Explorer

A Special Diwali Dance this Morning

As the school gates opened this morning, the atmosphere and excitement was absolutely electric, as our school community came together to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

The highlight of the morning was a captivating performance by a team of 30 student dancers, spanning from Year 4 all the way through to Year 13. Bringing together students across both primary and secondary sectors, the troupe dazzled the audience with a high-energy routine filled with expressive choreography, brilliant colors, and traditional rhythms.

The seamless coordination across such a diverse age group showcased not only remarkable talent and weeks of dedication, but also the true spirit of Diwali—bringing people together in joy and togetherness.

We are very grateful to Ms Nebel and Ms Alflatt for their leadership of this celebration and a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful PTA for their generous support in providing the beautiful festive attire for our performers.

A huge congratulations to all 30 performers for brightening our morning and sharing such a memorable cultural celebration with our entire community!

Watch a clip of the Diwali dance performance here.

House Photography Competition Results & Online Photo Gallery

The Mid-Autumn Festival invites us to look up at the same moon from different places. This year, our House Photography Competition extended that idea beyond the moon itself, inviting our community to discover circles in unexpected forms—and to consider what they might represent: connection, movement, memory, belonging and return.

We received 148 submissions from Primary and Secondary students and staff. Some photographers found circles in lanterns, fireworks, architecture and familiar everyday objects; others used the circle to explore friendship, celebration, change, direction and the quiet ways in which we find our way back to one another.

Our judging panel, representing different sections and departments across the school, devoted considerable time to reviewing the entries and sharing their perspectives. Following careful evaluation and thoughtful discussion, they selected the top ten photographs, together with one outstanding winner from each section of the school.

House Competition Results:

Top Ten Photographs:

Category Winners:

Primary (Years 1–6)

Overall Winner: “A Unique Star ⭐” - Cassie, Year 6, Blue House

Secondary (Years 7–13)

Overall Winner: “The Five Circles of Celebration” — Kian, Year 11, Green House

Staff

Overall Winner: “Turning Towards the One” — Mr Glavanis, Purple House

Message from Our Judges

“Every photograph begins with a choice: where to stand, what to notice and when to press the shutter. Across our community, those individual choices have created a circle of perspectives—different in subject, mood and meaning, yet connected by the wish to preserve something worth seeing. Perhaps Many Ways, One Circle is not simply a theme, but a reflection of school life itself: many people following different paths, each carrying a story, and all contributing to a community that becomes richer through the ways we see one another.” — The Judging Panel: Ms Alflatt, Ms Viirret, Mr Glavanis and Ms Chak

Explore Our Stories - Online Photo Gallery

Congratulations to every photographer who took part. Each photograph added a different perspective to the collection, reminding us that a circle can be found almost anywhere, but its meaning depends on the person standing behind the camera.

We warmly invite the whole Discovery College community to explore the Top 10 photographs alongside a wider collection of remarkable entries in the link here.

Student-Led International School Science Debate Competition: ISSDC 2026

On Friday, 9 October, Discovery College hosted the student-led International School Science Debate Competition (ISSDC), bringing together students, educators, and science experts for a day of critical thinking, public speaking, and rigorous scientific discourse.

Organised by a dedicated student leadership team from DC, the competition brought together teams across ESF schools including Discovery College, West Island School, Island School, Shatin College, Renaissance College, King George V School, and South Island School.

Students tackled ethical, medical, and environmental debates across four intense rounds. Should age dictate the allocation of scarce medical resources? Should the ban on the use of genetically modified animal organs for use in human medical trials be lifted? These, amongst others, were questions tackled by our fiercely debating students.

Awards & Champions

Champion: Island School
1st Runner-Up: Shatin College
2nd Runner-Up: Discovery College
Best Debater: Hogan (Island School)

A huge congratulations to all the debaters, student organisers, supervising teachers, and judges who made ISSDC 2026 an overwhelming success! See you in 2027!

Unforgettable Recital Evening Concert

Last night, the Discovery College theatre was filled with amazing music as both our Primary and Secondary students took the stage for our Recital Evening. The audience was treated to an incredible variety of performances, showcasing a rich mix of styles from Baroque, Classical and Romantic pieces to traditional folk music and even some Pop and Rock.

Our talented musicians demonstrated their skill across a diverse range of instruments, including piano, violin, guzheng, drum kit and vocal performances. It was an immensely entertaining evening, and the Music Department could not be prouder of the students who stepped into the spotlight and shared their passion with our community.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming Young Performer Evening and Annual Concerts in Term 2. We hope to see you there.

Halloween Dress-Up Day & Costume Guidelines: 30 October

We have another celebration coming up, and we are excited to celebrate Halloween together as a community!

We invite our students to express their creativity and school spirit by wearing costumes or festive attire on Friday, 30 October. To ensure our campus remains a safe, comfortable, and positive environment for everyone, please follow these costume guidelines:

No Fake Blood: Costumes must not include fake blood or gory special effects.
No Imitation Weapons: Please leave all toy weapons at home, including imitation guns, swords, knives, or shields.
Age-Appropriate Styles: Because we share our campus with very young students, please ensure costumes are not overly scary or graphic.
Classroom-Friendly: Costumes should be comfortable enough to sit in and must not interfere with regular learning activities or movement.
No Masks During Lessons: Masks may be worn during break times but must be removed during class so teachers can easily identify students and maintain clear visibility.

If your child has PE on this day, please remind them to bring their sports shoes to change into. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a fun and safe atmosphere for our Halloween festivities. If you have any questions, please speak with your classroom teacher or learning advisor before 30 October.

A few highlights from last year's Halloween below.

