Principal’s Message

A Time of Harvest and a Milestone to Celebrate

As the new academic year commences, we are much pleased to share with you the joy of our recent HKDSE achievements and the milestone signified by our school’s 50^th anniversary.

Record-breaking HKDSE Results of 2024-2025

With a goal for brilliance and enduring hard work, our graduates have performed delightfully in this year’s HKDSE:

• This cohort’s performance has been the most outstanding in our school’s history since the introduction of DSE in 2012.
• Our subjects’ average credit rate (Level 4 or above) is 62%.
• 15 out of our 16 subjects have credit rates better than the Hong Kong average.
• In particular, the credit rates of our Chemistry, History, Economics, Visual Arts, and BAFS (Business, Accounting and Financial Studies) are almost twice of the Hong Kong average.

With students’ perseverance and diligence, parents’ unfailing support and teachers’ tremendous teamwork, we will continue to nurture our students for further accomplishments.

 Golden Jubilee Anniversary

This year is our school’s 50^th anniversary, a precious time to honour our ethos cultivated and progress made over the years.

As one of the major celebratory initiatives, we have proceeded with a series of renovation projects in recent months to upgrade the campus conducive to students’ learning and wellbeing. Our Golden Jubilee Garden, Silver Jubilee Garden, STEAM Room (Rooms 603 and 604), lawn, Green House as well as our refurbished library and school hall are all meant to offer a comfortable and relaxing environment for students to enjoy both their study and leisure time here, enriching their learning experience and school life.

We are more than grateful for our School Sponsoring Body’s generous financial provisions and parents’ trust in us all along. While we cherish our togetherness and concerted efforts as always, we look forward to embarking on a new stage striving for new summits.

Golden Jubilee Garden

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Green House

Silver Jubilee Garden

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Lawn

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After: View from outside

STEAM Room

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Library

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School Hall

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Message from the Principal

September 2024

While our city was showered with joy and excitement over the summer with every citizen immersing in Paris Olympics and celebrating the athletes’ success, members of WTS were also filled with immense pride at our remarkable achievements and vibrant community spirit.

Our 2024 HKDSE credit rate (Level 4 to 5**) was significantly higher than that of the Hong Kong average, with almost all subjects achieving credit rate higher than the territory-wide average. Meanwhile, our graduates were admitted to medicine, architectural studies, professional accountancy, nursing, business administration, risk management and many other popular faculties.

Our students have also shone across different domains, showcasing their diverse talents and tremendous dedication. Our Athletic Team has had an outstanding season, with numerous victories and personal bests. Having reaped the Girls Overall Champion for the third year, we are promoted to Division Two. Our Basketball Teams, having demonstrated incredible progress and teamwork, reached a breakthrough with their well-deserved first and second runners-up in Boys C Grade and Girls B Grade respectively. Our Dance Team has captivated audiences with their brilliant performances, earning a Highly Commended Award, a Commended Award and two Silver Awards in various territory-wide competitions. Their creativity and passion for dance are truly heartening. Our English Drama Team and Speech Festival participants, on the other hand, have impressed us with their theatrical talents and eloquence. Having done exceptionally well at Hong Kong School Drama Festival, EMI Drama Fest and the 75th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival, they have brought great honor to our school. Besides, our budding scientists and inventors have further innovated and transcended boundaries, from winning STEAM-related contests to developing groundbreaking projects, shaping a better community.

Our teachers have indeed played a crucial role in nurturing these talents with plenty of invaluable opportunities provided to our students. Their commitment to the cultivation of excellence in arts, business, STEAM as well as national education is commendable. Their devotion in fostering an environment where students can explore and excel is beyond doubt.

We are also proud of our initiatives to create a supportive and caring campus. The Mental Health Days have provided a perfect occasion for our students to relax and have fun, promoting well-being and mindfulness. Our lively and engaging lunchtime activities have boosted our students’ sense of community and belonging, instilling a positive and energetic vibe among all. Our huge variety of after-school programs has offered them opportunities to develop new interests and hone their multiple skills.

