diocesan girls’ school report 12-13.pdf · were evaluated against 7 characteristics of mobile...
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Diocesan Girls’ School
School Report
2012 – 2013
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 1
Our School ............................................................................................ 2
Achievements and Reflection on Major Concerns ................................. 3
School celebration events ...................................................................... 8
Our Learning and Teaching ................................................................... 9
Support for Student Development ........................................................ 11
Student Performance ........................................................................... 17
Financial Summary ............................................................................. 19
Feedback on Future Planning .............................................................. 19
Appendix 1 .......................................................................................... 20
Appendix 2...........................................................................................21
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 2
Our School
Founded in 1860, the School aims to provide an all-round education for its students. The
Christian heritage of the School is upheld in daily whole-school assembly during which
worship is conducted and spiritual qualities and moral values nurtured. Apart from
encouraging students to strive for overall academic excellence, the School works towards the
development of students’ language competence as well as their talents and potential through
active participation in a wide variety of activities ranging from robotics and drama to music
and sports. The school motto, ‘Daily Giving Service’, has inspired students not only to serve
the School but also the local and overseas communities through voluntary service.
More information is available on our School’s homepage at http://www.dgs.edu.hk or the
respective section under “School Profiles” for public reference
(http://www.chsc.hk/main.php?lang_id=1).
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 3
Achievements and Reflection on Major Concerns
Priority Task 1: Migration Towards Mobile Learning
Achievements
Under the Migration Towards Mobile Learning Project, 50 iPads were purchased to allow
teachers to try out the 1-student-1-iPad mode of teaching and learning pedagogy. Besides using
the free education apps available on the Apple store, the School has also subscribed to Nearpod
for 50 users, which can facilitate interactive exchanges between teachers and every student in
class.
An M-learning Working Group was set up to devise the implementation plan. It also worked
closely with the I.T. Department to identify and address the needs of teachers and provide timely
technical support to both teachers and students. With the aid of the Staff Development Team, 4
workshops / sharing sessions on mobile learning were arranged and 9 teachers shared their
experiences of using the iPad and other electronic media in various learning and teaching
activities.
To promote m-Learning among teachers, a whole-school and bottom-up approach was adopted.
Teachers were requested to use iPad as a tool for teaching in at least one of his / her lessons or
learning activities and submit a self-evaluation report on one of them. In total, 84 reflection forms
from 76 teachers were received. According to the booking records, iPads were used for about 380
lessons throughout the year and their usage covered all subject departments and almost every
level and class. The data showed that nearly all teachers and students had experienced the use of
iPads in learning and teaching in this academic year.
To evaluate if teaching and learning are aligned with the main theme of the Project, the activities
were evaluated against 7 characteristics of mobile learning, which are listed in the table below:
student-centred approach Students are connected
learning beyond the classroom Realistic situation
real-time communication between teachers and
students
Situated learning
Rich one-to-one communication
From teachers’ self-evaluation forms, most of the activities contained one or more characteristics
of mobile learning. Some examples are listed below from the greatest to the least degree of
mobility:
using iPads in field study (situated learning)
classifying plants in the school campus (situated learning)
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 4
investigating the factors affecting the performance of parachute (situated learning)
investigating the uploading and downloading speeds of the School Wi-Fi network at
different locations of the school campus (situated learning)
studying the 4P strategies of a company (realistic situation)
using the interactive function of Nearpod App to receive timely feedback from students or
monitor / assess the progress of students instantly (real-time communication between
teachers and students)
students using Educreation App to create a video lesson to report their findings of the
experiment (student-centred approach)
students signing up for an account on snacktools.com to create a personality quiz and then
sharing it with their friends (rich one-to-one communication)
Some apple tools, productivity apps, simulation apps and content app used to enhance
teaching and learning
Camera for video recording or photo-taking
AudioNote and Quick Voice Apps for audio recording
Popplet, Edmodo, UPAD and Educreation Apps for presentation and sharing
Geometry Pad and Quick Graph Apps
Beatwave Apps for creating music
Cooking, Basic Law and Periodic Table Apps
Safari used for various types of activities, for example:
connecting to a platform / social networking system to enhance teaching and
learning (YouTube, Quizlet, Schoology)
surfing for data or supporting evidence to tackle a social issue ( ,
globalization-related issues)
surfing for facts / knowledge to complete an assigned task ( ,
researching for information about Tai O and preparing for a presentation)
These examples illustrate that the Project is offering creative and abundant opportunities for
developing mobile learning strategies.
Reflection
From a survey conducted at the beginning of the academic year, only about 55% of teachers had
used iPad / iPhone for longer than 6 months at that time. Many teachers were inexperienced users
of Apple products. However, at the end of the year, about 95% of teachers had experienced using
iPads in class. It demonstrates that the objective of engaging teachers in experiencing m-Learning
has been fully achieved.
