content subject vocabulary and their ability to apply the vocabulary items in reading and writing. Teachers had tried their best to offer help to the students switching from the fine-tuned classes to the regular classes; however, it was sometimes hard to arrange support after class as students were busy with other commitments during lunchtime and afterschool. Students should also be encouraged to take the initiative to seek help from teachers. It was also worth noticing that a few fine-tuned class students declined the offer to switch to regular classes or enhancement classes, showing a lack of confidence in their learning abilities. A greater effort should be made to boost students self-confidence and learning capacity. The LAC and MOI training programmes and sharing sessions provided a good opportunity for teachers to reflect on the current practice and keep themselves informed of the latest development in the implementation of LAC, which would enhance teaching and learning effectiveness in using the English medium. To further enhance teachers expertise in LAC implementation, sharing sessions with other schools could be organized. The professional exchange of experience would offer insights for self-reflection and self-improvement. Target 2: Enhance Chinese and English proficiency Achievements Writing skills of junior form students was strengthened. In Chinese writing, guidance was provided throughout the writing process. Students were required to collect information related to the writing topic or read relevant articles so as to help them generate ideas for the writing task. Good work was shared in class and peer assessment was promoted to encourage peer learning. For S1, students performance varied a lot. Bigger improvement was made in S2 in relevance and development of ideas. As for S3, students were generally able to interpret the questions though more effort was needed in using the appropriate letter format and citing relevant evidence to support their arguments. 26

32 In the second year of the 2-year writing support programme for Chinese Language run by the Language Learning Support Section of EDB, the writing curriculum for S2 was reviewed and refined. Teachers reflected that the programme was very helpful. The school-based writing curriculum was enriched and relevant to students everyday life, thus raising students learning motivation and the learning atmosphere during the writing lessons. English teachers strengthened students writing skills at the junior levels by reinforcing pre-writing support and post-writing feedback in both content and language. Moreover, writing across the curriculum was implemented in the junior forms, which enabled students to apply the knowledge and vocabulary they acquired in the EMI content subjects. Teachers found the promotion of writing across the curriculum helpful in enriching the content of students writing and consolidating their knowledge of EMI content subjects. Improvement was made by most of the S1 and S2 classes in the daily work and writing examinations. Support measures were provided to facilitate students smooth transition from junior to senior forms. Both Chinese and English panels reviewed and fine-tuned the curricula to enhance the interface between the junior and senior levels. A progressive subject curriculum was in place to facilitate the junior-senior transition. For Chinese Language, school-based materials covering the senior secondary curriculum were designed to help junior level students lay the foundation for the senior secondary curriculum. For English Language, the question types in HKDSE were also introduced for practice in S3 to highlight the skills required for the public examination and more formal text types were included in the S3 writing curriculum. S4 students were required to complete a self-learning log to broaden their English exposure outside class and encourage self-regulated learning. A variety of reading activities were organized to widen students exposure to Chinese and English. All S1 and S2 students were required to subscribe to the i-learner learning programme which offered students regular reading, listening and writing practice. The LAC readers continued to be used as part of the extensive reading scheme for S1- S3. Titles on STEM topics were added. Students were required to finish reading one LAC reader per GR lesson. Five theme-based reading activities in the form of Book Club Gatherings were jointly organized by the school library and the Chinese Language panel for S1-S5 students. The participants were satisfied with the activities and enjoyed exchanging views and giving comments on books. Individual subjects also assigned reading tasks or organize reading activities for students to promote reading and writing. A total of 15 collaborative cross-curricular reading activities were organized by the school library in collaboration with 13 subject panels and functional groups, including library tours, topic book displays, book talks and reading competitions, were conducted by the school library with 12 subject panels and functional groups. A facilitating English learning environment was provided. An English Corner was set up in all classrooms and the covered playground for displaying learning materials and students work in English. Besides, in special rooms and laboratories, relevant subject materials in English were posted to promote an English text-rich environment. The LAC board displayed English reading materials on topics of general interests and current issues. Follow-up quizzes were also held to encourage students to read the board. Regular displays of EMI content subject-related learning materials were put up on the bulletin boards along the stairways regularly to enrich students exposure to English. Majority of the ECA boards, signs and notices posted on school premises were also in English. 27

33 Weekly English programmes hosted by the NET in the morning assembly, English Speaking Day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, lunchtime English activities, English Ambassador Scheme and the functions held in the English Activity Room provided an environment conducive to English learning. Students response was good and the activities were well received. Students were encouraged to participate in language related activities and competitions Reflection Students were encouraged to participate in various language activities and competitions to broaden their exposure to English and Chinese and boost their confidence in using the languages. An English Award Scheme was in place to encourage the use of English outside the classroom. S1-S5 students were awarded points for the scheme for joining English learning activities held outside class. In general, the senior form students and the enhancement classes of the junior forms were more active in joining the scheme. Students actively participated in inter-school English competitions and events such as the Hong Kong Speech Festival, Teen Time Recording, From Kowloon City to the World Cultural Exchange Student Forum and AFS Intercultural Fair. Over 90% of S1-S5 students participated in at least 4 Chinese language activities and 5 inter-school competitions in the school year. Junior level students made satisfactory progress in Chinese writing especially in narrative and descriptive writing while there was still room for improvement in argumentative writing. The junior writing curriculum would be refined to further enhance students writing skills and creativity. Despite the satisfactory pass rate in English writing at the junior levels, limited vocabulary and weak grasp of language patterns remained a common problem, especially for the lower ability classes. To cater for the diverse learning needs, the writing curriculum should be reviewed and refined. Teachers should also adjust their teaching strategies to help students learn more effectively. A variety of cross-curricular reading activities were held to enrich students exposure to Chinese and English. Apart from promoting students and teachers language awareness across the curriculum, the reading activities provided valuable opportunities for collaboration among subject panels and the school library. To further enhance the English learning environment, displays of theme-based English expressions could be held. English should continue to be used as the major language for school events. A concerted effort from teachers and students was needed to enhance the English learning environment of the school. Conclusion With the joint effort of the LAC Team, English Panel and EMI content subject panels, students were equipped with English language skills to enable them to learn effectively in the English medium. The English language support for MOI adaptation and language enrichment measures would be reviewed and refined to cater for the language needs at the junior levels. Reading and writing across the curriculum would continue to be promoted to strengthen students language proficiency for effective learning. 28

34 Major Concern 3: Cultivate positive values through life education Target 1: Cultivate positive learning attitudes through character building (responsibility, perseverance, self-confidence and self-management) Achievements Measures were taken to enhance and foster the sense of responsibility among students. Three Ethics lessons were conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups ( 香港青年協會 ) for S1 and S2 students. Through the participation in various interactive activities, students sense of responsibility was enhanced. As committee members of the classes, clubs and service teams, students were given opportunities to organize activities, such as Open Day, experiential learning activities, Christmas party, lunch gathering, thanksgiving day, inter-house singing contest, inter-class competitions and flea market, etc. Students learned to be responsible. In order to help S1 and S2 students develop good habits of recording homework in an orderly manner and submitting homework punctually, an additional 15-minute class teacher period afterschool was arranged in September and on the first ten school days respectively. Different class-based programmes were organized according to the needs of the class: - For S1 and S2, the Class Billboard Chart was co-organized with the Counselling Team. They focused on enhancing and fostering the sense of responsibility among students in their class-based programmes. They were motivated to be responsible through competitions. - For S3, most of the classes aimed at enhancing their sense of responsibility by submitting homework on time. - For S4 to S6, they set different goals according to their needs. For example, some classes aimed at improving their sense of belonging, improving their leadership skills or time management skills, etc. Special action was taken against persistent non-submission of homework. Students who got 2 demerit points for not submitting homework on time were required to attend the Afterschool Homework Class ( 功課加油站 ). Students attended the class punctually and most of them did their homework seriously. In general, the classroom atmosphere was good. The curricula of Religious Studies and Ethics lessons were refined according to the needs of different levels of students and other afterschool learning activities were organized. S1 2: Responsibility - Three Ethics lessons on responsibility were designed and conducted by the social workers of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups. Besides, the topics 個人生活責任 學生身份認同 子女態度及家庭參與 and 公民責任與義務 were taught in Ethics lessons. Through the participation in various interactive activities, students sense of responsibility was enhanced. - For S1, in a Religious Studies lesson on the topic of 美好的創造, teachers used daily life examples to illustrate the importance of responsibility. As for S2, the Religious Studies lessons on the topics of 自由與責任 and 信守承諾 fostered students sense of responsibility. S3 4: Self-confidence and self-image - An Ethics lesson on the topic of 個人形象與自信 was arranged whereas for Religious Studies, lessons on the theme of 關顧心靈 and 恩寵歷史 were arranged for S3 and S4 respectively. Through the lessons, students learned ways to build up their own image and restore their self-affirmation. 29

