11 February 2021


Dear Parents and Students,

Thank you for responding to the parents' letter (09/20) about "Parents' comments on the school's effectiveness for their daughters, the different developments in the school, and the difficulties of their daughters with online learning." for us to know more about the students  studying experience at home. Knowing that online teaching and learning is extremely challenging, I would like to thank the parents for their understanding and appreciation of the dedication of the school and the teachers. The excerpts are as follows:

-      Temporary arrangements are all very good, I hope I can return to school as soon as possible! Thanks to the principal, all teachers, and civilian staff for allowing students to study smoothly during this period. Thank you everyone!

-      In addition to general classroom and extracurricular activities, the school can also use Zoom professors. This allows my daughter to learn in many ways. It is great! I hope everyone will continue to work hard, the epidemic will end as soon as possible, and students can return to school to teach face-to-face courses!

-      Thank you for the school's rapid response ti making changes during the epidemic and for the timely adjustments in teaching. I understand that Zoom teaching also requires teachers to adapt. As for our daughters learning via Zoom, they find it harder to understand, and sometimes the teacher will teach faster.

-      We appreciate that the school can still respond quickly and appropriately in the ever-changing environment. The Zoom class has worked effectively, but sometimes there will be some small challenges on the Internet. I hope that the school can strike a balance between understanding the essential factors and rigorously executing punishment. I would like to thank the principal, teachers and co-workers for their hard work. Thanks to your hard work and careful arrangements, the students are given the best care.

Of course, there are many parents who feel that their daughters studying at home has some problems, including: Internet problems, learning attitude, progress, etc., They have encountered great difficulties in disciplining their daughters, and hope that the school can resume classes as soon as possible. Here are some excerpts. 

-      When my daughter is studying on Zoom, it is more difficult to concentrate than in face to face classes. When encountering difficulties, it is also difficult to express themselves during class. I also spend more time doing homework online, handing in homework, and communicating on WhatsApp. In addition, during the online teaching period, I would like to thank the teachers for preparing a lot of teaching materials for students, helping students to easily understand the text and review, so as to reduce the pressure of students studying at home.

-      Undoubtedly, online teaching is far less effective than face-to-face classrooms. Facing the new normal, teachers, students, and parents understand that they must learn and adapt again. Class hours are shortened, teaching methods are changed, learning content is condensed, and the progress is pressing. Can the curriculum be effectively followed and secured? The primary school curriculum has not been studied well, and the secondary school curriculum will be overwhelming. How can we help solve the connection between primary and secondary schools and the content of the courses facing the promotion? During the difficult time, I hope everyone can support and work together for the children.

-      I feel that my daughter has not been able to concentrate in class in the learning environment of Zoom, self-study is not active enough, and self-study is not as ideal, so the test scores have degraded a lot. I hope the school can provide advice to help my daughter improve her current situation.

-      Zoom classroom learning is more difficult to master than physical classrooms, and the concentration requirements are higher, but it is also very troublesome to look at the computer for a long time. For students and teachers, this period is also really difficult, and the learning effect is not successful. In contrast, there are a lot of textbooks to prepare. It is really hard work teachers. Thank you teachers for still teaching hard and keeping pace with the times. Thank you.

We value your opinions and understand the expectations of parents and students on returning to school. Therefore, the school will arrange for two forms to return to school every day from February 22 (refer to the school calendar update). Students at all levels will have at least one day a week to go back to school for face-to-face instruction to improve their learning. Other school days will continue to be online. This arrangement will be held until the Education Bureau announces that all secondary schools in Hong Kong have revised the resumption arrangements. In addition, the class teachers will follow up on the voices of the parents of each class individually or as a whole class to understand the situation of the students/parents and provide appropriate support. I hope that our Pooi To Family can fight the epidemic together and tide over the difficulties together.


Best regards,
Constance Cheung
Principal



“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
(Psalm 23:4-5)