With the ideas and strategies contributed by all teachers, a wide variety of new learning and
teaching experiences have been created. The Project has instilled a paradigm shift among teachers
and helped extend learning and teaching beyond the classroom. The Project has made a
successful start in its first year of implementation.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 5
Priority Task 2: Support Network for Student Development
Achievements
Form Periods To provide more support for our students in the area of emotional and psychological developments, the Form Coordinators together with the Counselling Mistress planned and developed a series of activities and resources aimed at helping Form Teachers get to know their students better and at fostering stronger teacher-student relationships. With better understanding and a trusting relationship, Form Teachers can cater to the needs of their class of students. Form Periods that were not taken up by school talks and performances were utilized for teacher-student interaction and engagement in the form of games/activities, discussions, personal sharing of ideas and opinions, celebratory parties and collaborative work. Varied resources and their implementation were carefully thought through and disseminated to respective Form Teachers by means of an electronic platform (an eclass system). These resources were made available and accessible in a centralized folder to all Form Teachers. The following activities were planned and carried out by Form Teachers during the school year:
1. “Getting to know you” Activities: Three Truths and a Lie/Three in Common Game
2. The 5 Love Languages
3. Secret Angels
4. Mid-Autumn Celebration Party
5. “Woman of Excellence” Presentation, Class Discussion, Personal Reflection and Theme for the Inter-Class Display Board Competition
6. Theme for Dress Special Day
7. Mini-Bazaar Game Stall Preparation At the end of the school year, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Form Period activities in enhancing teacher-student relationship and understanding was conducted. A Form Period evaluation sheet was completed by all Form Teachers and returned to the Form Coordinators. Form Teachers’ comments are summarized as follows:
There were too many activclass logistics and related matters.
Form Periods were taken up by too many talks and performances throughout the year, which undermined Form Teachers’ efforts to get to know their students.
“Getting to know you” activities worked well with students who were not acquainted with one another, such as S1 and S4 students. However, for students who had been in the same class for several years, the activities were rather redundant.
The 5 Love Languages and Secret Angels were especially meaningful and effective in fostering closer ties for students who were well acquainted with one another.
The “Woman of Excellence” Inter-Class Display Board Competition and the Mini-Bazaar Game Stall Preparation helped to develop class spirit and unity through collaborative work and efforts.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 6
The Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration Party was rated by all Form Teachers as being the most successful activity that engendered a sense of camaraderie in a fun and effortless way among students themselves as well as with their Form Teachers. Some Form Teachers carried on with this festive atmosphere by holding birthday parties, which further helped to deepen relationships in the class.
Feedback from Form Teachers helps to inform the decisions that will be made in the new academic year with a view to making constructive changes in how Form Periods can be better utilized to facilitate more and quality interaction between teachers and students.
Big Sister Mentoring Programme
This is a year-long, structured programme organized by the School’s Counselling Team and a
team of social workers from Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service Centre. It aims at giving our senior
students an opportunity to partner with the School in supporting, encouraging and caring for our
new S1 students as well as developing empathy, compassion and selflessness in them.
Around 160 S4 and S5 students took part in the Big Sister Mentoring Programme. A 3-hour
training on mentoring was conducted in July by social workers from Baptist Oi Kwan Social
Service Centre. Besides meeting up with their S1 mentees on a regular basis during recess or
lunch, the big sisters were given additional opportunities to help them interact with their mentees
in a more fun environment. The New Student Orientation Programme and the S1 Christmas
party were two such occasions that helped build stronger bonds between the mentors and their
mentees through fun and interactive activities.
The programme was more successful than the previous year owing to the fact that the students
took part in the programme voluntarily, unlike the mandatory requirement in previous years.
However, there were weaknesses in the programme, which were identified during an evaluation
meeting. Therefore, the following changes were suggested to help the programme achieve its
core purpose of supporting the S1 students and equipping the S4 and S5 big sisters:
Put more effort into promoting voluntary participation in the Big Sister Programme
among S4 students as they are more available than S5 students to commit to the
programme.
Involve the big sisters in the New Student Orientation Programme as group leaders in
order for them to establish a relationship with their mentees as early as possible.
Involve the Counselling committee members as leaders in overseeing the programme and
all Counselling teachers as teachers-in-charge of each group of big sisters.
Advance the time for the Big Sister training workshop so that it would be held during the
Mini-Summer Term in preparation for the New Student Orientation Programme in late
August.
A Big Sister mentoring handbook to be given to each mentor. The handbook highlights
the rationale behind the Big Sister Programme, the big sister’s role and responsibilities
and how she should go about fulfilling that role and expectations from the teachers-in-
charge and Counselling committee members.
Conduct follow-up and evaluation meetings on a regular basis or as deemed necessary by
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 7
the Counselling committee members and teachers-in-charge.
Reflection
Form Periods
The evaluation and comments given by Form Teachers reveal that while all Form Teachers are in
agreement with the need to utilize Form Periods in fostering better teacher-student relationship,
not all proposed activities suit the needs of all classes. Therefore, some leeway should be given
to the use of the resources and the way they are implemented in bringing about the desired
outcome of enhancing teacher-student relationship and understanding.
Big Sister Mentoring Programme
The Big Sister Mentoring Programme has generally achieved its objective of supporting and
encouraging new S1 students as well as providing an opportunity for senior students to reach out
and care for their little sisters. Although some mentor-mentee relationships were more
challenging than others, it was a growth opportunity for the senior students who had to learn
about humility and selflessness in a caring relationship. It is the School’s hope and desire that a
culture of love and care be built among all students in our community.
Priority Task 3: Staff Development to Cater to the Future Needs of the School Community
Achievements
To help teachers explore new teaching pedagogies and to foster collaborative learning among
teachers to enhance the development of a learning community, a total of three teacher-sharing
sessions were arranged, which were listed in the table below:
Date Department Title
24/9/2012 Chemistry Assessment for learning
Geography Game for learning
31/10/2012 English IT-based learning in English
Junior Science Promoting interest and wider
learning through peer sharing
30/11/2012 Liberal Studies From classroom teaching to
experiential teaching
Each session was about one hour with one to two subject departments presenting their good
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 8
teaching practices, during which the staff members actively shared their expertise with other co-
workers in the school. A resource pack of good teaching practices has been compiled and uploaded
to the eClass for teachers’ reference.
