Saturday, 20 December 2025Shung Tak Catholic English College was delighted to welcome 36 students and 4 teachers from our Beijing sister school, Beijing National Day School-JinYuan, for a meaningful and engaging exchange programme in December. The exchange programme’s core goal is to build mutual understanding and meaningful connections. To achieve this, each visiting student was paired with a buddy from our school, creating valuable opportunities for friendship and cultural exchange.
Day One of the programme kicked off with lively ice-breaking games that quickly helped students from both schools warm up to each other. The Beijing guests then joined their buddies in regular lessons, experiencing our English immersive environment firsthand. In the afternoon, everyone headed to Ocean Park for an exciting English excursion, where participants engaged in an interactive workshop “Be a Land and Sea Animal Conservationist,” led by Ocean Park facilitators. Through hands-on activities, students gained insights into environmental protection and the importance of conserving marine and land ecosystems.
The second day opened with a collaborative and creative STEM lesson, during which students worked in mixed teams—one from Beijing and one from Shung Tak—to design innovative manhole covers for the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area. These designs will be submitted to the “UnCover the Joy” Manhole Cover Design Competition organised by the Civil Engineering and Development Department. Following the STEM activity, the Beijing students and their buddies attended open lessons conducted by our English and History teachers, further immersing them in our curriculum and teaching approaches.
Meanwhile, the Beijing teachers engaged in fruitful discussions with our school leadership on key topics: integrating values education into the curriculum, training new teachers and fostering leadership for experienced ones, managing student clubs and building a systematic English immersion environment. During lunchtime, the Beijing students and their buddies enthusiastically joined our school’s Operation Santa Claus fundraising activities, participating in fun and engaging ways to support this cherished and long-established annual charity campaign. The visit concluded with a heartfelt wrap-up sharing session, during which students reflected on their experiences and exchanged gifts as symbols of new friendships.
This exchange deepened ties between our schools, enriched student learning, and celebrated cross-cultural harmony. We’re excited for future collaborations that will continue to inspire and unite our communities of Shung Tak and Jin Yuan!