DC Staff Update
7 June 2015
I'm grateful this week for...
Just how prepared our Y13 students are for the next stage of their life journey. Listening to their speeches last week; talking with them about their destinations, hopes and dreams; seeing how mature they are, I can't but be so impressed with the work that all of you have done with getting them to this point. There were highs and lows (as expected) and such an enormous amount of hard work, however, we can be justifiably proud of this year's graduates. Thank you everyone.
Staffing update
I'm very sorry to announce that we are losing Ariel Fu, who has given notice to leave at the end of this term. This leaves us with an MYP/DP Maths position to fill. The job was advertised last week and will close next Sunday 14 June. Please point any potential candidates to either me or the DC web site for information and instructions on how to apply.
On a brighter note, we received a surprisingly large field of applicants for the MYP Science/DP Biology position. In the end we appointed Jonny Tate, an experienced IB science teacher from Canadian International School in HK.
On a brighter note, we received a surprisingly large field of applicants for the MYP Science/DP Biology position. In the end we appointed Jonny Tate, an experienced IB science teacher from Canadian International School in HK.
2015-16 Calendar
You should have all recieved a link to the googledoc 2015-16 DC Calendar. This will be open until the end of the week for you to have a look and get back to me with any conflicts, omissions or just general comments. You can do that by either emailing me or making a comment on the calendar itself. Thanks to the half a dozen or so people who have already responded.
Sports, Community Engagement and CCAs
Over the next week you will be asked to nominate what Sport/CCA or Community Engagement activities you would like to take next year. Please keep in mind that, as per every year, there is a huge need for sports coaches. We have large numbers of students wanting to play Cobra sports, so please consider this prior to the form being sent out to complete.
Please read the warning!
Ewan, Chloe, Jacob, Nicole, Victoria, Sabrina completed a Y11 collaborative arts project based on the topic of Transitions. As Chloe explains, "We decided to explore transitions through emotion. To do so, we made a video of a collection of clips that we though best provoked the emotions of disgust, cringe, happiness, sadness, and fear. We then gathered students and teachers within DC and showed them this video inside of a box that we made for immersion. Our aim was to capture different emotions and the transitions between each. This was displayed through a photo exhibit in the foyer as well as through our video. We thought this would be the best way to portray the process of natural emotion, as at often times when watching a video, people react without being aware. Those who had participated were also able to experience the feeling of "transition" whilst watching the video. Hope you enjoy it as much as our year group did! (Warning, some scenes may be graphic)​."
Please note that there are some clips used in the video to provoke reactions that some people may find upsetting, so please be aware of this if you want to view the video by clicking HERE.
Please note that there are some clips used in the video to provoke reactions that some people may find upsetting, so please be aware of this if you want to view the video by clicking HERE.
Support for IB Workshop Leaders and Visiting Teams
CLT has revised the PD policy to increase the days supported for IB Workshop Leaders and Visiting Team Members from four to five school days per contract. With so many DC staff approved as IB consultants, being able to support this important work while at the same time making sure that PD funding is available to everyone, is a delicate balance. Hopefully this small increase may make things a little easier for some, without impacting negatively on others.
Another IB milestone
Congratulations to Michael Fraser, who has been invited by the IB to Singapore next January to assist with authoring the Design Technology papers for November 2017. This is a well-deserved accolade for Michael and further helps to cement DC's reputation within the IB.
Congratulations Maura
Maura Corcoran has co-written a paper that has just been highly commended by the Emerald Insight Journal. The paper is entitled Keeping ahead of the curve: Academic librarians and continuing professional development in Ireland. Well done Maura - it's great to see staff contributing like this. You can read the full article by clicking HERE.
end of year staff party
We are up to 100 staff for next Friday's End-Of-Year Party. The organisers will still take money and numbers until end of school day Monday, so if you are still thinking of coming, be a risk-taker and come discover a new area of Hong Kong, learn some history, follow some local customs…
Remember, you don't need a PASSPORT ...Tsuen Wan is a mere 27 minutes from DB by taxi, and is both cheaper and quicker than a ferry to Central.
Remember, you don't need a PASSPORT ...Tsuen Wan is a mere 27 minutes from DB by taxi, and is both cheaper and quicker than a ferry to Central.
This week
This week sees the start of a host of Primary Class Parent Rep end-of-year parties, as well as our own Staff Party on Friday night. Andy, Chris and I will be attending the Primary/Secondary and ComPrin meeting at ESF on Thursday.