26th Issue

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PO LEUNG KUK
CHOI KAI YAU SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 26 Oct 2023
IN THIS ISSUE
Kindness in Times of need
PAGE 4
Showing Kindness to Yourself
PAGE 5
CKY Opening Ceremony
PAGE 10
Big Brother Big Sister
PAGE 11
Chinese Field Trip
PAGE 12
Fancy Friday
PAGE 14
Teacher's STEM Workshop
PAGE 15
New Student Orientation
PAGE 16
Year 1 Orientation
PAGE 18
Annual Musical Play
PAGE 20
Study Tours
PAGE 22
And many more

Head Principal’s Words
校 ⻑ 的 話
Kindness to Yourself and Self-Care
There is a certain something that binds our school community together. CKY students, staff
and parents are characterised by the kindness and care they show each other day in, day
out. Small acts of kindness take many forms, from warm words of comfort and
encouragement, to thoughtful and caring gestures. Each of these genuine kindnesses share
a common aim: to put others before ourselves and lift each other up. By showing other
people that we care about them, our kindness has far-reaching benefits on the emotional
wellbeing of everybody. One of the surest ways to happiness is found in serving others. The
kindness that we show spurs others to share their own kindnesses in turn. Our school
theme this year, Let Kindness Blossom, reflects our wish to see kindness grow in the hearts
of all of our children. This year, we hope to see kindness in full bloom by placing this special
quality at the forefront of everything we do.
Cultivating kindness in each of these young hearts
1

Celebrating the medals of some of our Primary athletes!
This edition of the Newsletter focuses on our first sub-theme for the term of
Kindness to Yourself and Self-Care. We should all recognise that to give the best
of ourselves to others, we must also build habits in taking care of ourselves,
physically, mentally and emotionally. In this edition, several of our students and
teachers share their favourite ways of ensuring they are well-balanced and
happier, which enables them to share that sense of positivity and wellbeing with
the people around them. Also featured are some of our new Year 1 and insert
students, and the kindnesses they have been shown since joining the CKY Family,
not least from their class buddy and older role models. As usual, this edition
includes a host of school events and activities, including a few held at the tailend of
last year. From CKY Idol and local tours, to STEM workshops and global sports
competitions, the sheer variety of enrichment found at CKY reflects a school
community full of energy, excitement and vibrancy!
Ms. Jenny Chong
Head Principal
2

Founding Principal’s
Storytime
Our school theme focuses on sharing and spreading kindness
每 逢 周 會 講 故 事 已 經 是 ⼗ 多 年 的
習 慣 了 , 除 了 孩 ⼦ 們 愛 聽 故 事 外 , 也 藉
此 增 進 彼 此 的 溝 通 , 品 德 情 意 的 分 享 和
交 流 , 在 疫 情 的 幾 年 裹 , 我 也 對 着 空 洞
的 禮 堂 說 故 事 , 在 網 絡 上 仍 然 得 以 和 師
⽣ 家 ⻑ 們 保 持 聯 繫 , 是 何 等 的 樂 事 。 學
校 每 學 年 都 有 ⼀ 個 學 習 主 題 , 今 年 的 主
題 是 「 讓 仁 慈 綻 放 」, 我 說 的 故 事 都 盡
量 和 主 題 相 連 , 今 天 更 想 說 ⼀ 個 「⼀ 件
⼩ 事 」 的 故 事 , 故 事 出 ⾃ 我 們 尊 敬 的 魯
迅 先 ⽣, 是 他 坐 ⼈⼒⾞ 的 ⼀ 次 經 歷 ,⾞
夫 對 差 點 給 撞 倒 路 ⼈ 的 負 責 ⾏ 為 , 攙 扶
她 並 陪 同 到 巡 警 分 所 , 魯 迅 先 ⽣ 當 時 是
分 不 認 同 的 , 覺 得 ⾞ 夫 愚 蠢 , 實 在 不 需
要 負 上 責 任 , 但 最 後 ⾞ 夫 仁 慈 的 ⾏ 為 感
動 了 他 , 令 他 慚 愧 , 更 成 為 他 ⼀⽣ 難 忘
的 「⼀ 件 ⼩ 事 」 ! 他 寫 的 ⽂ 章 「⼀ 件
⼩ 事 」 也 ⼀ 直 流 傳 , 近 百 年 來 成 為 學 ⼦
們 必 讀 的 ⼀ 篇 ⽂ 章 。
Telling stories each week at assembly has been a habit of mine
for over ten years. In addition to children’s love of listening to stories,
telling stories also enhances our communication with each other by
sharing moral values and building closer bonds. During the years of the
pandemic, I also faced an empty auditorium. What a joy it was to
tell stories in the auditorium while still keeping in touch with teachers,
students and parents online. The school has a new theme and focus
each academic year. This year's theme is "Let Kindness Blossom."
The stories I share are as relevant to the theme as possible. In this
issue, the story is about "a small thing", and the tale is inspired by an
experience that our respected Mr. Lu Xun ( 魯 迅 ) had while riding a
rickshaw. Although the rickshaw driver almost knocked down a
pedestrian, he acted responsibly by helping her and accompanying her
to the patrol officers. Mr. Lu strongly disagreed with this at the time. He
felt that the driver was foolish and did not need to take such
responsibility. But in the end the rickshaw driver’s kind and selfless
behaviour touched his heart, and made him feel ashamed. This act of
kindness became "a small thing" which he never forgot for the rest of his
life! The article he wrote ‘A Small Thing’, has been circulated widely and
became a must-read article for students during the past century.
Dr. LAU, Siu-Ling
Founding Principal
3

