Considering Relocating to HK - The New PIS at Discovery Bay

Fate

Dear Caring Parents,

I am a New Member and looking for some information about the above school.

Having previously lived and worked in Britain (London), New Zealand (Auckland then Wellington) and currently in Australia (Sunshine Coast , 1-hour drive north of Brisbane), my wife and I are seriously considering relocating back to HK with our two young boys (aged 4 & 8).

We are very interested in the New PIS at Discovery Bay, because of  its short distance to the HK Airport (as we have to fly often) and the unique living environment in Discovery Bay.

Would any parent be kind enough to share with us their knowledge about the to-be-open New PIS at Discovery Bay, as well as what Life really is for a Discovery Bay resident?

Thanks.

Fate
Together we build a Safer, Cleaner, Fairer and More Caring Community for our Much Loved Children

happy_mum

Hi Fate,

Welcome to BK, we are an expat family with small a child currently living in Discovery Bay. Hope the following info may help.

First of all, DB has a very children family environment  and that is why both me and my husband do not want to live in other places in hk. However, DB is also an expat community (as you have lived and worked in many places before, I am sure that you can settle easily), what I really means is that most of the residents are foreigner and as you can get most of the stuff as you were living overseas, but you paid an expat price in here.

Back to the school. PIS has started their operation by last September , but the actual DB school campus will open in next September. The school is run by the ESF in hk with the different of being private which means no or less subside from hk government so you will be expecting a full international school price.

Unlike some other IS in hk, you can only apply one school year ahead of the year that your child wants to attend and it is very competitive to get a place. I advise you to well plan your return trip to hk and apply the school before heading back to hk.

There is also another IS in DB called DBIS which is very competitve as well (unless you are willing to pay HK$300,000 non- refundable debenture) which I had to enroll my son the week when I got his birth certificate in hk, no kidding!)

Despite all these, DB is an excellent choice to stay in hk!

Cheers   

Fate

Good Evening Happy Mum,

Thanks so much for the information, regarding both the Place and the School.

Gosh! It must have been very stressful for you to first rush to get the Birth Certificate and then rush back to enroll your son!!

Then again, this has just demonstrated how well planned and caring you are as a Mum.

It is obvious one has to pay a premium for everything, given the relatively isloated location of the Lantau Island, for food, for housing and indeed for the school.

Thanks for your advice in planning our return trip carefully.  We are a bit lucky that I work from home as a Self Employed Crime Prevention Consultant, and all my local/pverseas clients are contacted through E Mails/Phones; and my wife is a Registered Nurse currently on Home Leave (looking after two boys for another year before returning to Nursing), so we can basically pick our bags and return HK in 4 week time if the circumstance so warrants.

Meanwhile, Happy Mum, I hope you don't mind me clarifying two points with you:-

1) You have mentioned "DB has a very children friendly environment" - would you be kind enough to elaborate further; and

2) If your boy is being offered a place at both PIS and DBIS, which one would you personally pick?

Once again, thanks for your input.

Cheers
Fate
Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

WYmom

Fate,

Welcome to HK.  DBPIS is in fact the previous ESF Bauhinia School which opened in 2002, it received very good comments from parents so far.  It has to change its name as it will be a private International School which will move into Discovery Bay in 2008.

It has primary and secondary schools with IB program from year 1 to 13.  Its new campus is very modern and advanced with the latest facilities.

I suggest you enquire about the availability of places for your kids first as they have existing students studying there in all levels.  Besides, their Year 1 classes for 07/08 have been filled up, but of course there are always some students leaving and joining as most of them are expats.

It is really a very "international" school as their students come from many many different countries.  The school is not too big (around 540 primary students now), but as most of the students and teachers live in DB, the school has a very friendly atmosphere.  Hope this helps.

One more thing, the new Principal Mr. Mark Beach comes from New Zealand, who has experience of founding a new school there and he is popular there.  Have you heard about him before?

Good luck.

Fate

Hi WYMom

Thanks so much for the detailed information and the very sensible advice.

No, I haven't personally heard about Mark Beach. We were in NZ between 5/02 and 10/06, so I presume Mark might have already left NZ for other country for career advancement when we arrived NZ or simply  moved onto another NZ School. (I got some information about Mark from ESF website)

It is a fact that most Kiwi workers have been well received by many international employers.

You can have a look of website of the school that Mark used to be the Principal. Visit www.tki.org.nz, select " English", then select "Schools" from the above, then put "tahatai" in "School name" under "2. Advanced search", then press "Search".
There is some basic information about the school as well as its website.

WyMom, am I right in assuming you have a child currently attending Bauhinia School? Also, do you know what are the shops in the new shopping mall?

Many thanks.

Cheers
Fate

WYmom

Fate,

Thanks for your detail advice.  Yes, I am a parent of the school (which now located in a temporary old campus in Kowloon until 2008), but my kid will join another ESF secondary school next year as we are not living in DB.

New Shopping Mall?  You mean the one near DBPIS?  The site of DBPIS is still in construction and there will be hotel and shopping mall next to it, but all are being built and not available yet until 2008.

