5 May 2022

Dear Parents and Students,

May 3rd signalled the long-awaited resumption of classes. Since 2019, we have experienced a seesaw of class resumption and suspension, allowing me to reflect on many things that have been taken for granted. Neither as student or a teacher did I ever experience campus life being so far away from me. However, over these few years, virtual teaching and communication have led me to treasure face-to-face learning in a way that I had never thought of before.
 
Hong Kong is a blessed land. Our generation has had no wars, no famines, no natural disasters, and no plagues. The biggest challenge that we have experienced in recent years may be that more than 50,000 people were infected with the COVID in one day. Fortunately, we have the strong backing of the motherland and have the national-level support team that consists of medical experts, nursing homes for the elderly, dozens of reinforcements from the mainland have come to Hong Kong to help. It is surely something to be grateful for. When we have everything here, we may not always treasure it, but when we lose it, we realize that what is best is actually right next to us.

Recently, I reviewed the history of Pooi To and felt the enjoyment and engagement of students in Guangzhou in the past. Who would have guessed that the Japanese air raid in 1937 caused teachers and students to be displaced from their lives. The school first moved from Guangzhou to Zhaoqing, and then to Hong Kong where the number of students increased to more than 500 in 4 years. The miracle proved that where God wants to rise up, it will surely be accomplished. However, God’s work cannot be comprehended by human beings. On December 8, 1941, on the first day of the second examination, unexpectedly, the Japanese planes raided Hong Kong and Kowloon, and the teachers and students were forced to leave the school premises immediately. Was this the end of the history of Pooi To in Hong Kong? Unexpectedly, the teachers and students fled to Macau to continue schooling, and Guangzhou Pooi To and Pui Ching organized joint school in Pingshi and Guilin in 1941 and 1942. Until the Japanese surrendered, Pooi To expanded the education not only in Guangzhou, but also in Hong Kong and Macau. Was it God’s plan? Of course it was.

Looking back, blessings have always accompanied the Pooi To family. I hope that every time students look at the four-leaf clover on our school pin, they see it as a symbol of blessing. Remember that we always embrace blessings. Everything we contribute will continue to spread this blessing, and we must always examine our hearts and minds to see if we should make changes every day to serve God wholeheartedly. The Bible says, "Anyone who thinks he is great when he is not great, deceives himself. Let each man examine his deeds; so that he will boast only in himself, and not in others. For every man must bear his own burden.” (Galatians 6:3-5).


Best regards,
Constance Cheung
Principal



“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
(Romans 12:12)