Kindness
In times ! need
Super Typhoon Saola swept through Hong Kong during the first weekend of September and left a trail of
destruction in its wake. The CKY campus was not spared and we are exceedingly grateful to all the janitors,
technicians and security guards who worked throughout the Sunday to ensure our campus was safe and clean
enough to reopen the day after. These teams work tirelessly in the background to help keep everything ticking
at our school, and we appreciate each of them for the kindness and care they bring to their work every day. Thank
you from us all!
超 強 颱 ⾵「 蘇 拉 」 在 九 ⽉ 的 第 ⼀ 個 週 末 橫 掃 ⾹ 港 , 吹 襲 期 間 , 造 成 了 嚴 重 的 破 壞 , 有 些 樹 ⽊ 被 連 根 拔 起 , 我 們
的 校 園 也 未 能 倖 免 。⾮ 常 感 謝 學 校 相 關 部 ⾨ 的 職 員 ( 技 術 ⼈ 員 、 辦 公 室 ⼈ 員 、 保 安 和 清 潔 ⼯⼈ 等 ) 週 ⽇ 到 校 幫 忙 清 理 和
維 修 , 以 確 保 我 們 校 園 的 安 全 和 整 潔 , 以 便 星 期 ⼀ 如 常 開 放 。 這 個 團 隊 不 顧 ⾟ 勞 , 默 默 奉 獻 , 只 為 了 學 校 的 ⼀ 切 正 常
運 轉 , 在 此 , 我 們 感 謝 他 們 每 個 ⼈ 在 ⼯ 作 所 帶 來 的 善 意 , 以 及 對 CKY 社 群 展 示 的 關 懷 之 情 。 感 謝 ⼤ 家 !
4

Kindness to myself
means spending time
with my family and
friends, doing things I
enjoy like playing the
piano, rugby and
gymnastics and baking
cupcakes!
2B Sasha Bogle
Sometimes when I need to take my
mind off stress and anxiety, playing
violin is one of the ways to relax
myself and make me feel better.
Through practising the violin, I
have also learned how to tackle
problems when I play some difficult
songs or challenging techniques.
Most importantly, stay positive at
all times!
3C Abigail Tse
We can show kindness to
anyone, anywhere anytime.
Kindness doesn’t have to be
something big, it can be
something small. Maybe it’s
giving. Maybe it’s helping.
Maybe it’s saying hello and
good morning. Or maybe
reading a book to your little
brother.
3E Hailey Yip
6

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL
CKY OPENING
CEREMONY
A FRESH START TO 2023-24
In the 2023 CKY Opening
Ceremony, Founding Principal Lau told us
about the new topic. This year, we should
let kindness blossom. We should treat
others the way we want them to treat us.
Additionally, we shared ideas of things we
could do as a class to spread kindness
around the school. Head Principal
Chong also told us about goals we should
try to achieve throughout the school year.
5E Ashley Tam & 5E Sophie Tsoi
Every class wrote a promise.
Students placing their kindness
promise onto the display.
Log into your school account and scan
this QR code to watch the opening
ceremony!
10

FUN FRIDAYS ARE BACK!
Primary Section
Fancy
Friday
27TH OCTOBER '23
Get ready for the first Fun Friday
this year and come to school in your
favourite Fancy Dress Costume!
14

