CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- 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 #79
13th May 2022Principal's Column
Dear School Community
The daily encounter with our wonderful students in Pok Fu Lam and at the Peak poses an inspiration for me to continue my work at GSIS with utmost dedication. I can see from the students how they, too, enjoy the social contacts. As the school year is slowly coming to an end, there is a final academic push for both teachers and students with final exams and performance evaluations. Our teachers are aware of this pressure and will support the students to demonstrate the knowledge they have acquired in the best possible way.
Return to normality
A return to normality is what we all long for. In the past few days, it has been a joy to rebuild the productive school life. The individual departments will gradually, but as soon as possible, relaunch the regular ECAs. Announcements have and will be made by the respective departments. I wish everyone a positive collaboration and at the same time expanding horizons in the best possible way while enjoying our ECAs.
Farewell to the Deputy Consul General
In the past years, the Deputy Consul General and father of two students has accompanied GSIS in many difficult situations and provided outstanding support. In accordance with the usual rotation of the Foreign Office, Mr David Schmidt will now take up another post and leave Hong Kong with his family. I would like to wish Mr David Schmidt all the best and thank him expressly for his support. It was an honour for me to be able to work with him.
Graduation ceremonies for the Abitur and IB
Just two months ago, I was very sceptical if the IB and Abitur degrees could be attained without major organisational disruptions. Now we are so close to the final assessments and both the IB and Abitur graduation ceremonies have been organised. Unexpectedly, everything could be conducted as planned. I look forward to saying farewell to our outstanding graduating students in the upcoming ceremonies. A look at the results achieved so far suggests great things.
Current Weather Situation
I hope that this morning’s weather update from the media and from us got to you in time. Unfortunately, due to the regulations, classes for the children can only take place online. Final exams will take place as far as this is possible. Thank you for your flexibility and I hopethat you keep your feet dry.
Let us gather all our strength and use the last six weeks before the summer vacations productively. Together with the teachers, the students will take one further step to play a responsible role in the world.
With kind regards
| Dr Dirk Bennhardt Principal |
Parents' Committee
Hello and welcome back to school from the Parents' Committee! We hope everyone has enjoyed the first couple of weeks back. We are excited to start organising some activities and events, and will keep everyone posted in the Gazette every fortnight.
First up, our GSIS English Book Club (we also have a GSIS German Book Club which we will tell you more about in the next Gazette) has stayed active throughout the school closures, and would welcome new members any time. Alison Keller, a member of the school's English Book Club, has written a review of their latest book below. If you are interested in joining, please contact Alison at Ali.Taylor.Keller@gmail.com
The Four Winds, By Kristin Hannah
The Four Winds tells the remarkable journey of Elsa and her family living through the 1930’s Dust Bowl in Texas. In this historical fiction, Kristin Hannah skilfully describes the extreme circumstances under which this young mother, her two children and in-laws are living. Through vivid descriptions of relentless dust and destitution, it’s almost possible to feel the harsh environment that they must endure and ultimately escape for a better life. Despite seeking better opportunities for her children in California, Elsa is confronted with a dearth of work opportunities, a controlling employer and poor housing accommodations.
Themes in this book include resilience, family bonds, workers’ rights, poverty and agriculture.
Over the past few months, we have also delved into Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Please join us for a discussion on our latest book, The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, which we will be discussing in mid-May. If you are interested in participating, please contact Ali at: Ali.Taylor.Keller@gmail.com or WhatsApp 54299266.
| Parents' Committee |
Schoolwide News
University Guidance: Upcoming Events
We would like to share the following events with students and parents of students in Y10-Y12 and K09-K11.
GSIS UNIVERSITY COUNSELLING EVENTS 2022
These upcoming virtual events are open to GSIS students on a first come first served basis. Students should save the date in their calendars if they are interested in attending. Due to capacity we recommend that only students register.
Best of Boston: Northeastern, Tufts, Boston College, Boston University
Tuesday 17 May 9:00pm HKT
Medicine in the Europe: with Medical Doorway
Medical Doorway is an organisation that provides free advice to students interested in studying Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences in Europe.
Learn how to maximise your chances of earning a place at universities by considering options off UCAS and across Europe.
