Buy GSIS P.E. Kit
from Kukri Online

Login with password:
gsishongkong

Click Here

GSIS Gazette – Issue #83

26th August 2022

Principal's Column

Dear School Community

I have been looking forward to finally seeing the students and all the staff at GSIS again this past week. The General Staff Meeting on Monday was therefore a great event. I saw many relaxed and happy faces, even if they still were half-covered by masks. The exchanges showed me that the meetings with the families, that took place for many after a long time, brought back a lot of strength and relaxation. I assume it will be similar for the international families of the students of GSIS. Therefore, I am very confident that we can start the new school year in an extremely positive atmosphere and that learning will come easily.

A very special start

Unfortunately, the weather did not really cooperate yesterday, and the school had to remain closed due to the passing typhoon. As a result, in some cases the first meeting between teachers and students has been somewhat postponed. Personally, I will not let this day dampen my anticipation and motivation and I continue to look forward to the coming school year with a very good feeling.

A brief look back

When we look back on the past school year, we remember many difficulties the pandemic caused, both privately and at school. Nevertheless, our students once again achieved excellent results both in regular classes and in the final examinations. With the encouragement of the GSIS, the support of the parents and the motivation and expertise of the students, they achieved the best imaginable results in the Abitur, IB, IGCSE and Language Diploma. I thank all the people involved for this overall achievement.

An outlook for the next school year

The recent decisions of the Hong Kong government give us hope that we are returning more and more to normality and that events such as the Christmas Bazaar may be possible again, albeit on a smaller scale than usual. In any case, we plan to hold social gatherings within the school community in a responsible manner. We have reasonable hope that school trips lasting several days will soon be possible again. These prospects make me feel very positive. We have all learned to be patient and to appreciate small steps forward.

The cooperation with the Board is very constructive, as it was last year, and I am very confident that after a few years in emergency mode, we can now tackle projects again that could significantly improve the external learning conditions for the student body and the teachers. To this end, a large delegation of the Board conducted several hours of school inspection with the school management team last week, during which we conceived ideas for improvements and further developments with regard to the buildings, classrooms and other learning areas of the GSIS. Following the final renewal of the lease for Pok Fu Lam, we discussed intensively the necessary optimisation of the learning environment there.

In summary, I would like to say that the GSIS school community can be proud of the past and that we are not standing still but have concrete goals for the future. Please continue to participate in the various forms of partnerships with the school, e.g. as KPR, on the Board of Directors or its various sub-committees and support GSIS so that your children have the best possible future.

With best regards

Dr Dirk Bennhardt
Principal
Email

Schoolwide News

School Shop Updates - GSIS Week at Kukri 2022

Dear Parents
Angelin, Emily and Conny
Student Services Team
Email

Message from the CAO: School Bus and Traffic Arrangements

I am delighted to write my first Gazette letter as a new member of the GSIS Community. I started my journey with GSIS during the summer holidays and it gave me time to get familiar with the school, but the environment was not vibrant and exciting without students and academic staff. I am happy to see students and academic staff back at the school.

Despite implementing several COVID-19 Preventative Measures, we aim to run the school operations as normally as possible without compromising the safety and well-being of our students and staff. We will closely monitor and follow the EDB and CHP guidelines.

It was unfortunate that classes needed to be suspended on Thursday, 25 August, due to Typhoon. We hope to have a great year ahead.

School Bus – First Day (Peak Campus)

Both drop-off and pick-up on Wednesday, 24 August, generally went well. We hope that it will be improved further in the coming weeks once students are fully familiar with their bus mothers and bus routes.

We are mindful that several students have been put on the waiting list for bus enrollment. It has been due to several factors such as communication gaps, late registrations, delayed payments, etc. It is a complicated process to add more students to planned routes and add more buses. Our Student Services Team is closely working with Synergy (School Bus Company) on resolving the waiting list and allocating seats to the students who have made payments.

