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Apply NowDear Members of the School Community
It has been pleasantly quiet at school this week and apart from the normal ups and downs, seas have been calm. That is what is actually unusual and exciting – the fact that nothing exciting is happening. It would be nice if this could be interpreted as a sign of a return to normalcy. But as we all know, one has to be careful with forecasts. So for now let's hope that things will continue to run smoothly until the summer break.
Despite first signs of a gradual return to normality, the past Covid-19 months have certainly left their mark in our students' minds. This can be seen, for example, in the results of an internet survey conducted by a German publishing house among young people in Germany for the "Youth Word of the Year". Young people were invited to submit suggestions on the internet and to select the word in several votes.
The young people chose the English word "lost" as the Youth Word of the Year 2020. This term is used to describe clueless and insecure behaviour. With 48 per cent of the votes, it prevailed over the finalists "cringe" and "wyld/wild". "Cringe" describes something embarrassing and unpleasant. Young people say "wyld" or "wild" when describing something extreme and special.
"Lost generation" then! There has been a generation with the same name before: adolescents who grew up during and after the First World War. The term was coined by Gertrude Stein, an American publisher, writer and art collector. The post-war young generation was considered "lost". Today's young people seem to be similarly pessimistic and uncertain about the future considering the political conflicts in the world, climate change and the pandemic. In this context, it does not come as a surprise that "lost" was chosen as the youth word of the year.
We did not conduct a Youth Word of the Year survey at GSIS. However, I would imagine that among certainly more optimistic attitudes, many students would agree with “lost”. Therefore, it is important at school and at home to have special understanding for our students in these times, to support them, to strengthen them, to motivate them, to listen to them and to be tolerant.
Now that things are quieter and the summer holidays are approaching, it is a good time to give courage, confidence and an upbeat and positive outlook on a new time after the pandemic.
Have a good weekend.
Ulrich Weghoff Principal |
We have received an overwhelming response to our request for positive feedback on staff with more than 400 notes. However we still need a few more. If you haven’t already, please spare a few minutes to send in your comments via our online staff appreciation form - all comments will remain anonymous. In particular we still need more for
as well as class and subject teachers. Please remind the students that we would love to hear their funny anecdotes, stories and comments too. Thank you for helping ensure that we can give all staff members a personalised note.
Community Committee |
Dear Parents
We are fast approaching the end of the school year. To make the last weeks until the summer holidays as exciting as possible for our children we have scheduled some interesting events in June. As always, we will give you detailed information on the festivities in due course.
1st June | International Children's Day |
11th June | Dragon Boat Festival |
20th June | Father’s Day |
28th & 29th June | Theatre Performance “The Ugly Duckling” |
These are additional events scheduled for June and the dates have yet to be confirmed:
We wish you a pleasant and relaxing weekend.
![]() Head of Kindergarten | ![]() Deputy Head of Kindergarten and Deputy Child Protection Officer Pok Fu Lam Campus |
No updates / announcements this week.
Dear Parents,
I am pleased to give you an insight into our Book Week in this edition of the Gazette. Ms Roquette has created a website especially for Book Week where you can see photos of your children.
To access the website you will need to log in with your child's Google login. I ask that you do not download photos from this site, take screenshots or share photos with anyone. We are concerned about protecting the privacy of all children and therefore this is a GPD internal site only.
Book Week Website![]() Head of German Primary Department | ![]() Deputy Head of German Primary Department |
No updates / announcements this week.
Dear Parents
Abitur 2021
Congratulations to our Abitur graduates on passing their examinations and obtaining their general university entrance qualification!
On 15 May, the graduates received their Abitur certificates in a ceremony at school, which was also attended by parents and teachers, in compliance with COVID restrictions. We also welcomed the Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr David Schmidt, and Mr Michael Zankel, representing the school Board, as guests of honour and speakers.
With an overall average of 2.3, this graduating class again achieved an above-average result. Special recognition should be given to the three best students, Katharina Zankel (1.1), Nele Wolf (1.3) and Marie Schneider (1.5).
The Abitur class of 2021 distinguished themselves not only through good performance. Some students showed great commitment to school life, e.g. as House Captain, Music Ambassador, at the East Asian Games, as Prefects and in the Student Council. Special thanks go to Sienna Martin, who has made a great contribution to school life as Head Student and in the musical field, and who has performed as a singer at an Abitur ceremony for the third time. She was presented with the Musician of the Year Award.
For 12 graduates of the German Secondary Department, their time at school came to an end last week when they passed their Abitur exams. Some of them have spent their entire school life at GSIS - from Kindergarten to Abitur. Now they have left school and are embarking on new adventures: while some start their studies at universities in Amsterdam, Heidelberg, Munich, Zurich or Hong Kong, others take time for a volunteer social year in Africa or complete internships, e.g. in the medical field, before applying for a place at university.
We wish them all the best for the future!
![]() Head of German Secondary Department | ![]() Deputy Head of German Secondary Department |
No updates / announcements this week.
Dear Parents
We are fast approaching the end of the school year. To make the last weeks until the summer holidays as exciting as possible for our children we have scheduled some interesting events in June. As always, we will give you detailed information on the festivities in due course.
1st June | International Children's Day |
11th June | Dragon Boat Festival |
20th June | Father’s Day |
28th & 29th June | Theatre Performance “The Ugly Duckling” |
These are additional events scheduled for June and the dates have yet to be confirmed:
We wish you a pleasant and relaxing weekend.
![]() Head of Kindergarten | ![]() Deputy Head of Kindergarten and Deputy Child Protection Officer Pok Fu Lam Campus |
No updates / announcements this week.
