Renaissance College Hong KongAnnual Report 2016 – 2017

ESF School Annual Report 2016 – 2017

Contents

page 1 Introduction

page 3 Vision and Mission

page 4 Learning at Renaissance College

page 5 Student Support and Wellbeing

page 6 Curriculum Updates

page 10 Curriculum Enrichment

page 27 Academic Achievement

page 31 Student Destinations

page 32 Alumni Relations and Development College Council

page 33 RAPT

page 34 Facilities

page 35 Staff

page 36 School Statistics

Introduction by Renaissance College Council Chairwoman

Council Chair

With our annual report, we hope to provide the ESF Board of Governors, the Chief Executive Officer and the RCHK community with a summary of campus life and achievements in different areas for the last school year; together with an outlook for the year ahead.

A series of activities marked the 10th anniversary of the College, culminating in a well-attended celebration ceremony and performance held in March 2017. A significant milestone in this special anniversary year is completion of the new Primary Block Extension in latter part of 2017. Both teachers and students are excited about the additional rooms and space available with planning in place on how to put them into best use.

Our students have achieved another year of pride in academic results, as reflected particularly in the 100% IB diploma pass rate and the highest mean points and grades so far.

Ms. Anne ChoiCollege Council Chairwoman

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Introduction by the Principal

There were many extraordinary accomplishments in all areas of student achievement including academics, athletics and the arts during the 2016-2017 school Year.

The ninth IBDP cohort did phenomenally well on the highly competitive IB examinations. The Class of 2016 had again an incredibly high passing rate with 99% or 134/135 students earning the IB Diploma! In addition, 42% of the class studied both English A and Chinese A and all of them or 100% earned the IB Bilingual Diploma. The second cohort of IBCP students successfully finished their foundation courses at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) as well as passing examinations and achieving certificates in three or four IBDP classes. Once again, these marks are far above world averages which demonstrates the exceptional quality of teaching and learning at RCHK.

Partnerships with other schools and universities in the community has always been a keystone in the foundation of Renaissance College. This Year we added the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) alongside SCAD as university partners for the Career-related Programme. These institutes of higher learning join our other partners such as the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI), Chinese International School Hangzhou and the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union in providing quality educational experiences for our students.

Construction began in 2015 on a new building adjacent to the Primary block. This four-story enhancement will include individual classrooms for Primary Art, Chinese and Learning Enhancement as well as a multi-purpose open space on one full floor. The project is funded by the proceeds from Nomination Rights and the annual Building Levy. We plan to have the classrooms completed and open for students in October 2017 and the rooftop and undercover playground ready by January 2018.

Since opening in 2006, RCHK has grown at a steady pace and now enrolls just over 2,100 students. Our unwavering commitment to a truly holistic education from Primary through Secondary school defines who we are in the community of international education and will help us to recruit and retain the most dedicated and successful staff and students.

Dr. Harry BrownPrincipal

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Vision And Mission

Renaissance College Hong Kong.

To seek. To serve. To strive.

Vision

Renaissance College (RCHK) is a student-focused international teaching and learning institution. Through a curriculum that is both rigorous and holistic, the college will develop global citizens who strive for academic excellence, appreciate aesthetics and are empowered to take progressive action.

Mission

RCHK strives to build a culture that promotes peace and democracy, values diversity and works towards a sustainable future for all.

Bedrock Principles

• ModeltheInternationalBaccalaureate(IB)LearnerProfiletobuildandsustainrelationshipswith families and colleagues, creating a culture of lifelong learning dedicated to a holistic and international education. This will be measured by observation, feedback from parents and retention of staff and students.

• ImplementtheIBprogrammeswithfidelity,integratingcurriculum,instructionandassessmentwithin and across the PYP, MYP, DP and CP. This will increase student achievement and create a continuum of learning between year levels, as measured by observation as well as formative and summative instruments.

• Provide students opportunities to pursue authentic learning experiences in the local and international community. This will make the curriculum relevant and service to others genuine, as measured by increased participation in programs and survey feedback from stakeholders

• Utilise instructional technology tools to increase student achievement. This will actively engage students with the curriculum and one another, as measured by observation and student performance.

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Learning at Renaissance College

RCHK is proud to lead the private independent school sector in Hong Kong as one of a select group of “through train” schools offering the IB curriculum from Year 1 to Year 13.

RCHK is also fortunate to have all of our students on one campus, providing rich opportunities for older students to mentor their younger schoolmates.

The Education Outside of the Classroom (EOTC) curriculum in Primary and Secondary gives our students the opportunity to engage in real-world learning, which contributes to a vibrant school community. In addition, our students give back to the local community through their Creative, Action, Service (CAS) programme, which allows our students the opportunity to volunteer at local charities, hospitals and aid organizations.

All this has been made possible by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong, which approved the transfer of sponsorship from the English Schools Foundation (ESF) to ESF Educational Services Limited (ESL). In 2004, ESL entered into a School Sponsoring Body (SSB) agreement with the Education Bureau with an initial tenancy of 10 years at our current premises which now has been extended to 2019.

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Student Support and Wellbeing

Renaissance College is a large through school that educates 2100 students on one campus. It is important that all of our students feel safe and respected, make friends and know who to go to for help.

In the Secondary School, students in every year level are placed into House advisory groups. Each advisory grouphasateacheradvisorwhoisthefirstpointofcontactforstudents,parentsandteachers.ThereisaHeadof Year for each year group who looks after the academic, social and emotional wellbeing of the students. Apart from leading assemblies, they also lead a team of teacher advisors for their respective year groups. They work closely with the Vice Principal for Student Support and Wellbeing. The Heads of Year move up in the school with their year groups from Year 7 to Year 13, with the Head of Year 13 becoming the Head of Year 7 the following year. The teacher advisors do not move with the Heads of Year. They are in the following teams: Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Years 10 and 11 and Years 12 and 13. Next year (2017-18) the advisory groups will all be in single-tier year groups and the advisors will move up with the Heads of Year and students.

There is also a Wellbeing Team of counsellors. This is comprised of one full-time counsellor, two part-time counsellors and a full-time social worker, as well as a government-funded social worker for four days per week. This team works with any student who needs particular emotional guidance or support. They also work with parents.

A‘TransitionWeek’towardstheendoftheacademicyearhelpstoprepareYear6studentsforlifeinSecondaryschool the following year. During this week the Year 6 students meet their Secondary advisors and experience a number of MYP lessons in the Secondary school.

There is also a House Director for each of the four houses: Ming, Qing, Song and Tang. These House Directors work with their respective House Captains to provide a number of school-based opportunities for all students tocompete and cooperate with each other.

The school also has an extensive network of support services including:

The Learning Enhancement Team (LET) covering Special Educational Needs (SEN), English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Gifted and Talented Education (G&T) Library and Information Resource Centre (LIRC) staff here often provide students with guidance on how to research effectively, as well as avoiding issues of academic dishonesty. Further Education Counsellors give students career-related guidance, as well as help with tertiary education applications. College Nurse is an important part of the Student Support team, working closely with all members of the teams described above.

Primary Student CouncilIn 2016-17, the Primary School Student Council entered its fourth year. Students from Years 2 to 6 submit an application to be part of the council. Two students are selected from each year group, based on their letters of application and discussion with their teachers. The students who are selected meet once a week to discuss student initiatives to improve the school. The council representatives seek input from their peers through questionnaire, Google Forms and interviews.

AftergatheringinformationfromthePrimaryschool,thestudentslookedthroughthelisttofindoutwhatmightbepossibletochange.WiththehelpofMr.JasonProhaska,theyflewadronetocapturefootageat the end of recess to see if the end of recess bell was working. In addition, they interviewed Mrs. LouiseWood,theschoolnurse,totryandfindinformationaboutwherestudentsweregettinghurtintheplayground. Much of the feedback from the original interviews were related to safety in the playground. Students also met with Ms Howdle-Lang, the wellbeing vice principal, to share their investigations.

