Dear Members of the School Community

Time has moved so fast that one can hardly prepare an article for the Gazette in advance without running the risk of it being outdated by the time it is published.

Internally at the school, we have been working intensively on the question of testing as a condition for the extended opening of the school. To this end, there have been discussions between the School Management and all departments as well as numerous individual meetings. Never before in my career as Principal have I experienced such a difficult and challenging phase in the responsibility for the school community as well as for all teachers and staff of the school. 

As expected, the EDB's decision to grant schools the option of an extended opening on the condition that 100% of school staff voluntarily test has led to considerable upheaval and uncertainty. In the numerous discussions we had in the school on the subject of testing, it became apparent that the high appreciation of the low incidence rate in Hong Kong was countered by a thoroughly critical assessment of the measures, both among the teaching staff and among parents. It has also become clear that the urgent wish of the School Management to carry out testing for all in order to achieve a further opening of the school has been met with mixed feelings and has raised many complex issues.

To avoid premature rumours, I would like to state that a cautious or critical attitude towards testing runs through all departments and both streams of the school and also circulates among the parents, although a predominantly positive attitude or acceptance of regular testing is to be noted. All perspectives deserve respect because, in line with our vision, we are not only a vibrant and creative community, but also a caring one.

We continue to work on scenarios for the school’s opening after the Easter holidays, which may also still be influenced by decisions of the EDB.

We will of course keep you informed and will do our utmost to bring as many students as possible back to the campus for face-to-face classes.

For now, I wish you all a lovely weekend and a happy Easter.

Easter activities from the Community Committee

Thank you to everyone who has attended recent events held by the Community Committee. Whilst our events remain online we do hope that after the holidays we will start to have the opportunity to meet in person. In the meantime we have some ideas of activities that you may like to try during the Easter holidays.

Anjali Mittal and Kerstin Lehmann have very kindly continued to host the English and German book clubs online and have provided some great reading recommendations:

• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (EBC)- A family desperate for a better future move to Alaska
• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (EBC) - The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed
• Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro  (EBC current reading) -Artificial being called Klara who longs to find a human owner 
• Der Wal und das Ende der Welt by John Ironmonger (GBC) - A young man washes up one morning on a beach in Cornwall. It emerges that he is a computer analyst and one of the programs he’s designed is telling him that the collapse of civilisation is imminent.
• Sarah’s Schlüssel by Tatiana de Rosnay (GBC) - Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a 10 year-old girl, is arrested with her family by the French police and locks her younger brother in a cupboard, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
• Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (GBC)- Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. The life story of a young woman born at the end of the 20th century- the South Korean sensation that has the whole world talking. 

The weather is perfect for hiking at the moment and we have a great family walk that you may wish to try over the Easter break. It is one of the lesser known hikes but great fun for the whole family - the Eagle’s Nest Nature Trail - a shaded trail inside Lion Rock Country Park which takes you just high enough for expansive views over the Kowloon Reservoir, the central New Territories mountain range, and bustling Kowloon Peninsula. There is plenty of stunning flora and bird life and if you are lucky you may even spot a monkey swinging in the trees. More details of the hike can be found at https://bit.ly/3vYWxpC. Fingers crossed that our hiking club will be able to organise some small group hikes before it gets too hot.

Finally last week we hosted our first online interactive cooking class with Summer demonstrating how to cook a traditional Chinese dish of steamed egg and minced pork. It was a lot of fun and a great way to learn a new dish. Everyone who took part ended up with a delicious dinner for the whole family. Please do let us know if you have any family favourites that you would like to share with the community or if you have any requests for future cooking sessions.

If you would like to share any ideas or suggestions for community building or have a loved one in quarantine who you would like to receive a care package please reach out via communitycommittee@gsis.edu.hk

However you decide to spend the break whether it be reading, hiking, cooking or painting easter eggs we wish you all an enjoyable Easter holiday. 

Kindergarten Corner

Dear Parents

This term has proven to be the most fruitful and successful in celebrating school events at school so far this school year.

We have been able to host the Sports Day and our Easter Celebration/Easter Egg Hunt.

Our Kindergarten children waited anxiously for the Easter Bunny's appearance, but instead, they found Easter baskets and chocolate eggs in the playground! The Easter Egg hunt brought much fun and joy. However, the mystery surrounding the Easter Bunny has still not been solved……

We hope that this beautiful experience will remain in their memory for a long time. The teachers and TAs have been a mastermind behind these events' success, and we would like to thank them for their continued dedication to the children and the school.

We wish all of you a very blessed Easter and a wonderful time over the Easter holidays and would like to leave you with some pictures of the Easter Baskets.

We are looking forward to seeing our students back after the Easter Holidays.

Sophie Burdel Head of Kindergarten Email

Eileen Mah Deputy Head of Kindergarten and Deputy Child Protection Officer Pok Fu Lam Campus Email

Primary Corner

Dear Parents

We have enjoyed our additional time with the students over the past few weeks!

We are in preparation of our learning plan after Easter. Information and updates on scheduling and arrangements will be sent by email during the Easter break.

Priska Erni Head of German Primary Department Email

Inga Riedel-Narayan Deputy Head of German Primary Department Email

Secondary Corner

Dear Parents

The first weeks of the second school term were intensive and productive. During face-to-face lessons, it was clearly noticeable that our students enjoy being at school, which had a very positive effect on the learning atmosphere. Also during the online days, the students showed great effort and focus. Several class tests have already been written in all classes, and K10 completed their 'Zentrale Klassenarbeiten', which are an important part of the 'Mittlerer Schulabschluss'.

We are very happy that the change between face-to-face and online classes is going so well and that all exams could be held on schedule.

Farewell and thanks

With the beginning of the Easter holidays, we unfortunately have to say goodbye to our  Learning Support Teacher Mrs Rötsch, who is going on maternity leave and returning to Germany. We would like to thank her for her outstanding commitment to our students and her valuable support for her colleagues. She has tirelessly taken care of the individual support students, advised parents and supported the staff in many pedagogical questions and in team teaching in Lower Secondary.

We do not have a replacement for the position of Learning Support Teacher until the end of this school year, however, we are confident that we will be able to manage temporarily without a trained specialist teacher in the area of support.

We wish Mrs Rötsch all the best for her personal as well as professional future.

I wish you and your families a wonderful time together during the Easter holidays! Stay healthy!

Kind regards

Wiebke Langer Head of German Secondary Department Email

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