THINK
DESIGN
CREATE
Teacher's STEM Workshop
STEM education continues to be a focus for CKY this year, so the school arranged a
STEM training workshop for our teaching staff. Through this workshop, teachers were
able to further develop their skills and knowledge in the planning, designing and
delivering of fun STEM activities. So get excited, because CKY students can look
forward to engaging and hands-on activities this year!
15

NEW STUDENT
ORIENTATION
A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW STUDENTS
At the start of each year, we kindly
welcome several new (also known as insert)
students in different year-levels to our
school community. Below, two of our new
students reflect on their experience of joining
and settling into the CKY Family!
I am really glad to say that these two
weeks have been going very smoothly for
me. Here I’ve been introduced to new
learning methods, which are quite different
to the traditional style used in local schools.
Overall, I am settling into CKY very well.
My schoolmates here are welcoming and
friendly; from the start I thought that I might
not fit into this enormous school community,
but turns out I was wrong. The teachers here
are kind and enthusiastic about teaching their
subjects. Although I am still getting to know
them all, I’m certain they will provide me with
enough support to thrive throughout this
year.
Most of all, I must thank my form tutor,
Ms Shum, for sharing insights with me on the
new school system that I am now becoming
used to. My thanks also to my class buddy,
Aiden, who has been helping me keep track
of my homework and projects and guiding
me on how to finish them. My most favourite
thing about the school so far and let me
clarify myself, is that the food here is
AMAZING!!
“I’ve been introduced to
new learning methods...”
Anyway, for this year I’ll be most looking
forward to getting to know more about
basically everyone in my form group and
making some new friends. I look forward to
studying with you all and will try to fit in better
to my new environment. All the best to
everyone!
8C Clayton Tang
16

Hi everyone, I’m Felice. As the new
academic year begins, I’m absolutely thrilled
to be introducing myself as a new student of
CKY. Transferring to CKY is an exciting
chapter of my life and I’m confident that this
environment will inspire me to reach new
heights and make the best out of myself.
Starting afresh at a new school can be
both exciting and nerve wracking, but as I
entered my classroom, a few classmates
already approached me and introduced
themselves. Now, we are really good friends
and hang out all the time. I'm really thankful
for my classmates for being willing to accept
me as the new student and assist me in
adapting to my new school.
My form tutor, Mr Elliot Wong is also one
of the friendliest people in the school; he
welcomed me into 9D and supported me
when needed. I’m also very grateful to our
IGCSE coordinators for giving me valuable
advice on subject selections.
The insert orientation day arranged a few
days before my official school day was very
warm as well. I’m really glad to be assigned
into 9D; it has potential to become my
favourite class of all time. In the coming days, I
look forward to creating many more
unforgettable memories with my newly made
friends and embarking on this incredible
journey together.
9D Felice Law
“I’m confident that this
environment will inspire me
to reach new heights...”
17

19

Annual Musical Play
I believe everyone has heard of the musical play
in last year’s Annual concert (2023), Peter Pan: The
British Musical. After the cast auditions, I was chosen
to play the role of “Captain Hook”, the ultimate villain of
the play. It was certainly a “tough-but-worthwhile”
process. The cast and I spent the last month of the
academic year preparing for the show. From nine o’clock
in the morning till 6 o’clock in the evening, we made
significant progress in terms of delivering the play.
Although everyone was exhausted by the
long and toilsome rehearsals, we all felt that it was
worth it. Through this process, we have understood
the quote “Teamwork makes the dream work”. When
the tears of joy ran down our eyes, we knew the
process was worth it. Down to my personal growth, I
have learned a lot in the rehearsal process. When I
was notified that I will be a main cast member, and
play the role “Captain Hook”, I was in shock. Since this
was my first year joining CKY’s musical play, I never
thought that I would play such an important role.
As Captain Hook’s characteristics were
almost completely opposite to mine, I had a hard time in
terms of understanding the character and actually
“Playing in” character. Thanks to all the support from
Ms. Yip, Ms. Wong, Ms. Sin, and Mr. Tsui, I have had a
brand new perspective on the character, and the
character “Captain Hook” was presented on stage to the
audience. Through the musical play, I have learned a lot
of acting skills, vocal skills, and dancing skills. Not only
this, but we also had lots of “Life lessons”, from our
director, Mr. Alz. Overall, the musical was a valuable
experience, or, I would say, a lesson, and now I’m
hooked; I look forward to future musical plays and hope
to participate and be a part of it!
1 0 B R Y A20
N L A M

