保良局李城璧中學秉承保良局的辦學宗旨，以「愛敬勤誠」為校訓。我們期望每一個李城璧學生，都能在學校、老師以至朋輩的關愛下成長；並相信他們能學懂以尊敬及仁愛之心對待別人。我們期望同學能敬愛長輩，做事認真，敬業而且樂群。我們期望同學能勤奮上進，善用餘暇，做有意義的事。同時，人貴乎坦誠，我們希望同學能以誠待人， 不自欺，不欺人，亦不欺天；本著至誠態度，待人處事，並承擔責任。
李城璧中學的辦學信念是「所有孩子都能夠學習」，不管孩子來自哪一個地區，哪一個家庭，他在李城璧中學都享有充足的學習機會及接受啓導。我們也相信，孩子們可以「在實踐中追求進步」，透過主動嘗試，不斷實踐；配合學校的資源和老師的指導；孩子們能享受學習進程，更能超越自己、不斷進步。
李城璧中學的辦學方針是「德智體群美五育並重」，希望同學在五育均衡發展的同時，能做到兼顧全面的學習及發展的同時，並瞭解自我，發展天賦。即我們期望同學在參與多種活動的過程中，能發掘並發展一己的潛能與特長，使之成為終生不渝的志趣及個人專長。
我們亦相信「教管兼備以促進自律精神」，我們強調「教管兼備」，即教導學生明辨是非真理、明白一應規則之意義的同時，我們亦要求學生遵守紀律及學會為自己的行為承擔責任；我們期望「教管兼備」的模式，最終能令學生養成自律精神，畢業後，能成為自愛自律，明理守法的公民。
在學生的成長教育方面，我們以「尊重與責任，助我創出前途；以禮待人，美化健康人生路」為教育方針。我們期望學生學會尊敬長輩、尊重朋友；勇於承擔個人及社會責任，從而開創璀璨多姿的前途；我們更期望學生能謙恭有禮，善於與人相處，從而為個人成長，學業和前途，開創一條康莊的人生大道，並成為社會楝樑！
校長的話
The school motto “Love, Respect, Diligence, Integrity” of Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College is in line with the Kuk’s objectives in delivering its educational services in Hong Kong. It is our expectation that every student at Lee Shing Pik College will be able to grow under the love and care of the teachers, staff and peers. We believe that they will learn to treat others with kindness and respect. We hope students can respect their elders, be hardworking, responsible and devote themselves to meaningful activities in their leisure time throughout their formative years. There is nothing more important than integrity. It is our hope that our students can treat others with sincerity, be truthful and honest with others and themselves in whatever they endeavor throughout their lives.
It is our belief that “every child can learn”. No matter where and what kind of family a student comes from, he or she will have ample opportunities to learn and be inspired in Lee Shing Pik College. We also believe that children “learn by doing”. Students can learn best and improve themselves through experiential learning activities with the support of school resources and the guidance of teachers; they would become more willing to take the initiative to try out new ideas and to embrace challenges.
In Lee Shing Pik College, we place strong emphasis on the balanced development of all five educational virtues. It is our vision that through the participation in various activities, our students will be well developed morally, intellectually, physically, socially, aesthetically and be able to realize their full potential. We hope that various qualities and talents they have developed in school will become their unique assets and make them stand out from the rest.
We also believe that “coaching complemented with discipline” is the best way to develop students’ self-discipline. Students have to learn to tell right from wrong and understand the rationales behind rules. At the same time, they have to comply with the regulations and bear responsibilities for their own behaviour. We hope that our students will be brought up to be law-abiding citizens with a sense of self-respect and self-discipline.
For the personal growth of the students, teaching students the importance of “respect and responsibility” is our fundamental principle. We believe strongly that those who succeed in life are people who are willing to take on responsibilities and can show respect for their peers and elders. It is our goal to nurture our students to become humble and courteous individuals equipped with social and leadership skills, who can achieve excellence in life and make outstanding contributions to the community.