35 S5 6: Overcoming adversity - Two Ethic lessons 人生交叉點 and 刀片飛人逆境強 and a stress management workshop 輕鬆 自在 conducted by a school social worker from Caritas Hong Kong were arranged for S5. A lesson entitled 逆境中的出路 was designed for S6 whereas for Religious Studies, the lessons on the topics of 成功 失敗 and 生死倫理 were organized for S5 and S6 respectively. These lessons aimed at enhancing students abilities to overcome adversity and cope with stress. Students were encouraged to share successful experiences during the morning assembly. Students in different forms were encouraged to share their successful experiences in the following aspects: Responsibility for S1-S2, Self-confidence and Self-image for S3-S4 and Overcoming Adversity for S5-S6. Some of the sharing given by students was inspiring. The award and penalty system was reviewed to better reflect students performance. Students who were given a demerit point for failure to submit homework punctually were given the opportunity to make amends by joining the Atonement of Demerits by Merits Scheme. From the encouragement given by their class teachers and counselling teachers, more students were willing to join this scheme and learned to be responsible to remove the demerit point. Moreover, in order to recognize the efforts paid by the S1 and S2 students who submitted homework punctually throughout a school term, they were awarded Punctual Submission of Homework Award with a book coupon sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Association. Programmes to empower parents in supporting student development were provided. Parents groups which aimed at enhancing parents understanding of the developmental changes of young people and their communication skills so as to improve parent-child relationship were held for some new S1 parents. Parents were active in sharing their difficulties and raising questions in group discussion. All parents were satisfied with this activity as the parenting skills taught by the social workers were useful and practical. In order to improve the parent-child relationship, family programmes were held twice this year. Visits to the Disneyland and Ocean Park were organized for the families with the aim to provide them with the opportunities to have fun together. A talk entitled 如何進入青少年的內心世界 was held on the Special Parents Day. Parents could know more about the thoughts of teenagers and learn how to support and communicate with their daughters. A theme talk entitled 如何有效地處理子女的個人學習及其他情緒的困擾 was held on the S3 Parents Night. A social worker from the Boys and Girls Clubs Association of Hong Kong was invited to share ways on dealing with students stress positively. Most of the parents were satisfied with the talk and found it useful and practical. Newsletters and messages were also delivered to parents from various organizations, such as the Education Bureau, Caritas, the Boys and Girls Clubs Association of Hong Kong, etc. through school app timely. Reflection Sufficient measures were implemented and more experiential activities or workshops were organized this year so as to involve students more actively. A Class Teachers Coordination Team should be set up so that the class management programme could be implemented more systematically and the role of class teachers could be further strengthened. Besides, with various appropriate class-based strategies, students positive learning attitude could be cultivated. As there were too many activities held throughout this year, in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of cultivating positive learning attitudes through character 30

36 building, the activities held next year should focus more on Catholic core values and be more related to our school mission and vision. Moreover, more collaboration should be carried out between functional groups and subject panels. Target 2: Foster students respect for life through self improvement and care for oneself, others and community Achievements The life education elements in learning activities and the curricula of Religious Studies and Ethics lessons were enriched to guide students to think about the meaning of life and construct a positive attitude towards life. In learning activities, examples were as follows: - S1-2: a talk from a disabled athlete on life education 生命教育講座 - S5: a life education workshop 生命教育體驗工作坊, a film show cum sharing session on life education 生命教育電影欣賞及分享會 - Most students participated actively in these interactive activities, which gave them the chance to reflect on the meaning of life and helped them develop a positive attitude towards life. In R.S. lessons, examples were as follows: - S1 3: 生命的優次 生命誠可貴 簡樸生活 - S4 6: 生死倫理 明辨選擇 跨越逆境 - Students were given the chance to reflect on their life and realized the importance of setting their own goals and the value of life under the guidance of teachers. In Ethics lessons, examples were as follows: - S1: 我的最愛 人生的價值 - 德蘭教女無私的奉獻 - S2: 在他方的生命 活一天 : 反思人生的意義 - S3: 生命小說 : 建立個人的人生意義 - S5: 人生目標 誠信至可貴 垂死之家 的義務工作 - Students were guided to think about the meaning of life and develop a positive attitude towards life. Our school joined a scheme called 尊重生命, 逆境同行 which was organized by the Wong Tai Sin District Secondary School Heads Association and the Boys and Girls Clubs Association of Hong Kong. It aimed to provide counselling or consultation services to the students in need and cultivate positive attitudes for students through a questionnaire survey, talks, group activities, camping, outing, parent-child activities, voluntary work, etc. Teachers were invited to share life stories with students during the morning assembly. Vice-principals and some teachers shared their life stories during the morning assembly. Feedback from teachers and students was positive as some of the life stories shared by them were very inspiring which helped to disseminate positive values to students The Self-development Award Scheme (S1 2) was refined to encourage students to have self- improvement. The goals set in the Self-development Award Scheme Booklet were further simplified and made easier to attain. Class teachers and counselling teachers also made a bigger effort to encourage students to participate in the scheme. The duration for students to redeem prizes was extended. Students could join the scheme in the first and second term separately and they would be awarded prizes and certificates after achieving a certain number of goals. However, students still lacked the initiative to achieve the goals. Only 17% (1 st term) and 10.3% (2 nd term) of the students were awarded prizes. 31

37 The role of student leaders was strengthened and their leadership skills were enhanced. A leadership training day camp was organized for S4 students. Students were provided with the chance to achieve personal breakthroughs. Their sense of responsibility, communication skills and team spirit were enhanced through various experiential learning tasks. Through the activity, students became more selfconfident and better motivated to solve the problems they encountered. With the implementation of the class management programme, class committee members could take an active role in organizing class activities to achieve their class-based goals; their leadership skills could be enhanced. 32.6% of the committee members of ECA clubs and service teams were from junior forms. The percentage increased as compared with last year. More junior form students were given chances to gain experience in organizing activities, which would be valuable for their future. A booklet was prepared by the Extra-curricular Activities and Services Groups Coordinating Team, which included the following information: - general responsibilities of a committee member of ECA clubs and service teams - duties of chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary and treasurer - templates of different reports to be submitted The booklet was useful to the chairpersons, vice-chairperson, secretaries and treasurers of ECA clubs and service teams, as most of the important information was listed systematically in the booklet. It also provided guidelines and templates for them to follow. This booklet also included all the deadlines of submitting different documents to the team, so it could be a helpful reminder to the committee members of the ECA clubs and service teams. A training session was organized for all chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, secretaries and treasurers of ECA clubs and service teams. Various interactive games were organized. Students could learn about the importance and skills to coordinate and communicate with other committee members. Most of the participants found it useful for organizing activities for their members in the future. Programmes to promote healthy life were launched. Topics related to healthy life were incorporated into different subject curricula, such as Healthy Food Culture, Effects from Smoking and Drug Abuse, Cyberbullying and Confronting Infectious Diseases, etc. All these topics could arouse students health awareness. Activities of promoting healthy life were also organized and coordinated. For example, a roving educational drama on Healthy Information for a Healthy Mind ( 齊享健康資訊 教育短劇 ) was organized for S1 students to promote their awareness of the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance and the adverse effects of obscene and indecent articles as well as guiding them to make sensible choices and resist temptations. A Get $et Go finance workshop was held to educate S2 students about consumers scams and proper consumption attitudes. An educational talk on personal finance 新世代 理財有道 教育講座 was held for S4 students to educate students on financial health concepts and give them advice on handling finance. Another Anti-graft Interactive Drama Workshop ( 廉政互動劇場 ) was arranged for S4 students to enrich their knowledge about anti-graft laws and help them make a correct decision when they faced corruption temptation. Besides, a Knowledge of Strokes Secondary School Quiz 2017 ( 談笑用 Brian 講中風 - 全港中學中風常識問答比賽 ) was organized for S5 students to enhance their knowledge of strokes. Systematic career and life planning programmes were provided across all levels to help students explore and discover their purpose in life. Activities were held to enhance junior form students self-understanding and foster their career and life planning skills. For example, all S1 students and Big Sisters participated in an orientation programme which was held in an afternoon in September. Students were asked to complete different tasks to increase their sense of belonging and enhance their cooperative skills. Our school joined the Engineer 32