To enhance the professionalism of teachers in using the latest technology, four workshops / sharing
sessions on mobile learning were arranged and nine teachers shared their experience of using iPads
and other electronic media in teaching and learning. At the end of the academic year, 95% of the
teachers had hands-on experience in using iPads in class.
A workshop was organized on 30 November 2012 to help equip teachers with relevant knowledge
and skills in providing support to student development. A teacher survey was conducted after the
workshop, which helped the Staff Development Team to identify teachers’ needs and the areas
requiring further attention/action. Most of the teachers agreed that the workshop provided them
with useful ideas which they could apply to their own professional / personal situation. The overall
feedback given by teachers was positive and valuable suggestions for further improvement were
made.
At the end of the school year, a staff development session on student matters was organized.
Teachers treasured the opportunity to discuss various student issues and gave a lot of constructive
comments and suggestions in their discussion reports, in which future training needs of teachers
were also identified.
Reflection
The active contribution and participation of teachers in the sharing sessions reflected their expertise
and dedication in providing quality education to students. The Staff Development Team will
continue to arrange sharing and follow-up sessions on teaching pedagogies and mobile learning,
which help to provide a good opportunity for further enhancing professional relationships and
collaboration.
Feedback from teachers heightened the Staff Development Team’s awareness of the future needs of
the school community. Teacher survey was a very effective tool in finding out the knowledge and
skills needed by teachers for mobile learning and student support. Surveys and reviews will
continue to be conducted in order to bring about the desired outcome of various staff development
programmes.
School celebration events
Campus Redevelopment Opening Ceremony and Speech Day
A fine day dawned on us on 17th January as we prepared to welcome our donors and guests who
supported the School through the Redevelopment Project. The Archbishop Dr. Paul Kwong, Mr.
Kenneth Ting, Chairman of the Fundraising Campaign Committee, and Mr. Hardy Lok,
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 9
Chairman of the Building Sub-committee, came as our officiating guests at the Opening
Ceremony and Speech Day, celebrating our joy of accomplishment with us. It was indeed a
pleasure to thank all our donors and guests, as well as show them how school life has been
greatly enriched because of their help and contribution. The whole school benefitted from taking
part in the souvenirs preparation, the opening ceremony and thanking the donors through a short
message or a performance.
The 153rd Anniversary Celebration Drama Musical – House of Wonders
This original drama musical took more than a year to prepare – from writing the script, the
music, and the lyrics, and deciding on the cast, to creating the sets and props as regular rehearsals
started simultaneously as early as the end of October 2012. Involving around 600 Junior School
and Senior School girls inside and outside the Auditorium, front stage and back, the audiences
immersed in the games, snacks and performances of the 60s outside the Auditorium before
enjoying the three-hour musical indoors. As the show ended, they were welcome to soak in the
nostalgia of the musical from the live music played by orchestral musicians. Despite the
challenge of coping with school work and rehearsing for this large-scale production, everyone
who took part thought it was an experience of a lifetime. To the whole school, this was an
invaluable project that brought our students back to the history of Hong Kong, the lifestyle of the
past decades and the major events that led us to the Hong Kong we see today.
Our Learning and Teaching
Provide a brief account of the salient features of learning and teaching beyond the scope of
your school’s major concerns, especially those which are responsive to the key tasks and
measures linked to the education reform.
Various approaches are employed for the effectiveness of teaching and learning, including the
investigative approach (investigative study -based
approach (using a school-based curriculum in S1- -based approach (History) and
the enquiry approach (Mathematics). In the classroom, direct teaching is a usual method for most
subjects but student-centred activities are employed as far as possible, for instance, in carrying
out laboratory practical work and in presenting their work. In Liberal Studies, various methods
such as discussion, peer tutoring and jigsaw learning are also employed. Teachers deploy a range
of teaching resources to facilitate learning, including the use of textbooks supplemented by
handouts / notes, dissemination of teaching materials through e-Class classrooms and sharing of
self-developed teaching materials across the form and for the purpose of team teaching. There
are also extended learning opportunities in various subjects outside the classroom. Field work
(in NSS Biology and Geography), educational visits, external competitions and special
programmes (robotics in S2 Science) help to provide students with a spectrum of learning
experiences for their individual development. Using iPad in class not only encourages more
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 10
student-centred activities to be adopted, but also helps break down classroom walls to increase
mobility in learning.
In the senior secondary levels, students are allocated to different classes randomly to remove the
labelling effect and students who have dropped elective subjects are requested to attend
supplementary classes during their free lessons to enhance their performance in the 4 core
subjects (English, Chinese, Mathematics and Liberal Studies).
Outside class time, students are provided with a range of special programmes to extend their
learning interest.
6th Humanities Research Symposium for Youth (HRSY)
Hosted by DGS, the 6th Humanities Research Symposium for Youth (HRSY) was successfully
held from 5th to 11th July 2013. The Humanities Symposium is a 7-day regional conference that
aims to promote academic research in the Humanities and Social Sciences among youths and to
encourage them to share their ideas with one another. Three secondary schools, namely Hwa
Chong Institution, Singapore (HCI), Citipointe Christian College, Brisbane (CCCB) and
Diocesan Girls’ School, Hong Kong (DGS) send delegates and take turns in hosting the event.