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
2nd September 2019
Good morning and welcome back, my dear students! Normally, I would start my opening speech by asking you if you had rested well and had spent your Summer holiday wisely, but 2019 summer is not ordinary in any right; in fact, in the view of many, this summer would probably leave with you something that you will be sharing with your children or even grandchildren in the future. If I avoid talking to you about it today, it would be like turning a blind eye on an elephant in the room; but have you not heard enough and seen enough of all the upheaval in the society? Maybe you were present or even witnessed some of the turmoil in your very close community. To have experienced that, you may feel lonely and helpless as the adults you have trusted most and respected most have suddenly stopped supporting your ideals… and so on..
Now, as the new school year begins, your teachers and I would like to create the school as a platform to hear from you, in particular, if you feel that you are under a lot of stress or feel despair, do not be afraid to let out your thoughts to your teachers. But you need to bear one very important guideline in mind when you are expressing yourself in any forms: Please ask yourself if you had been sensitive to the feelings of others. We enjoy our freedom in expression but that is certainly not a justification for your hurting others’ feelings, agitating grievances, imposing threats or fears in others or affronting, insulting or humiliating anyone, and so on….
Before my resuming to the regular content in my opening ceremony speeches, I would like share with you the opinions of a famous journalist, the former editor of Ming Pao, Mr. Kevin Lau Chun-To, who was brutally attacked for apparently no reason except for what he had done in his capacity of a journalist. In an interview, he was asked of his opinions on the current social unrest. He said,
“Do not let hatred grow, I condemn all kinds of violence…I had the highest respect for humanity..…
For the Authority, I would like to say that young people can’t be our enemy, if they have violated the law, arrest them, prosecute them! But don’t take away their civil rights as humans and you certainly cannot take away their dignity as humans, it is a wrongful act to label them as cockroaches and trying to exterminate them!
Unvaryingly, as for the young people, the valiant frontier, they can persist in perusing their course, their claims and their ideals. They have the right to persist and to fight for justice and to resist fate…. But they should never let hatred sew its roots in their hearts. Do not let your anger overshadow your reasons, your clarity. When you expose yourself in violence, one of the consequences is to become a victim yourself; such damage causes scars on your body as well as your mind. Violence would only bring on more violence and would never solve any conflicts. The power of influence and appeal of civil disobedience was never a direct result of any acts of violence; but from noble, courageous, selfless and non-violent acts of sacrifices……”
He would not have admitted to the fact that he had said the above words if he was present today, do you know why? It’s because he had said the above in Chinese and I had taken the liberty in translating it into English for you today.
If I had one advice to you, my students, it would be to advise to make a pledge to put in your utmost effort in learning English and to make it one of your top priorities. As English is the only, truly, international language; if you are not comfortable or capable in using it, you would miss out many precious opportunities to comprehend any news reports from all around the world. It would undoubtedly restrict yourself to the local or Chinese dominated media! The only way to read and understand the truth is through extensive reading from many different sources. So pay an extra effort in learning and using English as from today. You wouldn’t know how it would help you in the future.
Moving on to the normal parts of my speech, I am glad to share with you that during the summer holiday, we had received some very good news; our graduates of the year 2018 had managed to score a record-breaking 40.8% of candidates gaining Level 4 or above and 96.8% of level 2 or above in their HKDSE, resulting in another record-breaking JUPAS offer rate of nearly 70%. I tell you this is not to boost about or to feed any ego; I tell you this because we need to show gratitude and be grateful of our very favorable learning environment that is carefully constructed by all faculty members. They have successfully provided you with a drive to go to a higher plane. Success would only come from failure if you are reflective and committed to refining your practices. I wish this drive would sustain in our school.
This year marks the first year of our school’s development cycle from 2019 to 2022. All teachers have reached a consensus on our two major concerns; one of them is to promote active learning amongst students; and the other is to strengthen our values education programs. It is our agreed goals to see students in playing a more active role in their learning and to nurture more positive values and upright qualities in students.