38 in School programme 校園工程師 in which talks and workshops were organized for S2-S3 students to enrich their understanding about the duties of an engineer and career path of an engineering student. As for S3, workshops on goal setting, subject choice strategy and a life simulation game were organized with Hok Yau Club. Through the participation in these activities, students could grasp the directions of their studies and careers. For senior forms students, in order to equip them with career and life planning skills and career-related experiences for enhancing their career decision-making, various activities and workshops were held. For example, a Career Mapping Workshop was organized for S4 students and a Life Simulation Workshop was held for S5 students. As for S6 students, a career planning programme was organized which included a workshop on programmes selection of universities, mock interviews for university admission and a mock deliberation of DSE results. Through the participation in these activities, students could gain more understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, career interests and goals. Besides, they could enrich their basic understanding of the entry requirements and job nature of different careers. To enrich students knowledge of multiple pathways, a career information day was organized for S5 students during the post-exam period. A total of six local tertiary institutions and organizations were invited to provide information about programmes offered in institutions and job nature of different occupations. Besides this, consultation sessions on mock selection of JUPAS programme choices were arranged for S6 students. Career teachers gave advice on their programme choice according to their interests and abilities. Most of them found it helpful. Furthermore, career-related information was frequently disseminated via the Facebook page, Career board and the Careers Room. This enabled students to keep abreast of the latest careers information. Parents capacity to support students career and life planning was strengthened. Talks were arranged for S3 students and their parents to introduce the aim, structure of senior secondary DSE Curriculum and provide strategies of subject selection. A talk on Applied Learning (ApL) Courses was organized on the Special Parents Day for S4 parents to introduce the types of courses provided. Moreover, some S6 students who took ApL Courses with outstanding performance were invited to share their experience. As for S6 students and their parents, talks were held to suggest strategies of selection of JUPUS programme choices and ways to prepare for the dissemination of DSE results. Students caring spirit towards others, the community and the environment was enhanced. Different subjects incorporated the caring spirit into the subject curricula. For example, in Liberal Studies, students discussed the effects of globalization on labour, international trade and the living of people in the less developed countries (LDCs). In Geography, students learned about the constraints of the LDCs in dealing with natural hazards like earthquakes and typhoons. They learned to care for the political and economic structures of these countries which contributed to high death tolls. In Biology, students raised their concern over lives, the environment as well as people who suffer from various diseases. Besides this, in I.H. (E.P.A) lessons, ways to be a smart consumer were taught and students could share their consumption tips with their schoolmates. Activities were organized and coordinated to promote the caring spirit. For example, a sharing session was conducted for S1 students. The speaker shared her volunteer teaching experiences in Nepal not only to encourage students to love and respect themselves, but also to help them extend their love to others through understanding others situations and feelings. Moreover, through the Big Sister Scheme, they took care of the S1 students throughout the year, such as meeting them regularly, having lunch with them and solving their academic problems, etc. Besides this, fund raising activities for charitable organizations such as World Vision and Caritas were arranged. Through the participation in these activities, their caring spirit towards others was enhanced. Our school also provided service learning opportunities to help students develop a heart to serve others. For example, all of our S4 students participated in our school- 33

39 based social service programme Show Your Love. Students had the chance to design various programmes for different service targets. After attending the training sessions and workshops, they showed a high level of participation and care for people in need during the activities. Some students participated in voluntary work by joining the Healthy Information Student Ambassadors Scheme. Besides this, some students joined the 從心感受 農村孩子 廣西義教團 and they participated in voluntary services and visits, and helped the people in need during the trip. The targets of the voluntary service were the children studying in a privately-run primary school. Students conducted voluntary teaching and experienced local culture in Guangxi. They had a memorable teaching experience in the school and their preparation before the trip paid off. In order to enrich students learning experiences, our school provided opportunities for the students to have self-reflection through Campus TV and a Student Achievement Sharing Session ( 成果分享會 ) during the post-exam period. Students could consolidate what they had learned in the activity and the audience was deeply touched and impressed by the learning experiences shared, for example, the speakers passion to serve the people in need and their positive attitude towards challenges and difficulties. Reflection With the collaboration of different NGOs and government departments, such as the Department of Health, the Boys and Girls Clubs Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Playground Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, etc., various programmes and activities were organized and positive messages were issued. This helped students develop a positive attitude towards life. As S1 2 students lacked the initiative to participate in the Self-Development Award Scheme, it was recommended that this scheme should not continue next year. Other activities would be organized to encourage students to set their goals. Leadership training should be enhanced, especially for those student leaders. Specific training programmes would be organized for those student leaders next year and the training would put more emphasis on their moral courage. More debriefing opportunities would be provided to students after they had attended the learning activities to consolidate what they learned and share their valuable learning experience with others. More alumnae or guests would be invited to share with students their valuable experience of encountering challenges and difficulties. Conclusion Targets were set appropriately. With the collaboration of different functional groups and subject panels, positive messages about life were passed to all students. However, students nowadays faced lots of challenges and pressure from their peers, school and family. Our school would put more efforts on character formation to assist students in strengthening their relationship, building positive emotions and enhance personal resilience through various curricula and activities. Besides this, teachers should also maintain a good relationship with students, and encourage them to persevere when facing obstacles and cherish hope for their future. 34

40 V. Our Learning and Teaching 1. Curriculum With the school year being the second year of the school development cycle, the school curriculum continued to focus on addressing the school s areas of major concerns, which were to develop students to be active learners and enhance their learning effectiveness through raising their language proficiency. Various support measures were implemented to enhance students academic abilities and performance. All afterschool academic support programmes were conducted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to avoid clashing with extra-curricular activities. Various academic support programmes were held to cater for students diverse learning abilities. S1-S3 S4-S6 Lower abilities Average abilities Higher abilities Lower abilities Average abilities Higher abilities Remedial class (Structured learning) S1-S3 English Language, Chinese Language, Mathematics Afterschool Remedial Class (for Bottom 15) S1-S3 English Language, Chinese Language, Mathematics Homework Guidance Class S1 and S2 Enhancement class (Structured learning) S2 and S3 English Writing Enhancement Programme S1 English Enhancement Programme S2 (Learning English through Language Arts) S3 (Learning English through Social Issues) Free Lesson Tutorial Class (Structured learning) S4 and S5 English Language, Chinese Language and Mathematics Free Lesson Extra Tutorial Class (Structured learning) S4 and S5 Chinese Language and English Language Free Lesson Tutorial Class (Structured learning) S4 and S5 English Language, Chinese Language and Mathematics Free Lesson Extra Tutorial Class (Structured learning) S4 and S5 Chinese Language and English Language Enhancement courses for core subjects S5 and S6 English Language, Chinese Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies Robotics Engineering course S4 and S5 App Programming Design course S4 and S5 Drone Filming & Editing S4-S6 Bridging courses were arranged for Pre-S1 students and students switching to regular classes: Pre-S1 bridging programme in August and S1 extended bridging programme in September Bridging courses for students switching from fine-tuned to regular classes: Mathematics (S1-S3) and Technology and Living (S2 & 3) The bridging content of Computer Literacy (S2 & 3) was integrated in the whole year teaching plan 35

41 3 Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) students were enrolled in S1 this year. A test was conducted to assess their Chinese Language standard at the beginning of the school year. It was found that one of them needed additional support. Among the 11 NCS students, 7 of them required Chinese language support. Special arrangements were made to address the learning needs of the students. The students were divided into 2 groups according to their Chinese language ability and an afterschool Chinese Reinforcement Class was organized for them with a special focus on speaking and writing. 2 NCS students from S2 were nominated for the Chinese Language support programme organized by HKU, which was a 60-hour programme held on Saturdays. In order to increase their exposure to Chinese Language through learning and interaction with local students, they were required to attend all the lessons, including those subjects with Chinese as the teaching medium. With the additional funding to enhance Chinese learning and teaching for NCS for schools with 10 or above NCS students whose spoken language at home is not Chinese, additional manpower was hired to provide NCS students with academic support through pull-out Chinese language classes and lunchtime paired reading sessions. Moreover, interest classes on Chinese calligraphy and paper cutting were arranged to enrich their exposure to Chinese culture. A review on S4 subject selection was conducted. The elective subjects offered remained unchanged except that ERS was not offered in S4 this school year as the number of students selecting the elective subject fell below the minimum requirement. To cater for students diverse learning needs and help students explore their career aspirations, S4 students were encouraged to take Applied Learning courses. The number of students applying for Applied Learning courses was 37 this year. Individual counselling was also provided for S5 and S6 students taking Applied Learning courses to facilitate their career planning. 2. Student Learning and Teaching To develop students active learning capacity, the school reinforced efforts to enhance students understanding of their learning styles and equip them with a wide range of learning skills through workshops and Ethics lessons. The learning skills enhancement aimed at boosting students motivation and engagement both inside and outside the classroom. The focus of learning skills in different forms were as follows: S1: Memory skills S2: Note-taking skills S3: Science Literacy skills S4, S5 & S6: Study Skills & Strategies Various learning skills were incorporated into individual subjects to meet the needs of the subjects and nurture students to be active learners. Students showed improvement in data collection and processing, problem-solving, information organization and oral presentation skills though there was still room for improvement in their multiple-perspective thinking and proofreading skills. Teachers made greater use of IT in teaching and learning so as to engage students. E- learning tools like EduVenture, Google Form were used to facilitate field trip activities. Teaching apps such as NearPod, Kahoot and Plickers were used to promote interactive and collaborative learning in the classroom. E-learning platforms such as Reading i-learner and BrainPOP were recommended to students to promote self-learning and extend learning beyond the classroom. E-class was also used as a self-access learning tool, in which students could find additional information to supplement formal lesson learning and additional assignments to facilitate self-access learning. 36

