St. Clare's Girls' School
Encyclopedia
St. Clare's Girls' School (Chinese:
聖嘉勒女書院; abbr.: SCGS) is a renowned Catholic
English
girls' school located on Mount Davis Road, Hong Kong
. It was founded in 1927 by the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels from Lennoxville, Quebec
, Canada
.
To be this brightly shining light entails acquiring and practising the qualities of truth, honesty, loyalty, fidelity and simplicity. We believe that through giving the best of oneself, the best is achieved.
A solid academic preparation, together with a conscience imbued with the spirit and virtues of Christ, our Lady and St. Clare will lead every Clarian to grow into a responsible, loving and resourceful person and a truly mature individual who is prepared to meet the challenges ahead with confidence.
"Truth Conquers" is the School Motto.
The School seeks to fulfill its mission through the collaborative effort of dedicated teachers and close cooperation with parents and the community at large.
They rented a flat in Nathan Road, one of the poorest parts of the community at that time and evaluated the possibility of the project.
On 7 Feb, 1927, an English Institute was set up with 7 students. The institute was named after St. Clare as suggested by Father Shak, and the school motto Veritas Vincit, which means Truth Conquers was adopted. It indicates that Christ is the foundation of the school as He is the way, the truth and the life.
At the end of Feb 1927, the sisters moved to 5 Peace Avenue in Homantin. With the increasing number of students, the house at Peace Avenue was too small both for the students and sisters’ quarters. At the end of October, 1927, they moved to 3 Argle Street at Homantin.
In 1945-46, the school was reorganized under a new educational system, with 2 sessions, the morning session for secondary and the afternoon session for primary.
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels was founded by Sr. Mary of the Sacred Heart, a very young Canadian Missionary. In 1913, when Sr. Mary was in Canton, she decided to set up a novitiate for Chinese Girls. She returned to Canada to pray and work for the idea. Two years later, with a young Canadian girl, she returned to Swatow at the invitation of the Bishop there. After contracting a fever, her companion died. Alone and with the war on, the Bishop advised her to return to Canada and try to found a novitiate there. She then left Swatow in 1915, together with a young girl of 17 whom she had known as a pupil in Canton. That girl later became Sister Gabriel, the co-founder.
In June 1919, the first Novitiate was opened in Quebec, Canada. In 1922 five Sisters sailed for Kwei Yang in Kweichow. New groups continued to come to China until in 1949, when expelled from China, they had 14 houses, four of them in Canton.
Training of girls for the sisterhood was their first work and they did this in several dioceses, but they also had schools, hospitals and worked in leprosaria and in social work. Mother Mary Sacred Heart chose to follow the Franciscan rule due to coincidence. Their first house was near a Franciscan monastery, the Fathers there were her first mentors. So again she got what she wanted - to be a Franciscan with accent on poverty and humility, a badge that would distinguish the Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels to this day.
Today they have Missions In Japan, Tahiti, South America, Africa, Macau and Hong Kong besides a recruiting centre in Canada and the United States. Everywhere they have novitiates.
The Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels are strictly missionaries. Their Mother Foundress always said if God wanted the work to go on, He would send vocations. Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart died in 1979. Mother Gabriel died in 1974 in Canada, after long years of work in China and Canada and incidentally the opening of St. Clare's in Hong Kong.
Annual Thanksgiving Mass, Variety Show, Talk, Seminar are mostly held in the School Hall.
The Chapel, which was one of the shooting sites for the romantic comedy All's Well, Ends Well, is located on the 1st floor.
St. Raphael, Sr. Elizabeth of Portugal and Sr. St. Bertha. Sr. Elizabeth of Portugal was the Principal at that time while the other two were taking their drop in school on mission. Sr. St. Raphael chose the melody of a flower song as the backbone. Sr. St. Bertha, the musician, helped with some modifications and rearrangements while Sr. St. Raphael herself and Sr. Elizabeth of Portugal filled in the words.
And the school song, which lasts for 5:10 minutes, is classified as the longest school song in Hong Kong.
1. to acquire knowledge for its own sake;
2. to prepare themselves to further their studies in universities, as well as for professional work and careers; and
3. to develop discipline-specific as well as generic skills to cope with the ever-changing world
To enable students to achieve the above-mentioned goals as well as to learn more effectively, besides passing judgment on the quality of their learning, appropriate means are also needed to assist them to identify strengths and weaknesses in their understanding, so that they may improve their understanding and enhance their learning. Thus, both formative and summative assessments are adopted, and the provision of appropriate supportive measures are stressed.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
聖嘉勒女書院; abbr.: SCGS) is a renowned Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
girls' school located on Mount Davis Road, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It was founded in 1927 by the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels from Lennoxville, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
School Philosophy
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels had this vision when they chose St. Clare's as our patron. In meeting the Motto: "Veritas Vincit" or "Truth Conquers", our words and actions will reflect this beam around us!To be this brightly shining light entails acquiring and practising the qualities of truth, honesty, loyalty, fidelity and simplicity. We believe that through giving the best of oneself, the best is achieved.
A solid academic preparation, together with a conscience imbued with the spirit and virtues of Christ, our Lady and St. Clare will lead every Clarian to grow into a responsible, loving and resourceful person and a truly mature individual who is prepared to meet the challenges ahead with confidence.
Mission Statement
St. Clare’s Girls’ School has been established by the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels, for young girls to acquire a knowledge of what it means to go hand in hand with Jesus Christ and an education that develops the whole person. The School cherishes the vision that all Clarians will develop into mature and responsible persons possessing the qualities of simplicity, honesty and loyalty."Truth Conquers" is the School Motto.
