CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- Schoolwide News
- German International Stream
- English International Stream
- Highlights of the Week
Connect with GSIS
📅 Save the date! Our highly anticipated annual Christmas Bazaar will take place on Saturday, 2 December 2023. 🎄 The GSIS community of students, parents, staff, alumni, and friends, will come together for this special event. It promises to be a delightful occasion filled with laughter and festive cheer to ring in the holiday season as well as support our school!
#GSIS #GermanSwissInternationalSchool #InternationalSchool #HongKong #EducationalExcellence #GSISChristmasBazaar
It is open for public for registration？
GSIS Gazette – Issue #75
11th March 2022Principal's Column
Dear School Community
At present almost all communication either revolves around the pandemic and its repercussions or conflicts in world politics. As much as I acknowledge the importance of these two topics, I want to take the opportunity to counterpoint in this Gazette and focus on our school, GSIS, which fascinates me time and again.
Fortunately, the united stand of all International Schools and the accommodating understanding of the EDB prevented International Schools from being asked to move their summer holidays. Only this way it is possible for the school to enable the final year students to take the well-deserved and well-prepared exams. In the current pandemic situation, the infection can lurk anywhere, therefore the school requires all individuals involved in the examinations at school to perform a RAT within 24 hours prior to the exams. On the one hand, it encourages self-reflection during the pandemic, on the other hand it minimises the risk of infection during the examinations. Despite a few complications, we were able to proceed with the examinations as scheduled. We will do everything in our power to ensure this continues in the future. Having said this, in no way will we forget about our little ones, as the Kindergarten and Primary are the hardest hit by the current situation. I ask all parents for perseverance and I, together with you, hope for an end to online learning in the very near future. We all know that ongoing online learning will have a long-term effect on everybody’s social interaction. Our school counsellors along with teachers are working at full speed. Likewise, the entire administration team, who in addition to their usual tasks now manage Covid notifications, deep cleaning exercises, inquiries and advice. All of this holds our school community together.
As you probably know, conforming to the school’s Articles of Association, a few new Board members have been elected. In my opinion, the election was transparent and well prepared.
I would like to take the opportunity again to congratulate the re-elected and newly elected members of the Board, and thank all members of the previous board for their past excellent work. At the constitutional meeting of the Board of Directors last Monday, the subcommittees were re-staffed and a new Board Chairman was elected. As Principal, I have found that each Board member has always been available to me and the school and has been a strong advocate for GSIS. Nonetheless, the Chairmen Chris Howse and Jonathan Shun Wah stood out from the group. After turbulent times, Chairman Chris Howse guided the Board with his sovereign leadership in such a way that assisted the school to emerge from instability and is now ready to face new challenges. Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman, Jonathan Shun Wah, has supported the school in its day-to-day operations and has shown much prudence and foresight in providing support in all matters. To my surprise, Chris Howse was not re-elected as Chairman, but has been replaced by Jonathan Shun Wah. On a positive note, all members spoke very highly of Chris Howse. It was only Chris Howse who had some critical words to himself. Chris decided thereafter to continue to accompany the GSIS no longer within the Board but from the outside. Chris, I thank you deeply for leading the great steamer GSIS as their captain back into calm waters and wish to keep you as a personal friend and as a friend of GSIS.
On this note, I am delighted by the choice of Jonathan Shun Wah, a dedicated alumnus, a successful lawyer, a loving father and an honest person. Now the steamer GSIS can sail in calm waters to new shores and meet new challenges. Jonathan is supported by Cordula Kotanko and Benno Jaeggi and of course the entire Board of Directors. The diversity of the Chairs of the Board represents the international character of German Swiss International School in Hong Kong in an ideal way. I thank the Board for their wisdom and look forward to constructive cooperation in the coming year.
With these words I would like to end my column this time and despite these grey pandemic days, I look to the future with confidence.
Stay healthy and let us stand in solidarity for international friendships for a world that is not dominated by war and violence, but by international friendships and respect for each other.
With best regards
| Dr Dirk Bennhardt Principal |
Schoolwide News
Minutes of the meeting of KPR Secretaries and School Management on 1 March 2022
Dear Parents
The Senior Management team and KPR Secretaries Team held a successful exchange on 1st March.
Thank you again for all your constructive feedback that has reached us via the KPR Secretaries Team.
Attached, please find the meeting minutes. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.