42 The Campus TV provided a platform for enriching students learning experiences and knowledge of the world. The lunchtime programme OLC News Roundup helped to keep students informed of current issues. The Campus TV Team collaborated with various subject panels and teams to produce programmes to promote learning such as STEM Carnival (STEM Education Team and English Panel), Adopt a Water Buddy (Civic & Environmental Education Team) and World Book Day (School Library). To promote students sense of responsibility towards their learning, various measures were implemented to encourage the punctual submission of homework. An additional 15 minutes class teacher period for S1-S2 students: Students were to stay afterschool for 15 minutes to complete the homework records under the supervision of class teachers. The class teacher period for S1 was conducted in September and that of S2 was held on the first 10 school days. The guidelines on recording homework were covered in the Ethics lesson. Class teachers would explain the importance of punctual homework submission in learning, and teach them the systematic ways to make accurate homework records. To improve the effectiveness of the measure of 功課班油站 in addressing the problem of homework non-submission, the class was extended to a school term for students with a nonsubmission record of 30 times or above. Teachers found that the participants were cooperative and well-behaved. The homework submission rate of the students was satisfactory. While improvement was made in S2 and S3, the problem of homework non-submission remained serious among S1 students. To address the issue, subject panels would review the quantity and quality of homework for the junior levels. To cater for the learning needs of SEN students, afterschool individual tutorial programmes were run by tutors who were alumnae studying at university. A mentoring programme was also organized, in which the Learning Support Assistant and the teachers of the SEN Team offered students support in homework submission and study skills. It was gratifying to find that some of them had made progress in their studies as well as developing various skills for self-growth and development. Teachers were active in pursuing professional development in areas relevant to the school s key concerns. They attended workshops, seminars and training programmes on e-learning, catering for learner diversity, handling students with special educational needs and subjectbased pedagogical knowledge and skills. Teachers had made an effort to apply the skills and knowledge acquired at the professional development activities in their own teaching, including use of online platforms and e-learning resources, skills in cooperative learning and ways to motivate students. School-based training programmes were held on the Staff Development Days covering topics like Whole School Approach to the use of English as the Medium of Instruction, Core Values of Catholic Education, Legal Issues for Schools, Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers in the Time of Change. The school reinforced effort to promote a sharing culture among teachers. Intra-school and intra-panel sharing sessions on the use of assessment data, student-centred pedagogical strategies and other subject-based concerns and issues. Collaborative lesson planning and peer observation was conducted in each subject panel, which strengthened the culture of co-planning and collaboration. Cross-KLA collaborative lesson planning was also promoted through the LAC Programme, which is a cross-curricular collaborative effort to facilitate the use of English as the medium of instruction. Professional exchange with teachers of other schools was also highly encouraged. A number of subject panels including English Language, Liberal Studies, Economics, Physics and Chemistry had organized exchange visits to other schools. The participating subject teachers generally found the professional sharing a worthwhile and an insightful experience. 3. Assessment The school struck a balance between summative and formative assessment and a diverse 37

43 assessment practice was employed to assess students performance in knowledge, skills and attitudes. Evaluation on students performance in tests and examinations was carried out to identify students strengths and weaknesses. Follow-up measures were also suggested for further improvement. Based on the test and exam results, appropriate academic enhancement measures were devised. For example, for the elective subjects, small group or individual tutoring sessions would be arranged for the lower-ability students outside class. As for the junior levels, the bottom 15 students in English Language, Chinese Language and Mathematics were identified, and afterschool remedial classes were provided to those students to enhance their basic competency. Formative assessment was widely used to facilitate assessment for learning. Formative assessment tasks in the form of pop-up quizzes, oral quizzes, experiment and field trip reports, self-assessment tasks and learning portfolios, etc. were designed to give both teachers and students feedback on the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The data of students performance were used to set directions for improvement in the ongoing teaching and learning context. Students also became better aware of the need to make continuous efforts in their studies. To motivate students of diverse abilities, various subjects incorporated the practice of tiered assignments in their homework policy for the junior levels. Tasks of varied levels of complexity and depth with various degrees of support and guidance were set to accommodate the diverse learning abilities and interests of students. Both teachers and students found the practice highly motivating because it enabled students to be successful at their level of readiness. Tiered assignments also allowed students to work in their specific learning styles or preferences. To encourage students to take greater responsibility for their learning and promote peer learning, self and peer assessment were incorporated into the assessment framework of many subjects, most notably in the large-scale assignments such as the Integrated Humanities project in S1 and S3 Project Learning. Self-learning tasks were assigned to enable students to learn at their own pace. For instance, students were required to join the e-reading programmes to improve their reading abilities in Chinese and English. On-line exercises were also assigned to strengthen students knowledge and generic skills in elective subjects. Self-learning topics were incorporated in the coursework of many subjects. Upper form students were required to complete self-learning logs. Special arrangements were made for the SEN and NCS students. To cater for the needs of the SEN students, special arrangements were made for internal tests and examinations upon consulting the specialists including the provision of special aids, arrangements of special exam room, extension of test and exam duration and diagram explanations of Liberal Studies and History test and exam papers. As for the NCS students, continuous assessment and special assessment papers were prepared for them in Chinese History and Religious Studies. For other CMI subjects including Putonghua and Chinese Language, special test/exam papers were designed based on their ability levels. 38

44 VI. Support for Student Development Student Support Our School was founded by the Institute of the Daughters of Mary help of Christians (FMA). We have been educating the students according to the principles of Catholic education and the spirit of our Founders: St. John Bosco and St. Mary Mazzarello. Imbued with a joyful and family ambience, we carry out the Preventive System (Reason, Religion, Love kindness) which aims to nurture students to have an optimistic and upright character, be a life-long learner and commit themselves to society and the nation. Different functional groups such as Career and Life Planning Team, Civic and Environmental Education Team, Counselling Team, Extra-curricular Activities and Services Groups Coordinating Team, Discipline Team, Moral Education and Health Service Team and Religious Formation Team implemented different measures. Cross-group collaboration and resource allocation were coordinated by the Student Development Committee. In order to put St. Bosco s preventive educational rationale into practice, we cultivated a caring, harmonious, religious atmosphere and family spirit in the campus. Every day student prayer leaders wrote and led prayers with appropriate intentions. Also, the Salesian Spirituality was enhanced through a series of Salesian activities such as mass, liturgy, annual retreat, Religious and Mission Day and Salesian Youth Day, etc. In addition, the Principal and teachers gave talks in the morning assembly. The talks were on a variety of topics such as ethical values, spiritual development, disciplinary issues and civic responsibilities. In order to understand students better, class teachers talked with them individually at least twice a year. This was followed by discussions in ethics lessons, monthly diaries and afterschool, all of which consolidated students positive values towards life and enhanced the relationship between students and their class teachers. To ensure S1 students started and adapted well in their first year at our school, an Orientation Day was organized in August for them and their parents. Through the activity together with the Big Sister Scheme, Houses, ECA Policy, Co-class Teacher System, Classroom Management Scheme and other orientation programmes, S1 students adapted well in our school. For the cultivation of the whole person development, curricula of R.S., Ethics lessons and activities were refined and organized according to the needs of different forms: Responsibility for S1 and S2, Self-confidence and Self-image for S3 and S4, Overcoming Adversity for S5 and S6. Different types of activities were also conducted on the first ten school days, afterschool, on Activity Days and during the post-examination period. The activities included visits, talks, workshops, experiential games, interactive drama shows, etc. Apart from joining these activities, students had ample opportunities to organize extra-curricular activities through being the committee members of ECA clubs and service teams. Students behavior and learning attitude were monitored and assessed through their performance in the Self-Development Award Scheme, Student Learning Profile and ECA, deliberations of conduct marks, as well as their records of daily attendance, merits, demerits, and violation of school regulations. In response to the teen traps like taking drugs, net bullying, part-time girlfriends, etc., a talk was organized for students. Moreover, we also paid attention to students health, so a class-based stress management workshop was provided to S5 students to teach them proper ways to handle stress. Besides, to promote school social work service, enhance students social skills and release their study pressure, a lunch programme called Happy Monday was held. Seven sessions were run this year. Furthermore, five sessions of study group were held by the social worker for some students to overcome the learning barrier they faced in their studies and to increase their learning motivation. Last but not least, in order to improve the parent-child relationship, family programmes were held twice this year. Visits to Disneyland and Ocean Park were arranged for the families. It aimed at providing them with the opportunities to have fun together and let them express their love and concern for each other. Partnership As in previous years, the Parent-teacher Association and the Past Pupils Association offered full 39

