Happenings
DC Earns Accreditation
College receives commendations
Discovery College has successfully gained Council of International Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (CIS/WASC) accreditation. This process was the final step in our international quality assurance process that sees us as a fully authorised three programme International Baccalaureate World School – now with CIS/WASC accreditation. This accreditation is the successful result of a two year process involving all teaching staff, in addition to many parents and students in a exhaustive self study. The process culminated in a visiting team spending a week in the College evaluating every aspect of our operation last November. In late January we received CIS accreditation. The college received 16 Major Commendations ranging across all areas of operation including guiding statements, teaching and learning and governance. The positive nature of the report was summed up in these two sentences in the concluding statements section: “Discovery College richly deserves accolades for the progress that has been achieved in the past six years. All members of the school community should take a moment to review and appreciate their accomplishments.” The WASC accreditation arrived soon after, and the accreditation letter commended us on the “stellar aspects of the school and the quality of instruction being offered.” A copy of the concluding statements can be found on the Discovery College website under ABOUT US>Accreditation and Authorisation. Peter Lasscock Deputy Head of College
Library welcomes Visiting authors Students learn about the creative process Avid readers and writers at Discovery College certainly weren’t disappointed this year as we welcomed five engaging, enthusiastic and well credentialled authors and illustrators. In Primary, we have had the pleasure of authors Nury Vittachi, Liz Million and Sarah Brennan visiting us this year. Each brought with them a different strength and perspective on the writing and publishing of books. Nury added humour, Liz Million focused on the illustration of characters before developing stories around them and Sarah Brennan weaved in the cultural aspects of Hong Kong’s history. Some authors read their story and discussed how they became a writer, while some worked with individual classes and developed characters. All enjoyed the many questions that Discovery College students had about their work. In Secondary and Upper Primary, we had the privilege of welcoming two renowned international authors to the school. Australian
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DC EARNS ACCREDITATION
author James Roy was thoroughly entertaining and shared some hilarious anecdotes from his life and career as a writer. He also conducted a motivating writing workshop for a select group of Year 8 students, who clearly appreciated such an opportunity. British author Alex Scarrow’s Time Riders series is hugely popular amongst teen readers and our students had the opportunity to hear Alex talk about the creative ideas behind the series. It was particularly encouraging to see students so keen to have a chat with each author after the talks and to see so many new fans of their books borrowing from the library. Of course, the common elements are that each author brings their book to life. We know that each author will have a different effect on their audience, and we know that
students are inspired by interactions with these authors. We value the opportunity to have authors and illustrators from different backgrounds visit us here at DC and we look forward to having many more in the future. Leanne Sercombe and Joel Ford Librarians