Best regards and a great weekend
|
Dirk Bennhardt Principal |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/220301_Minutes_KPR_Secretaries_School_Management.pdf
Special offer at Bookazine website for GSIS students and staff
Bookazine is now offering a 15% discount on books for GSIS students and staff for order at their website https://bookazine.com.hk/ Students may use the promo code GSIS15 to enjoy the discount. The offer is valid until 31st March, 2022.
Remark: The offer is not applicable for fixed price items.
|
Caroline Chan Librarian – Senior Library |
University Guidance: Upcoming Events (External)
The following events are suitable and available to all students and parents of students in Y10-Y13 and K09-K12:
HK: CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
CityU-Learning Classroom for Secondary School Students
March – April 2022
The CityU-Learning Classroom was first introduced in February 2020 in response to the school closure due to the Covid-19. Since its introduction, the Classroom has received overwhelming registrations with many encouraging feedback.
City University of Hong Kong embraces innovative teaching and learning initiatives to support various learning needs of different students. Leveraging the advanced and effective CityU-Learning system, we introduced the taster lectures so that secondary school students can have the taste of university learning. Classes are available in online, face-to-face or hybrid modes. Students are free to choose a format that best fit with their schedules and learning habit.
For the timetable of lectures and registration link, please click here.
Also, please find attached a summary of the lectures.
HK: UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
2022 Hong Kong Aspiring Medics Conference
Sunday 27 March 4:00pm-8:00pm HKT
This conference is the must-attend event of the year for students interested in becoming future doctors. Hosting world-renowned inspirational speakers, this conference will enrich your understanding of a career in medicine as well as showcase motivational stories and advice from those who have succeeded in the world of medicine.
We have invited and confirmed a few world-renowned speakers including:
- Sir Michael Dixon (Medical Adviser to the UK Royal Family and HRH Prince of Wales as well as Chair of the College of Medicine UK)
- Isabelle Wachsmuth (Lead for Arts in Health, World Health Organisation)
- Gareth Presch (Founder and CEO of World Health Service and World Health Innovation Summit and member of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission)
We have also invited other reputable speakers who will elaborate on medical research and entrepreneurship. There will also be junior doctors from Hong Kong sharing their career and daily duties, as well as medical students from HKU, CUHK and the UK who will share insights regarding their school life.
Furthermore, we are also introducing an art competition with the theme of ‘The Power of Art in Healthcare’, focusing on sustainable and planetary health. The winners will have their piece showcased at the Palais des Nations in Geneva as part of a wider World Health Organization exhibition.
For more details and registration link, please click here.
UK: UNIVERSITY OF BUCKINGHAM
Virtual Information Webinars
We have lots of subject-specific webinars available for students to sign up to on our website.
These webinars will give in-depth information on a range of subjects such as Biomedical Sciences, Podiatric Medicine, Business, Humanities, Social Sciences, PGCEs and Master's in Education, with many more webinars covering other subjects to come soon. Our webinars are designed to offer plenty of opportunities for students to ask questions to both our academic staff and students.
Please take a look at our calendar of events, and register here.
UK: DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Virtual Sessions for Students
These sessions are aimed at Year 13s who have applied to Durham, but we welcome anyone considering applying. Sessions include
- Student life at Durham
- A day in the life of a Durham student
- Living in a college at Durham
- Plus lots more!
Session Dates: 12 March – 4 May
Except for the session on 12 March which is from 11:00am-12:00pm UKT (7:00pm-8:00pm HKT), all other sessions are held from 5:00pm-6:00pm UKT (1:00am-2:00am HKT).
If you could not attend the live event, you can access the recordings here. It may take a couple of days for the recordings to be uploaded so do check back later.
UK: UNIVERSITY OF LAW
Easter Legal Experience Day
Saturday 9 April 2:00pm-4:30pm HKT
In this event, students could learn more about a career in law, routes to practice as lawyers in Hong Kong, England and Wales and the United States and how The University of Law could support students in pursuing a successful career in law.
Hosts: Mr. Savvas Michael, Programme Director of The University of Law Hong Kong campus and his academic team
Contents: Interactive Workshops and Sharing by Legal Professionals
Delivery mode: Zoom (online)
RSVP: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r0049joKRJ6S7V8uKHqusw
Deadline of RSVP: 1 April
Enquiries: Email at StudyHK@law.ac.uk or call us at +852 39598667
UK: LEEDS UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL
Virtual Visit
Tuesday 15 March 8:00pm HKT
Are you interested in studying Business at a UK University, but aren't sure which course is right for you?