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Curriculum Updates

PYPThe 2016-2017 academic year saw continued curriculum strengthening across the Primary school. The school was fortunate to have hosted Kath Murdoch again this academic year in March 2017. She engagedina‘check-in’dialoguewithteachersfromacrossthePrimarytoengageinwhatprogressweweremaking in terms of our inquiry pedagogy and practice. Year levels across the Primary school have continued to discuss and act upon her suggestions in building learner agency. In English Language, teachers continued to consolidate the integrated language planning process in the context of units of inquiry. Much discussion was had in planning teams around reading strategies with a diagnostic assessment revisited here. The Chinese team has continued to collaborate with one unit per year level and in other units used the language planning format to document learning. The team has continued to develop vertical unit planners, focusing this year on creating a detailed speaking and listening planner. This sparked lively discussion on creating authentic opportunities for students to develop their language skills. Additionally, theteamcontinuedtodeveloptheir‘writing’and‘celebrations’verticalplanners.Theseplannerswerecreated using the Chinese scope and sequence continuum and ensure vertical understanding and articulation across the Primary school.

TheChineseteamwerealsoinvolvedincollege-wide‘instructionalrounds’basedonaHarvardprotocol.This was an informative process with a large amount of data generated. Students from Year 1 to Year 13 were asked the same six questions, helping us to understand the needs of our students better. This was thenanalysedandsynthesisedinordertocreatespecificgoalswhichthePrimaryChineseteamhaveactively been working towards. With a continued whole-school focus on mathematics, teachers partook in an ESF-wide project focused on mathematical thinking which prompted highly engaging conversations in planning around the learning process.Theschoolalsoparticipatedinan‘instructionalrounds’processaimedatgatheringstudentvoicesto support areas for further development in Mathematics.

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Secondary Student CouncilIn 2016-2017, all students on the Student Council were elected by students in their respective year groups. Each year level held elections and there were two students from each year level on the Student Council. There were two co-chairs as well as two students assigned to the RAPT Committee as well as two senior students assigned to the College Council.The Student Council met every Tuesday lunchtime to discuss student issues and advocate for their fellow students.

Each year level also had a student focus group which was comprised of volunteers from their year group.Theymetatleastfourtimespersemester.Thesefocusgroupsdealtwithyear-specificissuesand were chaired by their respective Student Council representatives and facilitated by the Heads of Year.

Other initiatives that the Student Council worked on included developing a school song, the length of the lunch line and investigating how much time students were spending on homework. The Student Council also discussed the guidelines for Positive Education at RCHK before they were shared with the wider community. The students had some excellent suggestions and ideas, and showed understanding about what matters for wellbeing at RCHK.

MYPAlongside continued innovation and experimentation in teaching and learning, curriculum development and consolidation have continued to be a focus for the MYP in the 2016/17 school year. Continued efforts into the development of student-centered, interdisciplinary learning opportunities has been a focus through departmental collaborations and further development of REAL Week initiatives. Teachers at RCHK continue to find ways to provide students with engaging learning experiences and opportunities to enquire into the world around them.

This year marked the third year of our Interdisciplinary Programme, known as REAL Week, for students in years 7 through 11. During REAL Week, students took part in an exploration of themes that engaged them in extended learning in different subject areas while integrating the Wellbeing Programme.

The themes for each year were:

Year 7 Unit: Alien Terrestrial Life Skills “An exploration of ATL skills”Year 8 Unit: Empathy “Empathy can be shown through the connection of sharing perspectives.”Year 9 Unit: Human Rights “We are all equally entitled to human rights without discrimination.” Year 10 Unit: Sustainability “Creativity changes the perspective of sustainability.”Year 11 Unit: Hong Kong in 2027 “Through the examination of patterns of the past and present we can predict and influence future change.”

The embedding of service into the curriculum has continued to be a focus with further articulation of the MYP Service and Action outcomes in units across departments. Some examples of this include the development of a Year 9 unit in Drama to encourage students to take action on their learning from the Freedom and Equality unit in Individuals & Societies. As well, the Individuals & Societies and Mathematics departments have continued to work with The Crossroads Foundation in Year 7 to help students learn about the true value of water in communities where it is a precious commodity. A Year 10 service programme was developed for students during EOTC providing students with hands on opportunities to learn about and engage in service activities in the community.

The MYP Personal Project Exhibition capped off the MYP experience for our Year 11 students. This event is always a highlight of the MYP calendar and 2016/17 was no exception. With a wide range of creative and innovative projects being shared by our students, the Personal Project exhibition is always a great showcase of the overwhelming variety of talent, creativity, technical ingenuity and social awareness that RCHK students possess. Success in the MYP Personal Project requires commitment of the student and the dedication of teacher mentors, and this exhibition is a great way to celebrate this. As a result of completing their Personal Projects, students will all receive an IB course resultscertificateinthePersonalProject.

It has been a year of continued development in the MYP at RCHK and we are thrilled by the continued achievements of our students. Congratulations to the MYP cohort of 2017!

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Science and Social Studies within units of inquiry were mapped against the newly created ESF Science and Social Studies Continuum of Understanding documents. Within the area of personal, social and emotional learning (PSE), teachers continued to explore facets of Positive Education and Wellbeing. Our single subject teachers continue to make authentic links to the programme of inquiry. Each single subject collaborates on a minimum of one unit of inquiry per year with every year group. With other units, specialist teachers work to establish connections through the essential elements of the Primary

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Curriculum Updates in Years 12 and 13The curriculum in Years 12 and 13 allows students to opt for the following four International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes: IB Career-related Programme (CP), IB Diploma Programme (DP), IB Courses, or an extended IB Diploma Programme through our association with the World Academy of Sport and the Hong Kong Sports Institute for qualifying athletes. All four options allow our students to achieve a Renaissance College High School Diploma that is accredited in Europe by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and in the United States by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

The second cohort of Career-related Programme (CP) students graduated in May 2017 and achieved excellent results from both the IB and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). It was particularly pleasing to see that in addition to SCAD one of our students was accepted into University oftheArtsLondon(UAL),onetheworld’stopartschools,andthisbuildsonlastyear’sacceptanceofa student admitted to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in the United States. The CP cohort hasgrownfromthreestudentsinthefirsttwoyearstosixstudentsinYear13and9studentsinYear12. In addition to this growth in student numbers, we have also expanded our offering of courses to include a performing arts course at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts (HKAPA), and it is pleasing to have a connection with a local Hong Kong institution. The CP is continuing to attract interest globally and Renaissance College was featured in a book published by John Catt called “Taking the IB CP Forward”, and the success of Renaissance College was reiterated many times at the IB Conference in Yokohama. Two other ESF schools have been accredited and two more schools are in the candidate phase.Thiswillprovidemoreopportunitiestoshareaccesstoeachother’scareer-relatedstudyoptions,whilealsoprovidingsufficientnumberstoexploreotheroptionswithinHongKong.

The IB Diploma Programme (DP) has seen consolidation in academic results, with an overall upward trendapparentyearuponyear,astheintakenumberofstudentssignificantlyincreases.Intermsofallowing students to access an impressive range of university courses worldwide, two students were accepted into Oxford with one student attending, but the other choosing to attend in Chicago instead. The Further Education section of the report provides more details on the excellent range of universities that our students have gained access to for their further study.

All of the options for students in Years 12 and 13 are now supported by a very thorough option selection process that includes the following components, building on the work they have in Year 10 with regards to careers education.

• OptionsTalk(includingaQ&Asessionwithalumni)• OptionsEveningwithexpertadvicefromteachers,studentsandalumni• Departmentalspecificsessionswithinthecurriculumontheoptionsavailable• AspecificCareersDay• UniversityFairwithuniversitiesfromallaroundtheworld• InterQuestcareerprofilingtoolwithpersonalizedcareeradvice• Individualinterviewwithaseniorleaderintheschoolregardingoptionchoices• Workexperience

ThesuccessofourMay2017studentswasalsoseenattheESFChairman’sAwardswith21studentsrecognised for achieving in excess of 40 points for the bilingual IB Diploma and 42 points and above fortheregularIBDiploma.AllthreeofourCPstudentsachievedChairman’sAwardsforacademicexcellence. We believe that this is testament to the excellence of teaching and learning that takes place at Renaissance College.

