DC_2024WholeSchoolPhotoYearBook-1

The Explorer

The Explorer

Explorer

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

This week, Discovery College was filled with warmth, color, and music as our school community came together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

 

Our foyer area was transformed into a vibrant cultural showcase, beautifully adorned with traditional Chinese art created and organized by our dedicated art teachers. Against this stunning backdrop, our students treated audiences to a series of wonderful musical performances that captivated everyone present. We enjoyed delightful singing from our Year 4, 5, and 8 students, a moving vocal duet from Ella and Joanna in Year 12, and a mesmerizing performance on the guzheng by Ariana in Year 7. The audience was thoroughly enchanted by the talent on display!

 

The celebrations continued at lunchtime today with a hands-on festive activity for our primary students. A huge thank you to our PTA for hosting a fantastic craft session, where students enjoyed creating their own holiday crafts.

 

Thank you to all the staff, parent volunteers, and talented student performers who made this week’s celebrations so special. We wish all of our DC families a happy and peaceful Mid-Autumn Festival!

 

You can watch short reel of the celebrations here.

Celebrate Mid-Autumn with our House Photography Competition

 

Many Ways, One Circle | 万象同圆

At Mid-Autumn Festival, we look towards the same moon from different places. For generations, its roundness has carried ideas of reunion, belonging and wholeness.

 

This year’s Inter-House Photography Competition invites our whole school community to explore the theme Many Ways, One Circle.

 

You might discover a circle in an everyday object or a shadow. You might capture people coming together, the cycles of nature and tradition, or an unexpected perspective that makes us pause and look again. The theme is intentionally open: there is no single “right” circle and no single way to see it.

 

Who can enter?

The competition is open to all Primary and Secondary students, as well as staff.

 

How to enter

 

  • Submit one original photograph.

  • Give your photograph a title.

  • Limited adjustments to cropping, exposure, colour and contrast are permitted, but the original scene should not be substantially altered.

  • AI-generated images will not be accepted.

 

Help your House

Every valid entry earns one point for the photographer’s House. Each photograph selected for the Top 10 earns ten additional points.

 

Recognition

The Top 10 photographers will receive certificates, with overall winners selected from Primary, Secondary and Staff. Winning photographs will be displayed in the School Library and featured in Shi Jie magazine.

 

Submit your entry here by Monday, 5 October: House Photography Competition Form

 

We look forward to seeing where your perspective takes us.

Student-led Fundraiser for Nepal

Our student leaders have been hard at work this week driving an inspiring community effort to raise funds for World Vision’s vital work in Nepal. Spearheaded by Year 12 students Zeke and Ashwin, with dedicated support from our CAS Captains, our secondary students have set an ambitious goal of raising $10,000 HKD.

 

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our school community, they are already very close to reaching their target! However, the effort isn't over yet—the fundraiser will continue into next week to help push us over the finish line.

 

How You Can Help:

 

If students, parents, or members of our community would like to contribute, you can make a donation via cash or Octopus at the student-led stall. The stall will be manned by our student volunteers every morning next week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.

 

Thank you to everyone who has supported this cause so far, and to our student leaders for taking the initiative to make a positive impact globally!

Celebrating our Scholarship Students

On 22 September, we had the privilege of celebrating our 39 scholars at our annual scholarship morning. The ceremony opened with a warm welcome from the Deputy Head of Colege, Mr Jobling who shared the story of Odysseus to highlight the significant role mentors play in our Scholar's journey. Student presentations followed and it was incredibly inspiring to hear our students speak about their recent achievements and goals for the year ahead, with confidence and poise. To complete the morning celebration, the audience was treated to wonderful performances by several of our talented students.

 

The standout moment was hearing how many of these talented students plan to give back to the school community, specifically by mentoring our primary students in their areas of expertise. During the event, our new scholars were honored and Year 13 scholars received their leaving certificates as they took the stage one final time.

 

We wrapped up the morning with a lovely tea, giving parents the chance to mingle with mentors and learn more about the diverse opportunities available to students here at DC. We are so proud of this group and can't wait to see what they accomplish!

Mid-Autumn Celebration of Art

We are delighted to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with a bridge between the Visual Arts and Chinese Department. In the following exhibits, international mindedness was fostered and tradition was creatively interpreted across our whole school:

 

Y2 Connecting Circles used mixed media to depict moons and lanterns. Linking vibrant designs together, the artwork highlights the power of connection and collaboration.

 

Y4 Revealing the Moonlight explored space on metallic scratch paper to capture glowing full moons. The radiance serves as a guiding light for both who celebrate and appreciate.

 

Y7 Sculpting New Traditions inverted pinch pots into ceramic mooncakes. By scoring, carving, and glazing, they transformed ancient traditions while mastering foundational skills.

 

Y8 Scrolls of Collective Identity showed collaboration on traditional scrolls layered with ink and collage. With diverse backgrounds, students built a community in sharing heritage.

 

Y9 Neon Spotlight on a Legendary Story reimagined the myth through a contemporary Hong Kong lens. A six scroll installation uses mixed media to bring folklore into familiar settings.