Guess you are planning for the year 08/09, I believe the school will release more information after August 07 when DBPIS opens officially.

Fate

Hi WYmom

Thanks for the update development of DB.

You are a Sensible and Responsible Parent, and could I therefore seek your advice,

What are the THREE most important factors you will look at , when deiciding which school is most suitable for your child?

We are most likely to sumit our applications for our children before the end of this month.  

And let Fate (this time NOT me) decides.

If one of our boys is accepted for the coming Year (starting from Late August 07), we will return HK sooner.

Have a nice day.

Fate

WYmom

Hi, Fate,

I enjoy talking to you, especially agree very much with what you said in your footnote: " The Greatest Challenge in Life is to be a Successful Parent, ensuring their Child is a Happy, Healthy and Harmless Individual."  as even though I have gone through a lot of ups and downs in career, I still find it very difficult to be a successful parent and I have to learn more and more from trial and error when my kids are growing up...

I believe everyone has his/her own criteria in choosing schools,  as to reply to your question (which seems to be a question for parents during some private schools' interview   ), I can only tell those factors more relevant to me in HK:-

1. School suitable for the character of the child or not
2. Quality and cirriculum of the school
3. Implementation and results delivery of the school

Based on these, I would then choose the one nearest to our home.  I think it is easier to choose good schools overseas than in HK as the quality of schools in HK vary too much.  Just my personal view.

Afterall, of course you need some luck as in HK the demand of high quality schools is very very high and thus successful or not sometimes really depends on fate, as you said.

Yet I am not too sure if you can reserve seats in DBPIS before you come.  For other ESF schools, you can reserve seats before you come by paying some deposits and your kids can be interviewed by the school after they come here.  This new policy is effective starting this year.  For DBPIS, as it is a private independent school, this policy may not apply.  Guess you need to check with the school directly.

Have a nice day too.

Fate

Good evening, WYmom

It has been a Pleasure in communicating with you too.

Once a person becomes a parent, their whole world will then change completely.  From that moment on, the Child is at the Centre of everything, s/he will effect how you eat, work, think..........and how you behave!

It is a HUGE responsibility but the Pleasure of having a Child, to me personally, has definitely outweighted the constant Hassels and Stress and occasional Pains.

Most importantly, I have learnt so much from my boys, as they are so easy to be Happy, so Forgiving etc.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, WYmom -it has been a Privilege.

Hope you will continue to share your Wisdom with me,

- What are the two things you like most about the Bauhinia School?

- What are the two things you think the Bauhinia School need to improve upon?

Hope this time you won't feel like being interviewed by a School Principal!!

Have a very Goodnight - Exhausted parents deserve sound sleep, the more the better.

Cheers
Fate
No Gaining without FIRST Giving

WYmom

Fate,

I believe you would have read detail info. of DBPIS from ESF website, which tells you about the management, cirriculum etc.  So there is some difference from the existing Bauhinia school in campus, principal, cirriculum...

For strength and weakness, it can be different depending on which angles you see it.  For me, we are a local Chinese family, we see that this school has a larger proportion of foreign students now (as compared to other ESF schools) as most of them are residents of DB, so for us it is good as the kids can have more exposure to different culture and they can make more international friends.

The other good thing is common to all ESF schools.  As you may know, ESF manages about 1x schools in HK for many years, they have systematic standard guideline for all schools to follow, and a large resources pool to share.  So even Bauhinia itself is a small school, my kid can have the chance joining a 600 people one voice choral concert performing in a large stadium.  There are also many other types of join school activities or inter-school competitions.

For weakness, guess most local people said that it does not have enough Chinese.  This of course won't bother expats.  Starting 07/08, the school will increase the Chinese classes.

The current campus is temporary which is not good enough for an IS.  It won't bother you as the new DBPIS will have new campus with very modern and advanced facilities.  It will also have more focus in ICT as told by the school.

Fate

Good Evening WYmom

Yes, you are absolutely right. I did visit both the Bauhinia School and the New PIS at Discovery Bay websites.

Old Habits die Hard - I tend to do some research first before discussing the issue.

Thanks for detailing what you see as the Strength and Weakness of the School, which is of great help to us.

WYmom, amongst other Qualities I have mentioned before, you also seem to be very Knowledgeable.

Could I therefore seek your views on another school.  Do you happen to know the Australian International School in Kowloon Tong?(www.aishk.edu.hk)

WYmom, is there anyway I can help you back?  Do you need any Second/Third Opinion about anything?  Please feel free to ask, I am more than happy to do so.

Cheers
Fate
Be Honest. Be Fair. Be Prepared.

chingyu

Hi Fate,

I guess you have read the followings from ESF website.  If not, I hope you find it useful.  

Have you applied ESF through the following scheme?  The deadline is June 30.

*** quoted
NEW Corporate Surety Scheme
ESF introduces a new Corporate Surety scheme to enable companies to secure school places for expatriate employees before their arrival in Hong Kong over the summer months. The scheme runs from 2 April until 30 June 2007 and allows an employer to secure places for the children of incoming employees for the 2007/08 school year - subject to availability.
*** unquoted

chingyu

WYmom,

please check pm.   Thanks.