45 support to the school. Parent volunteers delivered lunch boxes to S1 students. They also assisted in the Open Day. Under the academic enhancement programme initiated by the Past Pupils Association, an afterschool enhancement programme was held for the higher-ability students in S2 and S3 to increase their exposure in English and a writing support programme was also organized for the higher-ability S1 students. An experienced coach was hired to train students for the Speech Festival. Furthermore, it ran a mentorship programme for students in collaboration with the Career and Life Planning Team. As a member of the Salesian Family which consists of 19 schools, resources were fully utilized to conduct religious activities. In order to increase interschool understanding, expand schools network, broaden students horizons and enrich students other learning experiences, our school joined a Local Exchange Programme which was organized by the Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council ( 香港津貼中學議會 ). It was a reciprocal programme where six S4 students could experience a 2-day immersion programme in a partner school as exchange students. Our partner school this year was Tak Oi Secondary School. This year, we continued to cooperate with YMCA to organize activities and provide social services to the elderly and disabled. In addition, we cooperated with the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, the Office of the Government Chief Information the Caritas, Department of Health, Food and Health Bureau, Hospital Authority, Education Bureau, Social Welfare Department, the Boys & Girls Association of Hong Kong and the Life Education Activities Programme to offer talks, workshops and counselling services. Furthermore, the Career and Life Planning Team cooperated with the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Hok Yau Club and tertiary institutions to provide students with school-based programmes and information of multiple pathways. The Wong Tai Sin District Secondary School Heads provided summer training to S6 students through the 學生醫護體驗計劃. Last but not least, it was the second year for our school to participate in the Pilot Scheme on School-based Support Services for Students with Mental Health Needs ( 醫社同心協作計劃 ) which was led by Food & Health Bureau, with the collaboration among the Hospital Authority, Education Bureau and Social Welfare Department this year. It aimed at stepping up the support for students with mental health needs in schools through setting up a school-based multi-disciplinary communication platform, coordinating and delivering necessary services for target students. 1. Religious Formation A series of religious activities were organized to enhance the religious atmosphere and to strengthen the Salesian Spirituality in the school community. To encounter Christ in prayers and liturgy Achievements Daily morning prayer was carried out throughout the school year. Prayer leaders were sensitive to the needs of the world and current affairs. They prayed for a diversity of intentions. During lunchtime, prayer meetings were conducted out throughout the school year. Teacher and student committee members guided schoolmates to review their daily life. Mass and liturgy were held to celebrate the special feast days, e.g. School Opening Mass, St. John Bosco Mass, Mary Help of Christians Mass. The students were very devoted and their performance was very good. Suggestions for improvement Songs could be taught and practiced in the R.S. lesson, especially in S1. Follow-up sharing after Mass and liturgy by students could be kept on a voluntary basis. 40

46 More good stories could be shared by R.S. teachers and sisters in the morning assembly in the second term. More lunchtime spiritual sharing meetings could be held. To strengthen the Salesian Spirituality in the school community Achievements Students participated in several activities organized by the Salesian Youth Ministry Office. The Salesian Youth Day was held at Our Lady s College. About 100 students joined the Salesian Youth Day. Most of the participants from our school were devoted to the activity and experienced the spirit of a Salesian Youth. Suggestions for improvement More non-catholic students of the junior levels should be encouraged to join the Salesian Youth activities. To cultivate positive values through life education Achievements Teachers and students were invited to share their life stories during the morning assembly. The sharing was inspiring. A brief introduction about Caritas and the Lenten Campaign was given to students during the Morning Assembly to enable them to have a better understanding of charity and service. The religious and mission days were carried out. Students were led to know and care more about the poor. Suggestions for improvement R.S. teachers should give further information about other Saints and explain to students the meaning of generosity and solidarity with the poor. More information of our sponsored child can be shared with all students to widen their knowledge about the world. More messages could be delivered to students about the faith of Holy Mary. 2. Civic and Environmental Education Both formal and informal activities were organized in school and outside school so as to develop students positive civic attitudes, values and sense of belonging to the family and the community, and their readiness to contribute to their betterment. Achievements During the year, several activities were organized. Election on the Top 10 News (2017), Board Display on current issues and News Corner were organized to promote civicmindedness among our students. Through these activities, students had better understanding of the economic, political and social development of Hong Kong. Inter-class Recycling Boxes Design Competition and Low Carbon Day were organized to promote a green lifestyle among students. Our committee members also participated in the Tuesday Morning Programme No Straw Campaign to explain the negative impacts of plastic litter on the marine animals. 校園植物先鋒計劃 was conducted in the post-exam sharing session to deliver the message of conservation of natural resources. Through these meaningful activities, the caring spirit of our students towards our environment could be enhanced. 41

47 The environmental monitress from each class also played an important role in sustaining the green habits of their schoolmates. 66.7% of them received the service award. 95.8% of them were rated good in their performance by the class teachers. The members were active in participating in external competitions like Create Your District Competition and Magic Hands Environmental Magic Products. They received the Merit Award in both competitions. Through all these activities, the objectives were achieved and students were ready to contribute to the betterment of the community. Suggestions for improvement More learning activities such as training workshops, day camps and competitions would be coordinated so as to enrich students learning experience on cultivating their caring spirit towards the community and the environment. The committee members would be asked to take a leading role in the promotion of green lifestyles by organizing a variety of school activities. National Education After participating in the activities, students not only enhance their national knowledge, they could also cultivate their national awareness and identity. Achievements The National Education Team organized the flag-raising ceremony and the morning talk on national education. Students were serious when attending the ceremony. The flag-raising ceremony was held once every two months. A seminar on the Sino-Japanese relationship was organized for S2 students. Through this activity, students had a deeper understanding of the history of our motherland. Teachers and students were satisfied with the activity. An exhibition about the 128 Incident was held as well. Students knew more about the history and background of the 128 Incident. A Q&A competition about the display was arranged on the same day. It helped students to further digest and consolidate the knowledge that they learnt from these activities. An exchange programme, Mainland Exchange Programme for Junior Secondary and Upper Primary Students (Innovative Technology and Economic Development in Shenzhen) was organized in November for all S2 students. During the 1-day tour, students visited some famous spots such as Shenzhen Industrial Museum, Shenzhen Museum and the Innovation and Technology Commission. A Nanjing Programme were held. It was a 4-day tour held in July. 30 students participated in this programme. During the visit, they visited some famous spots such as the Nanjing Museum, the City Museum of Nanjing and the Taiping Kingdom History Museum. Students acquired more knowledge on the historical background of Nanjing. Suggestions for improvement All planned activities were carried out successfully. Through participation in various activities, students learned more about the historical and political development of China and their interest in national affairs was enhanced. More learning materials, such as reference books would be prepared for students to boost their national knowledge. Social Service Team Achievements A social service programme named Show Your Love was held for students to promote a caring attitude towards other people. It consisted of workshops, training 42

