How can you tell the difference between real and fake news? What is newsworthy? What makes a good report on school happenings? What does ‘journalism ethics’ mean? How do I find good story ideas? How do I conduct a good interview? Explore these and many more questions in Action Blue. Our goal is to seek out newsworthy events and people, decide on what probing questions to ask, collect information through interviews, recording and writing, and then skillfully edit and share our projects with the whole school. Projects may include audio podcasts, documentary films, video newscasts, online blogs and more. Students will be able to choose and work on a project that is of interest to them.

HK Battle of the Books is a live school-on-school battle to find the book trivia champion school. Last year, over 100 schools in Hong Kong competed. The main purpose of the HK Battle of the Books program is to encourage reading. It also aims to expose students to quality literature, representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints by prominent authors in the area of young adult literature. The game format creates interest and excitement. We will field teams to compete in both the Primary (Grades 4-5 and Secondary (Grades 6-8 competitions. Each section consists of 20 selected books that students will read and study in preparation for the competition. The CCAs will hold up to 20 students in each section with 12 of those students forming a team to compete in each division in May. Competitors will be chosen via an examination with questions on the books in late April.

Come and join in the fun of playing exciting and educational board games in the afternoon with your friends. Play some of your favorite board games like Connect Four, Checkers, UNO and Mastermind while also learning new games. So much fun to be had and at the same time making friends and improving your problem solving and strategy skills. Come and join in the fun!

The Learn-to-Play Chess CCA is designed for students to learn the basics of chess and for those more advanced in chess to learn new strategies to improve their overall understanding of the game. Students will be encouraged to participate in Chess tournaments at a later date. This is a fun way for students to learn the game of chess and enjoy an afternoon playing with their friends.

Join the Competitive Chess CCA for an afternoon of fun and strategy while perfecting the skills of Chess. This CCA will help budding Chess players hone their skills in the strategic game of Chess. Each week students will participate against other like-minded individuals to improve their understanding of the game and help build towards competing against other schools here in Hong Kong. Too much fun and excitement to miss out on! Experience in the game of Chess is required to join this CCA.

This CCA is preparing for those students who have registered the “Chinese reading battles” competition with other internationals at the end of April. We will provide an opportunity for students to become enthusiastic and enthralled with the wonderful world of literature. Expand the student librarian reading beyond their usual authors and be actively involved in the promotion of reading in school programs. Ms. Qian Wang will lead the CCA.

Competition Math will be an opportunity for those students who enjoy exploring math and creative problem-solving. We will tackle middle school level math concepts at a deeper level, solving increasingly complex math problems and discussing strategies and solutions. The aim of this CCA will be by the end of the Semester students will be able to compete in Math competitions against other students with similar Mathematic interests.

Join the After School Dance CCA for a fun-filled hour of dancing to pop and hip-hop music. Students will get to dance and have fun by learning some basic dance steps, and by following along to Just Dance and having a great time with their teachers Miss Ennis, Miss Cosgrove, Mrs. Marks and Miss Lau! A great opportunity to exercise, express yourself, and be creative with your friends after school! No previous dance experience is required.

The Elementary Student Council CCA is only open to current members of the student council who would like more time to brainstorm and plan for activities in our school and community that the student council can sponsor. The ideas we come up with during the CCA will be shared with our peers during our weekly student council meetings on Thursday mornings. It is open to all junior and senior representatives from grades 3-5.

Students will learn the important elements of a graphic novel to include how they are designed and read, the relationship between words, graphics and emotions, character and storyline development and artistic technique, intent and expression. Students will use this understanding of the process of graphic novel design to create their very own graphic novels, beginning in print and converting to digital design.

The Independent study class runs from 3 - 4pm and is ideal for students who have enrolled in any CCA that starts at 4pm (Basketball, Swimming). This class will not be counted towards your weekly CCA limit. Students who are enrolled in this class will need to attend every week before their 4 pm CCA program starts.

Ignite your love of reading during our Reading Rainbow CCA! During our sessions, students will be engaged in a variety of carefully curated read-aloud linked to Social-Emotional Learning. Let your imagination run wild as Miss Costigan and Miss Gray read creative and imaginative stories. Each book will be accompanied by themed crafts or easy recipes.

The Speech & Debate club helps you improve your public speaking skills, learn about political affairs and connect with other like-minded students. We’ll begin by looking at different debate formats and practicing the basics of good public speaking before moving on to competitive debate situations. By the end of the semester, we’ll aim to conduct a mock Congress format by speaking.

During the 2nd semester, we are excited to begin meeting as a Secondary Student Council on Friday afternoons from 3-4. This is a great opportunity for our elected Student Council representatives to spend time planning fundraisers and student-led events and initiatives. We can't wait to see the impact that our student leaders have on our community at Stamford and in Hong Kong!

Do you need to practice more Mindful breathing or stretching? Do you want to become more flexible? Come join the stretching and yoga CCA. We will practice gentle stretching and introductory yoga poses to help relax after school. Calling students 5th grade to 9th grade to join Mrs. Heath on Thursday afternoons.