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GSIS Gazette – Issue #13
29th November 2019Principal's Column
Dear Parents
When you receive this Gazette, you are most likely in Ocean Park celebrating the 50th Anniversary of GSIS, enjoying the "Children-of-the-World" performance of our Pok Fu Lam campus students, listening to one of our great gala concerts or meeting with hundreds of other members of our school community in Old Hong Kong. This Friday and at this weekend we will be celebrating together and I look forward to seeing so many people from GSIS coming together. This Friday we will welcome up to 4000 members of our school community in Ocean Park, from Kindergarten students to Super VIPs. On Saturday we also expect more than 500 guests for our Heritage and Reflection afternoon with school tours, music, traditional food and drinks. I wish everyone a great and enjoyable time and look forward to meeting you all.
With my very best wishes
|
Ulrich Weghoff |
Parents@GSIS
It has been lovely to see so many parents and staff members enjoy the wreath decorating sessions held by Parents@GSIS this week. It was a great way to get into the festive mood and it is wonderful to see the beautiful creations displayed around the school. If you missed out, don’t worry there will be a selection still available at the Heritage event on Saturday.
Supporting Global Initiatives - 12 days of Giftmas
Whilst it’s a busy weekend for GSIS please spare some time to help those less fortunate through the Global Initiatives project helping refugees in Hong Kong. As a reminder there will be collection points located in the cafeteria, reception, sports hall and the primary building at the Peak. You can donate new or old items in good condition:
- 2nd- 4th December: Clothes & Shoes for adults and kids
- 5th- 9th December: Dry Foods
- 10th - 12th December: Cutlery, Crockery and Stationery
- 13th - 17th December: Toiletries
For more information please contact Julia Surman (JSurman@gsis.edu.hk).
Upcoming events
We still have a number of activities that you can sign up for before the holidays
- Photography outing visiting three famous markets (goldfish, bird and flower) in Mongkok on Thursday 5th Dec 10am - 1pm
- Christmas art workshops by Shradda. Draw beautiful Christmas wreaths on Monday 2nd Dec 10am - 12:30pm HK$450 or Paint beautiful Watercolour frames on Wednesday 4th Dec 10am - 12:30pm HK$650.
- Hiking the MacLehose Trail (variation on section 5) from Kowloon Peak to the Lion Rock on Monday 9th Dec
If you are interested in any of these events or have ideas for the new year please email us at parents@gsis.edu.hk
(Click thumbnail/s to enlarge image)
Attachments
|
Anouska Mutreja |
Updates and Announcements
From Head of German International Stream
Dear Parents
After turbulent and challenging times in Hong Kong, we just finished a whole school week and it seems that we are back to normal. Besides catching up on missed course materials and class tests, senior students especially needed space to discuss recent events in Hong Kong and their personal experiences. Our school counsellors are closely involved in this process and would like to share with you ideas and suggestions on how to address stressful situations with your children.
I would like to thank you all for your feedback regarding the school's procedures and decisions during the past weeks. We appreciate your positive feedback and welcome constructive suggestions in order to optimise our processes.
This week concludes with the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of our school. I look very much forward to welcoming you to Ocean Park and wish us all a wonderful and enjoyable time at the various events over the weekend.
Grit Cichon
__________________
Hong Kong has been going through a period of unpredictability. A lot of the events are stressful, challenging and it is hard to deny the impact it has on each of us. There are many ways which students may feel unsettled through what they have heard, seen or read. The disruption of school work, commuting and social activities can cause anxiety for adults and children and can lead to many questions regarding the future and stability of Hong Kong.
At GSIS we are working on maintaining a routine for all our students and also creating a safe space for students to talk about their anxieties. It is important that caregivers maintain a reassuring, calm manner to ensure children feel safe and secure. This should allow for students to ask questions of curiosity and share emotions, as well as speak freely without being judged.
Below we have arranged some ideas and resources to help you support your children at home:
Take time to listen.
During times of uncertainty it is more important than ever that parents make time to listen to their children. Be intentional about checking-in with your children about recent events in Hong Kong. For younger children, this may look like asking them how they have felt about changes to their school routine or the cancelation of events. When checking in, acknowledge and validate the thoughts and feelings they share with you. They may need help with finding words to describe how they are feeling. Let them know that it is okay to have strong emotions, but it's also okay to not feel overly concerned. Everyone is different.
Click here to learn more about active listening.
It’s okay to be vulnerable.
