CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- Schoolwide News
- German International Stream
- English International Stream
- Highlights of the Week
Connect with GSIS
🏀 Led by Coach Tommy Vogel from ALBA BERLIN Basketball Academy, come and join us this Christmas holiday with our 4-day basketball camp where all skill levels are welcome! Improve your dribbling, shooting, decision making, and more. Plus, each participant gets an ALBA BERLIN T-Shirt, official camp certificate, and a chance to win ALBA BERLIN prizes! Register today.
🗓️ Date: 27 - 30 December 2023
📍 Venue: Lower Building Sports Hall (L401), German Swiss International School, 11 Guildford Road, The Peak, Hong Kong
For more information and registration, please visit docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAqhThpHyK6T8s9mlkzoBKdB6THz11yRNzyyBCDOKLySmv4A/viewform
#GSIS #GermanSwissInternationalSchool #InternationalSchool #HongKong #EducationalExcellence #GSISEasterCamp @albaberlinacademy.asia
GSIS Gazette – Issue #106
13th October 2023Principal's Column
Dear Parents
As we approach the end of the first half of the school year, the Autumn Break is just around the corner. We are looking forward to a sunny final week, especially after another weather-induced school closure here in Hong Kong. The Primary will be holding their Sports Days, and the Secondary will be on Discovery Week.
Discovery Week
The much-anticipated Discovery Week is upon us. For the first time since 2019, we are excited to offer a full array of trips abroad and activities here in Hong Kong. The coming days are sure to be filled with unforgettable experiences. Our programme includes language and cultural immersion in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, as well as Service Learning in various Asian regions. We will also host craft and artistic workshops at the school. The graduating classes of both streams will traditionally devote this week to the Abitur Mock Exams (K12) and University Applications (Y13).
BLI 3.0 from 6 November to 10 November 2023 (Update)
The preparations for BLI 3.0 are now in the final phase and the participants for the different interviews have been named. Currently, we are working on the documents that will be made available for inspection at the school, in addition to the documents already submitted. The CPD day on 30 October will serve as the final review in preparation for the BLI.
Please make a note of two important dates in connection with BLI week. On Thursday, 2 November, you will have the opportunity to meet the Inspection Team during an online event from 7:00 – 7:45 pm. The link for this event will be sent to you via email.
Then, on Friday, 10 November, the Inspectors will report back the results of the BLI 3.0 to the school community. I would like to invite interested parents to join us in the IB hall at 4:30 pm, followed by a small reception. More details and the registration link will be provided in the coming days.
Holiday Calendar 2024-25
With the upcoming Autumn Break, we are preparing for the next school year. The holiday calendar was finalised by the SLT before the summer holidays and presented to the KPR Secretaries. After the final approval by the Board, the calendar can now be viewed on our website.
We have managed to distribute the required number of school days for the 2024-25 school year in such a way that we can extend the Christmas holidays to three weeks. This not only aligns us with many international schools in Hong Kong and most German Schools Abroad in Asia, but it also supports the travel plans of families and staff during the festive season. The three-week closure also provides operational benefits, such as allowing for more extensive maintenance work and strategic campus development. We sincerely hope this redistribution of holiday days will best cater to the diverse needs of our school community.
| Grit Cichon Acting Principal |
Schoolwide News
University Guidance: Upcoming Events (External)
Happy Friday!
The University Counselling Team brings to you lots of upcoming interesting events, detailed in Gazette 106.
We urge you to take advantage of these opportunities.
Have a great weekend!
 Claire Wilkins |
 Beatrice Ugolini |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Gazette-106.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/YETP-Introduction-1.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/YETP-Introduction-2.pdf
World Mental Health Day
On October 10th, we celebrated World Mental Health Day. Students and staff showed their support by wearing green, the internationally recognised symbol of mental health awareness.
Our newly elected GSIS Wellbeing Ambassadors created wonderful bookmarks with mental health tips and distributed them during the breaks. They also organised amazing bracelet-making workshops to boost their peers' well-being during busy school days.
The Wellbeing Events Team treated teachers and administrative staff to delicious and healthy fruit platters.
It was a day filled with joy that reminded us all of the importance of taking care of our mental health.
| Karina Elwert |
KINDERUNI CAMP
Experimenting with science through German: Our KinderUni Camp is a scientific afternoon activity aimed at children ages 8-12 who would like to improve their German language skills by engaging in interesting STEM activities.
During the camp, the pupils will use experiments to expand their knowledge of German and at the same time learn things through play, for example how a rocket engine works, how to grow microorganisms or what starch has to do with eco-products.
Have your kid join the Kinderuni Camp! It gives young scientists the chance to find out the answers to questions for themselves while learning new words in German. A fun way to spend a week!