WYmom

Fate,

You are welcome.  I also think that you can consider Australian IS as you come from Australia.  This school gives priority to Australian passports students.  I have a friend (an Australian Chinese) with 2 kids studying there, they told me that it is a good school.  The students will be mostly Australians, and the cirriculum is Australian.

I believe you understand the Australian system very well, while I have no idea of it.  I did see my friend's kids love reading a lot, just like my daughter at ESF.  I think it would be better if you can ask other parents of Australian IS under their topics or open a new topic to ask.

My friend has sent one kid to Australia to continue high school and will send the other one.  This is natural for preparing to enter Us there.   Not sure about your plans, but seems that you are doing the opposite way round.

I am very glad to share info. with you, I have also learnt a lot from many others here, especially your valuable comments under your another topic.  I have also lived in different parts of the world previously and I agree with your view about education absolutely.

Nice talking to you,

WYmom

chingyu 寫道:
WYmom,

please check pm.   Thanks.

chingyu,

Have replied to your pm.

chingyu

Good morning WYmom,

Thanks for your information and valuable advice.  

Fate

Hi Chingyu,

Welcome abroad!

Thanks for the information.

Yes, as you have guessed I am aware of such Scheme. Unfortunately, I am Self-Employed and therefore not eligible.

I have changed the way I work to allow me having more Time and more Patience to be with my two boys.

Thanks for your input, Chingyu - it's the Thought that really counts.

Cheers
Fate
No one dying will complain they have spent too much time with their family!

Fate

Hi WYmom

We actually moved to Australia last October only.
But, I do have some basic understanding of the Australian System and the Direction that  AIS has to go.

Glad that you have found our Experience useful. I was meant to invite you to have a look of my another topic yesterday, but it was just too late when I finished writing to you last night (it was midnight in Australia!)

I have learnt from you too .(and other very helpful Parents). I keep reminding my elder son,

"Every one is your Teacher.

"And never ever Offend any one because, first it is NOT right to do so.  And also, anyone could be the one saving your Life twenty years later!

"Humans are Animals too.

"We are therefore meant to living in Groups. We have to Accept, Learn from, and Help each other, becasue we are all, in a way, Dependant on each other."

As stated in my another topic, I believe it is not about "Where You Are" but "What You At" that matters most.  Internal Factors, to me, are more important than External Factors, though it will take LESS Time and Efforts in a Better Environment to achieve the same Goal.

In fact, there is no contradiction between what I am thinking about to do (though not deicided yet) and what your Australian friend is doing :

We both are trying to do the Best for our children.

But remember, there is always MORE than one way of achieving the same objective.

I forgot to mention in my another topic.
The Best learning is from one's own experience.  One only learns the Basics in a school environment.

Thanks for advising me to start another topic, asking Parents about AIS. I will do so at a later time.

Because  I am far too busy at the momet, I have promised to help building the New BOT and PFA of our school(though I have turned down the invitation to become the President/Chairperson for both school organisations), to help children reading 3 hours a week (every Wednesday), to  make transport and accomodation arrangement for the Family Visting our school from Beijing in July, whose child is to have a Study Tour in our school for 2 weeks, to help marketing our school........

When the right time comes, I am going to share more with other Caring Parents about our Very Interesting Life Experience.

WYmom, stay in touch - you have been wonderful.

And only those Loving others will be Loved and Have a Wonderful Life.

Have a Wonderful Day.

Cheers
Fate

happy_mum

Hi Fate,

Sorry for the late reply as we are currently back home in NZ and I have been very busy without a helper (like all others, got too spoiled in hk).

Well, as I mentioned before, DB has a children friendly environment. I guess it has a lot to do with most of the residents there a family with children. Each estate within DB has their own children playground facilities and of course you can go and play on others as well.  As a new comer, i think it would be very ease for both you and your wife and also your kids to make new friends in here. Unlike people living in town, DB people tend to be more open and friendly, say my son could easily find some playmates by just going down to the plaza which is a common area for residents to hang around. As for the plaza which has just been renovated resently, the mangement even put in kiddy wash basin in the public toilet which you can hardly find in hk. I still remember I was so restricted to where I went when smy son was very little in hk coz most of the shopping mall etc DO NOT even have a baby changing board!

As for me,I have decided to let my son to go to DBPIS coz I really despite the fact that DBIS make everyone think that you dont have a choice in DB (not just yet) and ripping people off by changing their entry requirements and debenture to non-refundable. The school campus has no facilities but just using the resident club ones.

Got to go now as little just got up.

happy_mum

Hi Again,Fate,

Part 2 here, as the little one is having a afternoon sleep.

Read some of your previous articles with others regarding Australian IS. For your info the school campus is right at the opposite side of hk as if you were in DB. That mean your kids would have a long travelling to and from school each day. So it really depends on how old your kids are and you think it is worth it for them to do so.

As for my son, I think it is too much for him at this early stage and I think we would have a better quality of life by staying in DB than be in town just for the sake of the school.

Cheers