We would continue our effort in bringing you an eventful and meaningful education through organizing various Life Wide Learning activities as such the school based F.4 Seoul Study Tour. The teachers’ devotion in enhancing leadership skills training for students has also taken on a new page: In order to create more posts and positions for students, we have expanded the number of Clubs and Societies and CCA bodies; and had also introduced a new team of student leaders, that is, our guidance prefect team. The team is set up to serve the needs of our new F1 students and to assist and guide them in their smooth transformation from a primary student and becoming a secondary student. All these are concerted effort of each and every one of our faculty members. So, thank you teachers!
There will be some special assemblies arranged in view of the current social issue with the main focus of counselling and providing an elegant platform for you to express your fears and hopes.
Let’s make this 2019/20 a fruitful and meaningful year. Thank you!
Principal’s Speech for the School Opening Ceremony
1st September 2020
Good morning every one, normally, I would start my speech with a heartfelt “welcome” but that phrase is now inappropriate because clearly, you are not “back” yet. In fact, if you have a habit of counting days, 2020 may be a year that you had spent the fewest days in school since you have reached the age of three when you started nursery school. As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has quickly grown into a global pandemic, schools and universities across the world have hastened to curb its spread by transitioning to online classes. The transition has caught every one off guard at the beginning. But all faculty members and supporting staff here have worked together to create a Distance Learning Plan which could best preserve our school’s spirit, values, and commitment to exceptional education. But even with the school’s best planning, nothing would work unless all students are willing to take responsibilities of their own learning.
My dear students, have you developed a strange tinge of eagerness and preference for school or have you fully adapted to the whole “Learn at Home” lifestyle?? Just like all other facets in life, some people would always prevail and some would fall farther behind, have you ever wondered why? In my opinion, those of us who are Passionate about their work responsibility, and also, those who are blessed with a tremendous Will Power to Execute and those who have a higher regard of their reputation would often excel no matter what life has decided to throw at them. As some local historians predict Hong Kong is now facing the greatest challenge since the 2nd World War. The reality is there’s no room nor tolerance for us to put in anything less than our greatest effort in all of our deeds, not ever, especially not now!
Just like you, I also felt that I have spent more time at home than ever this summer as many meetings, functions, gatherings, overseas trips, beach side or pool side events to enjoy the sunshine and lovely weather… were regretfully canceled; I had given in to a common past time, that was to indulge myself into the world of Korean TV drama. A drama series that I would like to share with you is called, “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” The series tells an unusual romance story between two people who end up healing each other’s emotional and psychological wounds. The main character is an orphaned caregiver working at OK Psychiatric Hospital. While empathetic to everyone around him, he struggles to give himself love as a result of his past experiences in life and avoids having close relationships with anyone other than his older brother who is autistic. Because of his brother’s conditions, he has given him the greatest compassion and patience that anyone can have for an elder brother. It was of course a story with a happy ending; the young lovers finding their true love and the slightly disadvantaged older brother became independent and building his own successfully career!
What made me enjoyed the show is the fact that everyone has problems in life and how people deal with their issues really make much difference. And what I also find interesting was how it shines a light on mental health and depression that it’s okay to be atypical and special. What makes me happy about the story was it showed how we should treat people around us who are different to us! And I would like such inclusiveness can be cultured in our school as well. It is through the selfless acts of some that enables others to flourish and shine. Unfortunately, I can’t really see that such atmosphere developed in our school, let alone our society. The only way to stop brutality is start from oneself. All kinds of violence and injustice originates from selfishness.
If you are not satisfied with a system or political regime, ask yourself, how would you done differently? Do you have the same weaknesses or vice that you are accusing others of? Can your rudeness or violent acts really bring an effective change to the current situation? These are the questions I would like to leave with you.