Please contact Synergy for further information or updates copy in our Student Services Team in your communications with Synergy:

Traffic Arrangement - First Day (Peak Campus)

Generally, traffic on the first morning was smooth, except a few cars were parked on Mansfield Road, which caused inconvenience to other parents and the public. Parents are kindly reminded not to park their cars on Mansfield Road, Watford Road, or Guildford Road during drop-off and pick-up times. To ensure smooth traffic flow during drop-off and pick-up times, please follow the below-mentioned guidelines:

DO’s DONT’s
Take the school bus Park on pavements
Drop off your children earlier on Mansfield Road, ideally between 7.00 am and 7.15 am U-turns Guildford Road, Mansfield Road, and Watford Road
Follow instructions given by the school staff and the police Double Park
Avoid driving on Guildford Road between 7.15 am and 7.30 am to drop off your child(ren) Park on Mansfield Road or Watford Road
Pick up your child after 1.30 pm or 3:30 pm after all school buses have departed Drive along Guildford Road before 1.30 pm or 3:30 pm to pick up your child

 

COVID-19 Preventative Measures:

I would like to resend some information related to COVID-19 Preventive Measures.

Rapid Antigen Test and Body Temperature Recording

  • All students (including COVID-19 recovered) must undertake a daily RAT test. Parents should upload the temperature and RAT test results via the Veracross Portal by 6:30 am (Pok Fu Lam campus), and 7:00 am (The Peak campus).
  • Students can only attend classes if their RAT test is negative and they have no fever.
  • If no test is presented before the submission deadline, the student will not be allowed to enter the campus. The school will contact the parents for further arrangements.
  • In the case of a positive RAT test or if a close contact of a COVID-19 case the students must stay at home, and parents must report the result via the Veracross Portal and the Department of Health website.
  • Students with fever must not come to school and are advised to seek medical assistance immediately.

3+4 Quarantine Conditions or Amber/Red Health Code

  • Students subject to 3+4 Quarantine Conditions and hold Amber Health Code are allowed to attend the school if their test results are negative.
  • They shall carry out the RAT test and check their body temperature daily like all other students.
  • Students with Amber Health Code should not come to the school directly from their quarantine.
  • Students with Red Health Code will not be allowed to enter the campus.
  • According to the EDB guidelines, students with Amber Health Code are not allowed to participate in any mask-off activities until they get Blue Health Code.
  • A designated area for lunch will be set up for students holding Amber Health Code as per the EDB guidelines.

Vaccination and Health Code Survey

I am thankful to the parents who have completed the Vaccination and Health Code Survey, but we have not received an update on the vaccination records of some of our students. The higher vaccination rate can help us to run school operations smoothly. If you have not submitted the updated record, please update it through Veracross.

I look forward to having a great academic year.

Best regards

Jaspal Singh
Chief Administrative Officer
Email

Leavers and Newcomers 2022/23

Leavers in August & September 2022

It has been an honor to work with you and we are sorry to see you leave. We wish you every success for your future!

August 2022

Anita Lam Head of Accounting
Vicky Ngo Secretary – English Secondary Department
Jacqueline Tam Office Assistant
Steve Tam Facilities Officer
Tanya Schindler Counsellor

 

September 2022
Natasha Ngai Operations and Procurement Coordinator
Susana Mercado Administrative Assistant

 

New Staff in August 2022

We are very pleased to introduce the new staff of GSIS. We are excited to have you join our GSIS community and we are looking forward to create new memories together.

HR Team

Email

Cafeteria - Lunch Menu September 2022

Dear Students and Parents,

We are very pleased to see all our students back on campus after a relaxing summer break.

Chartwells Compass Group Hong Kong Limited has been our catering service provider for many years and we are grateful for their commitment to GSIS and continue offering their services to our GSIS community.

Like in the past, monthly lunch menus will be published via our GSIS Gazette, so please find attached information to the September 2022 lunch menus for our Secondary and Primary Students.

