Academic Year 1920 DP1 Orientation
Our DP1 Orientation Programme took place from 18 to 19 Sep 2019. It was a two-day programme designed by our IB Coordinators to better prepare our DP students for the academic rigor and important skills, including time management, communication skills,and stress management, required for the IB Diploma Programme. The programme comprises IB core introduction, bonding activities and a CAS workshop. The following are some reflections written by representatives of our DP1 cohort.
DP survival game – Jaime NG DP1
The DP survival game was a fun, yet challenging experience for many of us. We were split into different groups, each with a mix of DP1s and DP2s, and given a set of words that were names of object sor skills which we then had to list in order of importance if we were “stranded on a deserted island”. Next, we repeated the activity, but this time, the words we received pertained to what we needed to “survive IB”.
During this segment in our orientation, we definitely got to have closer fellowship with our fellow DP2s more, and receive valuable advice from them about how to get through the IB course. Many students had varying opinions, but in the end, we acknowledged that everybody had a different way of coping with the demands of the two-year programme, and the activity ended on an amicable high note.
Mid-Autumn Charity Festival – Audrey Ho DP1
This year, I had the opportunity to become one of the three students in charge of the Mid-Autumn Festival, with my area of focus being the game and item sales stalls. Along with communicating with the teachers and other students in charge to promote the event to the school through a presentation and emails, I got my classmates to sign up to run game or item sales stalls and notify us of what their stalls would be like, including what materials they needed from the school.
Compared with previous years, we did not have as much time to prepare for this event, but we still managed to get everything in order in time. The most difficult part was getting my classmates to confirm some of the details of their stalls as some were uncertain or were not actively working on preparations so at times we felt frantic as the actual day got closer. The event also ended up being postponed by a week, and although that granted us more time to get ready, it also meant that we had to move the game and item sales stalls to the Primary School Gymnasium, which is quite a lot smaller than the secondary school’s Sports Hall. Overall, I think we all worked hard and got good results as well as feedback from teachers and students alike.
Bonding game – Phil Lam DP1
DP bonding was a section of the DP1 orientation programme. It involved the DP students playing the game of human knot in groups of 10. The environment was rather tense at first, as no one was sure of how to commence, or how to communicate with others. Fortunately, the tension did not last for long, and everyone was chatting here and there within a minute or so. Accompanied by the gentle whispers and exchanging of greetings, the group started “untying” the knot, and succeeded soon after.
Without a doubt, it was an enjoyable experience, for I had the opportunity to converse with the DPs standing beside me, with a number of them being DP2s who gladly shared with me their IB experience. Hence, I would say that the DP bonding session was an extremely meaningful activity that allowed me to not only bond with my classmates, but my seniors as well.