It has come to my attention that, there are occasionally reports of students having been bullied by others in school. Bullying is usually defined as repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically, and is often aimed at certain people because of their characteristics, race, religion, gender or any other aspect such as appearance or disability. You may not be aware of the impact of your occasional mean comments against a classmate on Instagram or an isolation of a certain classmate in group work may have caused. The truth is, you may have already destroyed their confidence and self-esteem, you may have even caused them tremendous pressure and sadness in those who are vulnerable. To address this issue, the school will launch a “Positive Education” program this year, with a large focus on F.1 students. They will learn more about positive psychology through music therapy, art therapy and mindfulness practices; we will even construct a “Wellness Hub” in the covered playground at the new wing. Let’s us work together for a more harmonious and caring campus for all that resembles the fairytale like environment that the Korean TV drama portrayed.
By the time, when you resume lessons on campus, you will find a very suave and stylish newly renovated front entrance foyer, and partitions being erected around our covered playgrounds. Unfortunately, the school hall would probably still be messy as it will undergo yet another round of renovation. All the work is done in preparation of our forth coming 40th Anniversary Celebration to be held in the school year of 2021/22. I wish all your achievements can be celebrated at this very joyous occasion.
I am glad to share with you that, during the summer holiday, our own JA Company, the Creator had swept 7 major prizes, in the final stage of the JA Company Program 2020: including champion for the Grand prize of Best Company and Best Products and Services. This is the highest recognition of our students’ talents and perseverance as they were up against contestants from famous local and international schools. Their success should serve as a reminder to all of us that we are second best to none if we put our utmost in our endeavor. Let us show gratitude and be grateful of our very favorable learning environment that is carefully constructed by all faculty members. They have successfully provided you with a drive to go to a higher plane. Success would only come from failure if you are reflective and committed to refining your practice. I wish this drive would sustain in our school. Let us thrive and shine through these challenging times
This year marks the second year of our school’s development cycle. All teachers have reached consensus on our two major concerns; one of them is to promote active learning amongst students; and the other is to strengthen our values education. It is our agreed goal to see students to play a more active role in their learning and to nurture a more positive values and upright qualities in students. We would continue our effort in bringing you an eventful and meaningful education through organizing various Life Wide Learning activities as such the school based F4 Seoul Study Tour, though we are not sure on when we can go. Our guidance prefect team will continue to serve our new F1 students and to assist and guide them in their smooth transformation from a primary student and becoming a secondary student. All these are concerted effort of each and every one of our faculty members. So, thank you teachers!
There will be some Form Teachers period to facilitate your smooth adaption to a new form of learning, to learn at home.
Let’s make this 2020/21 a fruitful and meaningful year. Thank you
The Principal’s Opening Speech for the Sendai Nika Junior and Senior High School visit on 21st February 2019
Mr. ABE KAZUHIKO, the Vice principal
Ms. OHASHI MICHIKO, the Chief of the Grade Senior 3
Fellow teachers and students from Sendai Nika Junior and Senior High School
Colleagues and students
Good morning, it is an honour and privilege for me to welcome you all, Luckily the weather is on our side today! The sun and I are pleased to offer you a warm welcome. Today marks a very special day in the history of our school for several reasons. It is the first time that we have greeted a convoy of this scale, we are happily receiving 10 teachers and 103 students! It is also the very first time we have greeted visitors from Japan. I am delighted to welcome you to Hong Kong, and thank you choosing our region as your end of school trip’s destination; I hope you are enjoying your stay in our wonderful city as a unique intersection between eastern and western cultures.
Let me tell you a bit more about our school; Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College was founded in 1982, we are situated in Tsuen Wan, located in the west of Hong Kong and it is an important hub for our public transport system as it serves as an interception for various mass transit rails and systems. Our district is mainly residential with some light industrial and commercial activities; if you have time, you should take a walk in the city centre where you will find many delicious local delicacy and snacks too. I would also like you to learn more about another gem of Tsuen Wan, that is our school! This school was established in 1982 by one of the largest charities of Hong Kong, the Po Leung Kuk is a Non-government organization which has served the Hong Kong community. We currently operate a total of more than 300 service units including educational, social, recreational and cultural units; serving over 100,000 users! Today, you are visiting one of the 17 secondary schools that the Po Leung Kuk operates! We have a total of 714 students, 80 teaching and other staff. I am the forth principal of the school and I have started my principalship since September 2017. Our school is dedicated in providing a well-balanced curriculum to our students; apart from Chinese, English, Mathematics and Liberal studies, our school offer a wide range of elective and technical subjects which ensure a broad and comprehensive knowledge and skill base for their further studies after graduation. We are also very proud of our students; achievement in western folk dance aesthetic, artistic, social and voluntary service, offshore cultural exchange and sports domains. Our school’s campus TV crew is also very professional in making internal television broadcasting and editing every day.
