CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- Managing Director's Update
- Community Committee
- Schoolwide News
- German International Stream
- English International Stream
- Student Achievements & Initiatives
- Wellbeing Corner
- Highlights of the Week
Connect with GSIS
Our Y13 leavers took to the roof for a friendly, yet competitive, football match ⚽ against a team of cross-stream faculty. There were goals and tackles, but most importantly, laughter and handshakes all around. Best of luck to our Y13 final-year students as their journey in Secondary soon comes to an end.
#GSIS #GermanSwissInternationalSchool #InternationalSchool #HongKong #EducationalExcellence
GSIS Gazette – Issue #61
30th September 2021
Dear Parents
It was a pleasure to host so many parents at my Virtual Coffee Morning earlier today and once again, I would like to thank you for your warm welcome to this wonderful, thriving international school.
Over the coming weeks, I would like to speak about our core values individually and the importance of being a values-based international school where every individual is valued for who they are and what they contribute to the school. Values are intended to support the personal and social development of every student throughout the school, and I strongly believe that all our community should be involved in promoting these values.
As a school, we continually develop our students' independence, responsibility and resilience. I believe that for a school to facilitate resilience, it needs to be rich in both challenge and support. However, there needs to be a balance as too much challenge and little support can result in too much stress and anxiety, and too much support but not enough challenge can lead to complacency and boredom. I can already see that in Hong Kong, some children and young adults are far too reliant on others in many aspects of their lives. Getting the right balance is a challenge for us all. However, if we want to help our children build resilience to cope with change and struggles, we should not rush to do too much for them but instead, ensure they are aware that the support is always available, if needed.
One takeaway message from the past 18 months is that life is unpredictable and change is constant so our core value of ‘Resilience’ has been an important one as we’ve all had to develop our resilience and cultivate our ability to deal with life’s curve balls.
I hope you all have a wonderful, long weekend.
Best regards
| Dr Dirk Bennhardt Principal |
Dear Parents
I hope this message finds you and your family well. I’m sure that you’ve read the school’s email which was sent on Monday but if not, here is the important information. Please read it carefully as it contains a lot of information.
THE INFORMATION BELOW IS RELEVANT TO ALL STUDENTS
School Arrangements from Friday, 1st October, 2021
We are thrilled to share that as a community, we have achieved high vaccination rates for both staff and students aged 12 and above. This is a record we should be proud of and is proven outstanding amongst all international schools. We have received positive comments from the EDB and our application has therefore been approved for all departments to continue with our current face-to-face full day class schedules.One-Off Student Grant
Last week, the Hong Kong government confirmed that a further, one-off student grant of HK$2,500 will be given for each Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary student. All GSIS students will be eligible. Same as last year, all forms will have to be collected from and submitted to the EDB via the school. The school will not be given much time to verify data and complete submission for the entire school therefore your full collaboration to adhere to the deadline given will be needed.
An email was sent to all parents on Monday from the Administration which included detailed information on how to complete and submit to the school.
THE INFORMATION BELOW IS RELEVANT TO PEAK CAMPUS STUDENTS ONLY
ECAs/AAs
We have now received EDB approval to conduct ECAs/AAs for both Primary and Secondary students. Please refer to the key information below and further details will be shared by the Students Services Team and the Primary Department, while the Secondary department has already shared the relevant information with parents.
- Primary from 15th November
- Sign up from 15th October
- All Y02-Y03 and K01/K02 students will participate in ECAs during lesson 7
- Y04-Y06/K03/K04 students will be able to participate in at least one ECA during Lessons 9/10
- Secondary from 4th October
- Sign-up and additional bus arrangements are in process
Lunch
- Primary
If you are joining ECAs/AAs in Lessons 9 and 10, please bring your own packed lunch. We kindly ask that lunches are not dropped off during the school day and students bring them in the morning
- Secondary
If students wish to eat their lunches at their desk, only packed lunches will be allowed here. Further details can be found in the Gazette and below
Three Mackerels Cafeteria
Please note that pre-order will no longer be required. It was set up to help with packed lunch preparation when guidelines from the EDB and CHP were much more stringent. We are now able to serve both packed lunches and hot meals, with students and staff being able to order their choice of meals directly on-site. In October, we will continue serving three options (Meal A, B and Chef’s Choice) and the Noodle Soup Option will be implemented in November again, once students are more settled in the new routine.