48 and services. Six Ethics lessons about the caring spirit were allocated in the S4 curriculum and students had to complete journal writing about their experience in the English lessons. S1 and S2 students were asked to design and prepare the selfmade cards in the Visual Art lessons. S4 and S5 students were asked to prepare some DIY gifts for the service targets in the Visual Art lessons. The designs of the cards were colourful, attractive and the messages were carefully written. The DIY gifts were made with creative ideas and they were good as welcoming gifts. All gifts prepared were for S4 Social Service programme. Their service targets were the elderly and the disabled. Our S4 students showed their high level of participation and care for the people in need during the activities. They used plenty of time to plan and prepare for the service. As a result, most of them did a great job. Most of them were willing to participate in voluntary work in the coming future and their caring spirit had been cultivated. However, there was still room for improvement due to the lack of experience. Time management was still a problem for some of the classes. Suggestions for improvement The teacher-in-charge should remind students of the importance of time management. If they had done their preparation work a bit earlier, their performance would have been better. 3. Moral Education and Health Service The Moral Education and Health Service Team arranged the Ethics lessons and organized an array of programmes to address the school s major concern and to promote moral, sex, and health and life education. The Ethics lessons and the organized activities aimed at building up students moral competence, goal-setting and choice-making competence, self-determination, resilience, social competence, emotional competence, cognitive competence, behavioral competence, self-efficacy, spirituality, clear and positive identity, caring spirit and pro-social involvement. Achievements Ethics lessons were given to inculcate in students positive values essential to their personal development. For the S1 to S3 curricula, P.A.T.H.S to Adulthood was introduced by Jockey Youth Enhancement Scheme. Most teachers received the training and joined the Tier 1 Programme. In this academic year, the school also joined the S3 Basic Life Skills Training Programme of the Department of Health. The programme focused on promoting students psychological health like analytical thinking, learning skills, time management and adversity management as well as establishing harmonious interpersonal relationships. Five double S3 Ethics lessons were conducted successfully by the registered nurses of the Department of Health and under class teachers assistance. Part of the S3 curriculum and the whole of S4 S6 curricula were planned by the teachers to cater for students needs at various stages of their development. Moreover, the Team worked in close collaboration with other teams such as the Religious Studies Panel, the Academic Support Group, the Counselling Team, the Career and Life Planning Team, the Social Service Team, the social workers of Caritas Hong Kong and other organizations so as to incorporate students needs into the Ethics curricula for various forms. To develop students effective learning skills and cultivate their positive values through life education, a number of Ethics lessons were tailored-made for various forms so as to enhance students learning motivation, cultivate students positive learning attitudes through character building (responsibility, perseverance, self-confidence and selfmanagement), and foster students respect for life through self-improvement and care for oneself, others and their community. The curricula of Ethics lessons were also refined according to the needs of different levels of students: responsibility (S1-S2), self-confidence and self-image (S3-S4), and overcoming 43

49 adversity (S5-S6). Moreover, the Moral and Health Service Team arranged activities such as Life Education Workshops, the Film Show and Sharing on Life Education, the talk on Other Kinds of Pursuits and the drama on Challenges to Life in order to enhance students sense of responsibility and abilities to overcome adversity, and to guide students to think about the meaning of life and develop a positive attitude towards life. The Moral Education and Health Service Team also incorporated healthy life and the caring spirit into the Ethics curricula and organized related activities such as the educational drama on Healthy Information for a Healthy Mind, the Get $et Go Finance Workshop, the Educational Talk on Personal Finance, the Anti-graft Interactive Drama Workshop, the Healthy Information Student Ambassadors Scheme, and the Student Health Service. Our Info-Health Board also displayed materials given by various organizations throughout the year. Issues like drugs, personal and food hygiene, chastity, etc., were covered to provide S1 to S6 students with different health knowledge and moral information. The materials were updated regularly, which helped to raise students awareness of different social issues. The team also collaborated with other subjects and groups such as the Liberal Studies Panel, the Religious Formation Team, the BAFS Panel, the Counselling Team, the Social Services Team and the Students Association to organize activities for students throughout the year. These activities were implemented smoothly to echo our school s major concerns and promote the balanced academic, moral and healthy development of students as well as their caring spirit for people in need. Some examples were workshops on life education; the Knowledge of Strokes Secondary School Quiz 2017; the educational talk on Personal Finance and The Casual Wear Day Fund-raising Campaign. All the activities arranged by the Moral and Health Service Team received positive and enthusiastic feedback from different parties. Suggestions for improvement All programmes were well received by students and they would continue to be implemented in the coming school year. A wide range of activities on life and sex education and different health and moral issues would be organized. In the school year , the school would continue to join the Health Department s S3 Basic Life Skills Training Programme which focuses on promoting students active learning such as nurturing their effective learning and analytical skills to enhance motivation and fostering students psychological health like time and adversity management, communication skills, healthy living as well as harmonious interpersonal relationship building. Collaboration with other subjects and groups would continue in planning the Ethics curricula and organizing activities for both junior and senior form students in the coming school year. The Moral and Civic Education Team would continue to take an active role in planning and organizing the Ethics curricula and lessons. 4. Morning Assembly Achievements To create a trilingual learning environment and enhance the religious atmosphere in the school community, the daily morning prayer was conducted in Cantonese, English and Putonghua from Monday to Friday. Some spiritual sharing sessions were delivered by teachers and students to promote Catholic values. Several Mondays and Thursdays were arranged for the Principal Talk in each class to enhance communication. To cultivate positive learning attitudes, all students were asked to take turns to give a morning talk on topics like responsibility (S1-S2), self-confidence and self-image (S3-S4) 44

50 and overcoming adversity (S5-S6) or share their successful experience in setting and actualizing goals during the morning assembly on Mondays. On Tuesdays, prize presentations were arranged to recognize students achievement and outstanding performance in extra-curricular activities. An English morning programme was also hosted by the NET teacher and student helpers on alternate Tuesdays to help students get used to the English environment. Topics related to EMI content subjects were covered in the programme. Besides the school announcement, several Wednesdays were reserved for the programmes produced by Campus TV. On Thursdays, there was a weekly Morning Reading Programme for junior form and senior form students to read Junior Standard and Student Standard respectively. This scheme helped cultivate students reading habit and broaden their horizons and knowledge. The flag raising ceremony and talks on national issues were organized on some Thursdays to foster students awareness of their national identity. On Fridays, vice-principals and teachers were invited to share their life stories to disseminate positive values to students. Suggestions for improvement To promote reading to learn, book sharing from teachers and students would be encouraged. At least one guest speaker or teacher would be invited per term to share their ideas and experience on how to cultivate positive learning attitudes. 5. Counselling Achievements The Atonement of Demerits by Merits Scheme encouraged students who misbehaved to rectify their behavior. The success rate was 47.3% and it was worth continuing. 233 cases of behavioural problems were dealt with. These included problems relating to late submission of homework, habitual lateness, unstable emotions, peer influence and lack of parental supervision. Personal counselling, remedial groups, discussion with parents and professionals such as Educational Psychologist were measures used to help the students. Talks and workshops on Teen Traps, Sex Education, Fighting Against Crime and Antismoking were held to help students develop the right attitudes towards the teenagers problems. Most students found the activities useful in teaching them how to cope with the prevailing problems. S1 Orientation Day programme, Big Sister Scheme, Stress Management, Time Management and Study Skills Workshops were held to equip students with various abilities to cope with difficulties independently. It was found that students had more confidence in handling their developmental and emotional problems. Suggestions for improvement Although students demonstrated higher awareness of Internet crime and risks, we found that junior form students would easily come into conflict with peers especially through the Internet as the Internet media was a common and convenient form of communication nowadays. Improper uses of the Internet and smartphone apps created lots of problems. The issue of casual relationships developed via friends-making websites or apps was also a growing concern. Therefore, enhancement of students awareness of adverse effects of Internet dangers and crime would remain the main focus of the coming year. This year, the problem of late submission of homework among S1 and S2 students was very serious, which reflected the students poor learning attitude. It was therefore suggested that 45

51 S1 & S2 students who failed to hand in homework 30 times or more in would be required to attend the afterschool homework class ( 功課加油站 ) arranged by the Discipline Team in the first term in For S1-S3 students in , if they failed to hand in homework 30 times or more in the first term, they would be required to attend the afterschool homework class in the second term. At the same time, the Atonement of Demerits by Merits Scheme on non-submission of homework would carry on to help students rectify their misbehavior. Students getting a demerit point for not submitting homework punctually could have the demerit point cancelled if they could submit homework on time for 10 consecutive school days. In view of the increasing number of student cases about emotional and psychological problems, the school joined the Student Mental Health Support Scheme and 喜樂同行 - 尊重生命 逆境同行 計劃. Referrals for assessments, psychiatric services and educational psychology services would be provided in close co-operation with health workers, parents and different professionals. 6. Discipline Achievements There was steady improvement in students compliance with school regulations on the uniform and grooming code with regular checking and the co-operation of teachers. The number of students copying homework was reduced. The Discipline Team teachers would continue to conduct rounds of the playground every morning to discourage students from doing so. The cases of losing personal belongings especially their books and wallets were reduced. The key holders of each class were willing to cooperate and performed their duty properly according to the instructions from the Discipline Team. Suggestions for improvement Frequent late submission of homework among the S1 and S2 students became a growing concern. New measures would be adopted to tackle the issue, e.g. the introduction of the afterschool homework class for those who got 2 demerit points for not submitting homework on time. As the phenomena of cyber bullying, online dating, posting inappropriate photos on the web were getting common, raising the awareness of the adverse effects of Internet dangers and crime would remain the main focus of the coming year and a series of programmes would be organized. 7. Career and Life Planning Achievements With the provision of Career and Life Planning Grant (CLPG) and the Transitional Career and Life Planning Grant (TCLPG), the school continued to implement a wholeschool life planning education programme for all levels of students. Besides, with the funding from the Home Affairs Bureau, the team continued to collaborate with Hok Yau Club in arranging a two-year career programme for S3 and S6 students. All these programmes helped students understand their interests and strengths and better plan their future career paths. 46