The theme for the 6th HRSY was ‘Crisis and Opportunity’. Inspiring keynote speeches were
delivered by distinguished speakers: Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-chancellor, Chinese University of
Hong Kong, Ms Eva Cheng, Former Secretary for Housing and Transport and Prof. Johannes
Chan, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong. Apart from keynote speeches, the
Symposium also provides a platform for delegates to meet and learn together through research,
presentations, debates and discussions by exploring different fields of the Humanities.
On the whole, the student delegates, both local and overseas, found the Symposium enjoyable
and rewarding. They participated in the events enthusiastically, having fruitful cultural and
intellectual exchanges, learning from one another through formal and informal activities,
constructing knowledge in the Humanities, and building up myriad communication and inter-
personal skills. The organizing committee, made up of 18 S4 – S6 students, was highly
commended by the visiting schools for their planning, organization and presentations.
Other programmes include :
Cultural interest classes on drama and different languages (Japanese, Putonghua for
the National Putonghua Proficiency Test and Spanish) are provided.
OLE and ECA lessons are scheduled throughout the year with unique focuses for
each level and adjustments are made according to the latest development of education
needs as well as student needs through a continuous evaluation of the activities
offered.
OLE Activity Days and Mini-summer Term are implemented during the post-exam
periods each school year with structured programmes for different form levels.
Elite / Gifted programmes are offered to develop students’ talents at the general and
special levels in PTH, Mathematics, ICT, music, sports and different skills training.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 11
Also various subjects launch special programmes to gauge the talents of students,
including the S4 Mini-Bazaar Company Programme and Humanities Symposium.
Students are also encouraged to participate in various programmes organised by
local external organisations e.g. gifted programmes, leadership programmes,
competitions and services, as well as overseas programmes within and outside Asia.
Support for Student Development
Provide a brief account of the salient features of student support beyond the scope of your
school’s major concerns especially those priority tasks and supporting services which nurture
students’ healthy development, and report the progress of the implementation of Integrated
Education.
School-based student support programmes were planned and implemented to align with the New
Senior Secondary (NSS) reform. In September 2008, the School introduced the Other Learning
Experiences (OLE) system to complement academic learning in place of the Extra-curricular
Activities system (ECA) and encompasses a significantly larger variety of activities, giving
students more diversity in choosing from the range of clubs, teams, activities, events and
programmes in which they wish to participate.
Learning experiences that cater for students’ personal development needs
1 ECA lessons
The introduction of ECA lessons is to offer students equal opportunities in cultivating their
interests in different domains as well as to develop their own potential in various areas. These
lessons were incorporated into the timetable and organized by students during OLE days. Other
ECA clubs and teams, mainly under the domains of sports, music and service groups, still
conduct their general meetings during lunchtime or after school. The range of clubs are essential
for fully developing the potential of students with special talents and helping them to reach
higher echelons.
Apart from ECA Clubs, OLE was also offered beyond lesson time to encompass the 5 areas of
student development laid down by the EDB: Moral and Civic Education, Community Service,
Career-related Experiences, Aesthetic Development and Physical Development as follows:
2 Moral and Civic Education activities organized by the Civic Education Team and
others
Moral and Civic Education (MCE) is conducted adopting a whole-school approach.
Learning activities on various MCE topics are incorporated in the formal curriculum.
Different functional groups and teams take part in organizing learning experiences to
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 12
nurture students in positive values and attitudes so as to develop them into informed
citizens who care for themselves, their family, the school community, the Hong Kong
community, the country, the Asian region and the world
MCE related learning activities have been conducted during form periods, morning
assemblies, mini-summer term and other occasions in our School.
Daily morning assembly - Sharing on Christian values and other positive values and
attitudes by the Headmistress, teachers and students
Form period and mini-summer term: The Civic Education Team and other functional
groups have planned and organized talks, drama shows, visits conducted by outside
organizations. School-based materials on Basic Law education were prepared and
adopted.
On the domains of Personal Development and Family, talks and workshops on moral
issues such as Sex Education, Pornography, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence and
Single-parent families have been arranged.
On the domains of Community and the World, the Civic Education Team has spanned
topics such as Legal Education, Anti-corruption, Poverty, Election, Media and Fair
Trade.
On the domain of the nation, Flag Raising Ceremonies were held at our School to
celebrate the National Day and HKSAR Establishment Day. The Senior Mixed Choir
was invited to sing the national anthem at the National Day and HKSAR
Establishment Day celebration events. Students have also participated in other
enrichment program such as trips to China, talks on the current situation in China and
external competitions to enrich their understanding of China.
3 Community Service organised by the Service Team
Our School’s vision of encouraging, nurturing and cultivating the skills of our students in
contributing their service at home and in their families as well as the local and international
communities has remained the same since its inception in 1860. From peer mentoring and
offering a helping hand in the neighbourhood to volunteering in a large-scale activity, we hope to
direct our students’ hearts and effort towards the community and to make a positive difference in
the lives of people. With this in mind, the Service Team, comprising teachers in charge of the
Citizen’s Club and various community service projects and programmes, makes it our mission to
provide ample and varied opportunities for our students to be involved in services within and
outside the School.