Bus Arrangements
The bus registration deadline was 30th June but in order to accommodate late registrations, Synergy extended this deadline to 16th August. The amount of late registrations gave the school and bus company some operational challenges, but we are pleased to report that almost all of the late registrations have now been confirmed on bus routes.
Please note that due to the launch of ECA/AAs, there may be some fine tuning to existing schedules. We ask for your understanding should that happen, but as always, our students’ safety and well-being is the school’s top priority. Furthermore, we understand that some families may have individual requests or needs which Synergy will do their best to accommodate. However, we ask for your understanding that this may not always be possible and we always need to prioritise the majority’s needs.
I hope you have a lovely, long weekend.
| Clare Chiu Managing Director |
Community Committee
The weather is looking lovely for this long weekend, so it could be the perfect time to get out to Hong Kong's beaches and start your Beach Clean Up efforts. Encourage a few people from your year to go to the same beach, and either cooperate or compete against each other! And then celebrate with a well-earned picnic.
Speaking of picnics and food, we are so glad that so many of you enjoyed Summer Ni's cooking class, where she showed us all how to make authentic Shanghai dumplings. We would like to ask if anyone else from the school community - students, staff, parents, alumni - would like to show off your cooking skills and host the next cooking class? You can choose whatever dish you like, and we will provide you with all the support you need to run a successful online class. If you are interested, please get in touch with us at: communitycommittee@gsis.edu.hk.
| Community Committee |
Schoolwide News
German International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
The month of September has flown by and we are reflecting back on eventful weeks.
The KPR Secretary election was held on Tuesday evening and we are glad to announce the following electees:
- Head KPR Secretary for Kindergarten: Ms Olive Lee (KPR for DKGL)
- Deputy KPR Secretary for Kindergarten: Ms Anisha Mathur (KPR for KG1L)
We would like to thank the two volunteers for their willingness to support the school and the school community in a connected and harmonious relationship.
Wishing you a lovely long weekend as we look forward to celebrating China’s National Day on Friday, 1st October.
 Head of Kindergarten |  Deputy Head of Kindergarten and Deputy Child Protection Officer Pok Fu Lam Campus |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week.
Primary Corner
Dear Parents
ECA/AA
We are happy and excited that we can offer an afternoon programme after such a long time. Students can again choose what activities they want to take part in. The allocation will be done by our system “my school buddy”. Students/Parents will have some days to choose their activities and add them to the system. After the sign in period the system will allocate the students to the ECA/AA. Please note that there is no rush (no first come first served basis).
While all K01 and K02 students can choose an ECA/AA on Monday, Tuesday and Friday in Lesson 7, we are limited to offer spots after lunch, as we are restricted to 100 places during lunch break. Therefore we can say that each K03/K04 student has the possibility to take part in one ECA on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. There might be a chance of another ECA or AA depending on the popularity of the activities.
Detailed information about the activities, the schedule and the enrolment will be provided in the Gazette on the 8th of October.
Wellbeing week Peak Primary Campus
During the last week before autumn break we would like to focus on Wellbeing. Apart from being physical well during the Sports Carnival we are also planning some sessions to foster our social skills. During the whole week we will focus on Moving, Collaborating, Creating and Caring.
Both teams, the Sports Carnival team and the counsellor will share further details soon.
We are looking forward to these events.
KPR Secretary - GPD
On Tuesday nights we had a meeting with all class representatives to elect the departmental secretaries. Congratulations to Natalie Staack (K03A) and Sabrina Bühlmann (K03B) to the role as secretary and deputy secretary.
Thank you both that you committed yourself to this position and we are glad to work with you during this school year.
Class homepages
This weekend you will find some updates on our class homepages. Please enjoy the photos and some insights of the school days.
We wish you a lovely public holiday
 Head of German Primary Department |  Deputy Head of German Primary Department |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week.
Looking for what's been going on in class this month?