Wednesday 18 May 5:00pm HKT
STEM in the US and the UK: Cal Tech, MIT, Imperial, Edinburgh(TENTATIVE)
Tuesday 24 May 9:00pm HKT
Pre-professional Hidden Gems
Thursday 26 May 7:00pm HKT
Applying for Art: The New School, University of the Arts London, Arts University Bournemouth
Tuesday 31 May 7:00pm HKT
Liberal Arts and Science Colleges: Bowdoin, Pomona, Smith, Hamilton
Wednesday 1 June 8:00pm HKT
Canada-eh? U of T, UBC, Western
Wednesday 8 June 7:00pm HKT
Keeping Current- A panel event involving senior leadership from several top US institutions: Stanford, NYU, UPenn, Columbia, Brown
Wednesday 15 June 9:00pm HKT
EXTERNAL EVENTS
HK: CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
CUHK Summer Institute 2022
13-20 August
The CUHK Summer Institute (SI) is a credit-bearing summer programme which brings together enthusiastic learners from secondary schools to explore different academic fields.
By joining the SI, you can
- Explore different subject areas through short courses in arts, business administration, education, engineering, law, medicine, science or social science taught by CUHK faculty members
- Earn a maximum of two credits which may count towards undergraduate studies at CUHK in the future (with the exception of some programmes)
- Learn about CUHK’s teaching and research strengths
- Gain insight into adapting to the university learning environment from CUHK members
- Engage in academic and cultural exchange with students of different backgrounds
After successful completion of the programme, students will receive a certificate of achievement which would add value to their university applications, particularly for those who apply to CUHK undergraduate programmes.
Students who are applying to universities in 2023 are welcome to join the CUHK Summer Institute. The general admission application deadline is 13 June 2022.
For more details please visit https://www.summer.cuhk.edu.hk/si/.
HK: CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Science Academy for Young Talent - Summer Course 2022: Face to Face teaching at the CUHK
Established by the Faculty of Science, CUHK in 2010, Science Academy for Young Talent is dedicated to nurturing secondary school students who are talented in science by providing different enrichment courses. To provide opportunity for students to acquire more scientific knowledge, our Academy is planning to offer 14 courses during July to August 2022:
Category I-University Credit Bearing
(Students who complete the course and meet its requirement can opt for credit exemption when they study at CUHK)
- STEM1050 Micro-and Nano-technology for Biosensing (face-to-face teaching only)
- SAYT1001 Bondings in Organic Compounds, and Reactivity and Selectivity of Organic Reactions
- SAYT1016 Data Science: Inference, Prediction and Learning
Category II-Academy Credit Bearing
(Student can accumulate credits which will be regarded as “Other Learning Experiences” when applying for university)
- CUSA1071 How Chemistry Works
- CUSA1081 Some Amazing Discoveries in Science: Principles behind, their Importance, and their Applications
- CUSA1091 Artistic and Colourful Chemistry
- CUSA1013 Great Discoveries in Biomedical Sciences (face-to-face teaching only)
- CUSA1043 Life Science in Daily Life
- CUSA2023 Introduction to Bionics
- CUSA2043 An Ocean of Inspiration and Beauty
- CUSA1035 Mysteries in the Atomic World (face-to-face teaching only)
- CUSA1085 The Space Explorer’s Survival Guide to the Universe
- CUSA1026 Statistical Modeling and Big Data Analytics (online teaching only)
- CUSA1007 Climate Physics and Chemistry
These courses are designed for students ranging from S1 to S6. Subjects include statistics, chemistry, life sciences, physics and earth system science. Please note that unless otherwise specified, the courses will be conducted through face-to-face teaching at the CUHK and may change to online teaching depending on the pandemic development.
The courses are now open for application:
STEM1050 Micro-and Nano-technology for Biosensing: 18 April - 13 May 2022
Others: Science Academy for Young Talent courses: 18 April - 31 May 2022
For details about the courses and application procedure, please click here.
You may view the course outline here.
HK: EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Online Info Day @FHM, EdUHK
26-27 May 1:00pm-4:45pm HKT
The Faculty of Humanities of The Education University of Hong Kong offers high-quality programmes in a wide spectrum of Humanities related disciplines, including but not limited to Language Studies, General and Applied Linguistics, Literature, Cultural Studies and History.
We will hold seven lectures on 26 and 27 May. The purpose of this event is to provide secondary school students with the latest admission and curriculum information.
Please register on or before Friday 20 May. After registration, participants will receive a confirmation email from the conference with a link to the ZOOM webinar.
HK: HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION EXPO
Invitation for Visiting the 28th Hong Kong International Education Expo
Date: Saturday-Sunday 9-10 July 12:00pm-6:00pm
Venue: Hall 5G, HK Convention and Exhibition Centre
Admission Fee: Free
This event is organized by the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong. The Expo will provide a comprehensive platform for local and overseas education institutions and education consultants to exhibit the latest information on local and overseas programmes. The Expo will also stage a series of seminars, including guests’ sharing sessions, briefing sessions by Education Division/Trade Commission of Consulate General in Hong Kong as well as different schools and institutions.