The School seeks to fulfill its mission through the collaborative effort of dedicated teachers and close cooperation with parents and the community at large.
The Founding of St. Clare’s School in 1927
Our co-foundress, Mother Mary Garbriel and 3 other sisters arrived in Hong Kong in 1926.They rented a flat in Nathan Road, one of the poorest parts of the community at that time and evaluated the possibility of the project.
On 7 Feb, 1927, an English Institute was set up with 7 students. The institute was named after St. Clare as suggested by Father Shak, and the school motto Veritas Vincit, which means Truth Conquers was adopted. It indicates that Christ is the foundation of the school as He is the way, the truth and the life.
At the end of Feb 1927, the sisters moved to 5 Peace Avenue in Homantin. With the increasing number of students, the house at Peace Avenue was too small both for the students and sisters’ quarters. At the end of October, 1927, they moved to 3 Argle Street at Homantin.
Moved to Prospect Place in 1936
Having taken the advice of Bishop Enrico Valtorta, the sisters started to establish themselves in the Chinese district. Eventually, Kennedy Town was chosen to be the new site of the school. The new school was opened in Sands Street in 1930. In 1936, the school moved to Prospect Place, Bonham Road.In 1945-46, the school was reorganized under a new educational system, with 2 sessions, the morning session for secondary and the afternoon session for primary.
Mt. Davis campus completed in 1959
Due to the increasing number of students, Sr. Elizabeth du Portugal, the head mistress, started applying for a new school building in 1952. The new site at Mount Davis Road was granted by the government and officially opened on November 28th, 1959 by the Director of Education Mr. Crozier, and blessed by Bishop Lawrence Bianchi.The New Annexe Completed in 2005
A new annexe was added to the charming and spacious old building in 2005. Visitors are always amazed at our resourceful and comfortable library, our well-equipped CAL Room and Language Lab, our beautiful and relaxing roof-top garden, our colourful and joyful English Room, our spacious and energizing Student Activity Centre, as well as our multi-purpose Conference Room, R.E. Corner, Campus TV studio etc.Sponsoring Body & Foundress
The congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels is the sponsoring body of the School.The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels was founded by Sr. Mary of the Sacred Heart, a very young Canadian Missionary. In 1913, when Sr. Mary was in Canton, she decided to set up a novitiate for Chinese Girls. She returned to Canada to pray and work for the idea. Two years later, with a young Canadian girl, she returned to Swatow at the invitation of the Bishop there. After contracting a fever, her companion died. Alone and with the war on, the Bishop advised her to return to Canada and try to found a novitiate there. She then left Swatow in 1915, together with a young girl of 17 whom she had known as a pupil in Canton. That girl later became Sister Gabriel, the co-founder.
In June 1919, the first Novitiate was opened in Quebec, Canada. In 1922 five Sisters sailed for Kwei Yang in Kweichow. New groups continued to come to China until in 1949, when expelled from China, they had 14 houses, four of them in Canton.
Training of girls for the sisterhood was their first work and they did this in several dioceses, but they also had schools, hospitals and worked in leprosaria and in social work. Mother Mary Sacred Heart chose to follow the Franciscan rule due to coincidence. Their first house was near a Franciscan monastery, the Fathers there were her first mentors. So again she got what she wanted - to be a Franciscan with accent on poverty and humility, a badge that would distinguish the Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels to this day.
Today they have Missions In Japan, Tahiti, South America, Africa, Macau and Hong Kong besides a recruiting centre in Canada and the United States. Everywhere they have novitiates.
The Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels are strictly missionaries. Their Mother Foundress always said if God wanted the work to go on, He would send vocations. Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart died in 1979. Mother Gabriel died in 1974 in Canada, after long years of work in China and Canada and incidentally the opening of St. Clare's in Hong Kong.
School Campus
The campus is well-equipped with various facilities, including 4 Laboratories, Student Activity Centre, Library, Conference room, Campus TV Room,R.E. Corner, etc. Apart from the classrooms, students can also have their lessons at Special rooms like English Room, Language Room, Interactive Learning Centre, Multi Media Learning Centre, Supportive Education Room,etc.Annual Thanksgiving Mass, Variety Show, Talk, Seminar are mostly held in the School Hall.
The Chapel, which was one of the shooting sites for the romantic comedy All's Well, Ends Well, is located on the 1st floor.
School Song
The school song was written in 1947 by Sr.Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
St. Raphael, Sr. Elizabeth of Portugal and Sr. St. Bertha. Sr. Elizabeth of Portugal was the Principal at that time while the other two were taking their drop in school on mission. Sr. St. Raphael chose the melody of a flower song as the backbone. Sr. St. Bertha, the musician, helped with some modifications and rearrangements while Sr. St. Raphael herself and Sr. Elizabeth of Portugal filled in the words.
And the school song, which lasts for 5:10 minutes, is classified as the longest school song in Hong Kong.
| School Song Lyrics by: Sr. St. Raphael , Sr. Elizabeth of Portugal Melody by Sr. St. Raphael ,Sr. St. Bertha
|
Principles underelying assessment
The school curriculum is designed to provide a rich diversity of formal and informal learning opportunities for students, who learn for many reasons:1. to acquire knowledge for its own sake;
2. to prepare themselves to further their studies in universities, as well as for professional work and careers; and
3. to develop discipline-specific as well as generic skills to cope with the ever-changing world
To enable students to achieve the above-mentioned goals as well as to learn more effectively, besides passing judgment on the quality of their learning, appropriate means are also needed to assist them to identify strengths and weaknesses in their understanding, so that they may improve their understanding and enhance their learning. Thus, both formative and summative assessments are adopted, and the provision of appropriate supportive measures are stressed.