Letter from the Principal – end of 2019/20 school year
The last Gazette issue of 2019/20 is a good opportunity to look back at the past academic year. It is certainly not a "look back in anger", referencing the play by British playwright John Osborne. However, there is some dramatic quality to it.
No school year has ever been hit with so many difficult, challenging, exciting, absurd, unexpected and surprising events as the past one. Never before has a school year raised so many questions, uncertainties, concerns and fears in the entire school community as this one. And never before have I been so relieved at the end of a school year as in this one that, despite all the circumstances, thanks to the tireless commitment of their teachers, our students were able to successfully complete the school year with fortunately minimal impact on their educational development.
An unforgettable highlight of the school year was our 50th Anniversary celebration, which started with an Alumni event, culminated in the Family Celebration with the gala concert in Ocean Park and ended with a Heritage and Reflection afternoon at the GSIS Peak campus. The 50th Anniversary events illustrated the real potential of the GSIS community and school, its impressive history, its cross-stream spirit and creativity.
Yet I have a vivid memory of the SMT discussions about whether or not to cancel the 50th@Ocean Park because of the protests in the city that posed a security threat, the MTR stations that were repeatedly set on fire, and the roadblocks. Would it even be possible for the thousands of visitors to arrive and depart safely? Would we be able to take the risk and responsibility in the face of uncertain and unpredictable events? In retrospect, we could not have been happier that the event could go ahead, unhindered and in wonderful weather with great concerts and a happy school community.
The Hong Kong protests had already begun in the spring of 2019 and by August had increased considerably. On 18 August, the Sunday before school started, more than one million people participated in a large demonstration, marking the beginning of a long phase of demonstrations that have repeatedly affected our school. How often did we have to check, change or even cancel school transport? How often did we have to assess under unpredictable circumstances if we could guarantee the safety of students travelling to and from school? How often did we deal with the dilemma of wanting to keep the School open versus being responsible for and worrying about the safety of students and staff? When we decided to err on the side of caution, there was criticism by those who deemed the roads safe. If we let buses run however despite announced demonstrations we were occasionally confronted with criticism from parties who would have expected us to err on the side of caution.
In December 2019, to add to the ongoing challenges which social unrest in Hong Kong brought, the respiratory disease COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, China, and developed into a pandemic in January this year. On 30th January the Corona pandemic was declared a global health emergency by the WHO. On the Sunday before the Chinese New Year holidays, we were informed that, after the CNY holidays, schools would be closed until 14th February. In the blink of an eye, the school management and faculty had to switch to online learning mode and from day one delivered lessons following the regular timetable, using a variety of online tools.
The sudden pressure on school management and teachers was extraordinary, as were the questions and uncertainties that arose. How long was all this supposed to take? What about tests and examinations? Not knowing what to expect, we had initially assumed a limited period of two weeks until on 13th February the EDB announced that schools were to remain closed until 16th March. Naturally, this decision meant growing pressure, growing concern about Abitur and IB examinations and how to ensure an adequate education from Kindergarten to Secondary. As you all know, the worldwide pandemic resulted in an extended school closure until we were finally able to resume classes on 20th May with a staggered class resumption and strict safety measures in place.
School closure and teaching under completely new, unprecedented circumstances have proved to be one of the greatest challenges in school history. Apart from the complete switch to online learning and the isolation of our students at home with strong impact on their family lives, the closure led to an unprecedented disruption of school routine: The written Abitur exams had to be postponed, the IGCSE and IB exams were even completely cancelled, the school inspection by the Central Agency for German Schools Abroad (ZfA) planned for the autumn could not take place, and our students could no longer meet at school or enjoy outing days, class trips and excursions; there were no drama performances, school concerts, carnival, or sporting events - and no Discovery Week next autumn. There were also ongoing discussions in the school community as to the School's scope of responsibility, the performance of the online learning programme and the financial consequences of the suspended classes.
I can only describe this time as challenging, but at this point I would also like to emphasise that this crisis has brought invaluable learning experiences to school management and teachers. No training or e-learning workshop could be more effective and intensive than the challenge of active learning-by-doing. With the change from classroom to online learning, our teachers have taken on an and mastered an enormous amount of work to stay closely connected with our students and, even under these special circumstances, provide them with the best possible education. Our evaluations since the reopening show that our students have few or no curricular gaps. With slightly better final results than a year ago, the written and oral Abitur exams also demonstrate how effectively and thoroughly the teachers prepared our students online. Furthermore, I am sure that the IB results will be as excellent as ever.
Besides the Hong Kong protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, other events have affected the school community. Be it the loss of the Business College, the closure of which the EDB announced in a letter to GSIS on 9 March this year, be it the withdrawal of the Swiss government from the subsidy agreement with the School based on disagreements over certain five requirements, be it the disagreements in the school community about how to deal with the School´s articles.