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Curriculum Enrichment

PYPWellbeing lies at the heart of our approach at RCHK. Our Positive Education approach is embodied in the values we ascribe to, for all our students and staff - health, environment, a sense of achievement and appreciation. Our House system plays a central role in promoting these core values, and during the last year the Houses have been moving away from competition and towards community in their approach. Building on their character strengths, the House Captains in Year 4 and 5 learned new leadership skills in sessions run by Dr. Brown and our House Directors. In September, Dr. Brown talked with our House Captains about their character strengths and how they can use them. Character strengths are a central part ofwhoweare,andhelpallofusinbecomingeverythingthattheLearnerProfilerefersto.WecelebratedCharacter Day in September, with students recognising their own strengths and how to use them in their daily lives. We have carried on thinking about our character strengths throughout the year, as we learn more about who we are and how we can strive to be the best that we can be. Our approach to Mindfulness has also developed further. This year, all classes in the Primary School received mindfulness training in different programmes. The aim of these programmes is to give the students more tools to help them to be calm and to train their attention so that they can be more focused on whatever they are doing. The students enjoyed the sessions, with one of our Year 6 students volunteering to run his own Mindfulness sessions for his class to help them in the run up to the Exhibition. As our wellbeing practices embed in the students, we hope that they all come to know their own uniqueness, and how they can leverage their strengths to help themselves and others.

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Primary EOTCYear 4The Year 4 students had another great camp at the sunny island of Cheung Chau. For many students thisisthefirsttimesleepingawayfromhomeandsotheexperiencecanbeanexcitingstepintheirindependence. This camp in many ways prepares Renaissance College students for the many more amazing camps in future years at the school. We participated in numerous activities that included the famous pirate cave, raft building and other beach games. There was also a focus of team building and social skill development which are built into the program. We had another very successful camp, thanks toalltheteachersandDragonfly,ourprofessionalcampprovider.Wearelookingforwardtoanotherrewarding learning experience again this year.

Year 5This year our Year 5 camp was moved to a different location, Po Leung Kuk (PLK) Pak Tam Chung Campsite in Sai Kung. It was of course different than Lantau, but it also meant less time travelling both to the destination and to the different activities. Canyoning was a new experience, which the students found very exciting. Kayaking, hiking, exploring mangroves and team building by playing lots of different games as well as building catapults were all appreciatedbystudentsandteachersalike.TheexcellentguidesfromDragonflyledalltheactivities. The camp was an introduction to our unit “Where We are in Time and Place”, which is focused on exploration. After being on camp, students get the opportunity to take their family out and about to a destination in Hong Kong of their choice. They plan in detail: cost, transportation and activities. It had to be a place they have not yet been themselves. The unit is very much appreciated by students as well as parents, and gives the students a great opportunity to show leadership and independence.

Year 6 - Laos Ten students took the opportunity to visit Laos as part of their YEAR 6 EOTC experience. This was the fifthyearinwhichtherehasbeenaYear6campoptioninLaos.Inadditiontothetwoteacherswholedand facilitated the camp, each student was also accompanied by one of their parents.

The main objective of the camp was to have students develop a greater understanding of the Laotian culture and an awareness of non-governmental organisations operating in this developing country.

Sincetheprogram’sinception,RenaissanceCollegehasbeenworkinginpartnershipwithCommunityLearning International (CLI) and supporting its goal to provide educational opportunities for children living inruralareas.AsaresultoftheYear6students’fundraisingefforts,coupledwithadonationfromtheService Projects @ Renaissance College (SP@AC) fund, a total of HK $43,200 was donated to CLI. The ten families who were attending the camp also made their own donations to this worthy cause.

During the six-day stay in Luang Prabang, with the support of CLI, the Year 6 group visited two rural learning centres. Students participated in games, music performances and art activities with Lao children. Therewerealsoopportunitiestoengagewithotherorganisationsoperatinginthearea,including‘LaosFriendsHospitalforChildren’andthe‘FreetheBears’rehabilitationcentre.VisitswerealsomadetotheLaos Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre and the Laos Unexploded Ordinance Centre (UXO).

A goal for the future development of the Laos camp will be to have students inquire more independently into the role of organisations working within this developing country prior to the camp experience. We hope that the students themselves will take further action in the future to support these groups and their worthy projects.

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Year 6 - China This was our fourth year of offering the students in Year 6 a Chinese cultural trip to Zhaoqing; a camp option for all students in Year 6 at RCHK. This unique opportunity allowed 47 students to be accompanied by threeteachers(2xYear6members1xChineseteammember)and7xDragonflystaffmembers.

We met the students at Hung Hom train station and travelled to Zhaoqing together on a direct trip. We metaDragonflymemberinHungHomandtherestinZhaoqingwheretheydirectedustobuses.Wethen travelled 40 minutes on a bus to the hotel where we were staying and crossed the water via a short boat trip. Students shared a room with one other person and they were in two to three groups. A teacher had their own room on each level where the students had been placed. Teachers varied responsibilities were connected to student welfare and safety throughout the trip. These included liaising and supporting Dragonflystaff,debriefingandreflectingeachdaywitheachotherandDragonflystaffaswellasbeingresponsible for turning lights out and wake-up calls.

Dragonflyorganizedarangeofactivitiesforthestudentsthatwerebothculturalandphysical.Theseincluded a variety of group games, cableway hike in the local area, Chinese painting, ink carving, great racing experience and community service connected to a local school. These activities allowed the students to strengthen their independence, social skills, and communication skills as well as being an introduction to service in preparation for MYP next year. It also created a unique opportunity for students to experience and be more open to Chinese culture.

The hope for the future with this camp is to build a stronger working relationship with our Chinese team to incorporate authentic curriculum links through these experiences, as well as a better understanding of our neighbours in our local region. This will continue to be offered as a camp option in Year 6 for 2017/18.

Year 6 - Sai Kung As part of the holistic nature of our Primary Years Program, we planned an Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) experience for the Year 6 students in Sai Kung. This was a 3-night, 4-day experiential learningandoutdoorcamprunby‘OceanicSportsHongKongLimited’attheSaiKungOutdoorTrainingCamp, accompanied by a number of RCHK staff and led by Ms. Ventura. The main aim of the camp was for our Year 6 students to be given the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities that wouldprovidethemwithchallengesthatwouldenablethemtomovebeyondtheir‘comfortzone’andsupport the transition from the PYP to MYP. It would also provide students with a chance to be able to demonstratetheirabilityto‘live’theIBOLearnerProfileandAttitudesinwhatcouldbeaveryunfamiliarenvironment.

So from 27 to 30 of September 2016, a group of 109 students and 10 teachers/EAs set off to Sai Kung in what only could be described as one of hottest days ever! At Pak Tam Chung BBQ site in the Sai Kung Country Park, the students made their own lunch before beginning a long and challenging hike. The heat soon became quite unbearable. However, there was great team spirit among the groups and although exhaustedbytheendofit,therewasdefinitelyasenseofaccomplishmentamongthestudentsthatsetthe tone for the rest of the camp.

Withthefocuson‘adventure’and‘teambuilding’skills,studentswereabletodevelopboththeirpersonal and interpersonal skills such as problem solving, sharing ideas, dealing with challenges, listening to others and using perseverance. Divided into 12 groups, students worked cooperatively and collaboratively to complete the many activities assigned to them over the next few days. Students were given the opportunity to build a Roman cannon with bamboo and string and thoroughly enjoyed throwing water balloons at both one another and the teachers! In addition, they were challenged once again with a furtherhiketoTrioBeachthatendedinavarietyof‘waterbased’activities.

Studentswereencouragedtodeveloptheir‘thinkingskills’toproblemsolveanduseavarietyofstrategiesduringtheteambuildinggamessuchasthe‘marbletransfer’,‘circleoftrust’,‘octopusgalaxy’andthe‘twinstowermaking’.Teamspiritandcollaborationalsocamethroughasthestudentstookanactive role in the competitive games such as bubble soccer, easy hockey and tug of war.