I am delighted to tell you that all of our F5 students, who should be 1-year senior to you in terms of academic progress, will be accompanying you during your stay with us this morning. Please open up yourselves and try to make friends with them; I am sure they are helpful and are full of eagerness in meeting you. You are also arranged to taste some of our lessons this morning, please try your best to participate and immerse into our everyday school life.
I would like to conclude by thanking the JTB, the teachers and students of Sendai Nika Junior and Senior High School and also teachers and students of our school for your effort in making today’s program a success. I am very happy to see that you have got out there, traveled abroad, saw new things, experienced new people, new food and new culture. I am sure that this would help you to grow and be your best self. I wish you all a very successful exchange this morning and assure you of the full support of myself, my colleagues and students.
Thank you.
日本城縣仙臺二華中學到訪(阿部壹彥副校長演說)
Mr. ABE KAZUHIKO
Vice Principal
Sendai Nika Junior and Senior High School
大家好!
我是日本宮城縣仙臺二華中學的 阿部壹彥。
非常感謝貴校的校長和各位老師們，今天給我們和貴校的學生交流的機會。
我們學校9年前作為宮城縣立的初高中壹貫制學校成立。從這個意義上來說我們是比較新的學校，但是，學校的前身是宮城縣第二女子高中有110年歷史的傳統學校。如此擁有兩種身份的本校，現在是擁有300名初中生，700名高中生，壹共1000多名男女在7層教學樓學習的學校。
本校的關鍵詞是讓學生從“被動的上課”轉變為“自主的上課”，教學目標是在每壹個學生身上播下壹輩子持續學習的力量的種子。
還有，珍惜“接觸真實的事物”，提供很多提高自己的心誌的體驗和機遇。通過各種體驗和交流，逐步確立具有自己特色的學校。考慮到這些，今天和貴校的交流是對本校學生來說，非常非常貴重的機會。本校學生壹直衷心期待著在貴校的交流。通過今天的交流，希望兩校的學生成為能夠認同彼此的長處的，共生社會的壹員，也希望今天的交流為他們獲得為世界做貢獻的力量邁出了貴重的壹步。
謝多多關照。
Principal’s Speech for the Opening Ceremony 2018
Good morning. Teachers and students, a very warm welcome to all of you, especially my Form One students. Let me introduce myself to you first, I am your Principal Fung Nga Sze Agnes. This is my second year serving as the principal of this school, it brings me great pleasure to be here today for the opening ceremony for the academic year 2018-19 of Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College. This is the second time that I made a speech as a School Principal; it actually makes me feel excited, even more excited than last year! Like this morning, new students and old students alike greeted me with smiles, and even waving of their hands. With these warm gestures, I feel that this is a warm and friendly school, and I am a warm and friendly person, I feel that I am right at home! From this day onwards, there will be many chances when we shall bump into each other around campus or in various functions. Please feel free to share with me whatever you are thinking or feeling about your studies, your school and so on. Of course, a simple word of greeting, a smile or even a nod would also be taken as a sign of connectedness.
As some of you may have heard it last year already, but I think it is worthwhile for me to share with you again why I wanted to become a teacher many years ago, it is very simple, I wanted to make a difference. I want to change the world and the people around me. Like my own teachers who inspired me when I was at school, I wanted all my students to become not only knowledgeable but also dedicated, compassionate, wise, humorous, liberal, imaginative, balanced, reflective and thorough. When you become a young person with a career, what people would notice is not your exam grades but the kind of person you are. I am not telling you that your studies were not important (because they were). Rather, I wanted you to see your academic performance as part of a bigger picture, that it is a part of, but not the whole of your whole person development, which is fundamentally more important and long lasting.
