Thank you to all parents who are insisting their children are wearing helmets as they cycle to and from school. There are still some students who are not wearing them, which concerns us greatly. A fall of any kind will result in serious injuries. Please make every effort to ensure your child leaves home with their helmet firmly secured
The date for this (Friday 05 December) is rapidly approaching and the College has already moved into combined practices across year levels. Whole-school practices will be held in the week leading up to the day.
With 700 students and over 1,000 expected parents and guests, there is obviously a huge list of things to prepare for. Please continue to check the Explorer weekly for the latest updates.
The College will be closing at 12noon on Friday 05 December and school buses will be organised for this time. This will allow all students time to return home and prepare to be back at school by 6pm. For some children it may also allow a chance for them to have a nap. The school lunchtime will run from 11am-12pm and the cafeteria will be open as per usual.
For the Opening Ceremony we would like all the students to wear the following:
If you are having problems finding a plain white short sleeved t-shirt please email uniforms@discovery.edu.hk before 26 November, cost is $25 per shirt. Cash Payment can be sent in a sealed envelope marked with child’s name and class and size (same as P.E shirt) for “PTA SHOP”
The show will run for approximately one hour (6.30-7.30pm) and although we know that you will be completely caught up in the students’ performances, it is important that you are comfortable. As you will be seated on the ground on the L/G play area, please make sure you bring blankets and cushions to sit on. Fold up chairs or standing will not be permitted.
Reminder that any photography/videoing of the show is not allowed. We want you to sit back and enjoy the children’s performance. A professionally-shot DVD will be available for purchase afterwards.
As students must be at the school by 6.00pm and all the audience by 6.15pm, the PTA is arranging for a bus service so that you need not rely on public transport (DB Transport is unable to provide extra no.9 buses on this evening). We will be running a shuttle service on Routes 1 (Coastline) & 2 (Crestmont) that will stop at the Power Station and then straight to the College. Route A, B and C buses from outside DB will also be running. The buses will follow the established routes for our school bus and a timetable will be released shortly. Please email buses@discovery.edu.hk should you need to use this bus service as only those who have pre-booked the service will be allowed to board on the evening of the Friday 05 December. Places will be limited and will be on a first-come, first served basis.
Please return permission note and $40 payment promptly.
Year 1-6 children will return in time to catch the normal school bus home. Year 7 and 8 will return to school and make their own arrangements to go home.
There is no food or water facilities at the venue. It is VERY important to bring enough food (for snacks and lunch) and water on the day. Parents attending need to organise food and drink for themselves.
If your child does not have a house colour t-shirt they are able to wear their PE uniform shirt with the PE uniform shorts.
As the track is made of composite materials your child MUST wear appropriate trainers/sneakers on the day. Please DO NOT bring any food items containing peanuts. We are a peanut-free zone.
Vendors are still working on integrating the PTA shop, printing, copying, library and cafeteria payment systems to the one stored value system. At this stage significant issues have not been fully addressed and it is likely that some may take considerable time to solve. We will keep you updated on progress and an expected implementation time as soon as we are able.
Staff and students are gearing up for an exciting start to a program that has been much anticipated. From next Friday all students will have access to their own notebook that will be an integral part of the learning process. Staff have been planning for this introduction to ease the transition process and support the students through this change. Significant elements of the program have been planned around the assumption that all students will have a laptop. It is therefore essential that the small number of parents who have not yet placed orders do so as soon as possible so that these students are not at a disadvantage. Order forms can be found here 
Insurance Order Form
Parent/Student out of the box session – Thursday 27 November 7.00pm – important to attend
Year 7 & 8 go to the Primary Sports Hall on the Ground Floor
Year 6 go to the Diploma Centre on the 4th Floor
Structure of evening
Round 1 (Year 7&8 first in Primary Sports Hall)
Students with their parents line up and collect laptops. You will need to bring a copy of the shipment notification email or invoice from Apple.
Apple staff will identify the order according to the invoice/shipment notification.
Parents/students open the box to check machine and accessories.
Parents sign the delivery note.
Sign up the laptop insurance with Zurich for parents who want to take up this option. Please click on this link to download the Zurich enrolment form if you wish to take up this option. Complete as much of the form as you can (serial number and purchase details will be available on the night) and bring it along on the 27th if you want instant cover. If the form is posted or faxed cover will start from when Zurich receives your form. Forms will also be available on the night.