The schedule of seminars will be uploaded to the Expo website at the end of May and the latest information of the seminars will be updated regularly.
To view more details about the Expo or pre-register, click here.
HK: UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
HKIMMTO - Recruitment of Executive Committee Members
We are a group of law students from the University of Hong Kong, and the Co-Founders of the Hong Kong Inter-School Mooting and Mock Trial Organisation (the “HKIMMTO”). With utmost enthusiasm, we would like to invite students to join the inaugural Executive Committee of the HKIMMTO.
The HKIMMTO is a non-profit making and non-political student organisation that aims to increase the exposure of mooting and mock trial among Hong Kong secondary schools students. As avid mooters ourselves, we are eager and excited to introduce this intellectually stimulating activity to students.
Through acting as the Executive Committee of the HKIMMTO, students will have the opportunity to work with a group of like-minded individuals to organise mooting and mock trial competitions, develop connections with legal professionals, and improve their leadership skills. Executive Committee members will be tasked with organising events for the upcoming academic year.
Please find attached a poster detailing the HKIMMTO Executive Committee recruitment. Please complete the online application form by 31 May.
You may read our Yearly Proposal here for more information regarding the specific roles and responsibilities of each position as well as an overview of the proposed events.
UK: PREMED PROJECTS
Medicine Work Experience Course
Every Monday 7:30pm UKT (Tuesday 2:30am HKT)
Premed Projects offers medical work experience and hospital work experience short courses for students aged 14-18 considering careers in healthcare.
Students can learn all about the application process for medicine and gain work experience in different medical topics each week. Students also receive a certificate for their work experience that they can use in their university applications.
All sessions are available to watch for 30 days afterwards so if students cannot make it on the day or because of the time difference they can still watch back the sessions and obtain their certification.
Sessions are every Monday evening throughout the year and are by subscription. For students to obtain a free 1st month they just need to visit www.theweeklysurgery.com and use code WEEKLY90.
USA: STANFORD, MIT
Summer 2022: Pre-College Artificial Intelligence Program
Inspirit AI is a live online pre-college AI program that prepares students (grades 5 to 12) across disciplines for an AI-driven future, guiding them to build socially impactful projects like pneumonia diagnosis, stock market prediction, and criminal justice reform. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
Our live online courses cost $900, which includes 25 hours of lesson time, all of our incredible instructors from top universities, extra hours of special sessions and student help, and all teaching materials.
Apply for Summer 2022 programs by 15 May. Please see more details and apply here. Feel free to contact our program coordinator Aidan at arg2198@columbia.edu with any questions.
INTERNATIONAL: LAW & FINANCE SUMMER EXPERIENCES
InvestIN is a UK-based organisation that provides students aged 12-18 with an immersive experience of their dream career. Our team is currently based in London and Manchester and we offer programmes in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, New York, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong. We offer students the chance to experience their dream career before they’ve even left school. By providing them with once-in-a-lifetime industry experiences and exclusive insider advice on how to succeed we help students to choose their future with confidence and fully maximise their potential.
We are offering students aged 12-18 world-class experience in law and finance-related careers this summer. They will conduct immersive work experience activities alongside corporate lawyers, M&A bankers, UN staff, hedge fund managers, criminal barristers and more; in world-famous London locations, including the Supreme Court, the Houses of Parliament and skyscraper City headquarters.
We are more than 80% full for these experiences so students should register as soon as possible.
 Claire Wilkins |
 Beatrice Ugolini |
Attachments
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/HKIMMTO-Recruitment-Poster.pdf
Customer Service Survey – School Bus Services provided by Synergy Travel Service Limited
Dear Parents,
We hope that your child/children has/have settled well back into face-to-face learning. Our school buses have been running again for two and more weeks by now, and we hope that you are satisfied with the bus services provided by our school bus service provider Synergy Travel Service Limited.
Synergy Travel Service Limited had been selected as our new School Bus Service provider by our Bus Company Selection Committee last May, serving our GSIS Community on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon with children at the Peak and Pok Fu Lam Campus for the academic years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. Since last year we have established a strong relationship with Synergy and in order to ensure the best possible bus services to our students, we would appreciate if you could complete the following Customer Service Survey: Customer Service Survey - Synergy Travel Service Limited 2022
The deadline for completing this survey is Friday, 20 May 2022. Further information in regards to our school bus services can be found on our GSIS website under: www.gsis.edu.hk/school-life/going-to-school/school-buses. Please free to contact our Students Services Team under buscoordinator@gsis.edu.hk for any further questions.