This specially designed seminar will help you to understand more about the different types of business courses that both Leeds and other UK universities offer so that you can make an informed decision about your future studies.
This session will be delivered by Dr Christos Antoniou, Senior Teaching Fellow in International Business at the University of Leeds with support from the University of Leeds International Office. After the presentation, a Question and Answer session will take place to allow you to ask any questions you may have about studying Business in the UK.
This session will use Microsoft Teams. Click here to join.
UK: UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
Just Ask! STEM Student Panels
We invite students to join us for an exciting student panel where they get the opportunity to ask current Warwick students what it’s like to study in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine at Warwick.
Instead of listening to taster lectures, this is an informal and interactive session to ask any questions and hear from real and current students about their personal experiences in their study journey – how it’s like studying at Warwick, what challenges they’ve encountered, what support they’ve received, and advice from someone who’ve gone through their stage.
Date: Thursday 17 March
- Health & Life Sciences session, 5:00pm-6:00pm HKT
Subjects include: Biological Sciences, Psychology and Health and Medical Sciences
- Science & Engineering session, 6:30pm-7:30pm HKT
Subjects include: Computer Science, Engineering, Physics and Mathematics/Statistics
USA: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) Grainger Engineering summer camp
We offer immersive STEM camp experiences for middle and high school students interested in engineering. These camps give young engineers the opportunity to explore different engineering disciplines through authentic projects and engineering design activities.
High School
For high school students we offer multiple Engineering Summer Camps hosted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Camps are available for rising freshmen through seniors (9th – 12th Grade) and are available for all genders. These camps are designed to provide STEM-interested students the opportunity to experience authentic and challenging projects and activities, world-class instructors, and collegiate experience from one of the best engineering schools in the nation and the world. The camps provide exposure to different areas of engineering through demonstrations, lab tours, classroom presentations, hands-on activities, and interactions with various students, staff, and professors in those fields.
Middle School
We offer day-camp experiences for rising 7th through 9th grade students. Explore different types of engineering through authentic projects and engineering design activities. Experience new materials, tools, and software as you engage your curiosity and creativity like never before. Experience demonstrations, virtual tours, and hands on activities led by faculty, staff, and students of Grainger Engineering.
Apply here
INTERNATIONAL: STUDY IN CANADA, UK, EUROPE, USA & MALAYSIA
University Fair
Wednesday 16 March 6:00pm-8:00pm HKT
Gulf EDU Tours would like to invite students, parents and Career Counselors to our free virtual University Fair for high schools in Asia. In this event, you will meet the representatives of top universities and learn about different majors, admissions requirements, student life, financial aid, deadlines, etc.
A few interesting facts about some of the universities you’ll see during the fair:
Bocconi- Double Degree with Peking University, World Bachelor in Business with University of Southern California and HKUST
IE- Campuses in Segovia and Madrid. International internships around the globe.
Ryerson- Ryerson has pioneered a unique experiential program called zone learning—a great complement to your courses with the opportunity to earn an additional credential on your transcript. Zone Learning is a new model of experiential learning built to allow students to apply their degree coursework to real world startups, causes, companies, projects or ventures
Waterloo- North America's largest co-op program plus international exchanges, clubs, certificate programs, lab work, field studies, and hackathons are all examples of how Waterloo lets you explore your passions. “+ business” programs allow you to combine an interest in arts, math, science, environment, or sports with business. Intellectual property stays with the inventor, not the university.
EU BU- Top Business School in Europe. 4 campuses, in Barcelona, Geneva, Munich, Montreux. Students can flexibly study at any of these 4. Focus on experiential learning.
Trinity College Dublin- One of the seven ancient universities of Britain and Ireland, and is located in the heart of Dublin. As a legal deposit library, it is entitled to one copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland.
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University- Beach or Mountain, Florida or Arizona. World’s largest and most respected university specializing in aviation and aerospace, Embry-Riddle has been at the forefront of ground-breaking aeronautical milestones since the early days of flight.
Temple University- R1 University, More musical performances on campus than days of the year. Campuses in Philadelphia, Rome and Japan.
George Mason- An innovative and inclusive academic community committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous world. Mason is also home to the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC), the only program of its kind in the nation. Students are taught and mentored by Smithsonian scientists through our partnership with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI).
