CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- Schoolwide News
- German International Stream
- English International Stream
- Highlights of the Week
Connect with GSIS
📅 Save the date! Our highly anticipated annual Christmas Bazaar will take place on Saturday, 2 December 2023. 🎄 The GSIS community of students, parents, staff, alumni, and friends, will come together for this special event. It promises to be a delightful occasion filled with laughter and festive cheer to ring in the holiday season as well as support our school!
#GSIS #GermanSwissInternationalSchool #InternationalSchool #HongKong #EducationalExcellence #GSISChristmasBazaar
It is open for public for registration？
GSIS Gazette – Issue #103
1st September 2023Principal's Column
Dear Parents
I hope you and your children have had a good start to the new school year, especially those who are new to GSIS. Thank you for the successful first few weeks! The atmosphere is positive, and the smiles on the refreshed faces are pleasantly contagious. Walking through the buildings of both campuses and having personal conversations, one can feel the excitement for what the new school year will bring. This was also evident in the first meeting with our Head Students from Secondary. Sonja, Leander, Magnus, and Cyrus are eager to initiate exciting activities and projects this year that will enrich our school life beyond the classroom and further strengthen the school spirit among students and teachers. I am looking forward to working with them.
The school year demands a lot from us right from the start, as we are in the midst of intensive preparations for the Bund-Länder Inspection (BLI) by the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA), which will take place from 6 to 10 November 2023. BLI 3.0 includes both the German International Stream and partially the English International Stream, as well as the Administration Department, and for the first time, the Board. BLI is conducted approximately every six years at all German Schools Abroad to identify strengths, highlight potential areas for improvement, and gain knowledge for further quality development. It is based on the Quality Orientation Framework of the Federal Government and the Länder for German Schools Abroad and assesses the extent to which the quality expectations are met.
For weeks, our colleagues have been working intensively to complete the documentation that will provide the inspection team with a comprehensive insight into various areas of our school even before their arrival in Hong Kong. A new element of BLI 3.0 is an online survey for all members of our school community – students, parents, and teachers – which will be conducted from 4 to 18 September. Standardised questionnaires will provide important information about key quality criteria of the school and will be made available to us before the inspection in November.
The broader the database, the more valid the results. I would like to encourage and ask you to participate actively in the online survey. It will only take about 10 minutes of your time, but it will provide us with valuable feedback on what has been achieved and at the same time, give impetus for further school and teaching development. We will organise the online survey for students as part of their regular lessons.
On Monday, you will receive a separate email with detailed information about the procedure and an access link for the survey. I would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation and support of the school.
Finally, I have some great news. EDB has informed us that 11 December 2023, the day after the District Council Ordinary Election, has been designated as an additional holiday for all schools in Hong Kong. This will certainly do us good after the exhausting weeks of BLI preparation and implementation.
| Grit Cichon Acting Principal |
Schoolwide News
New GSIS Staff 2023/24
We are delighted to welcome our new staff members to our school! We look forward to the positive impact they will have on our students and the growth of our school. Welcome aboard!
KG
- Zaha Refaaq - Teaching Assistant
- Sonam Shahani - Floating Teaching Assistant
GPD
- Johannes Claassen - Head of German Primary Department
- Marianne Pulvermüller - International Youth Volunteer
- Ellen Grundl - International Youth Volunteer
EPD
- Christy Bicknell - Teacher Librarian
GSD
- Florian Rewerski - Teacher
- Melanie Li - Teacher
- Anja Oertel - Learning Support Teacher
- Flavia Homburg - Teacher
- Michelle Hofer - Teacher
- Mariwan Mohammed - Teacher
- Joanne O’Sullivan - Teacher (Maternity Cover)
ESD
- Emily Dygve - Learning Support Teacher
- Matthew Fowler - Teacher
- Carly Ellis - Teacher
- Lusi Li - Teacher
- Lucy Tyrrell - Teacher
- Petra Herbasch - Teacher
| GSIS HR Team |
University Guidance
The University Counselling team at GSIS would like to wish you a warm welcome back to the new school year, which is filled with exciting events, many of which are finally back in school with no restrictions!
