Dear Parents

The first week of the new school year has come to an end and we would like to thank you for your support in making this a success. We are aware that online learning is a great challenge, especially for the youngest students, and that a close cooperation with you as parents is essential.

The individual Google Meets and class circle time has proven to help our students to begin to settle in, despite these extraordinary circumstances and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the positive feedback our teachers have received.

Please remember that, as of next week, we will start working in small groups according to the class timetable sent to you by your child's teacher(s). The second phase will endeavour to give your child the opportunity to get to know their classmates and to extend their social interaction.

We greatly appreciate the collaboration with all families in our Kindergarten and as always would like to remind you, not to hesitate to contact us should the need arise.

Kind regards

Dear Parents

It has been just a little over a week of teaching in this school year and already I had so many beautiful and joyful experiences. The welcome party of DVOR and the school enrolment and welcome celebrations show touching moments that I will cherish as memorable experiences. In the first online meetings I saw the students laughing, they seemed curious and excited and these are the moments that make a teacher's heart beat faster – it is so nice to see everyone back in class.

Child Protection

The importance of child protection has increased over the past years and at GSIS, child protection is one of our key focus areas. With this in mind, we would like to summarise once again the most important points in connection with online learning.

In the Primary Department...

• the teachers use Google applications such as emails, Hangouts and Classroom. Other applications like WhatsApp or Zoom are not used. The teachers were also asked not to give out private telephone numbers. 
• if online meetings are recorded with individual students, a parent or guardian must agree to the recording and be present during the meeting. The recordings are stored safely and deleted after one year. The recordings are not shared with third parties.
• we ask that an adult be present during or after online meetings for any questions the children may have. As a first step, please contact your child's class teacher if your child feels uncomfortable.
• online meetings take place in appropriate rooms with appropriate clothing (not in bed or in pyjamas).

The safety of your children is very important to us. If you have any concerns, please contact Inga Riedel-Narayan (iriedel-narayan@gsis.edu.hk).

Parents evenings and KPR (Class Parent Representatives)

In the past few days you have received the invitations to the parents' evening, which will be conducted online; later in the year we are planning for another opportunity where you can meet the teachers in person at school. 

During the parents' evening, the new KPRs and their deputies for this school year will be elected. Are you someone who would like to support the class teachers in their parent work? Are you someone who would like to take care of the interests and matters of the parent community? Are you someone who enjoys the exchange with the School? Then you are the perfect person for the KPR role.

Weekly ICT training for parents

As long as we teach online, the use of technology will play a big part in our lessons. Monika Tavernier is regularly available for further training. Please read the information below. 

Information for parents about the German Primary Department (GPD)

Below you will find our new parent information leaflet for parents. Here you will find everything important for starting school in GPD, but the information could also be helpful for parents who have been with the school longer.

Communication channels

I kindly ask you to adhere to the communication structure. Your first step is always to contact the respective teacher. If you need further advice, please contact the Head of GPD – Ms Erni. In further steps, Ms Cichon, as Head of the German International Stream, and finally Mr Weghoff as Principal will be involved.

Dear Parents

Welcome to the new academic year!

When it was confirmed at the end of July that the school year would start with Online Learning, we admit we were disappointed, but we immediately started with the preparations. This allowed for a successful start of Online Learning, not least because the majority of our students had already gained a lot of experience with it in the past school year and had established a good routine after only a few days of school. Our new students have also done well during their online school start.

Fast Track Programme

In K06, 12 students started the Fast Track Programme. We have extended the German programme for this group during the online learning phase so that these children can build up a solid base of German language skills as quickly as possible. The German-language subject lessons (DFU) will continue as normal and we will provide the Fast Track students with additional material – e. g. vocabulary aids, bilingual worksheets, etc. In addition, in some lessons Ms Zhang will support the subject teachers as a co-teacher.

Parents' evenings

As you are aware, the parents' evenings will take place online. Most class teachers have already sent out invitations with dial-in links or will do so shortly. In addition to discussing important organisational matters, we will provide information about online learning and clarify any questions that may arise. The new teachers will also introduce themselves. Another important part of the parents' evening is the election of the class parent representatives (KPR election). Any interest in this important role would be highly appreciated.

 Dates of the GSD parents' evenings:

Exams

K05–K10: Due to school closure, exams for those year groups have not yet been scheduled. It is expected that the first exams will not be written before the end of September.

K11–K12: The preliminary exam schedules for upper Secondary (K11 and K12) have already been created and are available in the GSD Parent Portal.