There was great food during the camp (e.g. spaghetti, chicken wings, etc.), but the BBQ on the second night was a great success! Lots of food and delicious smores - plenty for all!

Throughoutthecamp,studentswereencouragedto‘reflect’onthenewexperiencestheyhadbeeninvolved in, and a real sense of belonging and camaraderie developed among the students, camp leaders andteachers/EAs.Buildingontheworkbeingdoneinclasson‘characterstrengths’,wealsotooktheopportunity to use the camp experience as a way of integrating this during the day and asking students to reflectonwhichstrengthstheywereusingthemostandhow.

To sum up, our EOTC experience in Sai Kung proved to be a rewarding experience for all - a challenging hike, a visit to Trio Beach, a delicious BBQ, a talent show and lots of exciting and challenging activities. Sohowdidweendouramazingcamp?Theredefinitelyhadtobeanotherchallengeandthistimeitwasacompetitivegameof‘flagsandtails’acrossthecampsiteinwhichallthestudents,teachers,EAsandcamp leaders had to participate. There was an abundance of enthusiasm and energy as well as high spirits,nottomentionsomecheating(definitelynotbytheteachers!).Itwascertainlyagreatwaytoendour adventure.

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Primary Visual Arts 2016-2017 has seen students engaging in a wide variety of art-making experiences to activate the imagination and to delve into the creative process for understanding and conceptual experience. Year 1During the “How We Express Ourselves” unit, students collaboratively worked with their homeroom and music to showcase their imagination. This culminated in the construction of a sea creature puppetwhichwasfilmedongreenscreenandsenttotheparentsaspartoftheclassscreensaver;an installation in the college-wide exhibition and a backdrop for the music performance in the arts assembly.Theyalsoexploredclayaspartofascientificinquiryintothechangingstateofclay,fromthe ground to the kiln. They created their own paper to paint on from older scraps of paper which helped them understand how materials are used and changed for different purposes as part of the ‘HowTheWorldWorks’unit.Thisparticularunitalsoexploredthecentralideaofhow‘Understandingthewaymaterialsbehaveandinteractdetermineshowpeopleusethem’.Studentseachcreatedpinchpots and enjoyed visiting the Secondary Visual Arts department to see the kiln. They also continued to exploretexture,lineandshapewhenexploringtheEricCarle’scollages(authorandillustratorofTheVery Hungry Caterpillar) and developed their own collage based on their individual classroom bug.

Year 2Collage, mixed media, painting, printmaking and sculpture were some of the artistic mediums Year 2 used to expressthemselves.Theyworkedincollaborationwithmusictofindoutandcombinethesharedconceptsbetween music and art. Some of these concepts were pattern, tone, composition and form. One of the students’favouriteunitsofinquirywassculpture.Theycarefullymadesculpturesthatoriginatedfromtheirown drawings of the human form. Starting with a wire armature they added tinfoil and transformed their figuresintointerestingposes.Duringtheprintmakingunitofinquiry,thestudentsexperiencedhowtomakemono and block prints to make vibrant art works.

Year 3Photography was the focus for this year level and students developed their own recycled shopping bag with an image transferred onto it that was inspired by their own photographs and mixed media artwork. They went through the process of developing a completed piece of artwork using iPads to take photos as an inspiration. These photographs were then manipulated using the iPads, and the students used these new pictures as inspiration, enlarging a section and developing it into a piece of mixed media artwork. This work was then photographed again and transferred, which completed the image transfer process. The yearfinishedwithaninquiryintosimplemachines,wheretheyinvestigatedtheseitemstomakeadrawingmachine.

Years 3 and 4 participated in the annual Arts Festival. This year some of the students created collaborative weaving on the Primary rooftop to beautify the school, and it was a good chance to improve their teamwork skills being a part of this art project. The other choice was a two-day workshop where the students as a group created a visual representation of Ma On Shan and then used squishy doh to create elements of the community(e.g.streetlampsortrafficlights). Year 4Students explored how artists are inspired by nature and used different media in response to the work of Hundertwasser. Analysing colour and shape; they created initial drawings. These led to beautiful mixed media paintings in vibrant colours which explored organic shapes. In the unit of inquiry under “Sharing the Planet”, students raised awareness about the environmental issue of plastic waste. They had the opportunity toworkwithalocalartistbygoingonafieldtriptoabeachonLantau.Heretheyhelpedhertocollecttheplastic shoes that had washed up on the beach to create an installation before recycling the waste. One ofthestudents’favouriteunitofinquirywastheexplorationofabstractart.BeginningwiththeMuppetcharacters, they deconstructed the characters into colour, line and shape to create abstract collage portraits.

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Year 5This year the students inquired into kinetic sculptures.They did a case study of the geometric shapes that are involved in these moving sculptures and learned how to programme their own robotic sequences. The students then constructed their own kinetic sculptures using recycled materials and the Hummingbird Roboticskits.Tuningintothecentralideathat‘Artsprovideopportunitiestoexploreourcreativepotentialandengageinapersonalartisticjourney’,theyalsocompletedaunitlookingatwhatinspiredthem.Theyspent this part of the unit exploring all the different techniques and styles they enjoyed working on, and then learntaboutPortraitureandPortraitsthroughtheages.Theirfinalartworkwasaportraitthatwascreatedcombining these new techniques and knowledge. Students learned about elements of design using the CARP model to help them understand the elements of art. Year 6Theyearbeganwithamaker’sunitinresponsetothequestion,‘Ifyoucouldmakeanythingatall,whatwouldyoucreate?’Fromtherethestudentsgatheredideas,researchedanddevelopeddesigncyclestobe used throughout the creative process. Students chose to work in many different areas such as sewing, construction and technology to create toys, games and artworks. Their designs and ideas continued to grow and change throughout the process as they engaged in the experience of crafting an original idea. Duringtheunitofinquiry“HowweexpressOurselves’,studentsexploredmarkmakingbycreatingtheirown brushes from recycled materials. Further experimentation of line and mark led them to create individual compositions using ink and colour. These became the inspiration for a number of abstract works using various media. During the year the students discovered how they can use drawing and art making as a tool for well-being and mindfulness.

The culminating experience for 2016-17 was an exhibition of student work from Years 1-13. This was another fantastic opportunity to see artwork from the three IB programmes and to promote the continuum between them. All three programs of inquiry are continually developing as a result of student-driven inquiry andcontinuouscollaborativeteacherreflection–itisanexcitingplacetobeforbothstudentandteacher.

Primary MusicThrough the transdisciplinary nature of the music program at RCHK, students are able to make connections across other subject areas and to the world around them. Students experience music from various times, places and cultures, and as a result, they develop a unique perspective on the effect that music has on so many facets of our daily lives.

Students are engaged in activities that allow them to create and respond to music through movement, singing, composition, playing instruments, listening, research, music reading, and improvisation, as well as develop music vocabulary, critical listening skills, and their ability to analyse what they hear.

Students are given the opportunity in class to sing, play a variety of tuned and untuned percussion, recorder, ukulele, and all students in Year 6 learn to play a band instrument.

Outside of class, students have the choice to sing in the Primary choir which takes place after school, and will culminate in performances for other students, parents and the wider community. All students inYear6learnaninstrument,andsomehavethechancetojoinanelitegroupcalledthe‘Bandof40’.Thisyearthe‘Bandof60’waslaunched,whichgave20extrastudentsachancetojointheeliteband.Through these opportunities students learn to work cooperatively, applying a variety of approaches to learning and enjoy creating music together with their peers while developing the skills necessary to perform at a high level.

There will continue to be several performance opportunities for students, and some students in choir will participate in the bi-annual ESF Choral Concert, whilst the Band program will continue to be promoted through the ESF-wide Orchestra Jam Day as well as numerous performances in school.

Students also have the chance to listen to, watch, perform with, and learn from a variety of guest performers, secondary peer mentors, private music tutors, ICT music technology programs, and music-basedfieldtrips.

PYP Music at RCHK is a challenging yet rewarding journey for students.

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Primary SportsOur Primary Sports program has gone from strength to strength and it has been another successful year all around.