 

Y10 Many Moods of Abstract Moons reinvented landscapes by manipulating color and value to evoke distinct emotions. Abstract paintings can honor tradition and highlight individuals.

 

Y11 Keepsakes of the Moon illustrates postcards exploring how exchange strengthens community bonds. Grounded in MYP contexts, the keepsakes share local pride.

 

By uniting the cultural depth of the Chinese Department with the expressive freedom of the Visual Arts, our students grow as reflective learners who value both regional heritage and global connectivity showcased through beautiful imagery. 

 

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Year 5 Cultural Fair Celebration of Learning

Year 5 had a wonderful time celebrating their Culture Fair as part of our Celebration of Learning. It was lovely to welcome so many parents and carers into school to share in the children’s work and achievements. The children were very proud to present what they had learned about different cultures, traditions, food, clothing, music and celebrations from around the world.

Thank you to everyone who came along to support the children and celebrate their learning with us. It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to speak confidently about their work and to enjoy learning from one another. 

Peace Day Celebration

Peace Day, also officially known as the International Day of Peace, is a global holiday observed annually on September 21 to strengthen the ideals of peace, commit to non-violence, and observe a 24-hour global ceasefire.

On Peace Day, we celebrated by setting up numerous bulletin boards at the campus entrance, where each group advocated for their own aspect of peace and promoted it to students as they entered the school.


Recognising Peace Day matters at Discovery College because it links the school to a worldwide movement for peace and global citizenship, which fits the ethos of us being an international school. It also helps build a kinder, more inclusive school culture by encouraging respect, empathy and non‑violent conflict resolution, while giving students authentic opportunities to lead events, collaborate across year groups, and connect peace to subjects like social studies, history, design and the arts.

 

 

DP Design & Food Science Students visit Yakult Factory

Did you know that the Hong Kong Yakult Factory can manufacture 400,000 bottles of their signature probiotic drink in a single day? And can you guess which Yakult factory holds the title of being the smallest in the world?

 

On Thursday, 24 September, our Year 12 and Year 13 DP Food Science and Technology and DP Design Technology students participated in an experiential learning visit to the Yakult Factory in Hong Kong.

This cross-disciplinary excursion took learning beyond the classroom, allowing students to observe how advanced scientific principles and design methodologies converge in a high-volume manufacturing environment.

 

Key Learning Highlights

 

  • Food Science in Action: Students examined large-scale Lactobacillus casei fermentation monitoring, strict hygiene protocols, and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) quality assurance systems during live production.
  • Industrial Design & Engineering: Design Technology students observed live demonstrations of plastic bottle injection blow moulding, exploring ergonomics, consumer-friendly packaging, and mass-production efficiency.
  • Integrated Innovation: The trip emphasised how biological engineering, safety systems, and brand aesthetics intersect to deliver a daily consumer product safely and at scale.

 

By engaging directly with industry professionals and watching live automated production lines, students gained valuable real-world context that directly strengthened their IB Diploma coursework and deepened their understanding of modern industrial standards.

 

And to answer our opening question—despite its impressive daily output, the Hong Kong Yakult Factory is actually the smallest Yakult factory in the world! Seeing such high efficiency optimised within a compact footprint provided our students with an extra layer of insight into modern industrial spatial planning and process design.

Bayside Dental Educational Talk to Primary Students

This week our primary students enjoyed a wonderful educational talk from Bayside Dental Discovery Bay. The session not only helped our students learn about dental health and good hygiene, but also encouraged them to develop better everyday habits to support oral wellbeing.


Dr Selena and Dr Giles delivered a thoughtfully prepared presentation, carefully geared to suit a range of year groups. It was lovely to see such a positive and engaging experience in action, and we are grateful for the opportunity to connect with our wider community through an informative and fun event.


Thanks again to Bayside Dental Discovery Bay. Every great smile starts with healthy habits.

Author Visit: Ritu Hemnani

Earlier this week, our Year 4 students enjoyed an engaging storytelling presentation of Gope and Meera: A Migration Story by the book’s author, Ritu Hemnani. In this interactive presentation, the children engaged in lively discussion about different types of migration while exploring the central themes of loss, resilience and hope.

 

This helped broaden their knowledge of different ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors of human migration, as well as develop empathy and understanding through this survivor story during the 1947 Partition of India. Our visiting author supported students' understanding of the opportunities, challenges, risks, and changes connected to migration. Year 4 students will have the opportunity to apply this understanding as they engage in a simulated migration experience next week.

Recital Evening - Audition Deadline Reminder

A friendly reminder our annual Recital Evening will be held on Thursday, 15 October starting at 6pm in the G/F Theatre. 

 

This is an evening that features concert repertoire at a high performance level by students from both Primary and Secondary. Performances may range from soloists to small chamber ensembles, and generally features ‘Classical’ concert repertoire. However, students playing traditional instruments from any musical culture are strongly encouraged to audition as well.

 

If you would like to participate, please complete the Google Form prior to Friday, 2 October. Primary students who wish to apply to audition, please also provide your parent’s email in the Google Form.

 

Upcoming Parent Education Workshops

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