If you want to become outstanding in your surroundings, you should start to understand what is professionalism; it is to equip yourself with problem solving skills, communication skills and teamwork spirit in order to survive and stay competitive in the work environment. My dear students, if you are a part of any school team or if you are assigned with any duties or projects, please see them as opportunities to train yourself in becoming a successful person in the future.
While you were enjoying your summer holiday, many teachers and staff were busy preparing for the forth coming school year. As you will soon notice, thanks to the incredible effort of our teachers and janitors, the floor tiles on the 3rd floor as well as all the interior walls of the school premises have all been renovated. I hope you would appreciate their hard work in bringing the school into a more desirable and accommodating place.
Have you spent your summer holiday wisely and meaningfully? I have to tell you, I did. As many of you know, together with Ms. Koo, and Mr Ng, I have participated with 10 students in the school trip to Kenya, in east Africa. It was truly a memorable experience for me, and I hope the students have learnt and grown from the trip too. I can’t wait for their interesting sharing with you soon! Other trips held during the summer included the one to Singapore and many other local activities which are also very impressive, such as the Form 1 orientation parents’ talk, the PLK flag day, Form 1 orientation program; Form 4 student leaders participating in a free movie treat last weekend; all these activities had certainly brought colours to our summer break!
Our 2018 HKDSE results has improved significantly, with an overall passing rate of 94.3%. in particular, we saw a record high passing rate of 99.2% and 97.7% in English language and Chinese language. 3 subjects obtained 100% rate as well. So, well done everyone. The percentage of students gaining the 3322 benchmark for university entrance has increased from 38.2% to 53.8%; and the percentage of students gaining a JUPAS offer has increased from 44.7% to 58.3%; this is very encouraging and I hope our F6 students could be inspired and motivated by the success of their predecessors. Remember, your teachers are here to help you get through your upcoming challenges.
The most outstanding highflyer, 何耀昇 achieved 2 level 5* and 3 level 5, he will study Engineering at HKU; closely followed by 梁綺珊 achieving 1 Level 5** and 3 level 5, she will study Business and Management at the HKUST; and 蕭哲謙achieving 2 Level 5* and 2 level 5 who will study Science at HKU.
Highlights of the coming month include the F4 Beijing Study Tour being sponsored by our sponsoring body, the Po Leung Kuk. A total of nearly 130 teachers and students of our school will be joined with 3 other PLK schools making a total of 600 people visiting Beijing from 16 to 20 of September. In addition, our football team, together with teams from other PLK affiliated schools will enter a tournament in Panyu with teams from Taiwan, Guangdong and Macau.
This year would be the third year of our school’s 3-year School Development Plan, we have two major concerns throughout these three years. One of them is about the promotion of Careers and Life Planning education for both teachers and students; and the other one is to promote English learning further through collaboration among different subjects in the junior secondary levels
As what I always share with teachers and students, Career and Life Planning is an important aspect and we should start planning as soon as possible. As a student, Career and Life Planning is a process of career decision making, from understanding oneself to developing, researching, followed by connecting oneself to exploration of study or training opportunities. All students can plan ahead better for their future and goals they want to actualize in life. As a result of our effort, I am pleased to share with that our JUPAS offer rate for the 2018 graduates has hit a record breaking rate of 58% compared with 44.7% in 2017.
Apart from this, enhancing students’ language proficiency is always our goal. With good command of language, we could learn a lot of knowledge from reading and communicating with others. Over these years, our school has been introducing a lot of measures to enhance the English Language proficiency for our students. For the following three academic years, our school has an intention of collaborating different subject groups to introduce some interesting and innovative measures for you to learn the subject content on the one hand; and polish your English proficiency on the other.