SUNY- The largest comprehensive university system in the United States. SUNY invented the MRI, supermarket barcode scanner, and first-ever implantable heart pacemaker.
 Claire Wilkins |
 Beatrice Ugolini |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Poster.pdf
German International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents,
Spring has arrived in Hong Kong, and we hope you and your children can enjoy the sunny weather and the pleasant temperatures.
On Thursday (March 10th), the Kindergarten's second Parent Representatives meeting of this school year took place, and we thank all our KPR's for collecting and raising open questions from individual classes. We will share the Minutes of the Meeting with you as soon as they are ready.
However, we would like to share one suggestion from our parent representative with you from today's meeting. Currently, there are no indications from the Education Bureau that face-to-face teaching in Kindergarten will depend on the number of children vaccinated but we still would like to start a survey among Kindergarten parents next week to enquire how many of our Kindergarten children are already vaccinated.
Rest assured that this information is solely for internal use within GSIS. There is no intention to pressure parents who do not wish to have their children vaccinated or are still undecided. We would also like to assure you that the school is not planning any 'mandatory vaccination' for our Kindergarten children.
Currently, both streams of the Kindergarten are working on expanding the online lessons for our youngest students at GSIS with cross-group activities (GKG), wellbeing and more social interactions (both streams) in mind.
On behalf of all teachers, we would like to thank you very much for the positive feedback we received today from your side through the Class KPR's.
Stay healthy and top up on your Vitamin D!
With kind regards
 Sophie Burdel |
 Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
Dear Parents
PIDs
I hope that all of you have had an opportunity to sign up for PIDs. The Peak PIDs are next week and the PFL PIDs are the week of 21 March.
Teachers working from home
Starting from today almost 100% of teachers will be working from home. We ask for your patience and understanding as these online “classrooms from home” may experience unexpected moments when children, cats, dogs, spouses may make an unexpected appearance or challenges with internet connections
Online Survey
As announced in the last Gazette I would like to share with you the outcomes from our survey “online learning”. Thank you again for participating, overall we received 71 out of 135 responses, which is 53%.
Our top four strengths are the following.
- My child has found small group meets / breakout groups engaging.
- We were well informed about the provision of online learning before the start of online learning.
- The teacher is available to support my child when they need it.
- My child is able to manage the technology with an age-appropriate level of support.
Yesterday in our GPD meeting we discussed the following points which were marked as points of improvement.
- My child has a good balance of screen time / screen free time.
- My child is away from the screen during break times.
- My child knows how to use coping skills to reset when they are having a hard time focusing.
We will try to send the kids off to their break and send them away from the computer as best we can. We also will discuss with the students that a break from the screen is important. Nevertheless we also understand that this is the new way for students to interact with each other and see their friends when they arrange their google meets by themselves. We also heard that they created study groups to complete their work together - which is also a motivator for the students.
We also collected some more exercise and little games to help the students to focus better, either during lessons or for the students during their self-study time. Frau Neumann-Hillebrandt will also talk to the students and help them with some ideas during the “Wohlfühlstunde”.
Our teachers will reflect when to use a task on paper or when to do it digitally to find a balance.
I also want to thank you for all the individual comments, feedback, ideas and concerns. In general the comments reflected again the outcome of the questions.
I still would like to share some comments:
- I love the engaging workshop ( science class) it is fun for the kids
- Provide self made teaching videos and enhance socializing of students via more collaborative projects
- I find the offer varied, interesting and age-appropriate. The teachers do a good job. 👍
- Less homework; tasks are taking too long. Encourage children to get off the screen after the school day.
- Small group lessons work better as the teacher can really focus on the children.
Please find here the overview of all questions from our survey.
We wish you a happy weekend!
 Priska Erni |
 Beate Weinhardt |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Looking for what's been going on in class this month?
Secondary Corner
Dear Parents of the German Secondary Department
Especially nowadays I often think back to my own school days and I have to admit that as a child I had more than enough time to play and learn. There were no situations which could have been a danger for us children.
However, when I think about our children today, I see a completely different picture. Today the children and us live with a pandemic that forces whole families to change their entire lives. Our children are forced to learn under online conditions and do not have the opportunity to develop as freely as they should. And all of a sudden, joy and community have to be put on hold.
On top of that, the security situation in the world has diminished and the word war has returned to all of our lives.
In the week of March 14-18, we will hold Wellbeing Week at our school, which has been excellently prepared by our "Health and Wellbeing Group". The Wellbeing Week is designed to inspire community spirit and promote wellbeing among the students.