Alternatively you can also find further information on our website under the following link: www.gsis.edu.hk/aboutus/campuses-facilities/cafeteria.

Currently hot lunches will be provided in take-away boxes.  Each day Secondary students can choose between four different hot dishes, including a vegetarian option. The prices per each meal remain at HK$35, HK$ 37 and HK$39 respectively for this academic year 2022/2023 and are payable by Octopus card only when lunch is collected. No cash payment will be accepted.

In addition to hot lunches Secondary students can also choose from a wide range of ciabattas, croissants and other snacks including smoothies at our coffee corner.

Primary parents are welcome to pre-order hot lunches for their child/children who are participating in courses in lesson 9 and 10, once our Primary course programme has started from Monday, 19 September 2022 onwards.

Please click on the link below for your respective pre-order:

Primary Pre-Order Form September 2022

Social distancing rules while eating and drinking still apply and need to be obeyed at all times.

For further questions please feel free to contact directly Mr Ariel CHAN, Operations Manager, Compass Group Hong Kong Limited, under the following email address: gsis@compass-hk.com .

With kind regards,

Angelin, Emily, Natasha and Conny
Student Services Team

Angelin, Emily, Natasha and Conny
Student Services Team
Email

Attachments

https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GSIS__Sep15-30_2022_Primary-Students.pdf, https://www.gsis.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GSIS_September-2022_Secondary-Students.pdf

GSIS - ALBA BERLIN BASKETBALL ACADEMY – Saturday Classes

- GIRLS -

Saturday Sessions – A, B & C Grade (year groups Y07-Y09 & K06-K08 AND Y10-Y13 & K09-K12) 

(Two separate training groups practicing simultaneously)

Date: 9 Saturdays: 24.9., 8.10., 15.10., 22.10., 29.10., 5.11., 12.11., 19.11., 3.12.

Time: 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Location: GSIS Peak Campus, Sports hall Lower Building (L401)

Cost: HKD 7,300 (including ALBA BERLIN practice jersey & shorts)

 

- BOYS -

Saturday Sessions – A, B & C Grade (year groups Y07-Y09 & K06-K08 AND Y10-Y13 & K09-K12) 

(Two separate training groups practicing simultaneously)

Date: 9 Saturdays: 24.9., 8.10., 15.10., 22.10., 29.10., 5.11., 12.11., 19.11., 3.12.

Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Location: GSIS Peak Campus, Sports hall Lower Building (L401)

Cost: HKD 7,300 (including ALBA BERLIN practice jersey & shorts)

Enrolment will be open between 2 September 2022 (10:00 am) and 7 September 2022 (10:00 am) through the Schoolsbuddy system.

SIGN UP HERE!

What are the ALBA BERLIN Basketball Academy Saturday Classes?

During ALBA BERLIN’s Saturday Basketball Classes at GSIS, professional coaches focus on strengthening the basics and teaching more advanced technical and tactical skills based on ALBA’s successful youth curriculum while educating about important values on and off the court. Differential teaching methods are essential components here, focusing on decision-making tasks with a strong translation to the demands of today's basketball game. This lays the important foundation for further involvement in advanced basketball activities at GSIS such as future league competitions. For each school term and age group the Saturday Basketball Classes are limited to 12 participants to secure high-quality practices, allowing the coaches to pay sufficient attention to each student athlete. Participating students should be familiar with the general rules and basic skills of basketball. ALBA BERLIN Basketball Academy coaches speak German, English and Mandarin.

Who is ALBA BERLIN?

ALBA BERLIN is the most popular and successful basketball club in Germany with both top teams in the male and female department playing in the domestic first league. Founded in 1989, ALBA BERLIN has become the largest basketball club with also the largest and most successful youth program in Germany. Overall the ALBA youth program developed over 40 youth players into professional basketball players. The most prominent faces of the ALBA BERLIN youth program are the two brothers Moritz and Franz Wagner, who were ALBA BERLIN members for several years and now play for the Orlando Magic in the NBA and the German national team.