Lastly, I would like to convey my sincere thanks to parents for their unwavering support, trust and involvement, which are vital to our accompplishments. Together, we are creating a platform where every student can thrive and achieve their full potential.

Let us continue to support and inspire each other as we move forward!

Message from the Principal

September 2023

The typhoon on 1 September 2023 gave us a belated commencement of school year 2023 – 2024. Nevertheless, students returned to school refreshed and reenergized all the same.

In retrospect, our achievements in 2022 – 2023 were countless. To highlight some, we once again broke our own record in the 74^th Schools Speech Festival in terms of number of awards and participation. Approximately 40% of our students from Form One to Form Six joined various English speaking events, with some of them reaping the first, second and third places. What we treasure the most is not the trophies or certificates, but the experience and self-confidence students have gained in the process. Progressing from the success we made the previous year, our drama team has staged two musical performances involving nearly 70 front stage performers and backstage helpers. Our students’ performance was highly praised and recognised. Our effort in cultivating a language rich environment is not limited to performances or competitions, but the daily encounters with each other which are further reinforced by our diversified English activities. The greatest reward, for an educator, is to see our students’ growth.

Meanwhile, our young sports and music talents shone in interschool competitions obtaining nearly 130 prizes. What students have learned on the sports ground and the stage are invaluable. From the very vigorous and persistent training to turning stress into motivation, success is never about luck but hard work. A senior form student once shared with me that he had to spend at least 2 hours on practices every day amid his hectic schedule, with his increasing workload for the HKDSE was approaching. To strike a balance between studies and personal pursuit, time management and self-discipline are the key. These qualities are to be cherished and further nurtured.

As for teachers, we have organised in total 11 open classes, coupled with ample inter as well as intra-departmental dialogues, for professional exchange and development. The scale is, once again, unprecedented. From lesson planning, class delivery to after class debriefing sessions, teachers were highly engaged. With them playing an active role in lesson demonstration, not only do we enhance learning and teaching effectiveness as a whole, but establish a learning community where teachers inspire each other, joining hands to provide quality education to students.

Looking ahead, what we need to further strengthen among Wong Tai Shan students is probably their resilience and the first step is to realise the importance of acknowledging imperfection and focusing on improvement. Failures could teach us life-changing lessons, and we make progress by refining what we do, avoiding the same mistakes, and becoming a little wiser. While aiming at success, let us also make the best of the setbacks that toughen us up.

With technology advancing at light speed, what can truly stand the test of time is human values and our mentality to embrace changes, which members of Wong Tai Shan for sure possess. Salute to my team for their all-out effort in creating precious learning opportunities and success experiences for students! Let’s kick off a new school year with buoyant smiles!

Message from the Principal

September 2022

I am delighted to share with you the School’s achievements and event highlights, to mark an end of this academic year and a beginning of a new stage ahead.

Wong Tai Shan students are multitalented and they have shone in interschool competitions. We have won champion titles in the HKSSF Inter-school Athletics Competition, Speech Festival, music and STEM-related competitions, and more (kindly refer to the list of awards in this Newsletter). The joy and sense of achievement gained from victory give us motivation to aim higher, and the pride goes far beyond winning. It is the lessons we learnt, the hardship we endured, the difficulties we overcame and the teamwork we built that counted the most.

The diverse provision of activities and visits organised by subject departments and administrative sections, amid the changing pandemic situation, has further promoted the fact that meaningful learning happens both inside and outside of the classroom. Our students enjoy coming to school and participating in all programmes as part of their colourful school life. Their quest for knowledge and curiosity about the world are further nurtured.

Whereas for everyday learning, forming good habits and setting achievable targets are still the core matter. With pre-lesson preparation, teachers co-construct knowledge with students who contribute equally in the learning process, thus further enhancing learning and teaching effectiveness. We will continue to promote the reading atmosphere, encouraging students to read extensively and using reading as a means to cultivate positivity and good virtues. While there is only one student who can rank the first, all learners are capable of making progress. Academic success will be the ultimate harvest of diligence and perseverance coupled with effective learning strategies. Let us set new goals and achieve them with our all-out effort.