With kind regards,
|
Angelin, Conny, Natasha and Tiffany Student Services Team |
German International Stream
From Head of Stream
Dear Parents
The past three weeks of returning to full face-to-face teaching at Pok Fu Lam and the Peak have been great and passed by so quickly. As a next step, we will now resume the ECAs. Detailed information on this will be provided by the respective Heads of Department.
Unfortunately, our K12 students were unable to return to face-to-face classes after the Easter break, so for the first time, our graduating students' traditional theme week, which is popular amongst the entire student body, could only take place online. However, this did not stop them from surprising each other with creative ideas and unusual outfits on screen and thus still having an original end to their school days. After a subsequent week of individual preparation, our "Zwölfer" will now take the final step in their school life and take their oral examinations next Tuesday and Wednesday. We wish them the best of success for this.
I wish you and your children a relaxing weekend with less rain. Stay healthy.
| Grit Cichon Deputy Principal / Head of German International Stream |
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
After months of online learning all the children, parents and Kindergarten staff undoubtedly welcomed face-to-face classes in Kindergarten. We had a very smooth start on May 3, and the children have been thrilled to be back in their classrooms and be able to interact with their peers, and teachers in person.
We would like to thank all our Kindergarten parents for your continuous support by submitting the RATest and daily Temperature of your child/children on time, making arrival time untroubled for students and staff.
Tuesday was the first day of our yearly Literature Festival. As you read in our letter sent to you last week, we planned several exciting activities around books, stories and the benefits of reading for our students. We are sure the class teachers will share some lovely pictures in their weekly newsletter.
As we enter the second week of the Literature Festival, Conny Wong will be our virtual guest reader on Thursday, May 19. Conny is a mother of two and the founder of Pepper & Mint and Mini Love Tales. Friday, May 20, is our Literature Fest, Dress-Up Day. Please allow your child to come dressed as their favourite book character.
KINDERGARTEN PARENTS’ INFORMATION DAYS (PIDs)
We postponed our PID’s due to the lengthy online learning, we have now scheduled the online PIDs from 23 May to 2 June 2022. Your child’s class teacher(s) have already shared a Sign-Up Form with dates and times for you to choose from, and please select a date and time which suits you best as soon as possible.
Each family will be given 20 minutes with the class teacher(s) and teaching assistant.
Our specialist teachers, Frau Jerisch (Student Support, GKG), Frau Kronenbitter (German as a second language, GKG) and Ms Abasolo (Student Support, EKG) will contact parents directly for an appointment.
If you wish to speak with Ms Yang (Mandarin: EKG), please contact her via email YYang@gsis.edu.hk
Wishing you all a relaxing weekend.
 Sophie Burdel |
 Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
Dear Parents,
What happened at school so far - I am sure your children told you many things which they experienced in their classroom - a tricky Math challenge, new vocabulary in English, a fun song and a lot more.
To have an even better insight into what happens in school the class homepages have been updated. Please take a chance read the new content and look at the photos.
You will find the links to the class homepages at the bottom of the German Primary article.
Book Week
Our children had a wonderful time celebrating Book Week with a wide variety of activities. The return to normal school activities is quite welcome and we are looking forward to the resumption of more activities, such as our ECA programme on 23 May.
Rain Jackets
With the uncertainty of weather at dismissal, please ensure your child comes to school with a rain jacket.
RAT
Please submit the RAT results no later than 7:00 am for the Peak and 6:30 am for PFL. We are spending 30-40 minutes each day chasing up results from tests which have not been submitted. If results have not been submitted, your child will also be waiting for entrance into the building until we have reached you and confirmed results.
We wish you a lovely 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?
English International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
After months of online learning all the children, parents and Kindergarten staff undoubtedly welcomed face-to-face classes in Kindergarten. We had a very smooth start on May 3, and the children have been thrilled to be back in their classrooms and be able to interact with their peers, and teachers in person.
We would like to thank all our Kindergarten parents for your continuous support by submitting the RATest and daily Temperature of your child/children on time, making arrival time untroubled for students and staff.
Tuesday was the first day of our yearly Literature Festival. As you read in our letter sent to you last week, we planned several exciting activities around books, stories and the benefits of reading for our students. We are sure the class teachers will share some lovely pictures in their weekly newsletter.
As we enter the second week of the Literature Festival, Conny Wong will be our virtual guest reader on Thursday, May 19. Conny is a mother of two and the founder of Pepper & Mint and Mini Love Tales. Friday, May 20, is our Literature Fest, Dress-Up Day. Please allow your child to come dressed as their favourite book character.
