School Profile

Brief History

Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Siu Ming Catholic Secondary School is a subsidized girls' grammar school run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Founded in 1973, the School has incorporated the educational philosophy of St. Mary Mazzarello and St. John Bosco, that is educating young people with love, reason, religion and in a family spirit of joy and harmony.

Mission of the School

With the teaching of Christ and values of the Gospel, we create an educational environment which is full of joy, love and care. We help our students to live with a clear sense of direction and to find the true meaning of life.
By putting equal stress on the importance of spirituality, virtue, wisdom, physical development, sociability and aesthetic appreciation, we demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that these ideas are integral to our students’ all round development.
We encourage our students to participate actively in the life-long learning process, to apply the acquired knowledge to everyday situations, to cherish their lives and to contribute to community.

St. John Bosco

Founder of the Salesians and the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians

School Motto

Purity and Charity (Integrity and Honesty; Love and Concern)

Class Organization

There are altogether 24 classes with 4 classes each from S.1 to S.6. Including Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Citizenship and Social Development, there are 17 subject modules of 13 different electives offered to each level of S.4 to S.6.

Medium of Instruction

English is uniformly used as the medium of instruction at all form levels except for the subjects of Chinese Language, Chinese History, Putonghua, Chinese Literature, Citizenship and Social Development, Ethics & Religious Education, Life & Society and Visual Arts where Chinese is used instead.

Teachers

The total number of teaching staff members is 57 with 57.9% of them holding Master's degrees as their highest education level, 42.1% holding Bachelor's degrees as their highest education level and 91.2% of teachers have received professional qualifications.

Various learning approaches are adopted to enhance students’ bi-literate and tri-lingual language abilities.

Curriculum

In order to cater for the needs of an ever-changing society and the diverse interests and abilities of students, our School offers a diversified curriculum e.g. Life and Society in S.1 to S.3, S.1 Social Studies is split into History and Geography in S.2, English Literature lessons from an integral part of the junior English curriculum and the drama training is incorporated into the S.2 English Language curriculum. Students' thinking skills, generic skills, positive values and attitudes are developed through the implementation of subject-based or cross-curricular project-based learning at all levels, and by the integration of thinking skills and preliminaries of Liberal Studies into different subjects at the junior secondary levels. With regard to elective subjects at senior levels, combinations of subjects in the arts, science and business streams are offered to students. Flexibility of timetabling enables the school to conduct a wide variety of activities. Other Learning Experiences e.g. Aesthetic Education and Career-related Experiences, etc are offered to senior secondary students both within and outside of school hours, which help students broaden their horizons.

The following table shows the subjects offered in 2022-2023 :

* School-based Curriculum

S.1 STEM Activities

students are encouraged to pursue life-long learning.

Student Activities

Club Activities, Extra-curricular Classes and Special Training

Our School has over 40 clubs and extra-curricular groups. They are divided into various categories, namely Academic Learning, Interest, Services, Religious Faith, etc. Lively and challenging training camps such as the S.2 Student Growth Scheme, S.1 Adventure-based Guidance Training Camp and Student Leaders Training Camp are available to students for the purpose of enhancing their self-esteem and promoting cooperation.

Leadership Groups

The Student Association, the Disciplinary Prefect Association and the Four Houses help strengthen the communication between the School and students and enhance students' skills in leadership and organization. Students may form cabinets and stand for election, thereby enriching their experience in democracy and accountability.

Exchange and Study Tour

Students have opportunities to visit the mainland and overseas countries for cultural exchange e.g. the New Zealand English Study Tour and Japan Cultural Exchange Tour. Our School participates in the AFS Intercultural Programs and each year hosts an exchange student from abroad. The exchange student joins us in all school events so that our students can have a better understanding of the culture and lifestyle of different countries.

To provide students with on-the-spot learning experiences.

The Student Association is a group of student leaders elected by all students in the school after a whole-school consultation session. It serves to organize various activities to tighten the links between students and the School.

Every year the school receives an overseas exchange student

The English Study Tour is a wonderful opportunity for learning English and widening students’ horizon.

Life-wide Learning Excursion Day

Cultural interflow with Seibi Gakuen Junior & Senior High School in Tokyo

Every year the school receives an overseas exchange student

Student Activities

The School encourages students to stretch their potentials in multiple intelligence.