Box of Hope

Once again this year, we are excited to be supporting the annual Box of Hope Drive, and we are asking for your help across our entire school community!

This initiative aligns wonderfully with our Primary Year 3 students’ Unit of Inquiry on How We Organise Ourselves, where they are exploring the systems involved in supporting communities. As part of their learning, our Year 3 classes have enthusiastically taken on the project of leading the campaign and spreading the word throughout the Primary school.

What is Box of Hope?

Box of Hope is a Hong Kong-based charity that collects donated boxes or bags filled with essentials and treats for other, needier children.

What can I do?

Start collecting items now. You can do this individually or with another family. Stickers have been given out to all students in Primary this week, with more available from the Library on Floor 2 or the main reception. There are separate stickers for Primary and Secondary-aged recipients.

When is collection day?

Filled boxes or bags can be brought into school from Monday, 2 November to Monday, 9 November. Our final collection day is the morning of Monday, 9 November. Please note that after this date, boxes should be delivered directly to the sorting centre in Exchange Square, in Central.

You can also send in empty boxes for us to reuse, as there is always a need for more in the community.

House Boxapalooza

Each house member who brings in a box earns a house tally point as part of the house spirit connection.

A special request directly from Box of Hope

Over the last few years, there has been an increased demand for items suitable for teens. If you can’t do a whole box, please consider donating some of the following items, such as cute stationery, notepads, sanitary pads, roll-on deodorant, or anything else that can be used to top up boxes in the sorting centre.

We can’t wait to see the donated boxes that have been filled with love and care over the next few weeks. If you have further questions, please review the official Box of Hope site here or contact Ms Lam in the Library at: library@dc.edu.hk

U20 Boys Football Team Update

Our U20 footballers have had a strong start to the season winning our first three games of the season scoring 21 goals in the process. This week we won our final HKSSF group game which means that we progress to the knockouts which will take place in November - we need two more wins to secure qualification for the prestigious 'All Hong Kong Jing Ying competition'.

We are incredibly proud to share the wonderful news that three of our students have been selected to travel to Suzhou, China this mid-term break to represent Hong Kong in the ISF Football World Cup.

Jack, Noah and Harry were selected after a lengthy trials process and will be testing themselves against teams from all over the world including Brazil, France, Germany and England. Having 3 players from Discovery College selected in this 20 man squad is a hugely proud moment for us as a school and we wish them good luck in this tournament as they enter the World Stage.

4c2b1dd209e5301511aba4db41a02e98cbb66d6c01a2c8eba90a3bbcbdb4bc5f_1791369453641

Year 2 Celebration of Learning

Year 2 eagerly welcomed their parents and carers into school to share in our Celebration of Learning at the end of our ‘How We Express Ourselves’ unit. The children were incredibly proud to present all the wonderful learning they have been doing about celebrations across the curriculum. They enjoyed sharing a poetry recital, their own cleverly crafted poems, brilliant artwork, and their research about Diwali.

Thank you to everyone who came along to support the children and celebrate their learning with us. It was a fantastic opportunity for Year 2 to share their developing knowledge and invite you into their learning spaces.

A Weekend of Inspiration: DP Theatre at ISTA Taps

Fourteen of our DP Theatre students across Years 12 and 13 spent their weekend with Ms V and Mrs Allen at the ISTA Taps event, hosted at UWC Li Po Chun from Friday to Sunday. Students met peers from six other international schools across Hong Kong and China, and worked with amazing practitioners for the full three days. While Ms V and Mrs Allen had professional development classes with practitioners from Cantonese opera and Applied theatre practice, the students worked with a host of impressive names and companies;

A famous HK director, Donald Chung, on staging playtexts
William Wong Ka Kui from Blank Space, who has trained under Grotowski
HK theatre company One Table and Two Chairs on exploring singing and movement in Cantonese opera
Yi Man Au on Collaborating to make theatre through still images, and finally
ISTA's own Laura Glanowski on how to relate all of this wealth of experience to the DP course.

We saw 'Nobodies Theatre' perform an amazing piece on Friday night, called 'City Fantasia', using live cinema, puppetry and very cool use of lights and set. On Saturday night we were privileged to have a demonstration of many aspects of Cantonese Opera by 'One Table and Two Chairs', including the swinging ponytail and some martial combat scenes, among scenes of falling in love, all defined and explained by the inimitable Musette Tsang.

Of all the students at the event, DC students represented the perfect group - They were model students; enthusiastic, engaged, friendly, polite and open minded to try everything thrown at them. It is a privilege to work with such fabulous young people, who undoubtedly returned home buzzing with energy from so many inspiring moments.

Year 9 Individuals & Societies Crossroads Trip

We went on a trip to Crossroads with year 9 I&S students to provide them with the opportunity to experience what inequality may be like for some people. The students took part in a simulation, in which they were tasked with making paper bags in order to live. The website states: "participants try to earn enough to survive by making paper bags out of newspaper and home-made glue. They must earn enough to pay for rent, food, sanitation, medical needs and, if they are fortunate, education. Those that cannot make it end up in the hands of a loan shark. This simulation programme throws participants into the hopelessness and intricacy of the poverty web."

There was a debrief at the end where we made connections between the experience and what is happening currently in different parts of the world. This was a fun and engaging activity with lots of links to our unit of inquiry.

Upcoming Parent Education Workshops


Register HERE	Register HERE

Thank you from DCPTA

It was wonderful connecting with so many families at our Year 1 Parent Welcome Evening on 12 October at Ona. The evening provided a lovely opportunity to greet new parents and share experiences as part of our growing community.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and made the night so special. We look forward to seeing you all again at our upcoming events soon!

About Us

The Explorer Newsletter