Our Girls Football Team has played several friendly games against other schools from Kowloon and also competed in a tournament organized by ICHK HLY. Our B team showed great improvement and our A teamcamesecondintheirgroupandwenttoplayinthesemi-finals.Unfortunatelytheylostinaclosegame to Kellett Kowloon Bay.

Our Boys Football Team had a very busy season, entering several tournaments in October and November. It was great to see how much the boys improved and how well they played as a team. At times they faced some very tough competition, however they always fought to the end.

Our Netball Team improved tremendously throughout the season. In the tournament organized by KJS thegirlsmadeittothe‘Bowl’roundbutlosttheirlastgameagainstKellett.OurBteamwontheShieldcompetitionattheICHKHLYtournament,whichwasagreatsuccess.Theseasonthenfinishedwithatournament at AISHK. It was a great morning and lots of fun for the girls.

Our Cross-country Team trained every Wednesday morning and neither rain nor heat could stop these tough boys and girls. It was amazing to see the effort those young athletes put in to improve their individual times. To celebrate their hard work the students competed in a 2km race with a number of other schools from around Hong Kong.

Season 2 kicked off with some exciting events for our Basketball and Touch Rugby enthusiasts.

Our Basketball Team played a tournament on home grounds in February missing out by only one point tomakeitthroughtothefinalrounds.Theteamalsohadtheopportunitytoplayanumberoffriendlygames against Beacon Hill, which they dominated.The tournament at KJS was a fun event. The students played very well and won a number of games against various schools.

The Touch Rugby Team was a very popular choice this year, with many students trying out for the team. ThefirsttournamenttheyplayedwasaBoysandaGirlstournamentorganizedbyDBIS.Thestudentsthen had the opportunity to play as a mixed team. They had some great results, showing off incredible skills. The last tournament in March was a Tag tournament, which was a lot of fun for our students.

Our Cricket Team trained in Season 3 and showed great improvement. They had the opportunity to compete in two tournaments at Kings Park and KGV.

Our Equestrian Team competed in the Inter-school Equestrian Challenge again this year. We had some incredible individual performances as well as great team performances. Our swimming enthusiasts had the opportunity to compete in a number of swimming competitions. Some incredible performances were on display.

Physical EducationIn Primary PE we focus on a variety of different learning experiences. These include:• Individual pursuits (athletics, swimming)• Movement composition (gymnastics)• Games (a variety of game skills and strategies)• Adventure challenges (solving problems)• Healthrelatedfitness(aspectsofahealthylifestyle)

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One of the highlights in Primary PE was the Year 5 and 6 Swim Gala, which took place in October. Students competed in a number or races and fun events. IntheYear5HouseRelayraceSongcameinfirstplace,followedbyQing,MingandTang.IntheYear6HouseRelayraceQingcameinfirstplace,followedbyMing,SongandTang.OverallSongHousecameinfirstplacewith239points,Qinginsecondplacewith184points,followedby Ming with 141 points and Tang with 132 points.

Our Year 4 Inter-school Sports Day in November, hosted by ESF Discovery College, was another fun event for students this year. This initiative was supported and funded by the Discovery College PTA to promote community sport. The students had a great time being outside and making new friends. They showed great sportsmanship and team spirit throughout the day.

Another big event on our calendar was our Primary Sports Day, which took place on Friday, 10 March. While the uncompromising objective of the day was mass participation where the students had multiple opportunities to score points for their respective House group, some students (Years 4 to 6) were selectedtoparticipateinthe‘Championshipraces’,whichwasa100msprintrace.Theafternoonwasdedicated to Years 1 to 3 students and involved a mixture of game-based and skill-based activities.

Thisyear’soverallwinningHousewasTang,followedbyQing,MingandSong.

Friday Sport is an addition to our PE program and takes place on alternate Fridays for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 students. Students participate in mixed groups in various activities, such as badminton, touch rugby, table tennis, gymnastics, etc. An addition this year was our Speed and Agility class, which was a very popular choice.

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MYP/ DP Secondary Performing Arts

2016-17 was an incredibly dynamic, busy and successful year for the Secondary Performing Arts Department. There was continued development of the curriculum, exciting after-school activities programmes, and increased student involvement in the Performing Arts.

There was a specific focus on the development of scope and sequence in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum for both Music and Drama, specifically highlighting the growing need for explicit ATL skills. The Performing Arts faculty continued to forge links with the Visual Arts faculty to seek new opportunities to extend learning across the Arts through the Year 10 and 11 Creative Arts Days and the Collaborative project at the end of Year 11. This initiative will continue in 2017/18.

Both disciplines experienced great achievement in the Diploma Programme in 2016/17. This was the second examination of the updated Theatre curriculum and the Theatre DP results were extremely impressive for the class of 2017. Three students from this cohort have chosen to further study Theatre at university, while another two students are pursuing Film. The Music results were also extremely impressive, with a Level 5 being the minimum grade gained in the class. Three of the graduating Music scholars achieved outstanding grades, and were rewarded with places to further their music education, one here in Hong Kong and two in America. One of these students was also awarded the extremely prestigious Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme to support her tuition and living expenses at the Manhattan School of Music. The component grades for Performance and Composition continue to be markedly above the world averages.

There were many exciting extra-curricular opportunities in the Performing Arts Faculty as well. ForthefirsttimeRenaissanceCollegestagedaproductionthatwasdesignedanddirectedbythecurrent Drama Scholars. They led the creative process from the selection of the text, casting of characters, design of costumes and set - right down to running the lights and stage management. The scholars not only were able to learn from the experience, but they were also able to showcase their talents and creativity. It was not only a great performance and a wonderful experience, but a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talented students here at RCHK.

RCHK also hosted their first ever ISTA Theatre Festival Friday, 17 March through Sunday, 19 March 2017. ISTA is an international schools theatre group who have been holding school theatre festivals to help provide students with an excellent opportunity to explore unfamiliar dramatic practices, to create and present theatre, to explore global and local issues in an artistic context, and to work with students with a shared interest in Drama from around the world. The theme of the festival was “Roots” and the focus was on exploring world theatre with culture and heritage at its heart. Several other schools from around Hong Kong and Asia were involved in the festival: Chinese International School Hong Kong, Dhirubhai Ambani International School - India, Harrow International School Hong Kong, Hong Kong Academy, Independent Schools Foundation AcademyHongKong,Mont’KiaraInternationalSchool-Malaysia,VictoriaShanghaiAcademyHong Kong, and Dubai American Academy - United Arab Emirates.

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A group of DP students worked with the Hong Kong Players and the Down Syndrome Association onaminipantomimecalled‘TheSnowKing’.EachstudentwaspairedwithamemberoftheDownSyndromeAssociationandtheperformancewasheldoff-campusatGrappa’sWineCellarin April. In addition, trips were organised for the Drama students to see various Hong Kong Arts Festival shows such as: Wicked, The Crucible, All My Sons, Café Müller, A Cut in the Rates and The Virtuous Burglar. DP Theatre students took part in the ESF Drama conference at West Island School in September with other Year 12 and 13 students from ESF Secondary schools.

Asthiswasan‘off-year’forRCHKintermsofputtingonabigmusicalproduction,therangeof music activities and opportunities continued to grow. We also had the exciting challenge of preparingperformancesforRCHK’sown10-yearanniversarycelebration,forwhichthestudentsprepared performances of song from musicals that have been performed over the past 10 years. No doubt there were some nostalgic memories for both performers and audience. The bi-annual Winter Concert featured more diverse performances than ever from orchestra, choirs, bands and small ensembles. In addition to RCHK celebrating their own anniversary, ESF had its own major 50th anniversary concert at Kwai Tsing Theatre, and it was notable that RCHK contributed both the leader (and featured soloist) of the Orchestra, and one of the vocal soloists performing with the Big Band. Finally, the Elite Band again offered musical performances at the Year 13 and 11 graduation ceremonies, and the range of repertoire was perhaps the most challenging we have attempted, yet was accomplished with great aplomb by the students.

