Renaissance College, Hong Kong
| Renaissance College Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
|
The Hang Ming Street entrance of RCHK | |
| Location | |
|
5 Hang Ming Street Ma On Shan Hong Kong | |
| Coordinates | 22°25′05″N 114°13′30″E / 22.418163°N 114.224939°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Secondary and Primary School |
| Established | August 2006 |
| Principal | Dr. Harry Brown |
| Years offered | Years 1 (K3) to 13 |
| Enrollment | 1880+[1] |
| Campus type | Urban |
| Houses | 4 (Qing, Ming, Song, Tang) |
| Website |
www |
Renaissance College, Hong Kong (Chinese: 啓新書院, abbreviated: RCHK) is one of the two private independent international schools in Hong Kong, the others being Discovery College. RCHK is in Ma On Shan, Hong Kong, serving primary and secondary students. It is managed by the English Schools Foundation (ESF). It provides IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme , Diploma Programme and International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme to all students according to their year level.[2] It is one of three ESF schools in Kowloon and the New Territories that provide schooling for secondary students, the others being King George V School and Sha Tin College. The location of this school is at 5 Hang Ming Street, which is near the MTR Heng On station of the Ma On Shan Line.
History
On 26 October 2001, Phoenix International School's former school, Canadian Overseas International School, closed because of financial difficulties owing to the bankruptcy of the company which provided financial support to the school.[3] This resulted in approximately 380 students unable to attend school.[3] The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) decided to set up a temporary school named Phoenix International School that was managed by ESF. Meanwhile, the EMB promised the ESF to give them land for a permanent campus. The permanent campus was completed in 2006 and named Renaissance College, officially replacing Phoenix International School in September. The school was officially given its status of IB World School in 2007. Mr. Peter Kenny, principal of the College since its foundation, was succeeded by Dr. Harry Brown in summer 2009, the current Principal.
Technology
The College partners with Apple Inc., spending HK$60,000 to 80,000 to provide iMacs and MacBooks, and MacBook Pros, running on Mac OS X operating system.[4] Projectors and interactive whiteboards are also installed in most classrooms.
Secondary students attending RCHK are required to bring laptops to school every day.[4] Laptops can also be borrowed from the school ICT centre (Red Door) during the school day. There is wireless internet connection in the school, allowing students to have access to the internet within the boundaries of RCHK. Students use the RCHK Student wifi-connection, staff use the RCHK Staff wifi-connection and visitors use the RCHK Visitors wifi-connection.
Since the summer of 2011, all students from Years 6 - 11 are required to purchase a Mac laptop computer through school's discount programme, and a one off technology fee to cover all the software licenses needed for studies. Year 4 and 5 students are loaned Mac laptops which stay in the hub area in a bus. Years 12 and 13 students were allowed to use any laptop computers they have on hand. Years 1 - 4 students are being provided with iPads for their studies. ICT centre provides loaned computers only for students awaiting out of stock order, or extended repair time. Year 1's have access to their own personal iPads which they can use for different subjects, this also gives them a chance to be familiar with technology as they will be getting their own laptops when they are Year 6, as mentioned above.
Primary School
The primary section of RCHK is attended by elementary students, ages 4–11, which follows the Primary Years Programme. It consists of 36 classes across Years 1 to 6. There are approximately 870 students and 40 teachers in the primary school. Teachers in the primary section come from various parts of the world such as New Zealand and the U.S. The principal of the primary school is Mr Jamie Schmitz. Classes run from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. There are 185 days in a school year. Noon recess lasts 50 minutes (12:10 - 13:00) and morning recess lasts 20 minutes (9:50 - 10:10). There are 8 periods each day and each period lasts 40 minutes. Classrooms for primary school students are located in the school's primary school block, with Years 1 and 2 on the 1st floor, Years 3 and 4 on the 2nd floor, and Years 5 and 6 on the 3rd floor. In addition, the rooftop is used as a place for primary students to play and chat during recesses. Each floor consists of a hub area for each year group which are primarily used as a centre of activity for each year group. The hubs are equipped with a variety of technology such as desktop computers and reading materials. There are 6 classrooms leading off from each hub. [5]
Secondary School
The secondary section of RCHK is attended by middle and high school students, ages 11 to 18. The middle school, Years 7 to 11, follows the Middle Years Programme, while high school students in Years 12 and 13 undergo the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, with approximately 1,000 students in total. The secondary school runs from 8:30 am until 3:10 pm from Mondays to Thursdays, and 8:30 am until 1:00 pm on Fridays, with morning breaks from 10:40 am to 11:00 am and lunch breaks from 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm (due to teacher meetings).[6] The secondary school is managed by Ms. Carol Larkin, which is the head of secondary. Vice-principals are Mr. Stewart Redden, Ms. Jayne Wickins and Mr. Geoffrey Wheeler.
Learning at RCHK
Renaissance College is an English medium international school and an accredited member of the International Baccalaureate (IB).
RCHK are authorized to offer all four IB programmes: Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), IB Diploma Programme (DP) and International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP)
Each IB curriculum programme promotes the education of the whole person, emphasising intellectual, emotional and social growth. This holistic approach encompasses the fields of Languages, Humanities, Sciences, Mathematics, Technology, Physical and Health Education and the Visual and Performing Arts.
RCHK also offer one of the strongest Chinese language programmes in the international education system and are the only school in Hong Kong to offer the DP Theory of Knowledge (ToK) taught in Chinese and English.
The school uniform that Years 1 - 11 wear are always to polo shirts, unless an activity is issued on a specific day, based on the colors of black, brown and khaki.
Years 12 - 13 could wear casuals.
Notes and references
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Renaissance College, Hong Kong. |
- ↑ Renaissance College. "Principal's Message". Archived from the original on 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
- ↑ International Baccalaureate Organization. "Renaissance College". Retrieved 2007-12-07.
- 1 2 Wen Wei Po. 加國際校停辦影響400學子 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2011-03-02.
- 1 2 啓新書院一人一電腦 (in Chinese). Ming Pao. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
- ↑ Chan, J. (2015, September 10). RCHK Student Interview [Personal interview]
- ↑ Renaissance College Hong Kong. "School Hours". Retrieved 2011-03-01.
