Serena Yip - Our Team

Matthew Gibbs was born and raised in Queensland, Australia, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science at Bond University. After gaining his TESOL Accreditation at the American TESOL Institute in Thailand he went on to obtain his Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Sunderland in England.

Matt began as an educator at Thewphaingarm Canadian Bilingual School in Bangkok, where he taught English and Social Studies in addition to Drama, Health and Art to Grades 7-12 students. Through teaching there and in Spain, he acquired a genuine understanding of the particular needs and expectations of students in multicultural schools.

It was while leading classroom learning at the Canadian International School after moving to Hong Kong that Matt developed his focus on physical training and the health sciences. As sports coach in rugby, football, and basketball, he led numerous ISSFHK sports teams in Hong Kong, and was heavily involved with Senior rugby and the National Age Group in the Hong Kong Rugby Union. He later served as Head of Physical Education at The Harbour School and also their After-School Activity Director where he taught skill acquisition and organized school-wide event planning and sports coaching.

Matt is a firm believer in a PE curriculum based on the tenets of physical literacy – mens sana in corpore sano (a sound body in a sound mind). He cultivates an enthusiasm for learning, trusting, and trying that helps young minds to search for true value in their personal development and well-being. His curriculum planning and trans-disciplinary teaching methods nurture resilience, compassion, sportsmanship, and collaboration. He succeeds by challenging and making physical health fun ... he’s even a licensed AntiGravity Fitness Instructor!

At Bloom KKCA Academy, Matt will help lay the foundations of a robust P.E. Program and build our inter-school sports teams.

Daniel Latham grew up in Manchester, UK, where the city’s landscapes and weather has led him to his passion for geography. Daniel graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in geography at Aberystwyth University, located at a lovely university town on the Western coasts of Wales.

It was Daniel’s supportive primary school teachers who filled his childhood with pleasant memories and guided him on his path towards education. Daniel now, in turn, wants to pass the torch of teaching and learning and share the joy of education to all. After completing his undergraduate degree, Daniel spent 12 months volunteering with various children’s charities and primary schools before obtaining his Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Liverpool Hope University.

After teaching at a top UK primary school, Daniel moved to Hong Kong where he taught lower primary students for over five years and became a trained IB Primary Years Programme teacher. As a grade-level coordinator, he had the chance to understand and focus on the importance of inquiry through play to develop a child’s emotional, cognitive, and social skills. Committed to continuous self-improvement, Daniel has recently completed his Master of Education degree from the University of Hong Kong.

Daniel hopes to nurture his students to become life-long learners by instilling a love of learning in them early on. He believes that fostering inquiry-based and self-driven learning is indispensable to their becoming independent learners and encourages his students to be avid learners inside and outside of the classroom. Experience has taught Daniel that different learners have different needs; he strives to provide creatively responsive teaching methods and strategies to keep students engaged in order for them to reach their learning potential and become knowledgeable, balanced, and reflective individuals.

Daniel enjoys practicing wellbeing and mindfulness to be more aware of the present and one’s surroundings. When not in the classroom, Daniel can be found exploring Hong Kong’s many hiking trails as well as its food and culture.

May Chen was born and raised in Ningbo, Zhejiang, with its lush sceneries and rich cultural heritage framing her interest in Chinese language and literature. She was first awarded a Bachelor of Arts in English followed by a Master of Arts degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language with Credit from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She then obtained a Professional Diploma in Teaching Putonghua with Merit from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is qualified professionally with a Certificate of Grade ONE Level B Putonghua Proficiency Test from the State Language Commission, a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and a Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Education from the Open University of Hong Kong. May was also recently selected as one of the judges for the 2nd Chinese Language Festival.

May has over 15 years’ experience teaching Mandarin Chinese to foreign and local students in bilingual kindergartens to international primary schools. She was most recently at Discovery Mind Primary School, where she was the Mandarin Chinese Teacher and Coordinator for Grades 1 to 6. She combines imaginative specialist methodologies with project-based learning in the classroom to enhance interactive teaching and engagement. To May, learning is not about comparing oneself to others, but to be a better version of yourself; even the smallest improvement each day makes a difference, each 1% change adding up to a long-term positive development that will allow students to grow and surpass themselves.

May’s son is starting his university education, while her daughter is entering her final years of secondary school. Besides enjoying quality parent-child time, May enjoys reading, cooking, swimming and traveling.