All the above events and challenges have defined the 2019/20 school year. These are all events that required strength, patience, persistence and a thick skin. But we have learned so much from them, which we can adopt and embrace for the future. These experiences enable us to look ahead with confidence that the next school year will hopefully bring us solutions to the unresolved issues.
The last major hurdle of the school year we had to overcome was preparing the staggered return of the students. Classrooms had to be rearranged, lesson plans had to be adapted, the arrival of the students had to be organised including daily health checks and temperature logs, observance of distance rules, compulsory wearing of masks etc. The cafeteria was reorganised to function as classrooms, even new tables were ordered to use the large sports hall as a classroom, so we could finally enable all classes to return daily under strict distancing rules. It is impossible to list here the numbers of things our Administration team under the highly committed leadership of Clare Chiu, had to take care of.
As far as school and academic life at GSIS is concerned, I can assure you that despite the volatility of the events, the course of the School's development has been kept steady, which has me not "look back in anger", but rather look back facing forward. Despite Hong Kong protests, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and despite disagreements in the school community, the achievements of the past school year are immense. For the whole School, especially in the Primary and Secondary departments of both streams, a sound and sustainable online-learning programme was developed, which will be vital in the future learning environment. And many of the things we learned we will also be able to integrate into "normal" classroom lessons. The experience with online learning during school closure has also provided indications as to which aspects require closer examination and further training.
For the individual departments, the following achievements can be particularly highlighted for the 2019/20 school year:
Kindergarten
- Two bilingual classes (German/English and German/Mandarin) were successfully introduced in the Kindergarten of the German International Stream.
- An additional Mandarin lesson per week was introduced in the English International Stream Kindergarten.
- The Kindergarten has prepared for the introduction of a new additional Kindergarten group (EKG1).
Primary Department/GPD
- This year, Mandarin was taught in GPD for the first time in classes K03 and K04 in performance groups.
- The "Make Thinking Visible" concept was further developed by the teachers and prepared for implementation.
- Based on the methods of "Make Thinking Visible" a new subject LED - Lernen, Entdecken, Denken (optional subject) was introduced in K03/K04, in which students can work on project-based topics of their choice.
- The preparatory work and considerations for the bilingual concept to continue from Kindergarten to preschool were completed, enabling the start of bilingual preschool (DVOR).
- The implementation of the concept "Social Competences" was continued and the teaching material "Lubo aus dem All" was reviewed, which, in line with the concept, offers a prevention programme in the area of "Social Behaviour". From the next school year "Lubo aus dem All" will be introduced from DVOR to K02. As of K03, the class council should be set up.
- The concept of "Bewegte Schule" was further developed. Students should be given more opportunities for physical activity. In this case we opted for extending the breaks without extending the school day. By eliminating the five-minute breaks between lessons, the break time has been extended and both children and teachers enjoy the extra time. The fact that the interval bell was replaced by a song only brought more joy.
- With the introduction of a new common Veracross portal for parents and teachers of the GPD, there is a new "to go" platform where all important information can be found in one place.
Primary Department/EPD
- A new concept-based and interdisciplinary curriculum for integrated studies was implemented in EPD.
- In addition, a new Math programme was introduced to support the curriculum introduced last year.
- The development of the well-being of our students received special attention through the introduction of a new counsellor position, including personal and social education embedded in the Integrated Studies programme.
Secondary Department/ESD
- Despite the extensive school closure, ESD has continued to work on curriculum.
- The review and update of the lower Secondary curriculum (Y07-09) was completed in all subjects.
- Teaching sequences and curriculum maps were compiled to ensure high quality provision and common objectives in all subjects and in many cases across subjects.
- Significant progress has been made in reviewing the curricula for the IGCSE year groups, including the completion of the new curricula in many subjects.
Secondary Department/GSD
- In GSD, Biology was introduced as a bilingual subject in classes K05 and K08, so that within three years, lower Secondary can be taught completely bilingually in Biology. A continuation up to the Abitur is planned.
- Since the beginning of the school year, Music has been taught in English in classes K11 and 12.
- Approval was obtained from the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) for students to be allowed to choose Mandarin as an alternative to French in GSD's upper Secondary.
- The mother tongue English lessons in Primary will be continued in Secondary for classes K05 to K07.
- The Fast Track Programme has been prepared for implementation in the 2020/21 school year in the German International Stream (GIS). The purpose of this programme is to open the GIS to non-German speaking students through an intensive German language and immersion programme. Twelve students have enrolled for the future K06, so that in the long run we can expect an increase in GIS students numbers. Teachers of all subject groups are working on DFU concepts (German-language subject teaching) for the future Fast Track students.
- To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the GIS organised a very successful interdisciplinary and cross-departmental group event, which impressively succeeded in making German culture and history visible in both streams.