Red Door

MakerEd, Programming and RoboticsWe embedded the philosophy of Maker-Centred Education (MakerEd) in our PYP Programme of Inquiry. In each year level we provided students with deliberate opportunities to develop maker dispositions and mindsets as well as practical skills such as electronics, engineering, coding, woodworking and sewing.

Year 5 implemented a year-long Lego Robotics programme focusing on programming and basic engineering concepts, while students in other years had opportunities to learn coding using Sphero, Bee-Bots and Ozobots.

In Secondary, students in Year 9 participated in an interdisciplinary STEM unit involving the development of trebuchets and catapults using VEX robotics equipment. Students were introduced to important mechanical concepts in science before applying this understanding to the construction of their trebuchet or catapult.

In the Year 8 science unit on electricity, the students participating in an exploration of the behaviour of electronics components such as breadboards, fixed resistors, potentiometers and diodes. The Year8studentsthenalsoexploredtheuseofmicrocontrollersin‘intelligentlymeasuringanddistributingpower’betweenthesecomponents.Year8studentswerealsointroducedtoPythonprogramming in mathematics where they used the NumPy library to generate random numbers to explore probability. Documenting and Sharing Learning Following on from the successes of Year 1 and Year 2, the entire Primary school adapted the Seesaw platform. Onaverage,Primarystudentsposted2,000reflectionsweeklywhichattractedover1,000parentvisitsandinteractions.

The Secondary school adopted the Seesaw platform in Years 7-9 pastoral programme, focusing on documentinglearningexperiencesduringcamps,events,IDUandfieldtrips.

Professional LearningRCHK faculty participated in Learning 2.0, 21 Century Learning and Google Summit.

Several Primary teacher groups (about half of the faculty) and one Secondary group participated in HarvardProjectZero‘ThinkingandLearningintheMaker-CentredEducation’.This14-weekonlineprofessional group study provided us philosophical and pedagogical foundations for implementing the MakerEd in our PYP Programme of Inquiry.

InMaywehosted‘MakingMakers’,adayofprofessionalsharingswithcolleaguesfromotherinternational schools in the region. Infrastructure

Audio Visual ProjectsAll Primary classrooms underwent a complete audiovisual upgrade, which included recabling and repositioning of HD projection and ceiling mounting of 4 speakers in each classroom.

A new cinema quality projector was installed in the PAC. We have also purchased livestream equipment; allowing us to live broadcast PAC events such as graduation and major assemblies.

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Sports

2016-17 was another successful year for the RCHK Black Kites. Subscription rates hovered at around 600 students and our teams and athletes experienced pleasing success within the leagues they competed in. Badminton continued to be one of our most successful sports with the Black Kites winning three Championships in the ISSFHK competition in addition to gold in the ACAMIS Invitational Championships.

As mentioned above, approximately 600 students represented the Black Kites in 14 different sports and in four different leagues; ISSFHK, HKSSF, ESF and ACAMIS throughout 2016-17. RCHK joined with AISHK, ISF and YCIS to co-host ACAMIS Badminton and with AISHK as the Convenors of Cross Country for the ISSFHK league.

Like the badminton team, the swimming team also experienced great success at ACAMIS in Suzhou finishing 3rd overall; our best result in five years competing in this event. In ACAMIS Volleyball held in Shanghai, we made it through to both finals and were victorious in the Girls section defeating Kaoshiung American School in Taiwan. Endria Tai was voted Girls MVP for the tournament.

The sports that continued to prove popular in our programme were less traditional ones like ultimate frisbee and ball hockey. The great thing about these sports is that they appear to enable a different group of athletes to access the Black Kites Sports Programme, which reflects the broad-based nature of our offerings and their appeal.

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Inanattempttomaintaintheprogramme’svisionofbeing‘all-inclusive’,in2016-17weneededto venture beyond the walls of RCHK for coaches in order to meet the demand of player sign-ups. Six outsourced coaches were employed, exposing our student athletes to advanced sports-specific expertise and experience. Moving forward we will review the viability of this approach and the need to perhaps update our vision to reflect the growth of the programme since its inception.

In addition to training and competitive opportunities, the Black Kites Sports Programme continues to offer RCHK students the opportunity to not just become better athletes but better people too through engagement in student coaching and officiating opportunities as well as sports volunteering roles. Being able to give back to the sporting community and assist in the organization of events is hugely important and rewarding and helps in the development of sports leaders and role models.

REAP, the Renaissance Emerging Athletes Programme, continued to offer able Primary students the benefit of extension, and at the end of the year 25 students had been involved in this initiative. These students learned a lot about time management and commitment to a team; two core values of the Black Kites Sports Programme. In the Secondary school, our Sports Scholars increased in number from 4 to 7 representing in the sports of rugby, swimming, basketball and volleyball. These scholars, in addition to year level representatives, then acted on the Athletics Council whose objective it is to promote the development of sport and sports-related initiatives at RCHK. In 2016-17, this was chaired by Jade Lewis and co-chaired by Anson Wong.

A new initiative to the Sports Programme in 2016-17 and the brain child of Sports Scholars SabrinaChanandJinnieLauwas‘POW-PowerOfWoman’.Thiswasacollabortiveeffortaimedat inspiring girls at RCHK to participate in sports.

To cap off the year we welcomed Nadine Bubner; co-founder of SUP Yoga HK and Lululemon Ambassador for yoga to our annual Sports Awards assembly. We acknowledged not just the achievements but also the endeavours of all of our Black Kites athletes, volunteers and especially the coaches. Seasonal awards were presented as well as our three big awards including Male and Female Athletes of the Year and the Black Kite Award. These were won by Brian Chia, Sabrina Chan and Jade Lewis respectively.

Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS)

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) is a core component of the IB Diploma and offers students opportunities to engage in meaningful experiences to develop personally and socially. It is a chance to solidify learning through practice, and offers a counterpoint to the rigorous intellectual pursuit of the IB DP. CAS is not about counting hours but about the quality of experiences students have. Each CAS programme is designed by the individual, and we support students in pursuing enjoyable but challenging, and perhaps even life-changing, experiences.

CAS fosters reflective thinkers, who take on new challenges and roles as they engage with our school, Hong Kong and overseas communities. It provides occasions for students to recognize their responsibilities as global citizens and engage in long-term projects that have meaningful outcomes.

CAS week in November allows Year 12 students an opportunity to be off-timetable for a week and travel to some of the different communities that RCHK supports through SP@RC. We have long-standing relationships with organisations such as Community Learning International, Laos, Indochina Starfish Foundation, Phnom Penh, Side by Side Organic Farm, Bali, Bilit Village Homestay, Sabah and a medical clinic in Darjeeling, India. This year we established a newconnectionwithDeeyaShreeSchoolinKathmandu,Nepal.Ourstudents’traveltothesedestinations to volunteer their time and to learn from the communities they visit. Some of our Year 12 students elect to remain here in Hong Kong and participate in service opportunities closer to home. We see students volunteer with Jockey Club Sarah Roe School, The Nesbitt Centre and Ark Eden. Other students develop themselves through leadership programmes like Outward Bound, or enjoy activities and learning new skills like watersports with Blue Sky Sports Club or horse riding at the Lo Wu Saddle Club.

Along with the Service element, CAS involves students exploring their Creativity and enjoying a healthy lifestyle through physical fitness (Activity). Throughout the year our students challenge themselves in a variety of ways. Some learn how to surf, sail and paddle board. Others are involved in hiking, biking and of course playing for the Black Kites, to name but a few of the Activity experiences.

Creativity experiences such as Trashion, Ingenium, Dance without Boarders, Art for Action, Black Chambers Photography, VoiceUp, Point Blank Film Studios, ARC, and music ensembles are only the beginning when it comes to the list of ventures our students initiate and participate in.

At the end of the two-year diploma programme, Renaissance students are able to demonstrate their self-awareness, growth and accomplishments in a final interview, where experiences are celebrated and reflected upon. At the Year 13 graduation in May, we celebrated two students in particular: Daniel Ling and Athena Wong, who were the joint recipients of the CAS award for their outstanding commitment to Service. We bid a fond farewell to our Year 13 students, eager to affect change in the world as they leave our school for university and beyond.