Date & Time: 24th-27th October 2023 / 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Location: Goethe-Institut, 13/F Hong Kong Arts Centre, Wan Chai
Level: First experience in German required
Course Fee: HKD 1800
If you wish to enroll on our KinderUni-Camp, please visit our institute or contact us: german-hongkong@goethe.de or 2802 0088.
|
GSIS Advancement GSIS Advancement |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/KINDERUNI-CAMP-1.pdf
German International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
Today, the flu vaccination for the children took place at our PFL Campus, and we are pleased that many parents took up the offer of having their children vaccinated at school. The support of our school nurse, the class teachers and their classmates made it easier for many children to receive their vaccination which would otherwise have been more challenging.
Visit by the HK Fire Department, Presentation on "Fire Safety Education"
Wednesday 11.10. Crickets, Bumblebees, Schmetterlinge, and Glühwürmchen
Thursday 19.10. Ladybirds, Dragonflies, Raupen
Kindergarten KPR Meeting:
Tuesday 17.10. 7:45 - 9:00am Pok Fu Lam Campus
If you have any topics you would like addressed at this meeting, please contact the Class Parent Representatives of your child's class.
Box of Hope - Charitable Event
You received the letter and sticker for our annual Box of Hope Charity campaign last Friday. If you and your child/children would like to participate, we kindly ask you to send the box to Pok Fu Lam Campus by Friday, October 20 at the latest. On behalf of the organization, we thank you very much for your generosity and participation.
Since this is the last issue of the Gazette before the autumn holidays, we would like to remind you of the planned dates until the end of November:
Mid-Term holidays 23 to 27 Oct No School
Continuing Professional Development Day 30 Oct No school for students
Halloween Party 31 Oct Student event
Parent-Child Lantern-Making 02 Nov Kindergarten GIS
(for St. Martin's Festival) 03 Nov Kindergarten EIS
St. Martin's Day Lantern Fest 14 Nov Hong Kong Park 6:00pm
Parents’ Information Days 13 to 24 Nov Afternoons only
You will receive further information about the above-mentioned events in due time via email.
We wish you and your family a happy weekend.
 Sophie Burdel |
 Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
We are happy to inform you of our upcoming Sports Days which will run on Thursday 19th October (Upper Primary) and Friday 20th of October (Lower Primary).
We are sure the students will love taking part in some exciting, inclusive events which will bring both streams together. During the sports days each year group will take part in 6 events which are designed to give all students the opportunity to celebrate the importance of health and exercise. The events will include jumping, sprinting and throwing events along with a variety of fun events for all to enjoy.
The Sports Days will also celebrate our school houses of Dragon, Lion, Phoenix and Tiger. Students are encouraged to wear their house sports shirts, or sports clothing in their house colours and to participate in house chants to celebrate the day.
Both Sports Days will begin at 8:45 am and finish at 1:00 pm, students are then to be picked up from Stanley Ho Sports Ground. Please complete the Google form that has been sent to you and inform us on the form who will be collecting your child.
We are sure it will be a great 2 days and look forward to seeing you there.
 Johannes Claassen |
 Beate Weinhardt |
Departmental News and Announcements
Looking for what's been going on in class this month?
Secondary Corner
Day of German Unity
On October 3rd, the history, art and music departments held an assembly to celebrate the German reunification in lessons 5 and 6.
On that day, people remember the bitter time after the Second World War and are happy that Germany is now a united country.
Leander and Lenja from class 12 moderated the assembly and led us through the event.
To start the assembly on a positive note, we all sang the national anthem of Germany. The atmosphere was very memorable as all the students stood up and sang along nicely.
Classes 6 - 10 used different ways to tell and represent the history of this time.
Classes 6 and 7 gave a lecture on the life and history of Germany after the Second World War.
Classes 8 and 9 sang songs that were intended to represent the joy of the people after the fall of the Berlin Wall. They also presented beautiful posters and a digital image collage.
Year 10 presented the course of history in a creative way. The students came up with the idea of creating a “talk show” in which students put themselves in the shoes of people in the FRG and the GDR in order to present people’s lives and difficulties.
At the end of the assembly, the European national anthem was played. The students from different classes played with instruments such as flutes, tubas and string instruments.
Overall, the assembly was a beautiful event in which the students gained a deeper understanding of the significance of this historic day.
Written by Ofelia and Chloe (K08B)
 Udo Krebs |
 Arnold Leitner |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
English International Stream
From Head of Stream
Dear Parents
It has been a thoroughly enjoyable first half-term as the school’s natural energy and momentum continues to return. We have hosted numerous presentations in school for parents including gatherings for new parents, KPR meetings, university presentations, and curriculum evenings as well as several celebrations. Sports fixtures are continuing apace, and students have enjoyed various offsite trips, events, and activities. As we approach the mid-term break, we are also starting to look forward to the next Christmas Bazaar, plans for which are well underway, but more of that later.