We look forward to seeing our students again on campus as soon as possible.

Dear Parents

The first week of the new school year has come to an end and we would like to thank you for your support in making this a success. We are aware that online learning is a great challenge, especially for the youngest students, and that a close cooperation with you as parents is essential.

The individual Google Meets and class circle time has proven to help our students to begin to settle in, despite these extraordinary circumstances and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the positive feedback our teachers have received.

Please remember that, as of next week, we will start working in small groups according to the class timetable sent to you by your child's teacher(s). The second phase will endeavour to give your child the opportunity to get to know their classmates and to extend their social interaction.

We greatly appreciate the collaboration with all families in our Kindergarten and as always would like to remind you, not to hesitate to contact us should the need arise.

Kind regards

Dear Parents,

I hope that each of you took a picture of your child on their first day of the 2020/2021 school year in their first class meeting online in the midst of a typhoon! We are all so excited we were able to welcome every student back to school and that they are manoeuvring through their platforms. They are resilient and have adapted so smoothly.

Child Protection

In recent years, child protection has become an increasingly important topic and we at GSIS also attach great importance to keeping our students safe. With this in mind, we would like to summarize once again the most important points in connection with online learning.

In primary school:

• Teachers only use Google applications such as e-mails, Hangouts, Meet and Classrooms. Other applications like WhatsApp or Zoom are not used. The teachers were also asked not to give out private telephone numbers.
• An adult must be present in the home when your child is on a Meet or Hangout. If your child feels uncomfortable with a situation, as a first step please contact your child’s teacher.
• All individual online Meetings with students will be recorded. A parent or guardian must agree to the recording and be present during the conference. The recordings are safely stored and deleted after one year. The recordings are not shared with third parties.
•  Videoconferencing should be done from an appropriate place with appropriate clothing (not in bed or in pyjamas).

The safety of your children is very important to us. If you have any concerns, please contact

GPD: Inga Riedel- Narayan (iriedel-narayan@gsis.edu.hk)

EPD: Paige Marquard (pmarquard@gsis.edu.hk)

KPR Evening

You have recently received an invitation to our KPR Evening, which will occur at the previously scheduled time next week, but online. The purpose of this evening is for the class teachers to give you an overview of their classroom and curriculum. In addition, class KPRs will be elected. If you are interested in acting as the KPR for your child’s class, please email  kcunningham@gsis.edu.hk or your class teacher.

Communication Pathways

Open, transparent communication between home and school leads to success for all students. Please, contact the class teacher or specialist teacher should you have any questions that involve your child. The person who is in the classroom with your child is in the best position to assist you. Please use your email when contacting the teacher and not your child’s school Gmail account. If you need further assistance the Head of Department or Deputy Head of Department can assist - kcunningham@gsis.edu.hk or dmorley@gsis.edu.hk.  If we cannot assist you, or it is a GSIS wide concern, the Deputy Principal, Simon Misso-Veness smisso-veness@gsis.edu.hk or Principal, Uli Weghoff uweghoff@gsis.edu.hk will be helpful. Any concerns, questions or issues that involve your child need to be addressed through the communication pathway with the school staff. We are also available by phone at 2180 0505.

Our KPRs are another wonderful communication resource who work with the HoD and Deputy HoD to facilitate the exchange of ideas, assist with the flow of information, and make recommendations for larger school functions. This system promotes an atmosphere of mutual support and trust among members of the school.

Technology

We are striving to promote more dialogue between our students during their Google Meets. This works best when students are in an area of the home with no background noise so they can unmute their microphone without disturbing the overall Meet. We do understand that families with multiple children may find it difficult to provide quiet areas for all. The most important time for students to be able to converse is during their small pod Meets.

When we hold a 1:1 Google Meet with a student we will first verify that an adult is present. We will then inform the adult that we are recording the meeting on Google. This is a secure recording that is stored within our Google Drive and is not shared with any 3rd parties. No other recordings of Google Meets are allowed as it violates our Responsible User Agreement.

We would like to continue to provide parent ICT training. Monika Tavernier is regularly available for further training for parents. Please see the information below.

Weekly Overviews

Weekly overviews are available by Saturday morning for all EPD students. Just as in the classroom, the lessons planned for a specific day may change, based upon the learning occurring the prior days. We also ask that you rely on the teacher provided overview for your information, and not other channels of communication. If we have any changes - such as a typhoon or lack of internet - the school will be as timely as possible to notify parents of changes which may need to be made.

Thank you for helping this school year start smoothly!

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