What is the ALBA BERLIN Basketball Academy Asia?

ALBA BERLIN is the only German basketball club represented in Asia with a track record of over 10 years of successful basketball projects conducted in countries such as China, Japan or Singapore. The ALBA BERLIN Basketball Academy Asia aims to enrich the educational landscape at GSIS, with its academy curriculum providing a holistic and educational approach to the sport of basketball. The academy activities give students access to fun and high quality learning experiences on and off the basketball court. This concept serves GSIS students in the best possible way through nurturing a lifelong passion for basketball and offering access to the exclusive network of Germany’s most successful basketball franchise, which transcends the often one-dimensional scope of traditional sports programs in Hong Kong.

Who are the ALBA BERLIN coaches at GSIS?

ALBA BERLIN Asia Business Director and Head Coach Thomas Vogel and professional basketball player and ALBA BERLIN Asia Project Coordinator Tommy Nixon will be in charge of the basketball activities at GSIS.

Berlin born Thomas Vogel has been with German basketball powerhouse ALBA BERLIN for 10 years and his passion for basketball as a competitive player, coach, physical education teacher, university lecturer and business director has taken him all across Europe, the United States and Asia. Now operating out of Hong Kong, he is in charge of managing the ALBA BERLIN Basketball Academy Asia and oversees all basketball projects throughout Asia ranging from the grassroots to the professional level.

Vancouver born Tommy Nixon currently plays basketball professionally for Hong Kong’s most successful basketball club SCAA () in the first division of the local Hong Kong Basketball Association (HKBA). As a former representative of Canada’s national team and through his extensive  coaching track-record backed by a degree in sports education from the University of British Columbia, Tommy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to GSIS.

Angelin and Conny
Student Services Team
Email

German International Stream

From Head of Stream

Dear Parents

Welcome to the school year 2022/23. What a stormy start! Yesterday's Typhoon T8 shook things up quite a bit. I hope you and your children had a restful summer and saw family, friends, and the world outside Hong Kong after a long time. For many of you, the quarantine reduction on re-entry was perhaps the unexpected bonus at the end of a lovely summer. Now we can face the challenges of the new school year together.

I would especially like to welcome the new faces in the German International Stream: 65 students, nine colleagues and two youth volunteers. I am pleased that again 14 children have successfully passed the entrance exams for our lateral entry programmes CLIPPY and Fasttrack and have now joined the German education pathway with the goal of the Abitur (DIA). Mr Udo Krebs will strengthen our school management team as Head of German Secondary. I wish them all a good start in Hong Kong and at our school.

It is great that we have been able to start the school year with face-to-face lessons, albeit the continued restrictions in various areas of our school life. Once again, our colleagues have done their utmost to make the first day of school a special one for our students. Classrooms have been lovingly prepared and extensive arrangements have been made to host some of our traditional welcome events and the K01 enrolment ceremony. I am sure your children will remember these first impressions with pleasure. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all staff members for their special commitment to making this possible.

We, the staff of the German International Stream, look forward to working with you to further develop our stream and the existing concepts together and to create moments that we can look back on with pride in the coming year.

Here is to good cooperation and a successful school year.

Yours

Grit Cichon
Deputy Principal / Head of German International Stream
Email

Kindergarten Corner

​​WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL YEAR 2022/2023

Dear Parents

On behalf of all our Kindergarten staff members, we welcome you to a new and exciting School year at our Pok Fu Lam Campus.

We had a successful 1st day at school, and the bus arrivals and dismissals went smoothly. We appreciate and are delighted with the vibrant and lively atmosphere our youngest students bring to our Campus.

The Early Years play an essential role, as they lay the foundation for your child’s education. We all hope for an undisturbed typical school year to provide the excellent education your child/children deserve.

Our outstanding Team of Teachers and assistants will do their utmost to support your children's personal development and provide exciting and fun-filled learning experiences for them.