Secondary Corner
Departmental News and Announcements
English International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
The month of September has flown by and we are reflecting back on eventful weeks.
The KPR Secretary election was held on Tuesday evening and we are glad to announce the following electees:
- Head KPR Secretary for Kindergarten: Ms Olive Lee (KPR for DKGL)
- Deputy KPR Secretary for Kindergarten: Ms Anisha Mathur (KPR for KG1L)
We would like to thank the two volunteers for their willingness to support the school and the school community in a connected and harmonious relationship.
Wishing you a lovely long weekend as we look forward to celebrating China’s National Day on Friday, 1st October.
Head of Kindergarten | Deputy Head of Kindergarten and Deputy Child Protection Officer Pok Fu Lam Campus |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week.
Primary Corner
Dear Parents
ECA/AA
We are excited we can now offer an afternoon programme! Our teachers are eager to provide a range of activities. Registration will take place through Schools Buddy. In next week’s Gazette, our ECA/AA Coordinator will provide information on creating a Schools Buddy account and on the ECA/AA programme. A quick reminder that there is no rush once registration opens - there is no first come first served basis; the allocation occurs at the end of the registration period based on the priority of choices.
While all Y02/Y03 students need to choose an ECA/AA on Monday/Wednesday/Friday for Lesson 7, we are limited to 100 spaces for Lessons 9/10 due to lunch restrictions. Therefore, students in Y04-Y06 have the possibility to take part in one ECA. They might have a chance of another ECA or AA depending on registration numbers. These ECAs/AAs will run until CNY.
Detailed information about the activities, the schedule and the enrollment will be provided in the Gazette on 8 October.
Wellbeing Week and Sports Carnival - Peak Primary Campus
We will celebrate wellbeing the entire week before the autumn break with our Sports Carnival and sessions to foster movement, mindfulness and social skills. During the week we will focus on Moving, Collaborating, Creating and Caring.
Our Sports Carnival will take place on campus Thursday/Friday of that week - Y04-Y06 on Thursday and Y01-Y03 on Friday.
The Sports Carnival team and the counselling team will share further details soon about these fun events!
KPR Secretary - EPD
On Tuesday night our KPRs met to discuss the KPR process and elect a KPR Secretary and Deputy. Richa Sood (Y01C) will act as our Secretary and Doris von Niederhaeusern Bertoli (Y01C) will act as our Deputy. Thank you to all of our KPRs!
We wish you a lovely public holiday and a nice weekend.
 Head of English Primary Department |  Deputy Head of English Primary Department |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week.
Looking for what's been going on in class this week?
Secondary Corner
ESD Weekly Notices (Week beginning 4 Oct)
The week ahead sees some changes to the daily schedule for students in that we will consolidate the lunch breaks in order to simplify the timetable and facilitate the start of the ECA programme. This is in line with the slightly relaxed EDB regulations, given the high vaccination rate amongst our student body. I would like to add my thanks to those of our Principal to all parents who helped make this possible.
In summary: most students will have lunch during lesson 8 on most days. On Mon, Tues & Thurs, some students will have lunch in lesson 7 and on Weds, some will do so in lesson 6. This is planned to maximise the opportunities available for ECAs but minimise pressure in the cafeteria.
Please see attached summary of the split lunches operating from next Monday onwards.
Students will soon (by Monday) receive an updated individual timetable that includes ECAs and so on. Please also note that the start and finish times for each day remain unchanged, except in the case of afterschool ECAs.
Please refer to the ECA confirmation emails for details of your child's ECA enrolments.
I very much hope that this is the last timetable change that we need to put into place for this year, but I guess we just need to wait and see.
I will close by thanking our KPR volunteers for the work that they do in facilitating communication between parents and the school. It is very much appreciated.
If any parents have any concerns or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
 Head of English Secondary Department |
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/A_Split-Lunch-4_Oct_Onwards-1.pdf
Departmental News and Announcements
Student Achievements
Wellbeing Corner
"Inner peace is when you do what’s right and let go of the rest."
-Maxime Lagacé.
Make your own decisions about what’s right and most important to you.
We wish you a peaceful long weekend.
Your School Counsellors