52 - For S6 students, the Career and Life Planning Team organized an all-round life planning programme. It included two parents nights, a talk on JUPAS choice selection strategies and application, mock JUPAS programme selection and consultation sessions as well as mock interviews for university entrance and further education. Feedback from parents and students was very positive. - For S5 students, in collaboration with the Moral Education & Health Service Team, a life simulation workshop and a life education workshop were organized to help students understand their characters and career interests. A post-examination career information day was successfully arranged too. The feedback from students on all these activities was very encouraging. Mock interview workshops for university entrance and preparation of OEA and SLP were arranged during Ethics lessons. - For S4 students, a workshop on Career Mapping was organized. Students showed excellent response in the workshop and found the information given useful. They had a better understanding of both the study and career paths. Students feedback was very positive. - For S3 students, the mechanism on subject selection was reviewed and refined. Firstly, a briefing session on Senior Secondary Curriculum was arranged in November. It was followed by a student survey on elective subject preferences carried out in December to facilitate the discussion on the new elective subject combination. In the second term, a mock subject selection coordinated by the Vice-Principal was successfully implemented. The Team was involved in the above implementation. - Apart from this, a large-scale life simulation game was organized with the help of Hok Yau Club. A large majority of students found the job simulation activities useful and interesting. The activity helped students understand their interests, abilities and career aspirations. In addition, a workshop on goal setting and two subject choice strategy workshops were arranged. Besides, one parents night and five sharing sessions hosted by subject panel heads and S5 students on elective subject selection continued to be organized. Feedback from both parents and students was encouraging and positive. - For S1 and S2 students, in collaboration with the Moral Education & Health Service Team, a large-scale interactive personal finance workshop and three ethics lessons on enhancing students sense of responsibility were organized. An Engineer in School programme sponsored by the China Light and Power Hong Kong Limited was successfully completed. Feedback from both teachers and students was quite good. To help students understand the importance of setting and reviewing their goals, a form for goal-setting and reflection was designed for S3 to S6 students. Students were able to set their goals, and write reflections on whether they could achieve their academic goals. The two-year mentorship programme ( ) was started. A total of 25 mentees were recruited. The programme helped students explore their career interests through different mentorship activities. Different channels of career information dissemination were used. The Careers Room continued to be open to students every Friday. The webpage and bulletin board of the team were kept up-to-date. Besides, career-related information was frequently disseminated through the OLC Career and Life Planning Team Facebook page. A parent talk on Applied Learning (ApL) was organized on the Special Parents Day to disseminate more ApL information to parents. Very positive feedback was received from parents. Besides, briefing sessions on ApL were held as usual for S4 students and the progress of students taking ApL was monitored. Individual counseling for S5 and S6 students who were studying ApL was provided. Suggestions for improvement A great variety of school-based career-related activities would continue to be organized with the use of Transitional Career Life Planning Grant (TCLPG). Due to the extension of the career programme sponsored by the Home Affairs Bureau, the team would continue to collaborate with Hok Yau Club in arranging career programmes for S3, S5 and S6 students. More career exhibitions and lunch-time games and activities would be organized in the Careers Room. 47

53 8. Extra-curricular Activities Achievements The numbers of ECA clubs/interest groups under the following five categories are given below: Category 15/16 16/17 17/18 Academic Sports Art Interest Social services The Extra-curricular Activities and Service Groups Coordinating Team continued to offer various learning activities to enrich students other learning experiences and promote allround development of students. To encourage S1 students to be more actively involved in the secondary school life, the ECA Orientation Programme was arranged for them on the first ten school days in September. The Programme introduced procedures for the application for ECA clubs and teams. S1 students were required to participate in at least one ECA club or team. Besides, an orientation programme was organized on one of the first ten school days in September in which S1 students had the chance to get to know each other and the Big Sisters. They also learned to be responsible, cooperative, considerate and persevering. A leadership training day camp continued to be organized for all S4 students on the wholeday activity day this year. It aimed at providing a good chance for them to make personal breakthroughs, promote self-learning and enhance their skills of team building, effective communication, human resource management and problem solving. These were all valuable for students to organize and coordinate activities in the future. Moreover, the day camp provided chances for students to be brave and persevering when facing difficulties. In various experiential learning programmes, all of the participants were willing to attempt all tasks assigned. They found the challenge ropes course the most interesting. Through the activities, they also learned the importance of paying attention and following instructions. There were six activity days this year and one of them was a whole-day activity day. Different kinds of life-wide learning activities such as talks, visits, workshops, inter-active drama shows, social services, games, day camp, sports activities, field trips, visit to the mainland were held on these activity days to enrich students other learning experience. Various learning activities including a visit workshops, a sharing session, an inter-active drama show, an inter-house singing contest and sports activities were held during the postexam period. Students could widen their horizons and had chances to develop their potentials. The lists of students who had received external awards from joining inter-school competitions were posted and updated timely on the Awards and Achievement Board and webpage of our school. This proved an effective way to recognize the students accomplishments and encourage other students to learn from their peers. The percentage of students participating in territory-wide inter-school competitions (KPM19) Level 15/16 16/17 17/18 Junior Secondary 56.8% 76.2% 74.9% Senior Secondary 81.8% 73.2% 88.9% Students were encouraged by teachers to participate in inter-school competitions as it could motivate students to perform and excel. It could also offer a chance for them to gain substantial experience, showcase skills, analyze and evaluate outcomes and uncover personal aptitude. Compared with last year, the participation rate of junior forms dropped slightly since some inter-school competitions organized by various organizations were inappropriate for junior form students. However, the participation rate of senior forms increased considerably as teachers often encouraged the whole form of S5 and S6 students to participate in the inter-school competitions. 48

54 The percentage of junior and senior secondary students participating in uniform groups / community services (KPM20) Level 15/16 16/17 17/18 Junior Secondary 19.0% 12.2% 14.2% Senior Secondary 59.5% 58.0% 57.1% The percentage increased in junior forms this year as more students were willing to participate in uniform groups, such as the Community Youth Club. Moreover, our school had been an actively providing students with opportunities to express their care and concern to others. This year, the social service programme Show Your Love was organized jointly with YMCA for S4 students to promote their caring attitude towards the elderly and the disabled. Moreover, students of other forms participated in the community service programme: S1 students prepared messages for the self-made greeting card; S2 students designed the self-made greeting cards; S5 students prepared DIY gifts for the serving targets. Suggestions for improvement To strengthen students leadership skills, a comprehensive leadership training programme would be organized for chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of selected service teams. The programme would provide them with a chance to enhance their problem solving skills, sense of responsibility and their sense of belonging towards their own teams. 9. Student Association The Student Association aims to nurture student leaders who have a desire to serve schoolmates and the school. By organizing activities throughout the whole academic year, the self-confidence of the committee and sub-committee members will be raised. Moreover, their team building will also be facilitated. Achievements An etiquette workshop was provided for the committee and sub-committee members. Through providing welfare and services to schoolmates and the school, the committee members developed a sense of responsibility and belonging to school: Student Welfare - Stationery Expo - Sale of stationery - Chess lending - Storage service for school picnic School Service - Experiential Learning Day Helpers - Speech Day Helpers Supporting the Association - Designing stickers as souvenirs attached in the newsletters of the Association - Designing posters of competitions Special training programme were offered for enhancing the positive values to contribute to the community: - Event Management Experience Programme - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report Writing Workshop During the school year, various school activities were organized, which helped members develop leadership qualities and a serious manner to serve: 49