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Service and Action

Service is a shared value of the IB community. RCHK has developed a comprehensive and unique MYP Service and Action (S&A) programme which is designed to encourage empathy and respect. We aim for a caring community who is passionate to assist and cooperate, which the S&A programme provides.

During 2016-2017, our students have been involved in a variety of service activities and events in and out of school. On campus, students have been actively involved in different events such as Jie Jie Day, the Terry Fox Run, creating game stalls for the College Fair, the Walk for Change and helping out with Friday sports. For out of school activities, many of our students have been serving the local community by doing beach cleanups,flagselling,BreadRun,various24Hourcharityraces,feedingthepoorandcaringfortheelderly.

From the compassion and enthusiasm of our students, many have exceeded our expectations and genuinely embraced helping the community. Many students have gone above and beyond the service requirements and embraced service as a lifelong commitment. Vivian Qi and Kelvin Cheung received outstanding student service awards for their quality contributions, not only to RCHK but to the wider community.

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Secondary EOTC

Renaissance College Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) Programme has continued to promotestudents’developmentandpersonalgrowth.Itoffersstudentsanopportunitytofullyenact the IB Learner Profile attributes in a non-academic environment. The EOTC program is able to get the students moving and engaged in a way that a classroom cannot offer. In an age of modern technologies and conveniences that can take away from appreciating the natural world as well as the physicality of life, EOTC provides that component of being physical and connecting with the natural world. It is a fantastic way for the students to appreciate the world around them as well as to get to know themselves and their capabilities.

EOTC in the Middle Years Programme focuses on experiences that encourage independence, self-management, organizational skills, resilience and personal responsibility. Challenge and risk-taking activities provide leadership opportunities and develop self-confidence. Essentially, EOTC guides adolescence towards effective adulthood by developing invaluable life skills. During 2016-17 the EOTC experiences were as follows: Year 7 - Hong Kong-based trips focusing on peer inter-relationships, independence and team building. Being a transition year; it allowed the students an opportunity to get to know their peers whom they will be working with throughout their MYP years.

Year 8 - Hong Kong-based trips focusing on open water competence and confidence. Many adventures that the students will go on throughout their lives will involve water activities. This program really focuses on developing their comfort level in and around water, while at the same time continuing to develop interpersonal and leadership skills.

Year 9 - Hong Kong-based trip, which had the students in small groups doing a week-long adventurerace.Thisprogramhasbeenbuilttochallengethestudent’steamworkskills.Eachday the students had to plan how they would carry out the tasks assigned to them for that day. They collected points throughout the week based on how they had completed the different tasks. At the end of the week the scores for each team were added up to determine which team was the most successful at completing the adventure race.

Year 10 - Trips have been taken to: Fuxing in Taiwan, Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Tioman Island in Malaysia.

The Malaysia trip had the students visit Tioman Island where they got to see and work at a turtle sanctuary, as well as doing some diving and snorkeling around some beautiful underwater scenery.

The Thailand excursion immersed the students in the local culture. The students had the opportunity to experience kayaking and bamboo river rafting down the River Kwai while surrounded by beautiful jungle scenery.

The Taiwan trip had the students explore some of the beautiful mountainous area in Fuxing as well as allowed them to interact with the local people. During their time there, students got a chance to help at a local farm, which was one of the highlights of the trip.

The Year 11 - EOTC experience has continued as in previous years, consisting of the highly successful work experience week.

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Academic Achievement

PYP Standardized Assessment

In the 2016-17 academic year, learners in Years 1, 3, 4 and 6 completed various standardised assessments. In September 2016, Year 1 students undertook the Performance Indicators in Primary School (PIPS) adaptive assessment. This assessment provided class teachers with information in various academic areas including reading (inclusive of phonics), writing, mathematics and short-term memory. Year 3 students completed the Interactive Computerised Assessment System (InCAS) in Term 1. This adaptive assessment tests children in various areas, including reading, mathematics, mental arithmetic, developed ability and attitudes to maths, reading and school. It looks to support teachers in evaluating learner needs within these areas. Students in Year 6 completed InCAS in Term 3. Duringthesametimeframe,learnersinYears4and6completedthefullsuiteoftheInternationalSchools’Assessment (ISA). This is an externally marked assessment that provides data for writing (narrative and expository), reading and mathematics. The statistics obtained from ISA allows RCHK to track individual students’progressaswellasexamineclassandyear-leveltrends. Participating in these assessments affords teachers the ability to consolidate their ongoing diagnostic and formativeassessmentfindings.Theinformationgleanedfromtheseassessmentsisusedtoevaluatethesuccess and effectiveness of the written, taught and assessed curriculum. Year 6 learners continued to shine as they celebrated their achievements in Primary, culminating in the PYP Exhibition. This academic year saw another impressive showcase of both process and product from this cohort of students.

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MYP Results

For the 2016-17 academic year there were 160 Year 11 students and 149 of these students completedtheeightMYPcourses,thePersonalProjectandmetalloftheschool’sMYPServiceand Action outcomes. The average point total for RCHK students in this cohort was, for the eight subjectsandthePersonalProject,49.4.The2016-17markedourfirstfullcohortofYear11studentsatRCHK.Inaddition,theschoolcontinuestoparticipateintheIB’sBQC(BuildingQualityCurriculum)programme in order to review and seek feedback on the curriculum we deliver. This process helps us to continue to improve the quality of our MYP programme.

The Personal Project is the culminating product of the MYP and as part of global standardisation of the MYP, schools are required to submit the Personal Project to the IB for external standardisation. Feedback from the IB demonstrated that once again, our students are achieving above world averages with an RCHK average of 4.63 points compared with a world average of 3.69. School-based data is collected for all Year 11 students. Based on this, our students continue to perform at a high level with an average grade of 5.56 across the subjects (shown below).

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Results for the IB Diploma (IBDP)/Courses Programmes and Career-related Programme The fact that 42% of our students were awarded bilingual IB Diplomas, where the students take two native/near native language courses, was very impressive and especially so as we had a 100% pass rate for all the students eligible. It is also noteworthy that the statistician at ESF CentreresponsibleforthedesignationoftheprestigiousESFChairman’sAwardcompensatesforstudents achieving a bilingual Diploma by a factor of two grades. If we applied this to our results, it would make them even more impressive.

It was significant that 17% our DP students achieved 40+ points (Ivy League and Oxbridge territory) and that our average score was 35, which is only one grade below the average score needed for entry into leading Hong Kong universities (HKU and HKUST), a number of the University of London colleges and excellent universities in the US such as UCLA.

The results for the May 2017 IB DP cohort were as follows.

17%5.5

21 Students

Number of students entered for the full IB Diploma

Bilingual pass rate (%) Pass rate (%)

Mean points score for all IB Diploma students

Mean grade for all subjects

ESFChairman’sAwards

13513499.3%

87%35.0100% (42 of the cohort)

54%

Number of students achieving the IB Diploma

RCHK May2017

% of students achieving 30+ IB Diploma points% of students achieving 35+ IB Diploma points% of students achieving 40+ IB Diploma points

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The CP results were impressive because the achievement of an average DP subject grade of 5.4 is significantlygreaterthantheworldwideaveragegradeof4.7.Thestudents’gradepointaverageatSCADof3.4wasimpressivegiventhatthesecoursesarefirstyearuniversity/collegecoursesthatareawardedcreditbySCAD.ThescoresintheReflectiveProjectthatisgivenequalweightingwithDPExtended Essay by UCAS also demonstrated the strong independent research skills of the CP students.

AllthreeoftheCPstudentsreceivedESFChairman’sAwardsforobtainingaGPAaverageatSCADof 3.0 or greater with an average DP grade equal to or above 5. The following summary table provides moredetailsoftheCPstudent’sachievements.

IB Summary of CP Core and DP courses data for the May 2016 CP Students.