4 Special Service Projects are offered to cater to the needs of different form levels:
Regular Services are offered primarily through the Red Cross, Girl Guide, Citizens’ Club, Zonta
Z Club and CYC. The Clubs liaise with various social service centres to provide ample
opportunities for our students to do regular service in our neighbourhood throughout the
academic year.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 13
Special service programmes and projects provide an array of service opportunities within the
School and in the local community for our students during the course of their education at our
School. In 2012-13, our service programmes and projects include:
Joint School Service Projects (S1 –S6)
Mini-Summer Term Service Learning Programmes (S2 and S4)
Lunar New Year Outreach Programme for the Mentally Challenged at Fu Hong
Society (S4)
Poverty and Care Experiential Programme (S4 and S5)
EQ Student Ambassador Programme for Bereaved Children (S4, S5 and S6)
Palliative Care Programme for Terminally Ill Patients (S4)
Big Sister Mentoring Programme (S4 and S5)
Tutorial lessons for Ethnic Minority Primary School Students (S4 and S5)
New Student Orientation Programme (S4 and S5)
Hong Kong Youth Ambassador Scheme (S5)
Summerbridge Programme: Teaching English to Children from Low-Income
Families (S6)
5 Career-related Experiences organized by the Careers Team
• Presentations by representatives from the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese
University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
to students on student life and specialized field of study and career options.
• Presentations by representatives from overseas’ universities to enable students to gain
first-hand knowledge of the latest admission criteria and programs of study on offer.
• Visits to the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong for
S5 and S6 students respectively, to meet with different faculty professors and students.
• Career Talks organized by DOGA and given by DGS alumnae on specific careers.
• Interview workshops by teachers as well as mock interviews for S6 students.
• Workshop on interests and skills’ assessment for S3 and S5 students
• Workshop on essay writing and interview preparation for S5 students.
• University application preparation workshops for S4 and S5 students.
• Briefing session for parents and S3 students on streaming and choice of subjects.
• Mock Results Day simulation for S6 students to prepare them for the actual HKDSE
results’ day.
• JUPAS training for S6 students to enable them to make better choices for university
selection
6 Aesthetic Development organized by various Departments
Apart from visual arts and music lessons that are part of the curriculum, activities and events in
these three areas are also part of the learning experiences our School offers her students. These
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 14
are meant for exposure and awareness, to provide training opportunities for basic skills, for
acquiring competence at the professional level and for specialized performance of the talented.
Visual Arts
The OLE Aesthetic Development Programme integrates drama, music and visual arts lessons
leading to a drama production and drama appreciation at the end of the programme
Making props and sets for the Drama Musical of 153rd anniversary celebration
Art night camp at Art Museum of Hong Kong
Attending a comics talk by Igarashi Yumiko ( )
Guided tour by Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Art workshops for exchange students from Australia
Inter-class Cake Decoration Competition organized by the Food Technology Club
Fabric Pattern Design Competition organized by the Food Technology Club
Inter-class Flower Arrangement Competition organized by the Image Design Club
Inter-class Display Board Design Competition organized by the Counselling Team
Product designs and stall designs for Mini Bazaar
Art visits at Art@Park in Stanley, HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity and EDB
Music
2012 Hong Kong Youth Music Interflows
Participating in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital fund-raising concert held at DGS
Senior Mixed Choir performing at the National Day Extravaganza 2012 organized by the
EDB; singing at the Flag-raising Ceremony at the 63rd Anniversary of the Founding of
the PRC and the 16th Anniversary of the Establishment of the HKSAR
Senior Mixed Choir performing with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in the “Chinese
Art Songs Old and New” Vocal Concert, and at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Walkathon
Girls’ Choirs performing at the QEH Patients Resource Centre Fundraising Concert and
St. Andrew's Church Christmas Carol Service
Wind Orchestra performing at “A Band X’mas” organized by the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia Society
65th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival
DGS Easter Concert 2013
Drama
Literature Appreciation Project
School Drama shows
Talks on theatrical art and literary study
Drama Ensemble Workshops
Drama Course
Technology and Living Fabric Pattern Design Competition Cake Decoration Competition
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 15
7 Physical Development
Physical Education includes regular timetabled lessons as well as an array of inter-house and
inter-school competitions in Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Cross-
country, Dancing, Dodgeball, Fencing, Golf, Hockey, Indoor-rowing, Life-saving, Netball,
Orienteering, Swimming, Squash, Table Tennis, Ten-pin Bowling, Tennis, and Volleyball. In
2012-13, the School competed in 9 division One and 12 Open division sports. Elite athletes
represented the HKSAR in many inter-port and regional competitions.
8 Overseas Programmes & Overseas Exchange Programmes
These programmes aim to give our students greater cultural exposure, develop their leadership,
investigative, presentation and social skills and imbue in them an appreciation for cultural
diversity. There are written and verbal reports from the groups of students after each trip and in
most cases students are required to write a blog describing their daily experiences during the
exchange. Planning is made with interested overseas partner schools and students are either
elected based on their merits or invited to participate. When there are more participants than
available places, the School selects those who can most benefit from the programmes. Each
student / teacher participant has to complete an evaluation form at the end of the trip /
programme.
Overseas Programmes :
International Convention for Youth Leaders 2012 (Singapore)
Cultural Exchange to J.B. Petit High School for Girls (Mumbai, India)
International Science Youth Forum 2013 (ISYF 2013) (Singapore)
Berkeley Model United Nations Conference 2013
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School Model United Nations 2013
19th Student Leaders Convention (Singapore)
Singapore Mathematical Modelling Forum and Challenge 2013
Cultural Exchange to Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland, New Zealand
OISCA Japan summer school programme 2013
Students from partner schools visiting DGS :
Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Secondary School (Singapore)
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (Singapore)
River Valley High School (Singapore)
Methodist Ladies’ College (Melbourne, Australia)
Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland (New Zealand)
J.B. Petit High School for Girls (Mumbai, India)
6th Humanities Research Symposium for Youth [Hwa Chong Institution (Singapore) and
Citipointe Christian College (Brisbane, Australia) ]
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 16
9 Spiritual Nurturing organized by the Religious Education Department Daily Morning Assembly – Students and teachers congregate in the Auditorium to start the
day by worshipping God together.
