School Outing
Dear Parents,
I am writing to notify you that a one-day trip will be held on Friday, 15 December 2021. Students will have a fruitful experience in the Hong Kong History Museum as there will be various fun-filled activities throughout the day. Relevant information and some reminders are provided as follows.
The museum has no admission charge but students need to pay $40 for the fare. They are advised to prepare extra money in case of emergency.
Concerning the transportation, there will be a coach departing from the school at 9:00 am. Please be reminded that students should arrive at school on time. We will return to school at around 4:00 pm.
As for the lunch arrangement, students should bring their own lunch. Light foods such as sandwiches, fresh fruits, meat loaves and salad are recommended. Given that the Hong Kong Railway Museum is a popular tourist attraction, the meals in most of the nearby restaurants are quite expensive. Hence, please remind students to prepare some food in advance.
The visit aims to broaden students’ horizons through the diverse exhibits ranging from a traditional steam locomotive to an old 1950s Australia-made diesel electric engine. Students will learn about the development of the railways and MTR in Hong Kong.
After the trip, students will be required to do a follow-up activity at home. A set of Legos will be given to students to build a train similar to the exhibits. Parents are encouraged to build it with them. Students need to take a photo of their finished work and submit it on Google Classroom. The winner of this activity will be awarded with a mysterious gift.
There is no doubt that this trip is meaningful and educational. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at 1234 5678.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong
4E Class Teacher
Chan Tsz Long(4A)
Reply Email
Dear Jane,
I have read your letter. I know your problems now. Hope you will find my advice useful.
Let me talk about your problems. First, you said you always had a lot of school work, homework and tests. And your parents are going to enroll you to two courses at a tutorial centre. You feel so stressed now.
In my opinion, you should tell your problem to your parents who would surely care and help you. The tutorial centres will also give you homework. If you just enroll one course, you will have less homework to do. So, your parents may not enroll you in any courses if they know that you are so stressed.
My another advice is to tell your problems to your teachers. If they listen to you, they will give you less homework or tests to make you feel less stressed and have more time to rest. There are actually some nice teachers who will understand you and try to help you.
My last advice is that you need to help yourself. It is important to stop your work and give yourself some time to have a break. Moreover, you should find a social worker to talk to. When I got stressed with my homework last year. I have no idea how to relieve my stress. But my friends suggested me talking to a social worker who did help me a lot. He advised a lot of ways for me to use my time and have more time to take a break. I felt much better after having a break. So, I suggest that you find a social worker.
That’s all of my advice to help you. Hope you can really get better soon.
Best
Mary
Kok Hoi Man(4B)
E-sports – a booming industry
E-sports describes the world of competitive, organized video gaming. A few decades ago, e-sports was not widely recognized. Not only did parents consider it a waste of time, but they also forbade their children to participate in it. Never have we imagined it flourishing in our society. There is no doubt that e-sports is gaining more recognition.
“An optimistic future and stable income,” said Mary Chan, a professional e-sports gamer, pointing out the reason without hesitation. One of the most popular esports games, League of Legends, set an all-time high in terms of viewership numbers in its 2021 World Championship, with over 73 million peak viewers, an increase of 60 percent compared to last year’s tournament. Sponsored by big companies, this year’s winning team, Edward Gaming (EDG), got around US$500,000. The sector is growing rapidly in Hong Kong, with revenues of US$742 million in 2016 set to climb to US$1 billion in 2021. It is not surprising that professional gamers can earn a good living by winning game tournaments and netting lucrative sponsorships with big-name brands.
The rise of e-sports can also be attributed to government investment, providing financial backing for e-sports education, equipment, and events. The government’s Cyberport is eager to organize events, such as music and e-sports festival and run Internship Scheme which offers paid work experience for students over a period of eight weeks to twelve months. Eric Wan, an e-sports entrepreneur adds, “The Cyber Games Arena and government funding will allow an ecosystem to grow up around e-sports and show people the endless opportunities for stable careers in technology firms and game designers. Our professional players will also be encouraged to stay here rather than go overseas for training.” The government investment has delighted those already in the scene.
When asked about whether schools should teach e-sports in PE lessons, Mr Smith, the principal of Hong Kong College, was opposed to the notion. PE lessons are to educate students through physical activities. It aims to develop students’ physical competence and knowledge of movement and safety, and their ability to use these to perform in a wide range of activities associated with the development of an active and healthy lifestyle. While e-sports is a kind of ‘mind sports’, it cannot achieve the goal of physical training. Despite the fact that e-sports and physical sports have a lot in common, e-sports can never build a foundation for a lifetime of good health.
Though schools should not teach e-sports in PE lessons, they may consider adding a new elective course for senior form students. It is undeniable that e-sports is one of the most prosperous industries in the future.
Chan Yee Ling, Elaine (4C)
Report on the Fate of Hong Kong Movies
Introduction
The box office of overall Hong Kong movies reached a record high of HK$1240 million in 1992, but it then plummeted by a cumulative of around 80% in the next 15 years to a low of only HK 220 million in 2007. In spite of a noticeable rebound to only HK$384 million in 2015, foreign films record $1620 million. It means movie-goers prefer watching foreign films to Hong Kong films. The report analyses the reasons behind why people prefer foreign films and makes suggestions on what could be done to help revive the local film industry.
Reasons why movie-goers prefer foreign films
There are various reasons why people find Hollywood films and Korean films more enjoyable than the films produced in Hong Kong. Firstly, the established film industries in certain countries have a huge budget for action, special effects and shooting scenes in spectacular locations. Hollywood blockbusters like “Avatar” or the James Bond series and Korean films “Parasite’ which swept the Oscars, winning four awards are the examples of such productions. Their global appeal is undeniable.
Another reason why these big-budget films are so successful is that their cast includes the most famous actors and actresses worldwide. And these amazing people worked with the most accomplished producers and directors producing some movies of very high quality. The low-budget film-making in Hong Kong suffers in comparison.
Suggestions on helping revive the local film industry
The government should support the film industry fully in order to help the industry to produce better quality movies which can gain international acclaim. Also, the government should encourage the citizens to watch domestically produced films by doing more promotion.
Hong Kong has some talented producers, actors and filmmakers who lack financial and political support. They cannot bring out their best. They should be given a chance to prove themselves. No doubt big budget is required to make better quality films and government’s subsides would definitely help local film industry progress.
Conclusion
Government’s help for the movie industry would bring more audience to the theatre to enjoy the domestic films and help them earn ticket money. It is hoped that quality local films would compete on international stages and bring fame for Hong Kong.
Gordon Kong Cheuk Lam(4D)