Last week Year 4 students attended their first overnight camp and a big thank you is due to Ms. Morley and the Year 4 staff, Mica Rasborn and Daniel Crowther, who led the trip and accompanied the students. There is also great excitement in the air in the Secondary Department as we approach the beginning of Discovery Week. Sixteen overseas trips will be departing Hong Kong for the first time since 2019 thus marking another step towards relative normality.
This year we have generated seven new trips to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to support students’ language and cultural experiences. We also have five service trips in Asia and two cultural trips to China and Taiwan. When we started to plan these excursions back in December, we were not even sure if we would be able to travel internationally as restrictions were not completely relaxed until February. We also did not know the flight itineraries for October until mid-May, which made booking seats additionally challenging. Despite all the bumps in the road, we are now on the cusp of a very special week in the German-Swiss year, and we look forward to hearing all about students' experiences on their return.
A huge thanks must go to Conny Zavou and Angelin Yam from our Secondary Programmes Team for all their efforts in liaising with trip providers and booking flights. Also, much gratitude to over sixty staff who will be traveling with the students and who have invested significant time to ensure a safe and rewarding programme.
Year 7 will be embarking on their own camp next week to continue building the collaboration and shared experiences that have been the focus for this term. There will also be a range of activities taking place inside and beyond school from wakeboarding and scuba diving to a stockmarket challenge and woodworking project. Year 13 will also be at The Peak completing their university applications, preparing for academic interviews, and putting finishing touches to final drafts of internal assessments. It’s been a busy half-term for these guys.
Safe travels to all members of our community.
With best wishes
| Simon Misso-Veness Deputy Principal / Head of English International Stream |
Kindergarten Corner
Today, the flu vaccination for the children took place at our PFL Campus, and we are pleased that many parents took up the offer of having their children vaccinated at school. The support of our school nurse, the class teachers and their classmates made it easier for many children to receive their vaccination which would otherwise have been more challenging.
Visit by the HK Fire Department, Presentation on "Fire Safety Education"
Wednesday 11.10. Crickets, Bumblebees, Schmetterlinge, and Glühwürmchen
Thursday 19.10. Ladybirds, Dragonflies, Raupen
Kindergarten KPR Meeting:
Tuesday 17.10. 7:45 - 9:00am Pok Fu Lam Campus
If you have any topics you would like addressed at this meeting, please contact the Class Parent Representatives of your child's class.
Box of Hope - Charitable Event
You received the letter and sticker for our annual Box of Hope Charity campaign last Friday. If you and your child/children would like to participate, we kindly ask you to send the box to Pok Fu Lam Campus by Friday, October 20 at the latest. On behalf of the organization, we thank you very much for your generosity and participation.
Since this is the last issue of the Gazette before the autumn holidays, we would like to remind you of the planned dates until the end of November:
Mid-Term holidays 23 to 27 Oct No School
Continuing Professional Development Day 30 Oct No school for students
Halloween Party 31 Oct Student event
Parent-Child Lantern-Making 02 Nov Kindergarten GIS
(for St. Martin's Festival) 03 Nov Kindergarten EIS
St. Martin's Day Lantern Fest 14 Nov Hong Kong Park 6:00pm
Parents’ Information Days 13 to 24 Nov Afternoons only
You will receive further information about the above-mentioned events in due time via email.
We wish you and your family a happy weekend.
|
Sophie Burdel |
Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
The Primary departments are happy to inform you of our upcoming Sports Days which will run on Thursday 19th October (Upper Primary) and Friday 20th of October (Lower Primary).
We are sure the students will love taking part in some exciting, inclusive events which will bring both streams together. Each year group will take part in 6 events which are designed to give all students the opportunity to celebrate the importance of health and exercise with a focus on achieving their personal bests. The events will include jumping, sprinting and throwing, along with a variety of fun events for all to enjoy.
The Sports Days will also celebrate our school houses of Dragon, Lion, Phoenix and Tiger. Students are encouraged to wear their house sports shirts, or sports clothing in their house colours and to participate in house chants to celebrate the day.
Both Sports Days will begin at 8:45 am and finish at 1:00 pm, students are then to be picked up from Stanley Ho Sports Ground. Please remember to complete this Google form with pick-up information for your child if you have not already done so.
We kindly ask you to avoid taking photographs of other children on sports day and remember not to share any images on social media as not all families consent to this.
We are sure it will be a great 2 days and look forward to seeing you there.
 Donna Morley |
 Eleanor Cowling |
Departmental News and Announcements
Looking for what's been going on in class this week?
Secondary Corner
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