Christian Youth Fellowship – weekly meetings on Mondays during lunch time organized by
students under the guidance of Christian teachers
Gospel Week – celebration of the Harvest Festival and implementation of religious service
projects
S5 Retreat
S1 Bible Study
Evangelistic Meetings
10 Guidance & Counselling organized by the Guidance and Counselling Team
Apart from helping our students with their specific needs through individual counselling, our
Guidance and Counselling Team, led by the Counselling Mistress, also caters for the
developmental need of students through in-house programmes, workshops, training camps and
talks. In 2012-13, we organized the following programmes, workshops and talks:
New Student Orientation Programme (S4 and S5)
“My First Year at DGS” workshops (S1)
Sex Education workshops (S1)
Stress Management workshops (S1)
Team-building workshops (S1)
Dialogue in the Dark Simulation Programme (S2)
Urban Poverty Simulation Programme (S4)
Drama on Sexual Harassment (S1)
Talk on Eating Disorder and Perfectionism (S1)
Talk on Chastity and Abstinence (S1)
Talk on Sexual Harassment (S1 and S2)
Talk on Sexual Violence and Date Rape (S3, S4 and S5)
Talk on Pornography (S4)
Life and Death Education and Introduction to Hospice Care (S4)
11 Mini-Summer Term organised by the OLE Team
This year, a group of over two hundred students were busy rehearsing for the upcoming Drama
Musical Production held in late August. Another group of S3 – S5 students were organising the
Humanities Symposium. In line with the on-going activities, different programmes were
organised for other students after their final exams to provide them with a wide range of learning
experiences. These were aimed at cultivating our students with a sense of volunteerism, instilling
into them proper attitude towards community service and equipping them with necessary skills in
participating in voluntary work. Through the activities, we hope that their leadership, problem-
solving and collaborative skills will be enhanced. A summary of the programmes is as follows:
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 17
S1 – Chastity Talk, Talk on Eating Disorder and Perfectionism & Sex Education
workshops, Famous Author’s Talk, Mathematics Workshop
S2 – Service Learning Projects targeting the physically challenged, elderly and mentally
challenged
S3 – Leadership Skills Programme
S4 – Life and Death Education and Introduction to Hospice Care, Talk on Pornography as
well as Humanities Symposium
S5 – Humanities Symposium and Retreat
Annual / Special Whole-School Events & Projects organized by various groups and
departments
Overseas and Exchange Programmes Sharing (S1 – 3, S4 – U6)
Annual Parents’ Day
Annual Mini-Bazaar
Annual Famine Lunch
Annual Teachers’ Day
Annual Dress Special Day
Annual Activity Days after the Mid-year Examinations
Annual Mini-summer Term
The Easter Concert
Chinese Literary Club Performance
School Picnic
Campus Redevelopment Open Ceremony and Speech Day
6th Humanities Research Symposium for Youth (HRSY)
The 153rd
Anniversary Celebration Drama Musical – House of Wonders
Student Performance
Provide a brief account of students’ academic performance (In using and reporting the data,
schools must not publish their data on Territory-wide System Assessment and Academic
Value-added Performance for public reference. If schools choose to release their public
examination results to the public, they should abide by the protocol with the Education
Bureau). Relevant items for reporting (which may vary according to primary, secondary and
special schools) are suggested as follows :
Territory-wide System Assessment (For IMC’s/SMC’s reference only. Please refer
to KPM 15 for the content and format of reporting).
Public Examination Results (Please refer to KPM 16 for the content and format of
reporting).
Academic Value-added Performance (For IMC/SMC’s reference only. Please refer
to KPM 17 for the content and format of reporting).
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 18
Public exam results HKDSE: Percentage of students
awarded the minimum entrance
requirements for local degree
courses 145/155 = 93.5%
2013
JUPAS results Percentage of students given an
offer 129/144=89.6%
2013
The School is proud of our students’ performance in every facet of their school life which testifies
to the School’s emphasis on the all-round development of each individual student. Learning in and
out of school is seen as a coherent whole. Both academic and non-academic achievements are
outstanding and our students succeed as leaders, or leaders-to-be, in the many contexts of their
choice.
Judging from the students’ performance in external public examinations, such as the HKDSE and
TSA, the students perform outstandingly consistently. In the 2013 HKDSE, the girls scored a total
of 188 Level 5** (17.8%), 444 Level 5* or above (42.0%) and 956 Level 4 or above (90.4%). The
scores of our students in the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) were found to be
consistently higher than corresponding territory means in the three core subjects.
Provide a brief account of students’ non-academic performance.
The full list of prizes and awards received by our students each year can be found in the Speech
Day booklet and the School Homepage.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 19
Financial Summary
Financial Summary for the 2011/2012 School Year
Government
Funds
Non-Government
Funds
INCOME (in terms of percentages of the annual overall income)
DSS Subsidy (including government grants not
subsumed in the DSS unit rate payable to schools) 57% N.A.