23

YEAR 8 STUDY TOUR
Due to the pandemic, our cohort was only able to experience the Beijing study tour, missing out on a
large part of what it means to study at CKY. Therefore, we were still incredibly grateful that the school could
arrange such a memorable local study tour for last year‘s year 8. It gave us a chance to understand the
unique colonial history and culture of places in Hong Kong, as well as letting us taste the unique part of
being a CKY student. As we went with our two year classes, the tour has also reminded us of our theme this
year: let kindness blossom.
9E Bryan Li
On the first day of our trip, we set off to Tai Kwun to explore British influence on Hong Kong. We were
fascinated by the architectural style of the structures. After a short stay at the vibrant Central Market, we
had Korean barbecue for lunch before we headed to Sharp Island. The tombolo was famous for its
pineapple-bun shaped rocks. We created a small tower from rocks and pebbles as there were beliefs where
the higher your “rock tower”, the more likely your wishes will come true. Breathing in the salty fragrance of
the clear waters and hearing the waves in Sai Kung crash onto the shore while we were with our friends
made it a refreshing and surreal experience. As we were eating our dinner, I noticed how close of a class we
were - we would always use the shared chopsticks to get food for our classmates. We then had our first
night in our rooms, of which I’m sure will be a cherished memory for us.
9E Kara Wong
“The study tour opened our eyes to the many places of cultural
significance in Hong Kong, letting us learn in ways we have never
before in the year while also making priceless memories.”
Going on to the second day of our trip, we had a buffet breakfast at our hotel, and then we went on with
the first location of the day - the Bethanie Chapel, a historical building complex located in Pok Fu Lam.
Unfortunately, as people were filming inside the chapel, we didn’t have a chance to go inside the chapel and
appreciate its intricate design. In the afternoon, we got on a boat to Lamma island to see the Lamma Winds.
We had to hike for 45 minutes before we reached the top, and we found it quite challenging due to the hot
weather. But as a class, we would care about our classmates from time to time, passing on paper towels for
each of us to wipe off our sweat.As we chatted with our friends, the journey seemed to have felt shorter and
more enjoyable than expected. The wind turbine was large and a worthy tourist attraction for us since we
studied a little about reusable energy at school simultaneously. The opportunity to see such a large wind
turbine was rare, especially in a small place like Hong Kong. Finally, we went to have a splendid seafood
dinner, but unfortunately some of our friends are allergic to seafood, so they never got to try the delicacies
which were out of this world. We ended the day with a boat ride back to the hotel when it was already dark,
letting us marvel at the view of Victoria Harbour.
9A Adrian Chung
26

CKY IDOLS
EUGENIA MA 11C
A N E Y E - O P E N I N G P E R F O R M A N C E
Last year, I was a participant in the final round of CKY Idol. It was one of the best
experiences of my life! Stepping onto the auditorium stage all by myself is one of
the most terrifying, yet thrilling moments I have ever experienced. Although I was
very nervous, the cheers of support from my friends, classmates, teachers and
fellow members of my House encouraged me to shed my anxiety and to do my
best. All at once, I realised that my worries and fears of failure could be looked at
from an entirely different angle — this was a learning experience, and all I had to
do was perform to the best of my ability! I left the stage satisfied and delighted.
Not only did I learn how to look at things differently, I also learned a lot from my
fellow competitors. I am truly grateful that I was given the opportunity to
compete!
27

ALUMNI NEWS
AUDREY WONG
Class of 2020
Hello everyone, it’s been a while! After 12 years at
CKY, the outside world did seem pretty daunting at
first! I’ve been living in London for three years now,
with two more years to go until I graduate with my
Bachelors degree in Veterinary Medicine at Royal
Veterinary College.
The best part of my degree is being able to work
almost anywhere! I have been to veterinary practices
with the most scenic views in The Lake District, Wales,
Devon and now interning at a few practices back in
Hong Kong; treating our small furry friends to horses
and cows! From conducting consultations to
scrubbing in for surgeries, I am learning something
new every day!
Admittedly, the studying portion is difficult and the
cold winter nights certainly made it mentally
challenging. However, I have been exploring different
ways to find a good work-life balance; from joining
the rowing team to becoming president of the
Student Small Animal Veterinary Society. Of course,
the weekend getaways around Europe were definitely
unforgettable. You have to learn to work hard AND
play hard!
From time to time I do look back at the wonderful
memories that brought me to where I am now. What I
want to say is, the world is your oyster and as long as
you find your passion and persevere, you will
definitely achieve your goals! As we all say, “Every
child is good at something!” :)
It still seems too surreal to move across the globe,
being able to do the things I love. And I will always be
grateful for friends and family who have supported
me through this journey!
30