Together as a Team, Ms Mah and I are here for you, and if you have any questions and suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the email address below.

SBurdel@gsis.edu.hk  EMah@gsis.edu.hk 

Enjoy your weekend. 

With kind regards

Sophie Burdel
Head of Kindergarten
Email

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

Departmental News and Announcements

No updates / announcements this week

Primary Corner

Dear Parents,

I was so happy to welcome the students back to school at the Peak and Pok Fu Lam Campus on Wednesday. Everyone seemed refreshed after the Summer break and happy to have had more opportunities to travel. The children were all very excited to be back, to see their friends again and to meet their new teachers. 

I was also delighted to be able to hold the DVOR welcome celebration at the Pok Fu Lam campus and the Einschulungsfeier of K01 at the Peak Campus. As always, the children were thrilled with their Schultüten and they had fun exploring a range of activities in the classroom.

A special welcome goes to all our brand-new families. It was a pleasure to get to know you on Tuesday, and we look forward to getting to know you better next year.

New teachers

I am happy to introduce to you our new teachers, who were very excited to get to know all our students. 

NADINE GREUTER - K04B

I am Nadine Greuter, and the school year 2022/23 is my first at GSIS. Before moving to Hong Kong in early 2021, I lived in the Canton of Zurich in Switzerland and worked as a substitute teacher at various schools.
Initially, before becoming a teacher, I studied Criminal Justice and learned helpful strategies that are also useful in my daily life as a teacher. I worked at a local public school in Hong Kong until joining GSIS.
My biggest passion is food. I love to cook and enjoy the many great and diverse restaurants. I love to read and go for long walks when I'm not eating.

JULIA WAHLMÜLLER - Clippy

Servus! My name is Julia Wahlmüller, and I am from Austria. I am the teacher of the Clippy class and I teach German as a foreign language at GSIS starting this school year. During my studies to become a primary school teacher, I discovered my passion for teaching German as a foreign language and decided to pursue a degree in this field as well.
After teaching at an international school in Vienna for the last 4 years, I am looking forward to this new adventure here in Hong Kong. I love to teach children a new language and help them make it their own. I am especially motivated by the children's smiles when they can communicate in German for the first time.

PETRA FROMMANN - K02 Maths

Hi, my name is Petra Frommann. I have become a teacher because I have always been fascinated by kids. I just like to be with them and watch them. I enjoy getting to know them and finding access to their hearts. Usually, that happens quite fast. Once I know their souls, I feel what I can do to support them to feel comfortable and to grow.
This school year 2022/23 is my first at GSIS. I am looking forward to my very first experience in a school abroad, to new colleagues, to my team partner Gabi and to her second grade, of course.
I come from Wuerzburg, a northern Bavarian town where you can find delicious wines. Before coming to HK in 2018, I lived a few years a little further south, in Nuremberg.

Google Sites - Class Homepage

Next Friday, September 2nd,  links will be shared, and we will resume communication through the class Google Sites. You will find more information about your child's teachers, the timetable and the first photos. After that, you will find an update at the beginning of every month.
Due to security reasons, the Google Sites - class homepage can only be accessed by the respective Google password of your child. I suggest you save your child's Google Account information on your phone and computer for easy access.

Parents' evenings & KPR Elections

We continue to adapt our plans based on the latest guidelines from the EDB and CHP. According to the latest updates, we will be able to hold our parent's evenings in person. If any of you are keen to put yourselves forward as KPR for your child’s class, share it with your class parents group - it makes the whole event much smoother if we have volunteers in advance.

Date & Time Event Venue
Friday

2.9. 2022

Class and Subject Google Sites published Online
Thursday, 

8.9.2022

DVOR parents' evening and KPR Election Pok Fu Lam hall Classrooms
Tuesday, 13.9.2022 17:15 K03/K04 Information event “English and Mandarin”

18:00 K03/ K04 parents´ evening and KPR Election

Peak Atrium

Classrooms

Thursday, 15.9.2022 17:15 K01/K02 Information event “English”

18:00 K01/ K02 parents´ evening and KPR Election

Peak Atrium

Classrooms

I look forward to meeting many of you at the upcoming events, and I wish you a wonderful year of learning ahead.