3.40

Highest reflective project mark (out of 30):

Candidates achieved CP:Lowest reflective project mark:

Bilingual CP (1 student eligible)

CP candidates excluded from statistics:

2421.415

013

5.4

Average reflective project mark (Out of 30):

Candidates not achieved CP:Average grade obtained by candidates who achieved the CP:SCAD GPA

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Student Destinations Class of 2017

Australia (2)University of Sydney (2)

Canada (20)Alberta College of Art and Desgin (1)Queen’sUniversity(1)Ryerson University (1)Simon Fraser University (1)University of British Columbia (6)University of Toronto (8)Western University (1)York University (1)

France (1)Sciences Po (1)

Hong Kong (43)City University of Hong Kong (2)College of International Education, HKBU (1)Hong Kong Baptist University (1)HKU SPACE (1)Savannah College of Art and Design Hong Kong (3)The Chinese University of Hong Kong (13)The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (5)The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (7)The University of Hong Kong (10)

Singapore (1)SIM Global Education (1)

Switzerland (1)Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (1)

UK (47)Brunel University (1)Cardiff University (2) Durham University (1) Goldsmiths, University of London (1)King’sCollegeLondon(4)Kingston University (1)Newcastle University (1)Norwich Univesity of the Arts (1)University College London (5)University of Birmingham (1)University of Bristol (1)

University for the Creative Arts (1)University of East Anglia (1)University of Edinburgh (3)University of Exeter (1)University of Glasgow (1)University of Kent (3)University of Leeds (1)University of Manchester (2)University of Nottingham (4) University of Oxford (1)University of the Arts London (5) University of Surrey (2) University of Sussex (1) The University of Sheffield (1) The University of Warwick (1)

USA (13)New York University (4)New York Film Academy (1) Manhattan School of Music (1)Syracuse University (1)University of California at Davis (1)University of California at Irvine (1)University of California at Riverside (1)University of Chicago (1)University of Massachusetts Lowell (1)Wellesley College (1)

( ) indicates the number of 2017 graduates attending

Gap year (5) / Students will apply to Australia (5) and Japan (1) for 2018 As of 9/10/2017

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Alumni Relations and Development

The alumni community at Renaissance College continues to grow. Our alumni gatherings in London and Hong Kong saw more new members join us, and the crowd just keeps getting bigger and bigger each year. In addition, with more alumni graduating from higher education institutions and moving on to a variety of career paths, we have been delighted to welcome them back to school to share their career knowledge,entrepreneurialjourneyandspecialexpertiseinvariousindustriesandfields,aswellashost master classes in different subject areas.

We are also in the process of setting up career mentoring scheme with alumni for our existing seniorstudents,andlookforwardtobuildingmanymorefulfilling,inspiringandmutuallybeneficialrelationships with them in the near future.

College Council and RAPT

College Council

The College has near full capacity with more than 2,000 students on roll in the last school year. We have seen another successful year for the Nomination Rights and Building Levy schemes which have generated the much-needed funds towards construction of the new building adjacent to the Primary block and for sustaining continued enhancement and improvement of the College facilities generally.

With the term for some of our College Council members expiring shortly after start of the new school year, we wish to thank all our members for their time and invaluable contribution to the College in the past years. At the same time, we look forward to welcoming some new faces at our Council bringing along with them their wealth of expertise and experience in their specialised areas for enrichment of the Council. Together we will continue to work together to bring the College to a higher level.

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RAPT 2016-17 academic year was a very busy time for RAPT. We have excellent committee members in the College Fair as well as other function groups. Plus with all the support from school staff, teachers, parents and students, we have achieved a new record page of our College Fair.

FollowingisaselectedlistofRAPT’sactivitiesduring2016-17:- Welcome Back BBQ in August 2016- Healthy snack sale during Terry Fox Run in November 2016- 10th RCHK College Fair with theme “Celebrations!” in November 2016- Big 10 Bowl Feast in March 2017- The annual Joyful Fruit Day in April 2017- Six Coffee Morning/Afternoons in 2016-17- Sale of “pre-loved” uniforms in September 2016, February and May 2017

Wealsomadesignificantdonationstothecollegeinthefollowingareas:-PurchasedfitnessequipmentatPEDepartment- Constructed water feature and seating area for the new Chinese building rooftop garden- Purchased playground equipment for the new playground- Upgrade of changing rooms and washrooms facilities- Purchased outdoor tents for various activities- Refreshments for parent information evenings and IBDPVA Exhibition- Year 6, 11 and 13 Graduation events

Besides organizing different activities to bring the school community together and donating money to support school refurbishment, RAPT also made great contributions to the RCHK community in many different ways:1. The Nutriagent Team worked closely with the college to promote healthy eating in RCHK, conducted lunch/snack surveillances and organized healthy snack selling during Terry Fox Run as well as the well-received Joyful Fruit Day2. Invited guest speakers to share different topics with the parents during the Coffee Mornings/Afternoons. Topics included: how to provide a stable emotional platform to our children, play therapy, volunteering, and transition from Primary to Secondary.

We are looking forward to extending this success into next year.

Yvonne Tse and Eric WongRAPT Co-Chairs

Facilities Renaissance College boasts state-of-the-art facilities on its campus which is easily accessible by public transportation, including a direct subway link to Heng On Station on the MTR Ma On Shan Line. The college facilities are used extensively during and after school hours, as well as on weekendsbyotherESFaffiliatesandthelocalcommunity.Our facilities include:

Performing Arts Centre / Black Box Theatre Library and Information Resource Centre (LIRC) Seminar RoomsCafeteria / Café Refurbished Rooftop Astroturf Sports Pitch (2)Outdoor Basketball Court (2)Outdoor Multi-purpose Astro-turf FieldCollege Gymnasiums (Primary and Secondary) and Climbing Wall25-metre Heated Swimming Pool Science LaboratoriesArt StudiosMusic roomsICT Center (Red Door Center)

Work on a new addition in the existing campus began in June 2015. This new four-story building will house the Primary Chinese, Arts and LET departments. There will also be a multi-purposeactivityroom(fullfloor),acoveredplaygroundfully equipped with outdoor games and a Chinese garden rooftop. The grand opening will be held at the beginning of 2018.

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StaffRenaissance College has a team of experiencedinternational educators. Members of our faculty come fromaround the world, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Columbia, Denmark, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, United States and South Africa. Our dedicated teachers provide much more than academic guidance - they embrace the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate and believe that the way we approach learning makes a difference. The school year opened with 160 teachers and 21 left to pursue opportunities elsewhere when their contract was completed in June 2017.

School Statistics

Enrolment Numbers

First Language

151684168716411164816218128791484125

1681621621601621601581432101

Year 1

Year 8

Year 2

Year 9

Year 3

Year 10

Year 4

Year 11

Year 5

Year 12

Year 6

Year 7

Year 13

TOTAL

Total no. of studentsSept. 2017

Total no. of withdrawals June 2016

Nationality

2641082 155 111 87 35920582591175 167 113 84 30321012016

2015

Total No. ofstudents British Chinese Canadian American Australian All Others

10241285

721684

6468

2118

1010

34362101

2090

Total No. ofstudents English Cantonese Mandarin Korean Japanese All Others

20172016

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1671681631621621691611621641621631451422090

Total no. of studentsSept. 2016

Budget

1,382258,223 252,736

18,783 17,887287,103

25,822

2,083 (4,654)

280,164

25,273

201,539 202,66635,604 34,584

3,378

8,427

3,378

8,667

10,250 10,250

8,715 8,610931

Staff expenses

Rental

Others

Tuition fees

Other expenses - Operational

Management and Admin to ESF

Scholarship

Depreciations

Development and Operating Agreement (DOA)

Donation

Income

Expenditure

*Actual 2016/2017

Budget 2016/2017

TOTAL INCOME

TOTAL EXPENDITURESURPLUS/ (DEFICIT)

HK$’000 HK$’000

*Note 1: Draft results as of November 2, 2017, before intra-company adjustments.

*Note 2: Funds generated by the Nomination Rights Scheme and Non-Refundable Building Levy are not P&L incomes.

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285,020 284,818

Renaissance College Hong Kong

5 Hang Ming Street, Ma On Shan, NT, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 3556 3556

Fax: (852) 3556 3446

www.renaissance.edu.hk