School Fees N.A. 42%
Donations N.A. < 1%
Other Income N.A. < 1%
Total 57% 43%
EXPENDITURE (in terms of percentages of the annual overall expenditure)
Staff Remuneration 72%
Operational Expenses (including those for Learning
and Teaching) 12%
Fee Remission / Scholarship1 5%
Repairs and Maintenance2 < 1%
Depreciation 11%
Miscellaneous 0%
Total 100%
Surplus for the School Year # 5.81 months of the annual expenditure
Accumulated Surplus in the Operating Reserve as
at the End of the School Year #
28.80 months of the annual expenditure
# in terms of equivalent months of annual overall expenditure
An amount (equivalent to 18.14 months of annual expenditure) which has been earmarked for
specific purpose is included in the accumulated surplus of the Operating Reserve.
1 The % of expenditure on fee remission/scholarship is calculated on the basis of the annual overall expenditure of
the school. This % is different from that of the fee remission/scholarship provision calculated on the basis of the
school fee income as required by the Education Bureau, which must be no less than 10%.
It is confirmed that our school has set aside sufficient provision for the fee remission / scholarship scheme
according to Education Bureau’s requirements.
2 The school premises were still under the warranty period for the 2011/2012 school year and therefore the expenses
amount shown for this does not truly reflect the necessary real amount required.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 20
Feedback on Future Planning
In alignment with the completed cycle of school development and annual school plans, the
current cycle of school development and annual school plans capitalize on our latest
achievements to consolidate teaching and learning, enrich school life and learning and to deliver
a quality education outlined in our mission statement through our three major concerns:
Migration Towards Mobile Learning, Support Network for Student Development, and Staff
Development to Cater to the Future Needs of the School
Community.
Appendix 1
The Capacity Enhancement Grant for 2012 / 13 was deployed for staff employment as outlined
in the Annual School Plan 2012 / 13 with no adjustments to the actual expenditure figures.
There was no application for the School-based After School Learning and Support Programmes
Grant for 2012 / 13 and the full amount will be returned to the EDB.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 21
The Scheme on Additional Support for Secondary Schools Adopting English-medium Teaching
Project-end Evaluation Report
Name of School: Diocesan Girls' School
Project Period: 2008/09 to 2012/13
Part 1 - Project deliverables
No. Describe the tangible deliverables
(e.g. curriculum materials with genres,
CD-ROMs, publications, etc.)
Suitable for dissemination; reason(s)
1 Video Conference Discussion Project
between Diocesan Girls’ School and
Raffles Girls’ School, Singapore
Project Duration :
Two conferences annually between
2010-2013
Target Group : S2,S3,S4 students in
DGS and their counterparts in
Singapore(Sec 2, Sec 3)
No. As it involves oral discourse of the participants on topics specific to
the two schools, it is only suitable for observation sessions which can be
arranged during real-time video conferencing to be able to capture the
essence of the dynamic interaction, the discourse generated and the flow of
thoughts between the two schools. For RGS and DGS, the topics were
chosen by the students of the two schools, and vetted by their respective
teachers.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 22
2 Literature Appreciation Project
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with
Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus School,
Singapore
Project Duration :
Project conducted annually from 2011 to
2013
Target Group : S3 Students in DGS and
CHIJ
Yes
.
Part 2 - Attainment of output targets
[
Output / outcome-based targets
pledged by school in the proposal
Extent of Attainment (please elaborate)
- Video conference activities and
projects developed
- Established video conferencing relationship with two schools in Singapore,
Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) and Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Secondary
School(CHIJ).
- Cultural sharing project conducted with students of Raffles Girls’ School.
These video conferences took place over a period of three years with
counterparts from Raffles Girls’ School. Topics discussed ranged from campus
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 23
Output / outcome-based targets
pledged by school in the proposal
Extent of Attainment (please elaborate)
comparisons, academic and non-academic curriculum, housing problems in
Hong Kong and Singapore, gambling and internet addiction to income
disparity and pop idolatry. Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools
were involved, from Secondary 1 to Secondary 4. Senior girls acted as
moderators for the video conferences. 4 members of English Department
shared ideas with the teaching faculty of RGS. Students used their research
skills, interrogative skills and oral skills in English to converse with their
Singaporean counterparts.
- Literature Appreciation Project conducted with students from the Convent of
the Holy Infant Jesus Secondary School. Held in October and November of
each academic year, the project culminates in students from CHIJ visiting our
campus in Hong Kong to present their project findings in collaboration with
students from DGS, under the supervision of teachers of the two schools. The
two schools agree that the literature project benefitted the students of both
schools. We endeavor to continue this project for the foreseeable future.
- Language competency, particularly
in oral discourse is enhanced.
- Out of a 16- strong department, 4 English teachers were involved in
assessment of students in terms of their oral competency during conferences.
Attention was paid to communication strategies, particularly turn-taking
strategies, appropriacy and tone during conferences.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 24
Output / outcome-based targets
pledged by school in the proposal
Extent of Attainment (please elaborate)
- Resources developed for video
conferencing which are tied to the
NSS English Language/ NSS
English Literature curriculum
- Worksheets prepared on activities related to the Shakespearean Drama : A
Midsummer Night’s Dream which is part of the introduction to drama in
preparation for NSS Literature in English curriculum.
Part 3 - Reflections on the project
Effectiveness of the Video Conferencing Project
The video conferencing project succeeded in engaging students in real-life interactions in the English language with
counterparts from Singapore.
Students utilized conversational English to conduct discussions on topics which they as stakeholders agreed upon prior to
the conferences.