Priska Erni
Head of German Primary Department
Email

Beate Weinhardt
Deputy Head of German Primary Department
Email

Departmental News and Announcements

GPD and EPD Peak Campus - Student Dental Service / Student Health Service 2022-2023


Secondary Corner

Dear School Community

A warm welcome to the new school year!

My name is Udo Krebs and I am the new Head of German Secondary at GSIS. I look forward to meeting you all and successfully guiding the GSD students through secondary school.

I am a father of 4 children (now in their adult & teenage years) and arrived in Hong Kong together with my wife and three of our children in early August.

I teach Mathematics, Physical Education and Computer Science and teaching is an essential part of my life. I have been teaching at schools and universities in Germany and the US for over 15 years. GSIS is my second school abroad as a teacher. I am looking forward to contributing my experience and learning new things.

In my daily contact with children and adults, the ability for tolerance and mutual respect is very important to me. Therefore, my teaching philosophy is based on treating each student with respect and perceiving each of them as individuals. Only this way it is possible to discover strengths and weaknesses and to bring out the best in everyone. My goal is to help students succeed beyond school and beyond the classroom.

"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves." (Thomas A. Edison)

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter of introduction. I look forward to embarking on a closely and trustworthy cooperation with you.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach me by email at ukrebs@gsis.edu.hk or by phone during school hours at (852) 2825-8135.

With best regards,

Udo Krebs
Head of German Secondary Department
Email

Departmental News and Announcements

Senior Library - Updates

Secondary ECA programme sign-up 2022

Music Instruments to borrow

English International Stream

From Head of Stream

Dear Parents

Welcome Back to school! It was wonderful to see all the students return this morning following a day of home preparation due to Storm Ma-on. Our community is certainly feeling optimistic and hoping for a more familiar year ahead; we look forward to working with you to sustain this positive attitude both at home and school.

New Staff Induction

Last week we ran a three-day induction programme for all our new staff. They proved themselves to be a friendly, dynamic and committed group of professionals who will be a real asset to our school. Please make them feel welcome.

Tremendous Results

The summer break was a time when students in Year 13 and Year 11 received their IB Diploma and I/GCSE results. I am sure that you have already seen the high achievement of all our Year 13 graduates on our website; this has now been matched by the achievements of our Year 11 students whose Cambridge IGCSE & Edexcel GCSE were published over the past week. A quick snapshot for those of you who may have missed this:

IB Diploma             APS 41 points  100% pass rate

65.5% achieved 40+ points     Four bilingual Diplomas

IAS                               7 As                 100% pass rate

IGCSE [CIE]            95% A* to A    100% pass rate

GCSE [Edexcel]      95% 9 to 7       100% pass rate

These superb results need to be considered within the context of examination boards’ readjustment of grade boundaries this sitting to ease grade inflation over recent years, particularly in the UK. It is clear that GSIS has maintained exceptionally high standards in all final examinations with our I/GCSE results representing the best in the school’s history. Given the protracted periods of online learning, general uncertainty of recent years and sitting public examinations during ongoing restrictions, these results should engender tremendous pride in our school. A huge thank you to all our staff who supported and guided students throughout these challenging times, often within unfamiliar conditions for learning.

