Putting students first, inspiring multiple intelligences, and creating outstanding "Shizhi people" CHEERIANS

Leung Shek Chee College Founded in 1977 by the founding religious order - the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban in Ireland, with the school motto "The Lord is my protector". After the religious order transferred its schooling rights to the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong in 1996, the school continued to inherit the spirit of the religious order and was committed to providing high-quality holistic education to cultivate students to become unique women in the new era of the 21st century.

Principal Ng Siu Ling GiselleAdhere to the school motto, and work with the entire teaching team to build students into "Shizhi people" through integrated teaching and student development policies. The English translation of "Shizhiren" is "CHEERIANS". Each English letter represents the qualities of students: Christ-likeness (C-Christ), charity (H-Humidity), empathy (E-Empathy), perseverance (E-Endurance), respect (R-Respect), integrity (I-Integrity), A-Aspiration (A-Aspiration), innovation (N-Novelty), sisterhood (S-Sisterhood) ), also combines the five core values of Catholic education and the 12 values promoted by the Education Bureau.

The principal shared: "After contacting students and alumni, I deeply feel that the humility, perseverance and diligence of Leung Shek Chee College graduates are the characteristics of "Shizhi people". They demonstrate the spirit of service in different positions, especially in the education, social welfare and medical fields, etc. They have made selfless contributions."

In view of this, the principal and teaching team are determined to inherit the spirit of "Shi Chi People" in Kwun Tong District.

Pay attention to the development of biliteracy and trilingualism and build a platform to display students' abilities

As a Catholic girls' school, providing rich Chinese and English context education can best unleash the language potential of girls. Principal Ng Siu Ling GiselleThanks to the teachers in the Chinese language group who take good care of the learning diversity of the students and carefully adjust the school-based curriculum.

Starting in 2022, the school will collaborate with the Chinese Language Teaching Support Group of the Education Bureau to continue to optimize language across curriculum in junior high school English classes; it will also arrange two language arts classes per week to enhance students' interest in learning English. In 2023-2024, the school will also participate in the school arts education program-"English Musical Theater Practice Project" launched by the Audience Development Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. On July 15, 2024, school students performed an adaptation of Shakespeare's play - "Antony and Cleopatra" at Tuen Mun Town Hall.

In recent years, the Chinese Language Section has systematically strengthened students' test-taking skills so that students can know themselves and their enemies, and understand the optimized assessment requirements for the Chinese Language subject of the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. Every year, the subject team invites senior students who have achieved outstanding results in public examinations to return to school to share with them their experiences in learning Chinese language and their good reading habits. They will also provide impromptu creative demonstrations and explain how to take exams.

In addition to adjusting, integrating and optimizing the curriculum, the Chinese and English subject groups extend the language learning environment. The school's foreign teachers and English teachers conduct English broadcasts called "Insect Thought" and "English Go Go Go" every Wednesday morning to introduce the customs and customs of English-speaking countries to students and peers, as well as special vocabulary, expressions, idioms and sentences in the English world, to enhance the interest of learning English and allow them to taste English for daily life. In addition, each student needs to share and lead prayers in English during the morning assembly period to help them build confidence in English conversation.

In order to broaden students' understanding of Chinese culture, the Chinese language subject team prepares cultural promotion projects such as "Chinese Culture Day" and cultural week every year. In the 2022-2023 school year, the subject team will jointly organize the "Autumn Thoughts-Blessings Workshop" with the Education University of Hong Kong. In addition to improving students' language skills, it also deepens students' understanding of traditional festivals and customs, and cultivates students' respect for teachers' moral character and space for creativity. In the extension activities, students made exquisite greeting cards to send blessings to the elderly in the institutions, integrating language and value education. The English subject group holds the English Fest every year to immerse students in an interactive language learning experience.

In order to create a writing atmosphere on campus, the school has published the following school-based publications in recent years - "Cherub Post", "Cherub Post" and "Sláinte", which provide students with a platform for submission and creation, gather students' excellent and meaningful articles, record students' interesting learning process, and make their unforgettable, joyful fragments, memories and masterpieces of their campus life public to fellow students, creating a learning atmosphere of mutual improvement and mutual appreciation.

In recent years, outstanding students from the school have gone outside the school to participate in different types of competitions in Chinese and English, and have won many awards. For example, in the Chinese subject, students won the second runner-up in the "Two Generations Love" essay competition of the Mei Ho House Hong Kong Spiritual Learning Program, the runner-up in the Rising Star Literary Creation Award, and the "Love to Learn Chinese" "Learn Chinese Well" short film creation competition and won the championship; in English, the English drama group won the Outstanding Performance Award, Best Actor and Best Director Award at the Hong Kong Association of English Secondary Schools Drama Festival, and received a Certificate of Merit at the Inter-school Speech Festival.

With the encouragement of the Chinese teacher, the students’ contributions were published in the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Secondary School Student Literature Monthly, and their results were encouraging.

Grasp social development trends and systematically plan STEAM education

Innovative technology is a major trend in social development. In order to broaden students’ horizons in technology learning, Principal Ng Siu Ling Giselle believes that systematic planning of STEAM courses is particularly important.