Students, I am ready for the new challenges ahead. Are you?

Message from the Principal

September 2021

Welcome and welcome back! I’m glad to see your smiling and cheerful faces again and I hope everyone is refreshed and reenergised.

In the last academic year, teachers and I spent time on reviewing learning and teaching practices from multiple perspectives from curriculum design to assessment, planning and getting ready for upcoming changes. In the process, there were meaningful, constructive discussions as well as professional exchanges. I am impressed and strongly feel the positive vibe. We have a shared vision: We all believe that our students can learn better and deserve more!

Our timetable has been adjusted, with a short break given to students after every two lessons so that they can better absorb and digest the learning content and enhance their attentiveness in lessons. In terms of knowledge acquisition, the sky’s the limit and that is why reading plays an indispensable role. We have our junior form reading lessons refined. Through reading, we aim at deepening students’ subject knowledge, broadening their horizons and at the same time, letting our students taste the pleasure and enjoyment of reading in the hope that finally they will be inspired and discover the world of knowledge, which is without boundaries.

As for everyday routines, we try to accommodate the various needs of students with simple, yet effective measures. The components of assessments have been adjusted with an increased weighting for formative marks in order to further echo our objective of ‘Assessments for Learning’. In other words, we appreciate and value students’ daily effort in the process of learning and the progress they make. To better balance students’ workload, we have devised policies regarding homework and quiz collaboration, revision week and study day before uniform assessments, where students are not overloaded and have the space to consolidate what they have learnt. With a spiral curriculum design, our students’ learning will be strengthened and deepened in a gradual manner. To systematically reinforce what our students have learnt, subjects’ assessment coverage has been adjusted, with prior subject knowledge being another focus of assessment, on top of the current curriculum content.

Amid COVID-19, our school year commenced with a half-day mode. I have to take this opportunity to convey my sincerest thanks to all staff for their positive response to the vaccination programme. I encourage eligible students with suitable health conditions to get vaccinated so that soon we can resume full-day school, embracing the vibrancy and colourful school life we used to have.

Lastly, as what I have shared in the latest Newsletter, the ‘ever-learning; ever-growing’ spirit has been ingrained in our hearts. Let’s set new targets, make an effort, yet most importantly, brave our setbacks in times of frustration. Remember to stand up from where we fall and eventually we are all a step closer to success.

I wish you all a fulfilling and rewarding academic year ahead!

Message from the Principal

September 2020

Welcome to Wong Tai Shan Memorial College and I would also like to congratulate our Form 1 new comers for you have made a right choice to embark your new journey in Wong Tai Shan. This year we have a very special school commencement, without a ceremony, but a speech broadcast followed by an online class period.

First of all, may I take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Ms Chiu, the new principal. I am more than happy to join the Wong Tai Shan family, and I must convey my sincere gratitude to our school supervisor and the sponsoring body for their trust in me in leading the school for future development. Over the summer, I’ve been meeting our teachers, having meaningful and constructive exchange of views and ideas on how to shape the school as a place where everyone can fulfil their dreams and develop his or her potential to the fullest. I’m proud to say that our staff, from janitors to senior school administrators, are professional, responsible, cooperative and responsive to changes. Most importantly, we have a team of devoted teachers who nurture students with their passion and dedication. They are all precious assets of our school.

The quality of learning and teaching is our priority task. To be effective teachers and learners, we should equip ourselves with respective strategies and skills. At school level, timely review has been done based on our assessment results and during our meetings, we have placed our focus on bettering our subject curriculum and content, teaching methodologies and lesson delivery, as well as assignment and assessment policies etc. We emphasize the importance of pre-lesson preparation where teachers design differentiated pre-lesson tasks catering for the needs of students of various abilities. By doing so, students will play an active role in the learning process and develop a sense of ownership for what they acquire. Subject-based skills on note-taking, knowledge consolidation, application and integration are advocated to help our students develop and embrace good lifelong learning habits. Our effort has paid off with, once again, encouraging HKDSE results, our best achievers obtained four Level 5** and two 5* and nearly all subjects have their credit rate, that is Level 4 to Level 5**, higher than that of the Hong Kong average.