The School focuses on promoting spiritual education based on Christian and Salesian Principles

Job Shadowing to AT&T

School Awards and Scholarships

Outstanding Performance in Subject Awards
Improvement Awards
Conduct Awards
Best Service Awards
Outstanding Leadership Awards
St. Mary Mazzarello Award and the Retired Principal’s Scholarship
May Chan Scholarship of Future Scholars
Gerald Siu Scholarship Scheme
Parent-Teacher Association Scholarship
Past Pupils’ Association – Laura Vicuña Award
St. Dominic Savio Award
Lau Cheuk Yin Charitable Fund Scholarship

Moral and Academic Development

School Assemblies and Form Assemblies are conducted each week. S.1 students have additional short assemblies. This is the time when teachers or guest speakers share with students their reflections on the wisdom of life, either in person or through broadcasts.
There are Ethics & Religious Education lessons at all levels that focus on the search for true values and positive attitudes through daily life experiences.
The School encourages students to take part in long-term community service. It helps to build in students a strong will and a spirit to serve others. Students are expected to make a positive contribution to society and fulfill the civic responsibilities of a citizen.
In S.1, Social Studies lessons are conducted in all classes to help students grasp knowledge of local history and geography.
There are Life and Society lessons in S.1 to S.3 that help to enhance their civic awareness and prepare them for the Citizenship and Social Development in the Senior Secondary Curriculum.
There are two class teachers in each class of S.1-S.6. S.1-S.6 students have sessions on Careers Education which aim at providing direction for early pursuit of both career and life orientation.
For the purpose of upgrading language skills, there is reading time in class for S.1 to S.6. Students are offered Online English Learning Programme during non-school hours. They also have opportunities for public speaking in and outside classrooms.
Every year, the Life Planning Education and Career Guidance Team organizes various activities to meet the needs of students at different levels in a coordinated, progressive and systematic manner.
Junior level students have participated in the “Cross-curricular Project-Based Learning Scheme” since 1999. It aims to develop students’ abilities in self-learning and inter-personal communication. It also trains students’ data collection skills and helps develop analytical minds.
Computer Literacy lessons in junior levels focus on the application of common computer software and training in logical thinking. All students can have access to the Computer Room during their free time in school. This facilitates their early and quick mastery of information technology, thereby enabling students to learn more effectively.

Supportive Arrangements for S.1 Students and Parents

An S.1 Adaptation Programme, aiming to help S.1 students adapt to our school routines and culture so as to become a true Siumingian is implemented. The activities are as follows:

S.1 students are offered an S.1 Preparatory Class, which prepares them for the new curriculum and allows them to adapt quickly to the mode of instruction.
S.1 students are helped by the Senior Student Helpers to adapt easily to the new study environment.
S.1 classes have two class teachers. This promotes better understanding and a closer relationship between class teachers and students.
The “Adventure-based Guidance Camp” allows S.1 students to develop their communication skills, team spirit and problem-solving abilities.
The “Sports and Art Development Scheme for Junior Forms” helps to enhance S.1 students’ confidence, perseverance, presentation skills and aesthetic sense.
Parents of S.1 students are invited to the Orientation and Parents’ Gatherings for direct communication with the School.
Parents of S.1 students have the chance to sit in classes of various subjects to understand further the study environment of their children.
Learning Strategies Workshop for S.1 helps to enhance the learning effectiveness of students.

Parent-Teacher Association

The committee members of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meet regularly to organize or participate in various activities such as the Classroom Open Day, Orientation Barbecue, seminars and Parenting Courses. The PTA offers parents a good chance for interaction among themselves and with the School. The PTA also recognizes students' efforts in academic studies by granting scholarships and promotes students’ balanced development by sponsoring activities.

Preparatory Class for New S.1 Students

The PTA gave handmade cookies to students of S.6.

S.1 & S.2 Classroom Open Day

To develop students’ multiple intelligence in a joyful learning environment.

School Target

5-year School Development Plan (2021-2026)

Main Theme: Build an “Amoris Laetitia” Family Together

Student Academic Development: To develop the curriculum with multiple pathways catering for learning diversity
Student Formation and Student Support: To create positive learning experience for our students with the ability to live and think positively towards themselves and search for meaning in their lives.

Build an “Amoris Laetitia” Family Together

Implementation Methods

The school development plan of this year is divided into two aspects, namely academic development and student formation. In terms of academic development, students' knowledge, skills and ability to integrate materials are developed in an innovative way through the promotion of cross-subjects collaborative learning. Related activities are held to promote Language across Curriculum and stimulate students' thinking, which allow students to flexibly apply subject knowledge in daily life e.g. STEM Education.

In order to enable students develop their use of English, cross-subjects English programmes are organised to enhance students’ English ability, build their confidence in using English and strengthen their knowledge in different subjects (Language Across Curriculum). Language Across Curriculum is promoted via the Refined English Enhancement Scheme. Students are enabled to apply relevant sentence patterns and vocabulary to consolidate what they have learnt in content subjects through collaborative learning and English activities.

With the development of technology and the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, our subject departments use different methods in blended learning to stimulate students' learning motivation and abilities.

Our school promotes Positive Education. On cognitive perspective, the school fosters positive psychological, social and physical environments by utilizing class teacher periods, assemblies and class activities for students to experience so that they can learn to live a positive life. On practical perspective, students’ learning experiences are enhanced by experiential learning in real and authentic settings. By doing so, students are able to understand their own strengths and weaknesses, personalities and abilities and thereafter, they will search for the meaning of their lives. Students’ spiritual well-being and values are also developed by practicing mindfulness, adopting sustainable lifestyle and participating in extra-curricular activities.