KINDERGARTEN PARENTS’ INFORMATION DAYS (PIDs)
We postponed our PID’s due to the lengthy online learning, we have now scheduled the online PIDs from 23 May to 2 June 2022. Your child’s class teacher(s) have already shared a Sign-Up Form with dates and times for you to choose from, and please select a date and time which suits you best as soon as possible.
Each family will be given 20 minutes with the class teacher(s) and teaching assistant.
Our specialist teachers, Frau Jerisch (Student Support, GKG), Frau Kronenbitter (German as a second language, GKG) and Ms Abasolo (Student Support, EKG) will contact parents directly for an appointment.
If you wish to speak with Ms Yang (Mandarin: EKG), please contact her via email YYang@gsis.edu.hk
Wishing you all a relaxing weekend.
|
Sophie Burdel |
Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
Dear Parents,
Book Week
Our children had a wonderful time celebrating Book Week with a wide variety of activities. The return to normal school activities is quite welcome and we are looking forward to the resumption of more activities, such as our ECA program on 23 May.
Rain Jackets
With the uncertainty of weather at dismissal, please ensure your child comes to school with a rain jacket.
RAT
Please submit the RAT results no later than 7:00 am for the Peak and 6:30 am for PFL. We spend 30-40 minutes each day chasing up results from tests that have not been submitted. If results have not been submitted, your child will also be waiting for entrance into the building until we have reached you and confirmed the results.
Enjoy your 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?
Secondary Corner
Dear Parents and Students,
I hope that everything has been going well and that you are safe, healthy and in good cheer. I must apologise in that I have been most remiss in writing notices for the Gazette of late, and have instead fallen back on email as the method of updating the community.
I am most pleased to report that the past few weeks of on campus lessons have gone very well and, despite the inclement weather of days past, the campus has been abuzz with learning activities. We are very much looking forward to the resumption of our ECA programme from Monday 16th and students involved in this have already received details through the aforementioned email updates.
Our public examinations, under quite unusual conditions, are proceeding well and I would like to thank all the Y11 and Y13 students for their attention to detail in adhering to the attendant regulations. The current circumstances have been a challenge to our staff, and we very much appreciate the assistance and maturity of our students in helping us deliver these exams in such a seamless and smooth manner. I would also like to publicly acknowledge the outstanding work of Ms Crouch, Mr Wray and the other members of the "exam team" who have meticulously planned, organised and, where necessary, marshalled.
Looking forward, we have school exams for Y10 & Y12 in a few weeks (again, see the emails for details), at the halfway point of their IGCSE and IBDP programmes respectively. Our younger years are also coming toward the end of their current courses. As such, attention naturally comes to rest upon grades and reports. No doubt exacerbated by the years (how fast they flow) of covid-related disruption and resumption, there seems to be a great deal of anxiety around grades to be found in the current campus zeitgeist. I would appeal to students, and also parents, to view assessment and grading as part of the learning process and not an end in themselves. We here at GSIS are proud of all of our students and their achievements and our goal as a collaborative learning community is to enable all students to achieve to their very best. A competitive or high-pressure approach to grades is rarely productive, quite the opposite in fact.
Please, as always, contact me, your child's class or subject teacher, or the Head of Year, if you have any concerns.
Have a wonderful week.
 Ken Stevenson |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Student Achievements & Initiatives
Hong Kong Battle of the Books 2022
Caroline Chan (Librarian - Senior Library)
GSIS BoB Team has entered Hong Kong Battle of the Books 2022 final in the secondary category. This year’s final will be held online on Wednesday, May 18. Please continue to offer us your support and encouragement!
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BOB2022_SemiFinals_02-scaled.jpg, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BOB2022_SemiFinals_06-scaled.jpg, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BOB2022_SemiFinals_01-scaled.jpg
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Wellbeing Corner
May is Mental Health Commemorative Month
In many places around the world, May is commemorated as Mental Health Month. This years theme is "Back to Basics." The theme was chosen because after two years of the pandemic, many people are finding that stress, isolation and uncertainty have affected their well-being.
Our ask of you: take care of yourself and your loved ones (this month and every month).
Back to Basics - What you can do every day for your mental health:
- Enjoy the sunshine and nature
- Take a cold shower
- Spend time with good friends
- Laugh extensively
- Eat healthy and drink enough fluids
If you have any further questions, you are always welcome to contact us. We wish you a nice weekend!
Your School Counsellors
"Mental Health Awareness Month" Actions and Information:
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week
www.docmorris-blog.de/mentale-gesundheit-mai
https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/IMG_4032.jpg
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Alexandra Neumann-Hillebrand(School Counsellor)