New Parents Event

It was a joy to meet all students and parents new to the school in person earlier this week. Whilst the young people were receiving a bespoke tour of the Middle and Lower Building by our prefects, parents were addressed by our Community Committee and KPR Secretaries; thanks to Miriam Reichmuth, Koko Mueller & Jasmin Blunck for taking the time to connect with our community

One point that was highlighted during this event was our collective aim to build student agency over their time with us. We believe that students need to be increasingly responsible for their own learning by building an understanding of the strategies for success. This can prove difficult to attain if large sections of their lives are organised for them, particularly at secondary school, as they never make or learn from mistakes or misjudgements. The young people who attend GSIS are remarkable individuals, and we believe that we provide a dynamic and challenging environment for them to grow cognitively as well as socially and emotionally. We look forward to building trustful relationships with parents within a supportive community that are focused on the best interests of the individual children so that they genuinely flourish.

Please do take a look at this 10-minute TED Talk from Julie Lythcott Haims (NYC November 2015) who articulates this philosophy very well:  https://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?language=en

Discovery Week 2022

This year’s Secondary School Discovery Week will follow a similar structure to last year and will be focused on the three days just before the mid-term break in October. As the quarantine restrictions continue to be in place, albeit reduced, and international travel is less than predictable, we are still not able to arrange overseas trips although we remain hopeful that we can relaunch this feature of the programme in 2023. Further details about the activities and trips will be shared via a website in mid-September for students to sign up.

We’re very much looking forward to another great year of learning and growth as well as building back a range of events that will build school spirit and community.

I look forward to meeting with many of you over the coming weeks and months.

Best wishes

Simon Misso-Veness
Deputy Principal / Head of English International Stream
Email

Kindergarten Corner

​​WELCOME TO THE SCHOOL YEAR 2022/2023

Dear Parents

On behalf of all our Kindergarten staff members, we welcome you to a new and exciting School year at our Pok Fu Lam Campus.

We had a successful 1st day at school, and the bus arrivals and dismissals went smoothly. We appreciate and are delighted with the vibrant and lively atmosphere our youngest students bring to our Campus.

The Early Years play an essential role, as they lay the foundation for your child’s education. We all hope for an undisturbed typical school year to provide the excellent education your child/children deserve.

Our outstanding Team of Teachers and assistants will do their utmost to support your children's personal development and provide exciting and fun-filled learning experiences for them.

Together as a Team, Ms Mah and I are here for you, and if you have any questions and suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the email address below.

SBurdel@gsis.edu.hk  EMah@gsis.edu.hk 

Enjoy your weekend. 

With kind regards

Sophie Burdel
Head of Kindergarten
Email

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

Departmental News and Announcements

No updates / announcements this week

Primary Corner

Dear Parents,

I was so happy to welcome the students back to school at the Peak Campus on Wednesday. Everyone seemed refreshed after the Summer break and happy to have had more opportunity to travel. The children were all very excited to be back, to see their friends again and to meet their new teachers. Going around the school there was a definite buzz from every classroom and I was treated to many wonderful stories of their holiday adventures!

I was also delighted to be able to hold the Year 1 welcome celebration at the Pok Fu Lam campus. As always, the children were thrilled with their 'Schultüten' and they had fun exploring a range of activities in the classroom and playground. I greatly enjoyed meeting the year 1 parents at our information session and look forward to a fantastic year ahead.

Although we were all disappointed that the T8 prevented us from being at school yesterday, the teachers did an excellent job of preparing the children and I hope your extra day at home went as smoothly as our first day at school.

Google Sites

Next Friday, September 2nd,  links will be shared and we will resume communication through the class and subject Google Sites. This year, information about learning will be shared and updated in units, rather than weekly. Teachers will contact individual classes when the information has been updated. Although updates will be less frequent, there will be more useful information about how you can support your children with their learning and you will have a better overview of the learning taking place over several weeks. Photographs will continue to be uploaded regularly. 

KPR Elections

We continue to adapt our plans based on the latest guidelines from the EDB and CHP. According to the latest updates, we will be able to hold our ‘Meet the Teacher and KPR election’ sessions in person, although we will only be able to accommodate 1 parent per child due to social distancing requirements. 

If any of you are keen to put yourselves forward as KPR for your child’s class, please email the class teacher to let them know you are interested - it makes the whole event much smoother if we have volunteers in advance. 

