Our curriculum aims at providing a platform for students to liberally express them-selves through art.
At SSCPS, we lean towards a contextual approach in the Visual Arts teaching. Art is treated as a medium that helps students interact with their surroundings. For each art project, a specific issue is explored. The issues could be personal, social or global. Being placed in the centre of their learning, students are encouraged to explore these issues from their own perspective, and to express their thoughts in their own unique style.
In student’s art journey, we put much emphasis on the crucial creative process. To begin with, students are guided to collect and generate ideas by recalling memories from their everyday life experience, observing different visual phenomena, associat-ing related knowledge acquired from other learning areas and so on. With the aim of creating something new, students are encouraged to connect different gathered ideas, use imagination, and organize the seemingly unrelated pieces of information, through various means of visual representations. These processes are designed to facilitate students to think laterally as well as analytically.
While ultimately, students are expected to acquire visual communication skills, dur-ing the creative process, students will gradually also acquire knowledge in the do-mains of visual elements, design principles, media of representation and some hands-on techniques in order to develop different ways of visual expressions.
From time to time, not only masterpieces of professional artists will be shown to ex-emplify quality of art, students’s own work will also be discussed and appreciated among peers, so that students can take a more active role in constructing their own knowledge.
In addition to day-to-day learning, various extra-curricular activities led by individual professional art practitioners will also be arranged to cultivate students’ wider range of interests in art.
The Visual Arts Department is also keen on collaborating with different art organiza-tions and art professionals to organize workshops, outings, special classes, and other activities for our students. We believe these collaborations not only will nurture our students’ curiosity, but it will also enhance our ever-evolving curriculum and teach-ing methodologies.
In-line with our school philosophy of all-round development in our students, our boarding life provides a nurturing ambience and real opportunities for the students. We are proud to say that over the years with our programme we have consistently contributed meaningful citizens to the society.
Benefits of Boarding?
Boarding is an integral part of school life; a home away from home where students learn physical, mental and emotional independence. This new found confidence will help students to be pro-active in all aspects of life and also will gear them for critical thinking people.
With appropriate guidance and real opportunities, students will learn the much-needed values in life, to root them more firmly into their surroundings, which is an important facet of a personality.
This sharing and learning will teach them co-operation and appreciation for family and life in general. The students will also learn the skills of communication, reasoning and negotiation.
Being away from home means that students have to try harder to solve their problems and to seek support and advice from other sources. But boarding at SSCPS provides a supportive, warm and friendly environment for them to develop lasting friendship. It will provide a very strong basis for their future development both educationally and socially.
This boarding experience will provide them with the opportunity to develop more fully in the following key areas:
Boarding Programme
Classroom teaching coupled with boarding is a holistic education experience. Primary education is the most important foundation for students’ life-long learning. With such an all-round education in SSCPS, students will have the opportunity to extend their education and develop their maximum potential. The one-year boarding programme is compulsory for Grade 6 students as part of their education at SSCPS.
Why only for Grade 6?
Grade 6 is a transition link between childhood and teenage. This is the time when moulding of personality starts. To make sure that students are equipped with the necessary tools, and make the transition positive and enjoyable, they are provided with peer and adult support.
The strong bonds between the teachers and students and also amongst the students themselves, provides a healthy secure environment to learn relationship building and nurturing.
The structured study time also helps to develop good study habits in students and prepares them for the more demanding student life in the future.
The all new boarding programme is specially designed to cater for Grade 6 needs. It provides a balanced training, which is rich in variety and fun, for physical and mental development.
The programme is chiefly divided into four areas of training: “Life-skill Training”, “Personal Management”, “Community Service” and “Cultural Activities”. The training is conducted by resident teachers during the boarding activity time, while the school out source its Personal Management course to professionals. It is anticipated that through such trainings students will grow up as individuals with the ability to think and live independently, and with positive and motivated personalities. This should help them bridge this transition period whether they pursue their further studies abroad or in Hong Kong.
At St. Stephen’s, we prioritise the cultivation of strong moral values in our students. We firmly believe that this aspect is integral to their comprehensive education, which is designed to promote positive values and attitudes. Through a combination of formal instruction and informal guidance, we are dedicated to nurturing our students with the necessary virtues and views. Our approach aims to equip students with the skills to recognise inherent values, objectively analyse complex issues, and make sound judgments at various stages of their development. By fostering these skills, we empower our students to take effective and ethical actions when confronted with challenges in their future lives.
Ethics Education Programme’s theme is "Better Me, Better Us, Better World" this academic year. This theme encapsulates the core values of self-improvement, collective well-being, and global impact. By focusing on cultivating self-discipline, diligence, and a spirit of service, this initiative aims to empower students to become responsible and empathetic individuals. Through the development of positive behaviour, students are encouraged to not only enhance their personal growth but also contribute positively to the social fabric of their immediate circles and the broader community. The Ethics Education Committee’s coordination of diverse activities throughout the academic year will provide students with practical opportunities to embody these values and make a meaningful difference in the world around them.