Amid the covid-19 pandemic, face-to-face learning and teaching activities have been severely impeded and we all have to resort to an online mode. Admittedly, it is one of the biggest challenges that professionals in the education field have to face, yet, we have all discovered another world of schooling which re-defines what learning is all about. To safeguard our students’ health, teachers in our school have taken prompt actions, making collaborative effort in switching to online classes, rendering assistance to one another in the process, upgrading ourselves with IT skills which facilitate home learning and introducing a mobile device loan service for students in need. With our concerted effort, we endeavour to speed up our BYOD scheme and offer you a fruitful year ahead.

We see every hurdle in life as an opportunity to learn. In view of this, we have introduced ‘Positive Education’ as one of our 3-year major concerns. Through programmes, workshops and everyday encounters, we hope to build on the character strengths of our students and strengthen their resilience as well as adaptive capacity. All these are essential elements for students to overcome adversities and strive for future success as well as a fulfilling life.

校長的話

歡迎來到黃棣珊紀念中學。藉此機會，我想祝賀我們的中一新生，選擇黃棣珊為你們展開人生新一頁的地方。今年有着不一樣的開學，沒有開學禮，只有演講廣播及其後的網上班主任節。

首先，讓我介紹自己，我是趙校長，很高興加入黃棣珊這個大家庭。藉此機會，我衷心感謝校監及辦學團體對我的信任，給予機會帶領學校未來的發展。在剛過去的暑假，我約見了不少老師，在如何將黃棣珊塑造成為一所每一位同學也可以實現夢想和發揮潛能的學校，有着透徹的交流。在面談過程中，我發現，不論是學校工友以及高層行政人員，他們都專業、盡責、合作及具應變能力。更重要的是，黃棣珊擁有用心教學的專業老師團隊，以幹勁及熱誠培育下一代。這實是黃棣珊紀念中學的驕傲。

我們都將學與教的質素放在首位。要提高學與教的成效，老師和同學都需要有相應的技巧及策略。在學校層面，我們善用評估數據以檢視學與教的效能。於會議，討論的焦點都放在如何優化及完善課程內容、學與教的技巧、家課及評核政策等等。學校亦強調課前預習的重要性，老師們透過設計不同形式及程度的預習課業，處理同學學習多樣性，並提升學習趣味。透過此舉，同學在整個學習過程中扮演着舉足輕重的角色。為培養同學終身學習的素養，我們致力提倡科本筆記摘錄技巧，學習過程重視知識的建構、鞏固、運用及綜合的能力，以培養同學終身學習的素質。我們今年度文憑試的成績亦令人滿意，成績最好的同學考獲四個5**及兩個5*，而絕大部份科目的優良率亦高於全港平均。

疫情對學與教的衝擊尤其嚴峻，面對面的授課亦轉為網上學習。無可否認，這是教育界的一大挑戰。然而，我們亦把教育帶到另外一個境地，重新定義何謂學習。為守護同學健康，老師們反應迅速，發揮互相協作及互相幫忙的精神，在短時間內，將面授課程調節為網上教授。為保障在家的學與教效能，我們安排了一連串的工作坊讓老師們能有效運用資訊科技提升網課質素。同時，我們亦為有需要的同學提供平板電腦借用服務。學校將群策群力，加快自攜裝置進度，給同學提供優質的學與教條件。

我們深信，每一個難關都是一個學習的好機會。故此，學校引入正向教育並將之納入三年計劃的重點項目之一。透過不同的活動、工作坊及日常生活小事情，我們期望培養同學良好的品格，提升抗逆能力及適應力。我們相信這些對同學將來面對困難，追求卓越人生，尤其重要。

我們有一個共同願景，希望黃棣珊可以成為一所成就每一位同學的地方。在不久的將來，我們學校見！

二零二零年九月一日