Apart from these two major concerns, we also intend to strengthen the scientific and technological development in school. It is our belief that we should do something more on science and technology in order to equip our students with all the 21st century work-ready skills. We hope that students could be nurtured to be creative, innovative, far-sighted and persistent in problem solving. These are the qualities people need in the 21st century. We hope that we could help develop our students towards these aspects. Hope you all enjoy your life in our school.
Teachers are sometimes referred as ‘gardeners’ as it is their job to help you develop and grow into the best that nature has installed in you. I hope that you could cooperate well with our 1 and let them help you to shine and grow during your years in school.
Finally, I have to share with you quote of one of my teenage idol, Madonna, she said, “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always become a better version of yourself.”
We all are a continual work in progress, so we can’t beat ourselves up for not being where we want to be in this very moment. It takes hard work, dedication, and serious soul-searching to become the best versions of ourselves, but we can always keep striving for better. We can always rise above our self-imposed limits and accept more than mediocrity. In no matter what you are doing, if you haven’t given up yet, then you should be extremely proud of yourself. No one promises us that life is a piece of cake, and it takes a true warrior to see it through to the end.
“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” ― a phrase so beautifully put by Dr. Brené Brown, a social scientist who is being sought after by millions of followers on Youtube.
Welcome back, my dear students, next time, when you pick up your mobile phone to check onto your favorite social media or online game, can you please remember that your competitors in life may be using their time more wisely and therefore will always be ahead of you. Let’s make it a good start!
Make this a rewarding and fruitful year by making the right Choice, take the Chance and make the Change you want in your life!
Thank you very much.
Principal’s Speech for the Opening Ceremony 2017
Good morning. Teachers and students, I am your new Principal Fung Nga Sze Agnes. It brings me great pleasure to be here today for the opening ceremony for the academic year 2017-18 of Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College. This is the first time that I made a speech as a School Principal; it actually makes me feel excited and slightly nervous. I feel excited because I am deeply honoured to serve as the fourth Principal of this school of 35 years. This school feels both familiar and strange to me as I have served in another Po Leung Kuk school for the last 20 years. While you were enjoying your summer holiday, I have participated in several activities in this school already, such as the Form 1 orientation parents’ talk, PLK flag day, Form 1 orientation program; I was greeted by students and staff with smiles, and even waving of their hands. With these warm gestures, I feel that this is a warm and friendly school, and I am a warm and friendly person, I feel that I am right at home! From this day onwards, there will be many chances when we shall bump into each other around campus or in various functions. Please feel free to share with me whatever you are thinking or feeling about your studies, your school and so on. Of course, a simple word of greeting, a smile or even a nod would also be taken as a sign of connectedness.
The name ‘ Shing Pik’ has a literal Chinese meaning of ‘Gem of a City’ and indeed it is a gem. Its tranquil campus houses a vibrant community of learners and teachers, and its innovative education model and curriculum design was quite well known in the education sector in Hong Kong. The school’s success is a result of its past Principals, teachers, staff and students. It is my greatest honour to become the fourth Principal of the school and I have the greatest admiration for my predecessor, Mr. Au Yeung who retires as from this year and I wish the best in his retirement life.
If I were to name an experience that has the most profound impact in my life, it would be my boarding school life in the UK during my secondary school years. My school teachers and friends not only opened me up to the wonders of a wide range of human knowledge through what they taught. They also shaped my character through what they were: dedicated, compassionate, wise, humorous, liberal, imaginative, balanced, reflective and thorough. When you become a young person with a career, what people would notice is not your exam grades but the kind of person you are. I am not telling you that your studies were not important (because they are of crucial importance). Rather, I wanted you to see your academic performance as part of a bigger picture, that it is a part of, but not the whole of your whole person development, which is fundamentally more important and long lasting.
After graduating from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University many many years ago, I joined an international accounting firm and started my career as an accountant. But very soon, I lost interest in money, I wanted to affect changes and impact in people, especially, young people’s lives. So I became a teacher who teaches people rather than just teaching contents in textbooks. My experience in the business sector enabled me to look at education from a different angle, as I would also demand my students to understand what professionalism is, and to equip themselves with problem solving skills, communication skills and teamwork spirit in order to survive and stay competitive in the work environment. My dear students, if you are a part of any school team or if you are assigned with any duties or projects, please see them as opportunities to train yourself in becoming a successful person in the future.