If children get the clear impression that they are not allowed to talk about their fears and feelings concerning the recent events in Hong Kong, it can make the situation seem more scary and confusing. Many children have very specific concerns that can be eased if they are directly addressed. For example, some children say that they worry about their Mum or Dad not being able to get home from work. Others say they are afraid that if things continue, they will have to leave Hong Kong and leave all their friends. It’s impossible to have all the answers, and in unsettling times our instincts may lead us to pretend like we have all the answers in order to protect our children. It’s ok to let children know that there are many unknowns that you can’t control. What you can control, however, is your love and support for your child during this unsettling time. Reassure them that you will keep them safe. Also, stress the importance of not spreading rumours or misinformation to their peers. Talk with them about how these things can bring discomfort to others and how it can scare or alarm younger children that may overhear these conversations.
Here’s an article that shares the benefits of being vulnerable as you parent your child.
The family is the calm in the storm.
Be intentional about creating opportunities for fun, relaxation and connecting as a family. This can look like playing games together or cooking together. Ensure your child is getting plenty of rest and proper nutrition. This can help boost resilience, problem solving and coping skills. Share with your child healthy ways to relax, such as listening to calming music or taking deep breaths. Do your best to adhere to home life routines and remind them that, despite recent events, they still have responsibilities and should have fun as well.
We are here for you and your family.
Reassure your children the staff at the school will also make sure that they stay safe no matter what happens. If you notice your child is experiencing intense fear, sadness or anger, you may want to seek additional support. In younger children this may manifest in physical symptoms such as a headache or stomach ache.
In case you are looking for more ideas and tips on how to successfully conduct difficult conversations, we would like to recommend the following website, which provides many great resources for parents and teachers:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-violence-crime-and-war
In the ESD this week, we have allocated class period to discuss the ongoing unsettlement in Hong Kong. This has been executed through a guided, structured discussion. In the class period we aimed to:
- To offer a structured discussion for the students of the ESD to talk about the protests
- To ensure students feel supported and safe in school
- To reassure students that there is support and platforms for discussion at school
- To discuss how the HK climate affects us individually, school-wide and globally
- To acknowledge that our students have views, opinions and uncertainties about the future
- To use neutral, carefully worded language to eliminate any conflictual disagreements amongst friends and the community
In the GSD we have addressed the actual situation within the class period (Klassenrat) as well during the last weeks and teachers picked the topic up in some of their subjects lessons. In the primary we did not address the topic in general with the students but picked it up and guided discussions if it came up in order to the earlier mentioned structure.
If you have any concerns about your child or need additional resources to best support your family, feel free to reach out to one of us:
Kindergarten & Primary School Counsellors
- Jeanette Geisel (jgeisel@gsis.edu.hk)
- Paige Marquard (pmarquard@gsis.edu.hk)
Secondary School Counsellors
- Jeanette Geisel (jgeisel@gsis.edu.hk)
- Tanya Lau (tlau@gsis.edu.hk)
|
Grit Cichon |
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
We are delighted to invite you to join your child to celebrate “Christmas Around the World” on Friday, 13 December 2019 at Pok Fu Lam Campus.
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES
| Gym/ Playground |
|
| Hall |
|
| Library, 3rd Floor, Room 304 | Yuletide Story Time
|
| Multi-Purpose Rooms |
|
TIME ALLOCATION
- Session 1 07:40 till 09:10 DKRA, DKSC, DKTA, DVOR A
- Session 2 09:10 till 10:40 DVOR B, Y01B, Y01C
- Session3 10:40 till 12:10 KG1B, KG2L, KG2D
Stamp cards will be distributed to you when you pick your child up from the classroom. This will enable your child to collect Christmas stamps as they move around the school together with you to enjoy the activities. Every family has one and a half hours to enjoy the activities below and it would be wise to plan ahead with your child what you would like to do together.
We would also expect your full cooperation in dropping your child back in the classroom at the end of the allocated time and this will enable everyone to have an enjoyable day.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Children will come to school and return home at the usual time by bus and school will be slightly different from a normal Friday. Your child will need to bring their snacks and water bottle, and tea and coffee will be provided for parents in the multi-purpose rooms. Please turn up promptly and come directly to the classroom of your child to join him/her for the event.
As this is our Christmas event for the family, please have a relative accompany your child if you are unable to make it that day. Otherwise, the class teacher or teaching assistant will make alternative arrangements for your child to enjoy the planned activities. Due to space constraints, we are unable to accommodate for siblings and a maximum of 2 adults per child is allowed to sign up for the event.
Kindly click on the link below and sign-up for the Christmas Around the World Event latest by Thursday, 5 December 2019. A reminder that there is no car parking facilities on-site therefore be advised to come via public transport or taxi.