We look forward to working with your children and guiding them towards their university journey. We work with Year 10-13 students and will be connecting with them and their parents regularly, both by email and via information sessions/class periods.
Attached is our first gazette entry of the new AY 23-24, and as you can see, the first few months of the term will be packed with exciting university visits both in-person at GSIS and around Hong Kong. Students (and, in some cases, parents, too) are encouraged to attend as many sessions as possible to aid in their research and exploration of universities, particularly students in Year 11 and Year 12.
We will also continue with our Virtual Coffee Mornings for parents of students in Y07-Y13 and K09-K12. These can be found on the calendar, and as always, you will be reminded of the Zoom sessions with a link to join one week before the Coffee Morning by email.
We will continue to share more events and opportunities as they arise.
 Claire Wilkins |
 Beatrice Ugolini |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Gazette-103.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Art-Basel-HK-Internship-Program-23-24.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/East-Asia-Southeast-Asia-and-Oceania-Virtual-Invitation-2023.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/HumanSciences_OpenDay_2023_Flyer.pdf
75th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival
Registration is now underway for the 75th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival. We realize that some of you may wish to register your son or daughter for the Festival, and as registration can only be done through the school, we are very happy to support this. Please see the procedure below on how to apply:
STEP 1: Identify your child’s year level according to the Hong Kong School System:
| Hong Kong School System | GSIS Equivalence | |
| Primary 1 | Year 2 | K01 |
| Primary 2 | Year 3 | K02 |
| Primary 3 | Year 4 | K03 |
| Primary 4 | Year 5 | K04 |
| Primary 5 | Year 6 | K05 |
| Primary 6 | Year 7 | K06 |
| Form 1 | Year 8 | K07 |
| Form 2 | Year 9 | K08 |
| Form 3 | Year 10 | K09 |
| Form 4 | Year 11 | K10 |
| Form 5 | Year 12 | K11 |
| Lower Sixth form | Year 13 | K12 |
STEP 2: Please use the below links to enrol your child or children.
Years 2-7 / K01-K06:
- English – https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/10703/35275#front
- Chinese - https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/10703/35276#front
Years 8-13 / K07-K12:
- English- https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/18094/35277#front
- Chinese - https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/18094/35278#front
The deadline for submission of entries is on Tuesday, 12 September 2023 at 3:00 pm. Late submissions will not be entertained.
STEP 3: Our Finance department will send you an invoice by email in due course. Please settle the payment as soon as you receive it.
STEP 4: Once enrolment is successful, our ESD secretary will send you the competition notification by email.
Some important notes and links:
- The Festival has been scheduled from 20 November to 20 December 2023.
- A guide to the online enrolment process can be found here
- Speech Festival website
- Specific class questions should be directed to the Speech Festival Association at 2761 3877.
|
Simon Misso-Veness Deputy Principal, Head of English International Stream |
Cafeteria Upgrades
While you are away from school, some refurbishment and upgrading works have occurred at our Cafeteria. We are pleased to share with you the new additions, including pre-ordering kiosks, snack trolleys and grab-and-go station to the catering service provided by Chartwells (Please refer to the PDF for more information). The opening hours of the cafeteria will be Monday to Friday on school days, from 07:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Furthermore, the monthly lunch menus have incorporated choices of carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables with additional items. Like in the past, the menus will be published via our GSIS Gazette, so please find attached information to the September 2023 lunch menus for our Secondary and Primary Students. Please note that the cafeteria accepts payment by Octopus card only. No cash payment will be accepted.
In addition to hot lunches, Secondary students can also choose from a wide range of ciabattas, croissants and other snacks, including smoothies at our coffee corner. Alternatively, a new lunch space for secondary students is now set up at the Senior Library Outdoor Terrace. The Library Alfresco Grab & Go station is open during school days between 12:45 pm and 2:00 pm. Sandwiches, packed salad and packaged drinks are available, and students can pay instantly on a first-come, first-served basis.