Round 2 (Year 6 first in Diploma Centre)
Out-of-box presentation by Apple (approx. 30 minutes)
Discovery College Acceptable Use Policy
Unable to attend?
If you are unable to come on the night you will need to contact the Apple Service Centre (see below) to arrange a time to pick up the notebook. Please note a parent must be present when this occurs to sign for the laptop.
Current Macbook owners
If you submitted the RCHK transfer or existing MacBook owner forms, Apple should by now have contacted you individually to arrange a time to bring your machines for re-imaging. They will provide advice on how to back up personal files. This process is expected to take around 2 days and will be carried out before the 27 November.
Discovery College Apple Service Centre
The Service Centre will be located next to the Medical Room on the ground floor and will be staffed by Oscar from Apple Computers. This office will not be fully operational until after the 27 November once the imaging and distribution process is complete.
The Service Centre can be contacted on: servicecentre@discovery.edu.hk or on the school number of 3969 1000. A direct number will be available and publicised in the near future.
One important part of the Units of Inquiry is Action. Action is always student initiated and may be the idea of one student, a group of students or a whole class. Sometimes Action is immediate, such as remembering to recycle your waste paper, or it may be something that takes a long time and involves many people. The teachers’ role in the Action Component is to assist students in planning and resourcing and then carrying out their plans.
An example of this is the Year 5 Readathon. The three Year Five classes inquired into the concepts of responsibility and change by examining the Central Idea that “Individuals and groups can often be catalysts for change in society.” They used the Case Study model to gain an understanding of this Central Idea. In doing so they looked into the lives of many groups and individuals who had been catalysts for change. Out of this came the idea that they as a group could also bring about change. They decided on a project which was nothing less than ambitious – to build a school in Sri Lanka. The idea for this came from an investigation into the life of John Woods who started Room To Read. The students made a video and presented it at Assembly along with information about the Readathon. Further information was sent home in the Readathon pack.
The Readathon begins on Monday , 23rd November and I would encourage you to support this ambitious and caring group of students and their teachers.
This afternoon we launched the big screen in the gym at our Year 1 to Year 6 assembly. Children saw videos of a variety of learning projects different group have participated in over this term. This facility enables us to share and celebrate the work of the students. We are beginning to put together a repertoire of songs to share. Music is a powerful agent for bonding across age groups.
Phillipa Beeson
Head of Primary
Your children were issued with a hard copy of their assessment schedule for the remaining 4 weeks of this term. We have also posted copies on the Yr 7 and Yr 8 curriculum pages. I encourage you to make yourselves familiar with them and assist your children with revision as best you can. I know all students would benefit from speaking passages of Mandarin to you on a daily basis in preparation for their reading writing and speaking assessments. I draw your attention to the difference between “assessments” which occur on the day indicated and which students should be preparing for now, and “due” which are assignments the students have been working on over a period of time and are due to be handed in. If there is a need to alter any dates, it is most likely they will be pushed back and students will be given adequate notice.
Staff are still finding that students are not fully equipped for class with stationery items. Please refer to the year level stationery lists from the website and check to see if your children have all the required items. Of particular importance are the scientific calculators. The maths and science staff are using calculators daily and are finding that a good number of students are without them which hinders progress. The PTA Shop are stocking the calculator of choice and we assure you that damage aside, it will see them through to the Diploma Programme.
It is an exciting and I suspect anxious time for parents as the laptops are about to be rolled out. We are currently planning the orientation for both parents and students and I hope you are available for the first session on Thursday 27 November. We expect students will bring those to school on Friday 28 November, when their orientation will continue.
Andy Kai Fong
Head of Secondary
Thank you to everyone who came to our Family Fun Day last week! More than 1,000 people were in attendance and nearly 50 teams competed in the DC Challenge!
The Discovery College PTA would like to thank the following for helping us make the Family Fun Day a roaring success!
Our major sponsors HK First Class Academy Tutorial School and KohTomyums Thai as well as our secondary sponsors Dymocks Discovery Bay and Christy Asia.
Our parent volunteers Debbie Baillie, Wayne Gordon, Subran Khan, Peter Shaw, Beverley Smith and Rosanna Sy-Siong.
The Discovery College management, teachers and staff.