The focus will be on daily movement, creating shared experiences, helpfulness, everyday interest and "The beautiful things in life".
Space for this action will be provided in both lessons and break times. The goal is to get students to participate in the activities based on the topic of the day. You can be a part of this by encouraging your children to participate and addressing appropriate content with them. You may even find the time to experience the topics together with your child. On Tuesday at noon there will also be a parent meeting on the subject of "Mental Health" for which you have already received an email.
Mr. Leitner, myself and the entire team of the German Secondary Department wish you much strength and confidence for the coming days and weeks. Stay healthy.
 Frank Weinhardt |
 Arnold Leitner |
Departmental News and Announcements
English International Stream
From Head of Stream
Dear Parents
Next week the Secondary Department will be launching our Wellbeing Week
14th to 18th March 2022
Five Ways to Wellness
Get Moving | Stay Connected | Give | Keep Learning | Take Notice
Students will be encouraged to take part in a range of wellbeing activities and will gain house points in doing so. Many of these activities will take place during first and second break as well as lunch time and will be run by a group of generous staff. A huge thanks to them for giving even more of their time and energy to support this initiative. There are also a range of ideas to promote wellbeing in lessons.
Shirralee Sisson is presenting a Parents Talk on Wednesday lunchtime focused on strategies to help young people and their parents maintain their wellbeing. Shirralee is currently covering for Tanya Schindler’s maternity leave and is a healthcare professional in Hong Kong.
Susan Hood and the Heads of Year in English Secondary are also processing data from a Wellbeing Survey that was sent to all ESD students just after Chinese New Year to gauge how they were doing during online learning. The key findings were presented to all students last week and we will aim to make some further changes very soon; staff have been reminded to observe the published homework timetable and to offer opportunities for asynchronous work that allows students to have some time away from their screens.
Big thanks to Laura Maddison, Shirralee Sisson, Alexandra Neumann-Hillebrand, Susan Hood & Emily Hill for organising Wellbeing Week.
Ukraine
What were you doing three weeks ago? For a whole nation their world has been completely turned upside down as Russian forces bear down on key cities.
Our Head Students and Politics Society have joined an initiative from German students around the world called Youth for Peace. They have invited students and families to send in a photograph of you in a white t-shirt that will be made into a collage and displayed on our website as a show of support for Ukraine. Please upload your images by 18:00 this Saturday via this link: https://forms.gle/ndPxB3zNLCPUpQRn8
We have also contacted Perchersk International School in Kyev to offer assistance to IB Diploma students there. They have shared a link to their school’s website https://www.psi.kiev.ua/community/stand-with-ukraine that includes further links to a range of organisations through which we can support different groups of people. I have not personally checked all these links so please do your own due diligence before committing any payment.
This link provides details about #ArtforPeaceinUkraine that takes you to a padlet where students can upload an artwork that reflects what peace means to you. Once you get on the site, give it a minute to load as there are a lot of pictures already there; once you reach Hong Kong click again on the pin and it will separate into different branches where you can view the art that has been uploaded so far.
Earlier in the week, we shared a letter from the German School in Kyev calling for offers of accommodation in Eastern Europe. Even if you do not have access to any places to stay yourself, please reach out to your networks and wider communities to make them aware of the need, six degrees of separation is a powerful force! At the time of writing over two million people, mostly women and children, have made the journey west into Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. Our thoughts are with them as they navigate an uncertain future.
In the meantime, let us strive to keep our families safe and enjoy the time we have together.
| Simon Misso-Veness Deputy Principal / Head of English International Stream |
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents,
Spring has arrived in Hong Kong, and we hope you and your children can enjoy the sunny weather and the pleasant temperatures.
On Thursday (March 10th), the Kindergarten's second Parent Representatives meeting of this school year took place, and we thank all our KPR's for collecting and raising open questions from individual classes. We will share the Minutes of the Meeting with you as soon as they are ready.
However, we would like to share one suggestion from our parent representative with you from today's meeting. Currently, there are no indications from the Education Bureau that face-to-face teaching in Kindergarten will depend on the number of children vaccinated but we still would like to start a survey among Kindergarten parents next week to enquire how many of our Kindergarten children are already vaccinated.
Rest assured that this information is solely for internal use within GSIS. There is no intention to pressure parents who do not wish to have their children vaccinated or are still undecided. We would also like to assure you that the school is not planning any 'mandatory vaccination' for our Kindergarten children.