Dear Parents,
Year 3 and 4 had a fantastic time at camp this week! We are pleased that we were able to negotiate with APA for day camps to be enjoyed by the students in Years 3-6. APA has done a great job of planning challenging, fun and safe activities for our children. Next week Mr Champion will update everyone regarding our sports celebrations for Years 1-6 and Ms McLachlan will share information about an upcoming “Drum Jam”!
Below is a bit of information from Mr Davidson regarding upcoming standardised assessments:
Over the next two weeks, EPD students will take the yearly GL Education standardised tests in the subject areas of Mathematics, English, and Spelling. The testing will be spread out over two weeks as to minimise impact on teaching and learning. We view these tests as an objective measure of how our students are achieving in relation to their UK peers, and as a tool for reflective practice. These results are not used to generate your child’s 'grades', but rather as independent corroboration of the regular evaluative measures and ongoing assessment that is occurring within the classroom by the teachers. We have taken all necessary steps to ensure that this is not “high stakes” testing or that lessons are being “taught to the test”: both cases would be counter-productive and counter-intuitive. Results will be posted to your home address (as in Veracross) during the last week of the school year.
While the year has been far from normal, we want these last weeks of the school year to reflect as much of our normal practice as possible, while following all of our safety requirements.
Have a nice weekend.
![]() Head of English Primary Department | ![]() Deputy Head of English Primary Department |
No updates / announcements this week.
No updates / announcements this week.
Mehak is the Deputy Head Student at GSIS, in the English International Stream. She shares with us her experience at GSIS and her plans for after graduation.
Current Year Group: Year 12 ESD
Years at GSIS: 7 years
My name is Mehak and I am in Year 12. I have spent the last 16 years of my life in Hong Kong. I joined German Swiss in Year 6, and I am currently Deputy Head Student, Head Prefect and Senior House Captain.
My experience at GSIS has been incredible. I remember when I moved schools, it was daunting, however, the teachers and students at GSIS made it an easier transition. I have always felt included and comfortable in the school environment, and my experience has been enlightening and memorable. I have learned so much and have been able to develop and nurture my skills in such a supportive community.
I think this year has really put into perspective how life would be without meeting people and interacting with other students. For me, I have realised that I have created such beautiful memories at this school; I will miss my friends and teachers. Some people in this school have grown with me over the last few years: it will be incredibly hard to part ways with those people.
I think graduating High School will be a huge milestone in my life. I am scared to leave the comfort of GSIS, and I am sad that I will have to part ways with friends and say my goodbyes to teachers, but I am excited to enter a new stage of my life and am also proud of my achievements. I am ready to take on the world!
I am looking forward to being able to share my experiences and advice with students about IB information and how to deal with the stress during Y11 and Y12. These are the two final crucial years, and I think I really benefited from hearing other graduated students’ experiences.
Currently, I am planning to apply to both the UK and US to do an undergraduate course in biological sciences. As a science enthusiast, I am excited to nurture my passion in research in biology.
The school university counsellors facilitated a discussion where we were able to communicate with a few GSIS alumni and hear about their experiences applying to college and in college. When they discussed their first-hand experiences, it was extremely helpful as I was able to gain perspective about where to apply for university and the general process that will take place in the next few months.
As a student in year 12, I can’t explain the mental rollercoaster my mind has withstood over the past few months, as I tried to build my CV and shortlist colleges. Our university counsellors are amazing and very insightful, however, I think it would be very useful to talk to student alumni! I would ask them about their first-hand experience at college, the leap from GSIS to college, and how to create an effective CV to impress universities.
All teachers have made a huge impact on me, and I have been lucky to have been taught by so many teachers that have encouraged and supported me. A teacher that has really been an inspiration to me is Ms. Leung. I want to thank her for always motivating and pushing me to reach my potential.
Jonas is the Deputy Head Student at GSIS, in the German International Stream. He shares with us his experience at GSIS and his plans for after graduation.
Current Year Group: K11, GSD
Years at GSIS: 5
I grew up in Germany and moved to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Being a GSD head student is my first big role at GSIS.
My time at GSIS has been great. I like the fact that having small classes makes it possible for the teachers to be more focused on the individual person. I also enjoy the many ECAs and events taking place at GSIS. Additionally, the people at GSIS are very welcoming and I immediately felt at home.
Obviously, I'll miss my friends. After knowing each other for several years it is hard to go separate ways. I'll also miss the teachers and the funny moments we had at school.
Nervous but excited. Starting a whole new chapter of your life comes with many challenges, but I'm looking forward to the new experiences that lie ahead.
I look forward to passing on my experience and giving advice to students.
I'll either stay in Hong Kong and take part in Business college or move back to Germany to go to university.
I haven't benefited from the Alumni community so far, but I know many people who have.
Alumni could help me pick out a university, by passing on their personal experience. Usually, you can only read about universities online and this can make it hard to get an idea of what a certain University is like. Getting Information from someone who actually went to a university you're interested in can help with that. Alumni could also help me choose the right career path.
With many good teachers who had a positive impact on my life, it is hard to decide who made the greatest impact. But probably the most influential teacher is our class teacher Herr Schlichting. The way he is fascinated by his own subjects inspires us and makes the lessons more fun. Apart from that, he also teaches us important life lessons and gives us personal advice for our career path.
Thursday 17 Jun 2021
18:00 - 21:00 HKT
Online
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Friday 17 Sep 2021
08:00 - 11:00 HKT
LRC, Mid Levels
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Wednesday 24 Nov 2021
18:00 - 22:00 HKT
Watermark, Central
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Saturday 27 Nov 2021
German Swiss International School
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