DCPTA doc here
Thank you from the DCPTA Committee
Chair: Grace Hwang, Vice Chair: Rita De Ramos, Principal: Mark Beach, Honorary Treasurer: Fiona Wilson, Honorary Secretary: Maria Brusuelas, Parent Representatives: Mike Allardice, Christie Breakingbury, Joseph Cheng, Kelly Crawford, Nikki Davies, Adair Gordon, Brian Hodgson, Zara Horner, Loong Lishan, Suzanne Meldrum, Heidi Rogers, Elspeth Shaw, Merry Surya, Lynn Vatsaloo, and Teacher Representatives: Scott Campbell, Edeh Nobari.
Congratulations to the winners of the DC Challenge!
Year 1: Team 104
Time Finished - 3:32 pm
Julie Guiral (1LR), Miwa Sakamaki (1LH), Leila Bentley (1LH), Hee-Soo Kweon (1KA), Sayara Mizumoto (1KA), Donna Bentley, Jeoung-Min Lee, Yong-Soo Kweon, Frederic Guiral, Yunika Sakamaki, Takashi Mizumoto.
Year 2: Team 203
Time Finished - 3:30 pm
Sophie Telford (2KB), Hypatia Tam (2AB), Vanessa Gdowski (2KB), Olive Kjaerrichardt (2SP), Danica Rai (2AB), Katina Lowe (2SP), Julia Telford, Venus Gdowski, Edwin Tam, Gita Sherpa, Charlotte Kjaerrichardt, Mable Tam.
Year 3: Team 306
Time Finished - 3:30 pm
Lena Chan (3JA), Sarah Rodrigues (3JA), Jake Plochino (3AG), Maya Guiral (3DT), Meredith Feehan (3DT), David Brickler, Hugo Chan, Lester Rodrigues, Lee Chan, Lucy Rodrigues, Hannah Feehan.
Year 4: Team 405
Tome Finished - 3:27 pm
Stephanie Sy-Siong (4KC), Caitlin Sloan (4CM), Jaques Meldrum (4KC), Sophie Meldrum, Matthew Charters (4CM), Yau Yau Cheng (4CM), Guy Meldrum, Rochelle Sloan, Joseph Cheng, John Charters.
Year 5: Team 501
Time Finished - 3:38 pm
James Miller (5EN), Kolby Chan (5MG), Christopher Rhee (5 MG), William Nolan (5MH), Tin Tin Au (5MH), Kyler Nunan (5MG), Peter Rhee, Chris Chan, Imelda Sillero, Anthony Nolan, Dragon Au, Tom Nunan.
Year 6: Team 602
Time Finished - 3:38 pm
Cameron Smith (6MB), Ashley Brooks (6DB), Kiki Kurosawa (6MB), Nicky Li (6ES), Zak Baldwin (6DB), James Allardice (6MB), P Baldwin, Eleanor Brooks, Callum Smith.
Year 7: Team 704
Time Finished - 3:25 pm
Nicholas Clemmow (7D), Sean Selwood (7A), Boris Choy (7D), Chris Ciavatta (7A), Isaac Straatemeier (7D), Patsy Chau, Adrian Choy, Brett Straatemeier, Chris Ciavatta, Peter Clemmow.
Year 8: Team 801
Time Finished - 4:05 pm
Kurt Chang, Devin Au, Barack Michaelis, Aaron Ng, Michael Li, Grace Pang
For winners in years 3 and above, please note that there is a typo error in the KohTomyums Thai gift voucher. The restaurant has been informed of the error and we have been assured that those vouchers are valid until May 18, 2009 (not 2008!).
DCPTA
What children eat during childhood can influence their future eating habits, weight and health for life and it is important as parents, to remember this. A balanced and varied diet is very important as healthy food is needed for energy, brain function, growth and development. Snacks should be wholesome, fruits, crackers, yogurts or other nutritious foods to help them maintain their energy for active play. No specific foods need to be completely off limits, sweets, chocolate and other sugary treats should just be given occasionally. Remember make sure you include fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy, proteins and water in your children’s daily diet. Try to avoid too many fried and fast foods. Get your children involved in shopping and preparation of meals whenever possible. Make mealtimes fun and enjoy your healthy meals.
Nurse Jackie
| When | Event |
|---|---|
| Friday 05 December |
Official Opening Ceremony (evening) |
| Saturday 06 December |
DC Celebration Dinner |
| Monday 8 December |
DC Athletics Sports Day |
| 22 December - 02 January |
Christmas and New Years holiday |
| Monday 05 January | First day of Term 2 |
Mark Beach
Principal