Principal Ng Siu Ling GiselleInject the concepts of “STEAM FOR ALL” and “STEAM for Girls” into school-based curriculum.

"STEAM FOR ALL" refers to promoting the basic knowledge of STEAM that all students must master. For example, in the early years, the school cooperated with the popular "BYOD" program in the academic community. In recent years, it has gradually developed and matured. Students in the school can make full use of IPADs to take classes, write their own notes, create presentations, interact in real time, etc., training students to become "autonomous learners" on electronic platforms.

"STEAM for Girls" refers to the strategic deployment of STEAM knowledge and skills suitable for girls. The subject team incorporates elements from the design field into the curriculum to complement students’ talents in beauty and art, and strengthen their aesthetic and appreciation abilities. At the same time, the school also invites external organizations to cooperate from time to time to teach students to use 3D design technology. In the 2023-24 school year, it will cooperate with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to lead students to use technology and special materials to provide assistance to those in need and design suitable clothes for them. In this activity, students were able to develop their talents in art and design, learn how to use technology flexibly, and contribute to society.

School students are particularly talented and interested in design, art, singing, and dance. Therefore, in recent years, the school has also used the Innovation Lab’s funding program to allow students to enhance their skills in programming, 3D design technology, and AI creation. Students are learning and applying related software and technologies, trying to use AI to design Chinese Peking Opera costumes, and using AI song and lyrics creation software to create a theme song for World Kidney Day.

Broaden international horizons Establish international horizons

Principal Ng Siu Ling Giselle is well aware of the importance of establishing an international perspective for students, so the school organizes a number of international study tour groups and recommends students to participate in exchange activities in different fields to broaden their horizons. For example, this year the school held a pilgrimage to Nagasaki. The students learned about the deeds of the martyrs, the Catholic Church in Nagasaki, the history of the atomic bombing, and had close contact with the local culture and scenery. They felt the long local Catholic history and the profound heritage of the faith, and nourished their spiritual growth.

In terms of student exchanges, the school also facilitates exchanges with sister schools in the mainland and volleyball training camps in Thailand. The school recommends student representatives to participate in geological and environmental exploration tours in Denmark and Iceland, study tours in Ireland, and study tours in London, and their study tours span Europe and Asia.

School-based characteristic support strategy, multiple approaches to cater for students’ different needs

The school's enrollment has always been diverse and broad-based, and it respects students from different cultures. In order to cater for the learning needs of different students, the school has formulated unique school-based support strategies, including after-school tutoring, homework adjustment arrangements, classroom grouping, etc. At the same time, the school has also set up "elite groups" and "top classes" to promote students to participate in off-campus exchanges and competitions, so that students with different needs can receive support and be taught in accordance with their aptitude.

The "C" in "Shizhiren" contains the meaning that students live like Christ. Principal Ng Siu Ling Giselle pointed out that in schools, the religious education team and Catholic teachers attach great importance to the physical, mental and spiritual health of students. In terms of taking care of students with different needs, the school also makes good use of resources and establishes a talent resource pool to support learning and inspire students' potential. We also understand the needs of students through social workers, parents and frontline teachers, and comprehensively cater for the different learning needs of new students. The school has invested a lot of resources to pay close attention to the mental and spiritual health of students through a "multiple approach". For example, a third school-based social worker is hired to work with the school-based educational psychologist, speech therapist, and discipline team. In addition to providing counseling and assisting students in organizing different activities, they will also assist teachers in planning school-based preventive education policies, assist frontline teachers in counseling, and co-organize parent workshops.

Gather sisterhood, build a caring campus together, and deliver positive value

Leung Shek Chee College’s “sisterhood” appears in the extracurricular activity group and the big sister program. All groups and teams in the school are organized based on the principle of "introducing the old with the new". Peers help and encourage each other, walk together through thick and thin, take care of the emotional health of the new students, and help them integrate into campus life. This program has achieved remarkable results. Many students have integrated sisterhood into their blood, and this feeling has not cooled down even after graduation. For example, the school's alumni association holds career-oriented sharing sessions every year, inviting seniors from different fields back to school to share their thoughts and experiences. Alumni from different generations enthusiastically support the event, with the intention of giving back to their alma mater, supporting underachievers, and caring for juniors.

Leung Shek Chee CollegeIt has stood on the hillock of Sau Mau Ping for more than 40 years. This Catholic girls’ middle school has become a second home for its classmates—where girls can receive physical and spiritual support, feel the love of God, and love and cherish life. The "Positive Week" organized by the school-wide student support team every year has become a school-based feature. Students design "Positive Culture" and practical souvenirs for the "Positive Week", allowing them to use their creativity while showing their care for others. Many meaningful souvenirs, such as small shoulder bags, hand-held reusable bags, LED desk lamps and tableware, are also accompanied by student-designed logos and positive quotes to cheer up teachers and students. This spirit of "spreading love" is also reflected in the annual "Caritas Sale" that the whole school participates in. The teachers and students of the school work together to serve the community with charity and spread love to others. Through this evangelization ministry, people can know that "Shizhi people" are like Christ and walk with the Lord.