Business College
- The Business College had to endure and master a special challenge last year. The closure of the BC, announced in EDB's letter of 9 March, caused quite a stir at the College and its student body. For students in their first year of training, this was particularly concerning as it would have meant the cancellation of their vocational training. As stakes were high, school management, board of directors and GIC (German Industry and Commerce LtD.) went to look for alternatives. Eventually, the GIC offered to obtain registration to run the BC in cooperation with Kaplan Hong Kong, enabling continuation of the BC, with the GIC being accepted by EDB as eligible for post-secondary education. We are extremely sorry for the loss of the BC, but we are happy for the students and the BC teachers that there is a future for the Business College.
It is a natural result of the past school year that all our teachers, but also all students, have made a huge progress in their knowledge, skills and abilities regarding the use of digital media and digital learning methods. I would also like to remind you that the new STEM room was opened at the beginning of the school year. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. One room in the Middle Building was completely renovated and equipped with new furniture, new design and new technology to provide a multifunctional space that offers learners a variety of new teaching and learning methods. In this context we have initiated a new STEM Discovery Week trip in cooperation with MakerBay Hong Kong.
Overall, an important goal of the past school year was to make the German International Stream more attractive, especially for an international clientele, in order to increase the number of students. As is well known, the Hong Kong protests and finally the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a situation where fewer and fewer German and international companies are sending families abroad. This has already been a trend, reinforced by developments over the past year. The newly established bilingual Kindergarten in the GIS, as well as the new Fast Track Programme starting in K06, open the way to the German International Abitur also for non-German speaking families.
Fast Track
The Fasttrack means that students without prior knowledge of German are given the opportunity to enter the GIS K06 through intensive language support. They take part in the regular bilingual classes of the GIS, accompanied by intensive additional language training. It is our declared goal that the new students can master the challenge of catching up with "normal" lessons in the shortest possible time. To this end, we have prepared a timetable based on an intensive language course including ten hours of German lessons per week. The new students do not take part in "normal" German lessons, but form their own DaF (German as a foreign language) group. In preparation for the course, Fast Track students are offered a summer course at the Goethe-Institut (3 weeks of 3 hours a day) at level A1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR/GERS). Our German as a Foreign Language (DaF) concept provides that Fast Track students achieve the A1 language diploma by the Christmas holidays and the A2 or DSD I language diploma (A2/B1) by the end of the second half of the year. Further measures include special support by an accompanying teacher in language-intensive subjects such as History and Geography as well as DFU (“Deutschsprachiger Fachunterricht”) measures in all other subjects. Understandably, I have heard of concerns that the academic level as well as the language proficiency in the German International Stream might suffer if new students are accepted into the sixth grade as new language learners. I can appreciate that concern, but I would like to add that the Fast Track model has been working very well in other German schools abroad. It will certainly be a challenge for all sides to support a successful adoption and introduction of the Fast Track model. We have become acquainted with the students who applied for the Fast Track and are convinced that they are very ambitious and academically well prepared young people. We are confident that the new students will enrich the German International Stream not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively with their academic abilities. We are also convinced that the new Fast Track students will have mastered the language by their second year at the latest, so that they can fully participate in all subjects. Apart from that, they will be able to get involved in the bilingual as well as Art/Music subjects from the very beginning. Teachers of all subjects will go to work with a new understanding of being not only subject teachers but also language teachers and will use DFU methods to quickly integrate Fast Track students. And finally, the students of German origin or German-speaking students will also benefit from the intercultural exchange.
Whether a Fast Track student or a “regular” student, all of them are on their way to the German International Abitur (DIA), which is a globally recognised degree. Students who leave GSIS with DIA have received high level education in at least ten subjects and are truly bilingual. The bilingual education in the Secondary department of the German International Stream with the subjects Biology (bilingual from K05), Geography (in English from K07), History (bilingual from K08) and Music (in English from K 11) introduces our students to a bilingual and well-grounded scientific education and equips them linguistically and academically for their future career.
The English International Stream has primarily turned its attention to the further development of cross-departmental curricula in the school year now coming to an end and, of course, as always, the goal of ensuring its very high quality and successful education even in times of crisis. In addition, the Head of English International Stream and our Admissions Department have been putting a lot of work into the implementation of a new admissions process which, with the help of the Cognitive Ability Test, provides a more diagnostic and objective selection procedure for the admission of students to the English International Stream.
I hope that I have been able to give you a small insight into our work over the past school year. In a nutshell, GSIS continues to thrive as a Centre of Academic Excellence.
Like me, I am sure that you are all hoping that the Covid-19 pandemic continues to slow down over the summer. We are not yet able to give a forecast for the start of the school year. However, we are prepared for every circumstance and will continue to adhere closely to the EDB guidelines. We will keep you informed!
In that spirit, I would like to thank you all and wish you a relaxing summer holiday.
Warmest regards
Ulrich Weghoff
Principal
Email
