About Us

Good morning, teachers and students.  It is my great pleasure to speak to you this morning to welcome you all back to our big family.  I would like to extend a warm welcome to new school members including our S1 students and some newly-admitted students of other levels. 

Before the opening ceremony, you heard a song titled “This is the Father's World”, which aligns with our school’s focus for the coming years.  This is a pleasant song that celebrates God’s creation. Our Educational Theme for 2024-2027 is “Respecting Life in Praise and Gratitude for God’s Creation”, with a primary emphasis on “Respect”.  God, as the creator of the world, loves us deeply.  He advocates for the respect and care of all life, and so we must praise and give thanks for His creation, including showing respect for one another.  “Respect” is also one of the three core values of the Canossian Values Education, as stated in your Student Handbook on page 10.  In the last three years, we focused on “Gratitude”, and in the coming three years, we will focus on “Respect” – following in the footsteps of our Foundress, we stand united in charity and respect for all creatures.  Our Foundress, St. Magdalene of Canossa, said, “I desire that God may set your heart on fire with His love.”  One of the essential elements of love is “Respect”.  Only by respecting ourselves and others will we be able to show God’s love.  Respect is shown when we accept ourselves and others, and treat one another with kindness, compassion, and understanding.

We are often accustomed to showing respect for others, but we constantly neglect the fact that we should also respect ourselves.  But how can we do so?  In line with the yearly theme which is “Staying Active, Staying Healthy”, we are encouraged to practise self-respect, self-care, and self-love by maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle.  You are encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance and develop an active, healthy lifestyle.  Did numerous athletes who performed exceptionally well.  I would like to specially highlight the success of our Hong Kong athlete, Ms. Vivian Kong, who won a gold medal in fencing at the Olympic Games.  Her achievement is a testament to her dedication and determination.  She has demonstrated the ability to balance her studies and sports, achieving academic excellence while also pursuing excellence in fencing and beyond.  She is a role model, and we should strive to emulate her drive for greatness in all our endeavors.  The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children and adolescents aged 5-17 should accumulate at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA60) throughout the week.  How can this be achieved?  Moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, walking up and down stairs, and cycling, while vigorous-intensity activities include playing ball games, dancing and swimming.  Even your daily walk to school, where you climb the slope or stairs, counts as the moderate-intensity physical activity.  Heart rate is a reliable indicator of exercise intensity, with higher heart rates corresponding to higher intensity.  What are the benefits of regular physical activity?  It can help children and adolescents improve cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight, reduce the risk of developing health issues like obesity and heart disease, alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and cultivate positive values such as perseverance, diligence, responsibility, commitment and unity.  Additionally, regular physical activity can improve your concentration on studies.

As one of the objectives of the PE Department, you are required to set progressive targets to develop the habit of regular exercise.  In addition to PE lessons, our school will promote an optimized sports atmosphere and create a healthy environment by organizing various special activities, that include the following:

• Class-based physical activities during Class Teachers' time, once per term
• Sports activities conducted by Sports Ambassadors or lunchtime ball games (The homerooms of S1-S5 will be closed during the second half of lunch, as you are expected to engage in sports activities, visit special rooms, the library, the SALC, the Mindfulness Room or participate in other lunch-time activities.)

• A day of wellness programs, implemented once per term, such as mass yoga training or a teacher-student basketball friendly match, similar to the one we held last year.
• A Fruit Day, also to be held once per term. You probably are aware that a healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition, supporting your immune system and preventing disease.
• The newly introduced Chinese Culture Day and National Education Day which will encourage you to stay active and engaged in healthy activities.

I would like to conclude today’s presentation with a quote from the Bible. According to the First Epistle of the Corinthians, Chapter 6, Verses 19-20, it reads: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”  Let us take good care of ourselves and dedicate our healthy bodies to glorifying and serving God.

In the class teacher period, you will receive a file with our yearly theme printed on it.  It will be presented to you as a reminder to put the theme into practice. In this new academic year, let's aim to engage in regular exercise as much as possible, meeting the MVPA60 standard recommended by the WHO.  By doing so, we can maintain good health, adopt an active and healthy lifestyle, and unleash our vitality with positive values and attitudes. I wish you all a blessed, healthy, and fruitful new academic year. Thank you, and may God bless you all.