Senior students were given the opportunity to moderate the conference as hosts, while the junior students took part in the
conferences, under the watchful eyes of teachers from the two schools and other members of the class. Often, this is
their first opportunity to hone and develop moderating skills, outside the context of their own classroom where they
normally interact with their peers. As this is an inter-class project, senior students moderate those whom they may not
know. This experience as moderator outside the confines of their own classroom builds up their confidence and
leadership skills.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 25
The skills utilized during the video conferences are transferable skills. They enhance students’ ability to communicate in
class activities and contribute to the students’ overall performance in the English SBA, particularly the Group Interaction
phase.
Cultural goodwill was achieved between students and teachers of schools involved. Students appreciated the similarities
and diversity in the use of English from their Singaporean counterparts.
Students were able to apply critical thinking skills as well as content-based knowledge from the Liberal Studies and
Literature subjects in the conferences.
From the post-conference evaluation done, students indicated that the conferences were a valuable and enjoyable
experience. They appreciated this avenue of using English as a tool to communicate with fellow students from an
overseas school.
Problems Encountered
As the timetable of periods of the two schools involved in the video-conferencing is different, it necessitated holding
most video conferences after school when both schools have ceased classroom activity. This limits the number of
students who can take part. Even those who do take part often have clashing commitments which meant they are not
able to participate in the conference in its entirety.
It is often difficult to arrange a mutually agreeable time in which to conduct the conference, as there are differences
in the timetabling arrangements of the two schools, for example holidays, school exams and other activities, in
addition to the different class schedules. There needs to be a lot of cooperation and understanding between the two
schools, to the extent that time must be allotted by both schools specifically for students to fully participate in this
project.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 26
The depth of preparedness of the students towards the discussion topic can vary considerably between the two
schools, resulting in a less vigorous discussion than originally expected. This was handled by encouraging teachers
on both sides to help guide students in their research of the subject matter prior to the conferences.
Technical issues sprang up on many occasions. In video conferences using the Cisco system there was sometimes a
lag which impedes meaningful communication during discussions .The picture would sometimes freeze completely,
or the sound quality distorted, making meaningful discussion unattainable. Microphone placement plays a critical
role here. At our end, technical support staff was always on hand to render assistance. The technician hired by our
school for this task was able to fulfill his task effectively whenever the need arose. However there was no guarantee
that technical issues could be resolved from the Singaporean school’s end. There are also compatibility issues, as we
can only conduct video conferences with schools where Cisco system were installed. Otherwise we have to resort to
the Skype interface, where reliability and quality issues resurfaced.
Due to the size of the room and the immobility of the video conferencing equipment, the video conferencing facility
can only accommodate a fixed number of participants and audience. For our part, we tried to involve students from
different year groups to increase their learning opportunity in taking part in video conferencing. We are looking at
ways to involve a larger segment of the student population in the conferences.
Effectiveness of the Literature Appreciation Project
Students were able to collaborate with their counterparts at CHIJ in Singapore on the literature appreciation
project. Elements of drama were reenacted and critiqued by the two schools.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 27
Worksheets were developed on excerpts of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to help prepare girls for the video
collaboration project. These worksheets were shared with all teachers teaching S3 as part of the Junior Literature
curriculum. It formed much of the framework of teaching and learning at S3 level, as it is conducted by an
experienced specialists teaching literature at both schools.
The fact that students were able to collaborate through video conferencing and finally meet each other face-to-face
at the DGS campus to present their project gave students a good sense of task fulfillment. They collaborated
through supervised video conferencing in October, and finally presented the project together in November.
Problems Encountered
There was some degree of redundancy in the use of video conferencing as a means of collaboration on the
project. Post project evaluation showed that while some students appreciated the novelty and flexibility that
face-to-face video conferencing provides as a tool in discussing the parameters of the project, most students
opined that much of the collaborative work was actually done via follow-up emails.
Technical issues that were encountered in the RGS video conferences also recurred in the CHIJ conferences,
although to a lesser extent. Skype was used in view of compatibility issues with conferencing equipment used
at CHIJ.
The syllabus and foci at CHIJ and DGS were different. DGS tended to support close analysis and reading of
the text, whereas CHIJ focused more on interpretive and dramatic aspects of the text. These differences meant
that there was considerable lack of overlap in the approach to and interpretation of the texts.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 28
Overall Assessment
We look forward to continued collaboration with RGS and CHIJ in conducting video conferencing. We feel that
video-conferencing is worthwhile, for it enables students to engage peers of diverse cultures and background in an authentic
English setting. We feel that whilst it is worthwhile to expose students to the world of video conferencing as a tool of
communication to tackle problems, we are aware of the limitations of video conferencing as the sole tool to engage in dialogue
and task completion. We also note that innate differences in the culture and philosophy of different schools may affect the
learning outcome of the project.
We would like to seek ways to involve more students in video conferencing, as well as to improve the content of video
conferences. One successful venture is the use of video conferencing in sharing sessions with past graduates of DGS who are
currently studying at Ivy League colleges in the US. This event attracted a sizeable number of students to participate as it gave
them the opportunity to ask questions in English about the university experience from the perspective of their former schoolmates.
We are looking at ways to engage other schools from different locales in the project. Singapore was originally the most
convenient option, due to the similarity in time zone. Schools from other continents have time zone issues. The video conference
with university students from the US took place at midnight their time. We may look at the possibility of conducting video
conferences with other schools in Hong Kong to mitigate this problem.
We will endeavor to explore other opportunities in using the video conference as a means to enhance students’
communicative skills. The physical hardware is in place to continue our exploration of the project for the foreseeable future.
School Report 2012/13 (SR) 29