Primary parents are welcome to pre-order hot lunches for their child/children who are participating in courses in lessons 9 and 10 once our Primary course programme has started from Monday, 18 September 2023 onwards.
Please click on the link below for your respective pre-order:
Primary Pre-order for September 2023
For further questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Ariel CHAN, Operations Manager or Mr. Baric WU, Unit Manager of GSIS at Compass Group Hong Kong Limited, under the following email address: gsis@compass-hk.com.
| Student Services Team |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/gsis_weekley_Sepmenu_primary.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GSIS_Weekly_Sepmenu_secondary.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Aug-2023Cafeteria-Operational-Updates.pdf
Kinderleicht
Kinderleicht, founded in 2020 is an educational platform for kids and teens in Hong Kong to learn German in a fun and enjoyable way. At Kinderleicht, every student gets the opportunity to not only learn the German language but also dip into German culture. With their German-themed weekly groups, private classes, workshops and day camps Kinderleicht provides seasonal activities that create a perfect platform for exposure to German with a focus on the GSIS curriculum. These activities are a great way to give students meaningful opportunities to apply their learning and lower their ‘affective filter, put simply to make learning fun!
As teachers at Kinderleicht make learning engaging, students are more willing to participate. Kinderleicht’s philosophy of keeping fun at the heart of the classroom also helps students retain information because the process is memorable.
Find out more at https://kinderleicht-hk.com.
Evangelic & Catholic Congregations
The German-speaking evangelist and catholic congregations invite all interested families to join their church activities. Every Sunday at 10:30 am a church service will be held at the Upper Building at The Peak.
For more information, please visit the evangelist congregation website and the catholic congregation website.
German International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
On behalf of our Kindergarten Team, we welcome you to a new and exciting School year at our Pok Fu Lam Campus.
We had a successful first week at school, and the bus arrivals and dismissals went smoothly. We appreciate and are delighted with the vibrant and lively atmosphere our youngest students bring to our Campus.
The Early Years play an essential role as they lay the foundation for your child's education. Our outstanding team of Teachers and Assistants will do their utmost to provide the excellent education your child/children deserve and to support your children's personal development through exciting and fun-filled learning experiences.
Together as a Team, Ms. Mah and I are here for you, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the email address below.
SBurdel@gsis.edu.hk
EMah@gsis.edu.hk
We are delighted to inform you that our varied after-school activity programme (AA) for our students at Pok Fu Lam will start on Tuesday, 31 October, after the GSIS autumn break. You can find more information regarding the booking dates under News and Announcements.
Enjoy your weekend.
 Sophie Burdel |
 Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
Primary Corner
Huge school cones, shining children's eyes, proud parents, and colourful performances; the first day of school is not easily forgotten. It was a great joy to welcome the new students to the Vorschule and K01 and give them all good wishes for their journey.
While the children attended their first preschool and school lessons, the new families had the opportunity to make new contacts and engage in conversations with teachers. We warmly welcome the new families to our strong community at GSIS.
A message from Johannes Claassen: I look forward to getting to know you.
I am the new Head of the German Primary. It is a special honour for me to be able to work here at GSIS in Hong Kong. I am excited to bring my experience from various international educational contexts and collaborate with an outstanding team of talented and dedicated teachers. I will have the chance to personally meet you during the upcoming parent evenings, for which you will receive an invitation shortly. I am very much looking forward to a fruitful collaboration in the future.
 Johannes Claassen |
 Beate Weinhardt |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Looking for what's been going on in class this month?
Secondary Corner
Welcome to the school year 2023-24!
I want to extend a heartfelt welcome to our new K05 students, as well as to the 21 additional students joining the GSD in K05 to K11, along with their families. The diverse backgrounds of our new students, coming from Europe, Asia, and Africa, once again underscore the international nature of GSIS.
I would also like to warmly welcome our esteemed new teachers who have joined the GSD team: Ms Hofer, Ms Oertel, Ms Li, Ms O'Sullivan, Ms Homburg, Mr Mohammed, and Mr Rewerski. We are fortunate to have them on board.
