Newsletter 23.08.2024
An exciting and creative school week is coming to an end. All students have had their first experiences with the new project time and have gained experience with the guiding theme “Made in Germany” in one way or another, creatively, musically, technically, literarily, in preparation for our school festival on Saturday, October 5, 2024. First impressions of the paper production and German cars projects are already available!
Participation and democracy are an important guiding principle at GISA. We congratulate all elected representatives of the student council (SMV) and the student advocates Ramona Klaes and Alex Bergfeld.
We are pleased to offer a variety of extracurricular activities that cater to different interests and talents. Here are the key points for the extracurricular program:
-
- Try-out period: The program starts with a 2-week try-out period from the 19th of August until the 30th of August. During this period, students can attend different classes to discover which activities they are most interested in.
- Registration students: After the try-out period, students get the chance to register in the classes they want to participate in. A minimum of 3 students are required for each class.
- Duration of the program: The program runs from September to February. After this period, we introduce a new set of activities and programmes, which offer new opportunities for students.
- Separate invoices: Please note that extracurricular activities are invoiced separately from regular school fees. This ensures transparency and gives you a clear picture of the costs associated with these extra activities.
Download PDF activities Kindergarten
Download PDF activities Kindergarten
We believe that these programs greatly enrich our students' school experience and we encourage you to discuss the options available with your children. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact our Full Day Coordinator Sara Debackere.
Here is the current menu from the North Ridge Café:
On Wednesday, 04.09.2024, the parents' association is organizing a “get together” at the Swiss Club from 6 pm. The aim is for new and “old” parents to get to know each other and have a relaxed chat, with tips on leisure activities with children, shopping opportunities, travel destinations, etc.); representatives from the all-day school, kindergarten, school and administration management will also be available to answer questions in an informal atmosphere.
At the end of the week, we received a visit from our academic cooperation partner, the University of Potsdam. Prof. Dr. Winnie-Karen Giera and Lilly Woltersdorf, research assistant, conducted a theater workshop with the students from grades 5 - 7. The research and teaching project Stopp Mobbing! A theater project focused on promoting reading skills, self-efficacy and social interaction on the topic of bullying.
Kindergarten and Nursery:
There were lots of wonderful experiences in the nursery again last week! Our new children have settled in well so far and already feel at home in the group. One exciting experience was freeing animals that were stuck in the “ice” - with a lot of enthusiasm and a hammer, the children helped to free the animals. We also sang a lot, played and enjoyed our time in the garden and in the group room.
This week we also played a lot in the kindergarten, both in our groups and in the garden. The last children returned from Germany and were also able to marvel at our new rooms. There was also plenty of time for crafting this week, filling our new picture frames with our own creations. Colorful butterflies and flower meadows shine on black paper. In the mornings, we let off steam in the sports room and tested our balance on large foam blocks, balance plates and roller boards. In the elephant group, we were also able to celebrate three birthdays on Monday with lovely congratulations, birthday songs, the game “Pitsch Patsch Pinguin” and delicious muffins. Next week, we will start our learning time and preschool as usual. Some children will again receive German and English support in small groups. The various AGs can still be tried out next week, please hand in the completed AG sheet to us or Sara Debackere by the end of next week.
Primary school:
Class 1/2 had a great week. The children were able to put their skills to the test in small groups, worked on puzzles, used spelling strategies, did maths and worked on the German language. The first graders are making their first attempts at reading and writing, and they are trying hard to make sure their handwriting is beautiful. The second graders are good role models for the younger ones. In German, a few second graders have started their fountain pen driving license this week, while others continue to work on their Lolaheft assignments. In ethics lessons, class 1/2 are now working on topics such as: how do we live together peacefully, get through the day happily and learn profitably. They learn trust and a sense of togetherness. Rules for appropriate coexistence will be closely scrutinized over the next few weeks. The class has also elected its new class representatives: Congratulations to the elected students! The election was successfully carried out by the “old” class representatives.
And the second week is already over. We went swimming at the LaPalm Hotel, elected class representatives (congratulations to the elected students!) and started with our topics for the first weeks: In German, grade 4 is working on nouns, in math we have all started to expand our number range and in English we are working on a good description of the setting of a story.
Secondary school:
Year 5 and 6 have now grown together well. Even though we spend many lessons with the individual classes, we enjoy the lessons together all the more. The first parents' evening is coming up next week and we are looking forward to meeting the parents in person. As you will all have noticed, the kindergarten has been beautifully renovated. Our classroom is also being spruced up this school year and we can't wait to invite some color and creativity into our space. The fifth graders were introduced to the new subject of history and were quite amazed at the historical stretch to look at in comparison to their own lifespan. It was particularly exciting to learn how archaeologists work. In art, on the other hand, we made a pizza. In our joint IT lessons, we worked with data and gave commands to robots. On Friday, we had a visit from the University of Potsdam. The visitors conducted a theater workshop with the 5th-7th grade on the topic of bullying. The play was presented on the same day. Thank you very much, it was a lot of fun.
The second week of school is drawing to a close and Year 7 has begun its first series of lessons. The shell structure of the earth and plate tectonics occupied the seventh graders in geography, while in art they took another creative look back at the topic of graffiti and the visit by street artist Scrapa. In mathematics, the pupils are working with negative numbers and terms. This week also saw the start of our various “Made in Germany” projects. At the end of the week, Years 5, 6 and 7 had a visit from the University of Potsdam. The students performed a theater workshop on the topic of bullying.
Outlook:
Mon, 26.08.2024 parent-teacher conference cl. 1/2
Tue, 27.08..2024 parent-teacher conference cl. 5/6
Wed., 28.08.2024 parent-teacher conference cl. 3/4
Thu, 29.08.2024 parent-teacher conference cl. 7
Wed., 04.09.2024 from 6 pm “Get together” in the Swiss Club. Relaxed exchange between new and “old” parents.
Mon, 23.09.2024 Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day - school-free
Thu, 03.10.2024 Day of German Unity - school-free
Sat., 05.10.2024 “Made in Germany” school festival as part of the AHK's “German Days”
Wed., 09.10.2024 Faces of Football: Football workshop for girls with former national soccer player Petra Landers in cooperation with Sparkassenstiftung
Mon, 14.10.2024 - Fri, 18.10.2024
Fri, 18.10.2024 Autumn vacation
Mon, 21.10.2024 First day of school after the fall vacations (according to plan)