55 - A Casual wear day to raise funds for the World Vision International in collaboration with Moral and Education and Health Service Team - Open Day - Christmas celebration programmes and sales of Cotton Candy at the Christmas Party - Thanksgiving Day - Farewell ceremony for S6 graduates - An Inter-House Singing Contest The following activities were conducted to strengthen the communication between students and the school: - Publishing a newsletter for introducing the objectives of the Association, annual plan and committee and sub-committee members. - Carrying out a survey to collect opinions from students at the end of the school year - Conducting sharing sessions between the Principal, committee and sub-committee members All the activities and services were enthusiastically supported by the students. The committee and sub-committee members also had opportunities to apply their leadership skills and work collaboratively during the organization of these activities and services. Suggestions for improvement To foster the sense of responsibility and serving heart among junior form students, S2 students would be invited to be the sub-committee members of the Student Association to help organize school activities. 10. Parent-Teacher Association Home-School Liaison It aims at establishing strong liaison, and building up trust and rapport among parents, teachers and the school. Achievements Meetings, workshops, Parents Tea Gatherings, Parents Also Appreciate Teachers Drive and a picnic were organized to share experience on parenting and enhance a close relationship among parents, students, teachers and the school. Being a member of the Wong Tai Sin Parent-Teacher Association, the PTA participated in district activities and established a relationship of mutual support and assistance with other members. In order to promote good communication between the school and parents, 2 issues of the newsletters Bridge ( 橋 ) were published. Parents were invited to join the parent volunteer team to assist in distributing lunchboxes to S1 students so as to encourage parents active participation in school activities. Suggestions for improvement To strengthen communication with parents, promotion of the school activities would be stepped up to encourage parents participation. In view of the growing importance of parent education, parents group and newsletters would be provided to empower parents in supporting student development. 50

56 Parents Day Achievements Seven parents days were held in the year: S1 Orientation Day (September 2017) Special Parents Day (November 2017) General Parents Day (February 2018) S6 Parents Night (September 2017 and July 2018) S3 Parents Night (March 2018) Parents Consultation Meeting (June 2018) The attendance rate of the Special Parents Day in November was about 80%. A talk was held in the hall followed by a meeting with the class teacher in the classroom. Though the meeting, parents and teachers had a better understanding of the students. Parents showed great concern for their children. A talk on Applied Learning was also organized on the Special Parents Day. All parents were required to attend the General Parents Day in February and those who were unable to come would be arranged to meet the class teacher at their convenience. Students conduct and academic performance were discussed and homeschool understanding and cooperation were strengthened. Two Parents talks for S6 parents and students were arranged. They focused on JUPAS programme choice strategies, multiple pathways of senior secondary students and preparation for the release of HKDSE results. Most S6 students and their parents attended the first talk. They generally found the information delivered useful and the message conveyed by the speakers very clear and useful. A talk was arranged for S3 parents and students. It covered the aim and structure of senior secondary curriculum, strategies of subject selection and the school s policy on class allocation. Nearly all S3 students and their parents attended the talk. The response from parents was very positive. 90.6% agreed that the aims of the talk could be achieved. Suggestions for improvement Owing to the growing importance of parent education, it was suggested that talks held on the Special Parents Day and General Parents Day should be lengthened to provide more opportunities for the speakers to share their valuable experiences. 11. Past Pupils Association Liaison between School and Past Pupils The mission of the Past Pupils Association is to promote and maintain friendships among past pupils and between past pupils and the school. Through its website and newsletters, past pupils are able to get updated information on school activities and development. Achievements Barbecue dinner at Christmas A barbecue reunion dinner was organized successfully in our school playground on 2 nd December More than 200 past pupils and retired teachers participated in this warm and meaningful gathering. Some alumnae also invited their family members to join the gathering. Some gifts were prepared by the committee members for the lucky draw. All participants had a wonderful night. 51

57 65 th Anniversary Celebration OLC Open Day This event was held successfully in school on 9th December, Sisters and alumnae actively participated in the Open Day. The Past Pupils Association held a game booth on balloon twisting. Past pupils from different years and retired teachers all had a warm and wonderful day together. 65 th Anniversary Reunion Dinner The 65 th Anniversary Dinner was held successfully at Club One on 5th May 2018.There were 44 tables with 545 past pupils, teachers and sisters attending the dinner. Prior to the dinner, our past pupils were busy revisiting their memories of their school life by checking out our souvenirs counters, taking photos at different photo booths and catching up with their former schoolmates, teachers and sisters. Past pupils of different years had a great time gathering with their schoolmates and teachers. The occasion provided all participants with a chance to recall their happy memories at school. Suggestions for improvement In view of the inaccuracy of some of the contact information, the databank of past students should be updated regularly. More promotion would be done to encourage younger past pupils to join the upcoming activities. The variety of activities would also be increased to gather more support and maintain a closer link between the school and past pupils. Alumnae in Action Academic Enhancement Programme Under the Academic Enhancement Programme, a series of academic activities were launched to enhance the academic performance of current students, particularly their proficiency in English. Achievements Afterschool enhancement classes For S2 and S3 students with higher ability, an afterschool enhancement class was arranged to increase their exposure to English. S2 students learnt more about different aspects of language arts like drama and poem writing skills and S3 students were exposed to some hot social issues such as cosmetic surgery and social media. Students were able to interact with native English tutors who conducted a range of listening and speaking tasks covering diverse topics. Students attendance was satisfactory. Though students found the tasks quite challenging, they found them useful to enrich their vocabulary and increase exposure to native listening and speaking. Writing enhancement programme S1 students with higher ability were invited to participate in a series of writing workshops held on Saturdays. They were guided to develop their story writing skills and participate in external writing competitions. Most students found the support quite useful since they could receive more feedback on their writing tasks from the tutor. Speech training An experienced coach was invited to give speech training with an aim to enhance students speaking skills and prepare students for external public speaking events. Most students attended the training punctually and performed satisfactorily. They were also satisfied with the coaching and expressed interest in joining the training next year. Suggestions for improvement It is suggested that students with higher ability could be invited to join different kinds of 52

58 workshops so as to further arouse students interest in learning English. Writing support and speech training could continue to be arranged for students if the tutor and the coach were available. Mentorship Programme Achievements 25 mentees were recruited this year. Mentees were divided into 6 groups based on their fields of interest, such as arts, music and design, business, education, social work and services, science and technology, medical and paramedic. Various activities were organized during the year: Visit to Information Days of local universities Orientation day Christmas brunch gathering Easter work placement programme Visit to fashion shows Mentors feedback meeting Positive feedback from both mentors and mentees was received. Students enjoyed the activities held especially the Christmas brunch gathering. The atmosphere on that day was very warm. All of the participants were impressed by the Christmas gifts received and enjoyed the food and the gathering with each other. The students who joined the work placement were praised by the employers for being cooperative, willing to learn and well-behaved. The feedback from mentees was very positive and encouraging. They treasured the opportunities provided by the mentors. Suggestions for improvement The Career and Life Planning Team would continue to work closely with the Past Pupils Association to facilitate the implementation of the Mentorship Programme. 12. Students Award and Development Academic Award 62 students attained Best Improvement Award. 14 students attained Past Pupils of Mary Help of Christians Scholarship. 14 students attained Don Bosco Award. 7 students attained Laura Vicuna Award. Merit Assessment This year, 208 students attained St. Mary Mazzarello Award for being conscientious towards their studies, enthusiastic about promoting activities or demonstrating strong organizational skills and leadership. 3 top merits, 35 major merits and 170 merits were awarded. Self-Development Award Scheme for S1-S2 The Scheme aimed to provide a set of pragmatic guidelines for S1-S2 students to learn and to experience in a joyful ambience, where they could achieve whole person development and grow up to be responsible citizens. With the collaboration of all the teachers concerned, 11 students obtained the Gold Award, 17 students obtained the Silver Award and 41 students obtained the Bronze Award. 53

59 Chinese Language English Language Mathematics Mathematics Extended Part (Calculus and Statistics) Liberal Studies Chinese History Economics Ethics and Religious Studies Geography History Biology Chemistry Physics BAFS ICT Technology & Living Visual Arts Attainment with L 2 or above (%) VII. Student Performance 1. Public Examination Results (KPM17) HKDSE Our students got 93.6% of the total subject entries passed (level 2 or above), and the number of 5**, 5* and Level 5 of total subject entries was 3.4%. We got 3-5* and 20-Level 5 with 1 student getting 1 subject 5* and 2 subjects Level 5. Two subjects (Ethics & Religious Studies and History) got 100% passed. Percentage of students qualified for JUPAS degree course (core subjects at 3322 or above, with 1X at level 2 or above) was 46.09% (53 students). Comparsion of the HKDSE Results between the Territory and OLC ( ) OLC All School % of students in the school awarded the minimum entrance requirements for tertiary education (core subjects at 3322 or better, with 1X at level 2 or better)