Exciting times lie ahead for us in the GSD, with numerous events on the horizon. These include parent evenings, the elections for the Parent Representatives (KPR), subject selections for the written DIA exams, and preparations for the assembly commemorating German Unity Day.
As part of our commitment to innovation in education, we will be placing a greater emphasis on utilising digital devices to enhance differentiation and individualization in the classroom. Additionally, we will focus on expanding and developing supportive systems for German language instruction. These initiatives will serve as long-term priorities in the GSD, ensuring an enriched and effective learning environment.
The GSD team wishes all families a great start and much success for the new school year.
 Udo Krebs |
 Arnold Leitner |
Departmental News and Announcements
English International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
On behalf of our Kindergarten Team, we welcome you to a new and exciting School year at our Pok Fu Lam Campus.
We had a successful first week at school, and the bus arrivals and dismissals went smoothly. We appreciate and are delighted with the vibrant and lively atmosphere our youngest students bring to our Campus.
The Early Years play an essential role as they lay the foundation for your child's education. Our outstanding team of Teachers and Assistants will do their utmost to provide the excellent education your child/children deserve and to support your children's personal development through exciting and fun-filled learning experiences.
Together as a Team, Ms. Mah and I are here for you, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the email address below.
SBurdel@gsis.edu.hk
EMah@gsis.edu.hk
We are delighted to inform you that our varied after-school activity programme (AA) for our students at Pok Fu Lam will start on Tuesday, 31 October, after the GSIS autumn break. You can find more information regarding the booking dates under News and Announcements.
Enjoy your weekend.
|
Sophie Burdel |
Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
Primary Corner
It has been a delight welcoming the children back to school, especially since we have no restrictions and no masks for the first time in years!
Music Update
We are very pleased to inform you that we have appointed a temporary music teacher for Years 1 to 6. Mr. Kevin Thornton is an experienced music teacher and performer who brings an exciting new skill set to our music lessons. He will join the team on 25 September and will also lead the choirs.
The orchestra is expected to commence after the Autumn break. Details will be emailed separately.
At the Peak campus, we are fortunate to be working with the Africa Centre on a musical and cultural drumming programme for the first 3 weeks of school, and at Pok Fu Lam, Ms. Cowling is expertly leading the music learning.
Google Sites
Class Google Sites have been published today, so please check them out to learn more about classroom life.
Meet the Teacher
We look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming in-person ‘Meet the Teacher’ event.
Year 1
Wednesday, 6 September, 4:30 - 5:30 pm, Year 1 classrooms
Years 2 to 6
Thursday, 7 September, 5:00 - 6:00 pm, Year group classrooms
There will be an opportunity to meet and mingle with specialist teachers from 4:30 pm in the Upper Building entrance hall.
PFL ECA & AA
Our After-School (AA) and Extracurricular Activity Programme (ECA) for Year 1 will start on Tuesday, 31 October. Online booking opens from Tuesday, 21 September, 4:00 pm until Tuesday, 26 September, 10:00 am. Please see the attachment for further details.
 Donna Morley |
 Eleanor Cowling |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ECA-AA-Calendar-PFL-Term-1.pdf
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Looking for what's been going on in class this week?
Secondary Corner
Welcome back. I hope that you have had an enjoyable and restful summer break. Congratulations to those of you who have received results for public examinations - you can be very proud of your performance, as are we all.
The start of the year is always hectic as we learn new routines and explore new opportunities, such as the ECA programme, new subjects and courses, and new ideas and classmates.
Please take the time over the next few weeks to focus on re-orientation, on reconnecting with peers and teachers, on reviewing and reflecting on the lessons learned and knowledge gained over the years gone by, and on setting new goals and objectives for the months to come.
If there are any immediate questions or concerns, please, as always, reach out to your class teacher or other faculty members for advice.
Here's to another successful and productive school year.
 Ken Stevenson |
Departmental News and Announcements
