About Us

Twenty two players were selected across the girls and boys teams to represent Discovery College at this year's ACAMIS tournament in Xi'an from 29 - 31 October. The journey to the podium began last October, just a week after returning from the previous ACAMIS competition, where the boys finished 6th and the girls took 4th place. Driven to improve, these players committed to three hours of rigorous training every single Saturday for nine months. Fast forward to tournament day, and both teams were fully prepared for battle.

Semifinals & Finals

• Boys Team: DC Cobras swept HIS (Hangzhou International School) in straight sets of the semi-final to advance to the championship match. In the final, they went head-to-head against a highly experienced SCIS (Shanghai Community International School) squad. Though SCIS took the title, the boys fought valiantly to bring home the Silver medal - a massive leap forward from last year. They also won the highly prestigious 'Spirit Award'.
  
  
• Girls Team: After falling just short against SCIS in the semifinals, the girls showed incredible resilience. Just a few hours later, they stormed back in the bronze medal match, defeating HIS in three sets to claim Discovery College's first bronze medal in years.
  
  

Guided by exceptional leadership from both team captains on and off the court, both squads stepped up to face adversity head-on, backing each other up in every single match and showing true unity and resilience. Marking the final ACAMIS tournament for several Year 13 students, the weekend proved to be an emotional and rewarding culmination of their journey.

Congratulations to the entire team and to the coaches for a spectacular peformance! A special mention goes to Amber, Shannon, Nathan and Athan for being selected for the All-Star ACAMIS Team.

Discovery College primary swimmers in years 4 to 6 delivered outstanding performances at the HKPSSA Kowloon Primary Swim Meet on 14 October. Competing at the AISHK (Australian International School) pool, our aqua-athletes showcased immense grit, depth, and team spirit, walking away with highly impressive results.

Alberto spearheaded the boys' division with an extraordinary campaign, securing a remarkable trio of individual third-place podium finishes in the 100m IM (1:28.43), 50m Freestyle (34.95), and 100m Freestyle (1:20.64).

The girls' squad proved equally dominant in the water. Cadence sped her way to a brilliant third-place finish in the 25m Butterfly with a sharp time of 20.46 seconds. Ariel narrowly missed the podium with a fantastic fourth-place finish in the 100m IM (1:36.10), while Brooke captured an excellent fifth overall in the highly competitive 50m Breaststroke (50.50).

Rounding out the success, the Girls 200m Freestyle Relay 'A' team composed of Cadence, Ariel, Brooke, and Theodora, they absolutely powered through the pool to claim third place overall in 2:53.75.

Huge congratulations to all our incredible DC wave makers!

The Secondary Visual Art Department at Discovery College recently welcomed British artist Kate Sparrow for an immersive two day workshop that focused on the mastery of oil painting and portraiture. As a former member of the ESF family, Kate recently left Hong Kong to set up her own artist studio in the South West of France, where she works on portrait commissions and painting classes. Each year, Kate returns to Hong Kong to share technical expertise and passion with ESF students and other international schools.

During the intensive session, 45 students across Years 11, 12, and 13 dived into the world of oil painting. Working from high contrast photography, students refined their portraiture skills through underpainting, colour theory, skin tone mixing precision, and blending to bring subjects to life on canvas. The artistic range of the students was on full display, with subjects spanning from self-portraits, faces of family and friends, and creative, character based concepts.

Visual Art teachers Ms Mitchell and Mr Lester were thrilled with the studio outcomes and overall student growth. The practical experience served as an excellent addition to Year 11’s Oil Painting Unit and provided the IB Diploma Programme students with valuable evidence for the Art Making Inquiry Portfolio. We extend our sincere thanks to Kate Sparrow for inspiring our students and bringing her vibrant professional expertise to our creative community.  A huge thank you to Ms Book, for her endless support of the teachers, students and Kate.

Important Updates: 

• No CCAs Next Week: Please note that there will be no regular Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) next week due to No Boundaries week from 9-13 November

• The CCA bus service will also be suspended. Unless your coach has specifically contacted you to schedule a session, all CCAs are paused and will resume the week starting Monday, 16 November.

• Term 1 CCAs end Friday, 4 December

• Term 2 CCA Enrolment: Enrolment for Term 2 CCAs will open on Friday, 20th November at 10:00am

Bookings for the November 3-way conferences for Years 7-13 are open for booking via the ESF App.

This year, we will have two distinct conference elements: subject-teacher conferences and separate conferences with Learning Advisors. Please see below for details:

This year, we will have two distinct conference elements: subject-teacher conferences and separate conferences with Learning Advisors. Please see below for details: 

Element 1: Subject Teacher conferences (5 mins)

Subject Teacher 3-way Conferences are scheduled to take place online on Monday, 23 November and Thursday, 26 November from 1:30pm - 6:30pm. Each appointment lasts 5 minutes, and students are expected to attend with their parents.

Element 2: Learning Coaching Conferences with Learning Advisors (10 mins)

Learning Advisor 3-way Learning Coaching Conversations are scheduled to take place online on Wednesday, 2 December from 1:30pm - 6:30pm. Each appointment lasts 10 minutes, and students are expected to attend with their parents.