Sign in link: https://forms.gle/XaggmGCf3KtKebDKA
We guarantee a festive time with educational fun and games and memories to mark a joyous season.
Look forward to seeing all of you.
Warm regards
Primary Corner
Updates and Announcements
Secondary Corner
Dear Parents
After careful consideration, ESD and GSD Department Heads and School Management decided together with the PE Subject Coordinators not to hold a Sports Day this school year. Given that we have lost four teaching days because of the protests in Hong Kong, we will be able to compensate two days with the cancellation of the Sports Day and the postponement of the Outing Day. Initially, we considered holding a Sports Day for junior years only but this proved to be logistically unfeasible. We are confident that we can hold a Sports Day again next school year.
At this point I would also like to draw your attention to the Youth Debating (Jugend Debattiert) competition which is open to students from K08 to K10 each year. For further details, please see under News and Announcements.
The updated class test schedules are available in the GSIS Parent Portal --> Departments --> German Secondary.
Updates and Announcements
|
Wiebke Langer |
From Head of English International Stream
Dear Parents
We received a significant amount of feedback from the community via the KPR Secretaries concerning the way we shared work with students via online platforms during the recent school closures as well as requests for further information about contingency plans for longer school closure. Whilst there was substantial affirmation of the way the school was managed during the closure, we also fully understand and share parents’ anxieties within the context the unprecedented social disorder in Hong Kong so I would like to explain our practice and outline our further response to these concerns.
During the school closure last week, the majority of our students received school work via Google Classroom, Schoology or ManageBac as staff were requested to set work for students by their respective Heads of Department. Much of this work involved either standalone assignments, exercises that linked to current projects or tasks that allowed students to consolidate their learning. For older students there were also more research-based projects and revision preparation including coursework completion for the IB Diploma. Feedback from the students was that they were kept occupied and were grateful for the structured work shared by their teachers.
Some of the responses that we received immediately on our return to school implied that many other schools in Hong Kong were fully engaged in virtual learning where complete lessons were being taught online. We know that this was not the case because we contacted all the Directors of Learning Technologies at peer schools who reported that such learning was sporadic and individualised at best. The same issue was discussed at a recent meeting of IB Coordinators from international schools in Hong Kong and, again, the overwhelming response was that ‘live’, online classes were not being offered in the majority of schools. These schools were using the same platforms as GSIS and, in many cases, we were offering far more options for students.
Additional platforms were suggested as options to support more interactive learning such as Skype, zoom and Google Hangout but, although these can be useful tools, they have to be used carefully and contextually as their use can be limited beyond simple explanation or clarification of particular points. Some staff could use Google Hangout for a brief demonstration but this would require all students to be available at the same time, which we have found is not always possible. There are also certain protocols that virtual learners need to follow when working as a group online, which is quite a challenge to manage and could ultimately be self-defeating; the platform itself is certainly not suited to all learners as recipients tend to be quite passive, which is not ideal particularly for younger students.
Nevertheless, students should have the option to connect with a teacher during the day via email or Google Hangout, for example, but this should serve to clarify any misunderstandings or misconceptions about work set. Recent feedback from students and staff favoured a process where work for the day is posted in the early morning including clear deadlines for completion with check-ins or clarification on a needs basis throughout the day. Future options could be for staff to record short sections to explain a particular point or provide context but this would very much depend on the nature of the work being covered and the stage of the students’ learning.
The overwhelming response of our teachers was that, whilst Google Hangouts and similar platforms have their place, conducting full online classes is neither feasible from a practical standpoint nor is it pedagogically advantageous. The vast majority expressed a preference to communicate and discuss concepts and/or clarifications through written platforms, including the discussion facilities in Google Classroom and Schoology as well as through email. In the future we could identify some vetted online resources to support particular topics but exclusive interactive online teaching would lack the dynamics of the live experience and ultimately prove quite frustrating for all users. Teachers would prefer to manage the communication channels with students themselves, rather than being mandated to follow a prescribed approach. This is very much in keeping with our educational philosophy in general.
Should there be further school closures, establishing study groups with small groups of friends is a good way of replicating the classroom environment and helps to support students to engage with their learning. For younger students, interactive family activities such as board games and baking are highly recommended as well as guided reading and reflection.
Long term disruption
In terms of preparing for disruptions during public examinations, a letter has been sent to the relevant examination boards from the Hong Kong International Schools Heads Network highlighting the logistical challenges that numerous schools have experienced in recent weeks as well as the potential impact on student wellbeing. As a school, we have also been in contact with the IBO, CIE and Edexcel who are ready to support us as the need arises. There is not much these examination boards can do for now as the scenario is a hypothetical one but the following outlines our current thinking on the matter.