Important dates

Date & Time Event Venue
Friday 2nd September

15:00

Class and Subject Google Sites published Online - links to be shared
Wednesday 7th September

16:30 - 17:30

Meet the teacher and KPR Election for Y01 Pok Fu Lam hall
Thursday 8th September 

16:30 - 17:30

Meet the teacher and KPR Election for Y02

Meet the teacher and KPR Election for Y03

Peak Atrium

Peak Sports hall

Thursday 8th September 

17:30 - 18:30

Meet the teacher and KPR Election for Y04

Meet the teacher and KPR Election for Y05

Meet the teacher and KPR Election for Y06

Peak Atrium

Peak Sports hall

Peak Y6 Hub

I look forward to meeting many of you at the upcoming Meet the Teacher / KPR election events and I wish you a wonderful year of learning ahead.

Donna Morley
Head of English Primary Department
Email

Eleanor Cowling
Deputy Head of English Primary Department
Email

Departmental News and Announcements

GPD and EPD Peak Campus - Student Dental Service / Student Health Service 2022-2023


Secondary Corner

Dear Parents & Students

Welcome back. I hope that you have had a wonderful summer and are refreshed and recharged and ready for the new academic year. 

It was great to see the Y12 and Y07 students on campus enjoying their first day of the IB Diploma or of Secondary School respectively. Unfortunately, the recent typhoon (almost a GSIS tradition to have one of these in week one!) meant that the start for other yeargroups was delayed but if that is the greatest challenge or disruption we shall face this year, then that is all to the good.

A huge congratulations to all students who wrote public exams last term. The results, now received, are nothing short of outstanding and all of the students have done themselves proud. Thank you to the teachers for guiding and advising their students so effectively.

We very much hope for a more ‘normal’ (whatever that means) year in 2022-23 and I encourage all students, and indeed parents, to approach the year positively and optimistically and to take advantage of all the opportunities that our school has to offer.

I would also like to formally welcome all our new students and staff. In the latter category, we welcome Helen Ta (Head of Student Support), Andrew Hull (Head of Art); Yenga Yan (Chemistry); Clara Tai (Maths); Kate Moran (English); Philip Truman (Geography) as well as Sabrina Chan (ESD Secretary). I wish all new students and staff a happy and productive start to their time at GSIS.

Best wishes for a successful start to the year and, as always, please reach out via email if you have any questions or concerns.

RAT tests and temperature checks

I do not wish to belabour the point made by the Principal and our Admin team on various occasions, but please could all parents ensure that the RAT and temperature check is done every morning prior to leaving for school, and that the results are logged through our Parent Portal (Veracross). If the early morning is inconvenient, you may do the test, check and log the evening before (but after 8pm).

We realise that this is onerous, but it is required by the authorities. If students do not have their daily record submitted, they do miss a significant part of lesson 1 whilst we go through the checking process. This is not ideal for students or staff.

Hopefully, we will see restrictions ease in the months to come.

ECA Signup Will open next Wednesday. Please see the article from our Student Services team in this week's gazette for more information. The activities will, in the main, begin on the week of September 12th.

KPR Meetings and Elections will be held on Mon 5th and Tue 6th of September. Invitations will be sent out next week. 

A reminder that Absences should be reported by parents (not students) to Ms Chan, our ESD secretary (esd_secretary@gsis.edu.hk), ideally before the start of the school day. Please also cc the Class Teacher. Alternatively, you may also call our school office 2849 6216. 

If a student is caught in quarantine or is under isolation, but is otherwise healthy and able to engage with school, we will arrange for work and notes to be provided via Google Classroom. Any such students should reach out to their Class Teacher or Head of Year to make the necessary arrangements or to seek advice.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

Ken Stevenson
Head of English Secondary Department
Email

Departmental News and Announcements

Senior Library - Updates

Secondary ECA programme sign-up 2022

Music Instruments to borrow

TOP