Key Dates At A Glance

 - Booking opens: Monday 2 November at 12:00pm - Parents can book conference appointments.

 - Booking closes: Tuesday 17 November - Please complete bookings before the system closes.

 - School Day Structure: Conference days - Shortened teaching day, no Discovery Time, and students leave campus before conferences begin.

Shortened School Day Schedule for conference days.

Time table will be as follows:

Learning Team: 8:20-8:30am

Period 1: 8:30-9:20am

Break: 9:20-9:30am

Period 2: 9:30-10:20am

Break: 10:20-10:40am

Period 3: 10:40-11:25am

Break: 11:25-11:35am

Period 4: 11:35-12:20pm

Dismissal window: 12:20-12:30pm

There is no Discovery Time on conference days. Students are expected to leave campus after the shortened teaching day and participate in their online conferences from home. Some Year 13 students may be invited to remain on campus for essential practical work and will join their online conferences from school.

What are the Subject Teacher 3-way conferences for?

The conversation will focus on:

- Where is your child going in their learning

- How your child is progressing now, including reference to current assessment or attainment information where appropriate

- What your child should do next

- Questions you or your child would like to discuss with teachers

What are the Learning Coaching conferences for?

The Learning Coach conferences will have a holistic focus on the following key areas:

• Where the student is in relation to their overall learning.
• Reflect on how they could improve in key areas
• Deciding on a specific goal/goals to work towards
• Discussing strategies and tools to be used in working towards that goal
• Discussing the support required in school from teachers and at home from parents

How to book:

Appointments will be booked through the ESF App. Please use the booking instructions shared through the app when the booking window opens.

If you need to make a change after the booking system closes, please contact the relevant class teacher directly.

Our school’s cross-country runners delivered outstanding performances at the HKSSF Cross Country Championships held at Tai Tong Country Park this week on 2 Nov. Facing brutally hilly courses and sharp competition from 13 rival schools, every single member of our squad delivered a fantastic performance and gave it their all from start to finish, something everyone can be proud of.

Our training sessions over the past term have proven effective with every single runner wearing the Cobras jersey performing to the highest level. The comradery and team spirit within the squad were what made the day such a resounding success, one that inspires all.  

In the Boys A Grade category, Theo stormed to a 1st-place victory, dominating a field of 83 runners over the challenging 5.75 km course with a time of 23:32. The Boys B Grade team proved equally formidable on the same 5.75 km route in a 71-runner field: Atharav took the 1st place with an incredible winning time of 23:29, closely supported by Royce, who earned a brilliant 3rd-place podium finish with a time of 24:34.

In the Boys C Grade, the team tackled a tough, hilly 4.2 km loop with Lefteris powering through to cross the finish line in a fast 17:11, earning him a strong 7th place in a highly competitive field.

- Contributed by Theo (Year 13 student)

Congratulations to the entire team for a fantastic performance and to the coaches for their time and effort in guiding and inspiring our students throughout the season!

Important Reminders:

• Deadline: All boxes must be brought to the Library by Monday, 9 November.

• House Labels: Please ensure your child’s House name is clearly written on the box label.

• Extra Supplies Needed: We welcome donations of empty shoe boxes, drawstring bags, and new stationery (e.g., A5 notepads). Every 10 stationery items donated will count as 1 box contribution.

During the week beginning 16 November, all secondary students will be completing a counselling screening. This screening includes questions that specifically inquire about school belonging, symptoms of worry or anxiety, and symptoms of low mood or depression. The screener is a 28-item survey that will help us identify individuals who need particular support and also help us to target appropriate prevention strategies for the whole student population. 

Members of the student support team, Ms Pugh (student counsellor), Mr Wong (social worker), and Ms Fong (social worker) will follow up with students who indicate in the survey that they would like support, or whose responses indicate that support may be helpful. We may also follow up with parents/guardians.

We encourage adults at home to talk with their students about their wellbeing and mental health. This screener can be a way to start that conversation. It can be helpful to ask directly how they’re feeling, identifying if you’ve noticed any shifts in mood or behaviour. You can mention the counselling screening and ask if they had any reaction to it in a supportive and nonjudgmental tone. It can be helpful to note that struggles can be context-driven, and given school stress and any number of life events, it would make sense to need support sometimes. You can also frame seeking support or help in a metaphor. For example, if you broke your arm, you would probably visit a doctor and receive approved medical treatment to let it heal over time. Similarly, your brain controls feelings, thoughts, and behaviours, and sometimes you need to seek known treatments from trained professionals to work towards balance and healing.

If you have any questions or comments about the screening or student support services at school, please visit our  website and feel free to contact us directly. 

A gentle reminder that we are still looking for volunteers to assist with craft activities at Winter Wonderland on 30 November.

To ensure the event is a success, we need a few extra hands to help out. We know how important it is to spend quality time with your family, so we encourage signing up for just half of the event - allowing you to lend a hand while still enjoying the festivities with your children for the other half.

Thank you so much for your support and partnership in making this day special!

Volunteer Sign up form

*Watch this space as tickets will go on sale soon, with only 200 child places, make sure you dont miss out!