In my brief reading of the school’s records, our HKDSE results were satisfactory with an overall passing rate of 92%. 6 subjects obtained 100% rate as well. So, well done everyone! The most outstanding highflyer, 黃悦兒 of 6E achieved 1 level5 ** 2 level 5* and 3 level 4; closely followed by 朱穎芝 achieving 4 level 5* and 2 level 5 and 1 level 4.
Apart from I am impressed with what the school has achieved last year, for instance there were several successful and meaningful study tours held, students have traveled to the Czechs Republic, Hungry, Taiwan, Singapore and the Mainland. These trips have surely broaden your prospective and exposure. Two of our teachers Ms. Lo and Ms. Siu have also represented the school and Hong Kong to participate in an international teachers’ exchange program in Tokyo a few days ago, I urge you to follow their suits and make this coming year a meaningful one, it is up to you to make it worthwhile.
Highlights of the coming month include the F4 Beijing Study Tour being sponsored by our sponsoring body, the Po Leung Kuk. A total of 111 teachers and students of our school will be joined with 4 other PLK schools making a total of 680 people visiting Beijing from 17th to 21st of September. All Form 5 students will participate in an overnight adventure based camp from 8th to 9th in September. The purpose of the camp is to continue the strengthening of team spirit amongst students as well as self-confidence within our F5 students who will face much challenge ahead as they approach the final years of secondary school lives.
This year would be the second year of our school’s 3-year School Development Plan, We have two major concerns throughout these three years. One of them is about the promotion of Careers and Life Planning education for both teachers and students; and the other one is to promote English learning further through collaboration among different subjects in the junior secondary levels
As we all know, Career and Life Planning is an important aspect and we should start planning as soon as possible. As a student, Career and Life Planning is a process of career decision making, from understanding oneself to developing, researching, followed by connecting oneself to exploration of study or training opportunities; this approach would enable students in planning ahead better for their future and actualizing meaningful goals in their lives.
In addition, to enhance students’ language proficiency is always our goal. With good command of language, we could learn a lot of knowledge from reading and communicate effectively with others. Over these years, our school has been introducing a lot of measures to enhance the English Language proficiency for our students. For the following two academic years, our school has an intention of collaborating different subject groups to introduce some interesting and innovative measures for you to learn subject content on the one hand; and polish your English proficiency on the other.
Apart from these two major concerns, we also intend to advance the scientific and technological development in school. It is our belief that we should do something more in science and technology in order to equip our students with all the 21st century work-ready skills. We hope that students could be nurtured to be creative, innovative, far-sighted and persistent in problem solving. These are the qualities people need in the 21st century. We hope that we could help develop our students towards these aspects. Hope you all enjoy your life in our school.
Teachers are sometimes referred as ‘gardeners’ in Chinese, as it is their job to help you develop and grow into the best that nature has installed in you. I hope that you could cooperate well with our teachers and let them help you to shine and grow during your years in school.
Finally, I have to tell you my motto in life, ‘Do yourself justice’; it was actually a phrase handed down to me by my favourite teacher, Mrs. Breward. I remember she would always say this phrase to me instead of saying ‘Good luck’ to me right before each time when I sat any exams or entering any interviews. What she meant was that we should all do our best with our talents and potentials but not to be wasteful of our talents, our gifts or our interests, and everything we have got and especially our precious and limited time on earth. Be fair to yourself; don’t waste anything that you own, because, quite sadly, everything passes away, including your youth.
My dear students, next time, when you pick up your mobile phone to check onto your favorite social media or online game, can you please remember that your competitors in life may be using their time more wisely and therefore will always be ahead of you.
Let’s make today a good start, Let’s be productive and effective!
Make the right Choice, take the Chance and make the Change you want in your life!
Thank you very much.