Currently, both streams of the Kindergarten are working on expanding the online lessons for our youngest students at GSIS with cross-group activities (GKG), wellbeing and more social interactions (both streams) in mind.
On behalf of all teachers, we would like to thank you very much for the positive feedback we received today from your side through the Class KPR's.
Stay healthy and top up on your Vitamin D!
With kind regards
|
Sophie Burdel |
Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
Dear Parents,
PIDs
I hope that all of you have had an opportunity to sign up for PIDs. The Peak PIDs are next week and the PFL PIDs are the week of 21 March. As in the past, we would like for the students to participate in the PIDs with the class teachers.
Teachers working from home
Starting from today almost 100% of teachers will be working from home. We ask for your patience and understanding as these online “classrooms from home” may experience unexpected moments when children, cats, dogs, spouses may make an unexpected appearance or challenges with internet connections.
Online Survey
As announced in the last Gazette I would like to share with you the outcomes from our survey “online learning”. Thank you again for participating; overall we received 133 responses, which is 43% of our parents.
Some of our top strengths are the following.
- We were well informed about the provision of online learning before the start of online learning.
- The teacher is available to support my child when they need it.
- The additional support my child receives is helpful.
- My child is able to manage the technology with an age-appropriate level of support.
- My child has found small group meets / breakout groups engaging.
- My child finds the feedback supportive.
- My child is maintaining a positive attitude during online learning.
Over the past week, we discussed the following points which were marked as opportunities for growth.
- My child has a good balance of screen time / screen-free time.
- My child is away from the screen during break times.
- My child knows how to use coping skills to reset when they are having a hard time focusing.
- My child has adequate breaks.
#1 We have trialled “reduced screen time days” with Years 5 and 6. Our aim is to provide occasional days where the majority of the learning is offline to give both the students and teachers additional time away from their screens. Student feedback has been positive, with the majority of the students finding the assignments useful and enjoying less screen time. We will continue to refine this initiative and work with other year levels to implement.
#2/4 We have added breaks between each lesson, in addition to two longer breaks each day. Our teachers are reminding students to step away from their computers during break times and ask that parents reinforce this expectation at home.
#3 We are all working with the students on coping strategies when facing challenges. Ms Marquard is working with the students and teachers on these strategies and families will find helpful suggestions and links in the Wellbeing Corner of each Gazette.
We also want to thank you for all the individual comments, feedback, ideas and concerns. A sampling of comments on what is working best -
- Overall I have been very impressed with the standard of learning this year. Both the content and the teaching have been excellent.
- Seeing my child very happy and smiling after a breakout activity.
- The teachers have been very supportive and encouraging.
- Preview of coming week’s schedule.
- I am particularly grateful that the teacher has maintained a rigorous maths schedule to progress with the curriculum as well as find the time for art lessons and games.
- The Google Meets and calendar setup are fantastic. It's the perfect setup and easy to follow. The printed timetables from the teachers are also good.
- My child works independently and gets support from the teacher. The lesson includes hands-on activities away from the computer.
- Well-being and maths lessons work very well.
Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey, which assists us as we continuously work on improving. You can find a report with the responses to each question here.
Have a great weekend.
 Kim Cunningham |
 Donna Morley |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Looking for what's been going on in class this week?
Wellbeing Corner
Protect Your Mental Health During Stressful News Cycles
Have you found yourself consuming more news media lately? Whether it’s local or world news, you may have found yourself inundated with headlines, stories and images that can increase stress and impact your mental health. Research suggests that repeated media exposure can lead to increased anxiety, heightened stress responses and poorer health outcomes. While it’s important to stay informed, it’s also particularly important during stressful news cycles to put boundaries on your news media intake. Actively take steps to limit exposure, such as turning off push notifications or setting a time limit for reading daily news. Counteract the impact of stress by prioritizing activities that promote a sense of calm and wellness.
And importantly, children need the support of trusted adults to help them process difficult news media they have been exposed to. The articles below offer tips on how to have age-appropriate conversations.
- How to Talk To Kids About Violence, Crime and War
- How do I talk to my kids about violence in the news?
More Articles:
- How to Handle War Anxiety
- Anxious about the news? Our top tips on how to cope.
- How to Balance Staying Informed and Not Being Overwhelmed by Stressful News
Take care and be kind to yourself,
Your school counsellors