During the recent disruptions the surroundings of The Peak campus itself remained relatively unaffected by the protests, our fundamental concern was the safety of students travelling to and from school. If we anticipate short-term closures on a day to day basis during the examination period we can still run examinations at school, although we would require special permission from the Education Bureau if this contravened a formal closure of schools. Students would be able to come to The Peak to sit examinations if it were safe to travel but for those who could not make it we would seek to offer places at alternative centres (schools) closer to their home. This is a strategy we will discuss further with the Hong Kong International School Heads Network. There are already protocols built into the IBO, CIE and Edexcel Assessment Procedures that address latecomers or students missing examinations as well as a range of Adverse Circumstances for which we can apply. There were some schools in Hong Kong who were operating the November IBDP session and they were able to complete their sittings.
We could also look for alternative venues to serve as an examination centre in the event that The Peak campus was compromised but this is difficult to judge as we do not know the flashpoints or whether students would be able to access the alternative venue. For longer-term closures, we would be in contact with the examination boards to discuss an appropriate response. In an extreme situation, it would be possible for students to stay overnight at school and maybe even billet students in houses around Guildford Road and Peak Road.
Talking to students about the protests
Tanya Lau, the ESD counsellor has shared some guidance for parents in this week’s Gazette, which I encourage you to read.
The ESD class teachers have engaged students in some structured discussions this week to help them reflect on the implications of the protests from a personal, local, regional and global perspective. This gives an opportunity for students to discuss their responses in a safe environment whilst allowing us to ‘take the temperature’ of the student body in relation to this event and follow up with further interactions as necessary.
Looking ahead, particularly in terms of how parents communicate with KPRs, please ensure that if you have an individual concern about your child or a member of staff, contact the teacher involved in the first instance or, if necessary, the Head of Department. The role of the KPR is not to represent individual cases but to support the overall smooth running and future development of the school.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Fiftieth Anniversary events over the next few days.
Kind regards
|
Simon Misso-Veness |
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
We are delighted to invite you to join your child to celebrate “Christmas Around the World” on Friday, 13 December 2019 at Pok Fu Lam Campus.
CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES
| Gym/ Playground |
|
| Hall |
|
| Library, 3rd Floor, Room 304 | Yuletide Story Time
|
| Multi-Purpose Rooms |
|
TIME ALLOCATION
- Session 1 07:40 till 09:10 DKRA, DKSC, DKTA, DVOR A
- Session 2 09:10 till 10:40 DVOR B, Y01B, Y01C
- Session3 10:40 till 12:10 KG1B, KG2L, KG2D
Stamp cards will be distributed to you when you pick your child up from the classroom. This will enable your child to collect Christmas stamps as they move around the school together with you to enjoy the activities. Every family has one and a half hours to enjoy the activities below and it would be wise to plan ahead with your child what you would like to do together.
We would also expect your full cooperation in dropping your child back in the classroom at the end of the allocated time and this will enable everyone to have an enjoyable day.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Children will come to school and return home at the usual time by bus and school will be slightly different from a normal Friday. Your child will need to bring their snacks and water bottle, and tea and coffee will be provided for parents in the multi-purpose rooms. Please turn up promptly and come directly to the classroom of your child to join him/her for the event.
As this is our Christmas event for the family, please have a relative accompany your child if you are unable to make it that day. Otherwise, the class teacher or teaching assistant will make alternative arrangements for your child to enjoy the planned activities. Due to space constraints, we are unable to accommodate for siblings and a maximum of 2 adults per child is allowed to sign up for the event.
Kindly click on the link below and sign-up for the Christmas Around the World Event latest by Thursday, 5 December 2019. A reminder that there is no car parking facilities on-site therefore be advised to come via public transport or taxi.
Sign in link: https://forms.gle/XaggmGCf3KtKebDKA
We guarantee a festive time with educational fun and games and memories to mark a joyous season.
Look forward to seeing all of you.
Warm regards
Updates and Announcements
Primary Corner
Dear Parents,
Next week will be our first "normal" week in quite a while. While our students are quite flexible, we are all happy to get back into our routines! Contained within this Gazette is information regarding the Peak Primary Christmas Sing-Along. Please take a moment to read over the information and complete the google form, should your family be attending. We need to get a headcount on bus transportation and don't want you to miss this information.
Have a wonderful time at Ocean Park!
