CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- Schoolwide News
- German International Stream
- English International Stream
- Student Achievements & Initiatives
- Highlights of the Week
Dear School Community
The whole school is currently in an intensive teaching-learning mode. Teachers and students focus on covering the curriculum's learning content without forgetting that the joy of learning is the most significant influencing factor for successful learning.
Celebration Assembly
On Tuesday, the school community held a celebration assembly in honour of our late colleague Charles Yorke. Charles' wife and the Chairman of the Boards, Jonathan Shun Wah, also attended the celebration.
With the help of the ESD teachers, our students organised this wonderful event, which included many touching speeches and a musical performance by the students of Charles' favourite band, "Guns N Roses". Everyone realised the finite nature of our existence. Rather than wait until tomorrow, we should give someone a smile, a compliment, or encouragement today. Our dear colleague Charles Yorke was a great representative of this philosophy.
The written Abitur
On Wednesday, students of the K12 in the German International Stream completed their Abitur written exams. It was a smooth process, and the students seemed satisfied with their performance. One could see the look of relief and satisfaction on their faces after each completed exam. The students will now return to the teaching phase until May when they will conduct their oral examinations with a representative from the KMK Germany present to supervise the process. I will keep my fingers crossed for all the Abitur students to achieve the fantastic results they deserve.
On a personal note
Yesterday's announcement certainly came as a surprise to many. With a heavy heart, I will leave this exceptional school at the end of this school year. With the excellent team, we will guarantee a smooth transition. I am grateful for all your support, patience, and understanding.
With best regards
Dr Dirk Bennhardt Principal |
We are excited to bring back the much-loved Soloist Concerts. These are scheduled for the following dates and times.
Year 2 – Friday, 3 March, 9:30 am – 10:45 am
Year 3 – Thursday, 2 March, 7:40 am – 9:00 am
Year 4 – Thursday, 2 March, 9:30 am – 10:45 am
Year 5 – Thursday, 2 March, 11:15 am – 12:30 pm
These concerts are an opportunity for us to celebrate the musical journey of those who are learning to play an instrument, whether they are beginners or advanced players. It is voluntary and each performer can play ONE piece on the instrument they learn or a child can choose to sing a song. If your child learns more than one instrument, they can choose to perform on each one. It is only for soloists, not duets or groups. If your child requires accompaniment, it is your responsibility to arrange for the accompanist to attend the concert. I will be sending out a Google form for you to register your child and to indicate how many guests will attend to watch the concert.
Twilight Soiree - 30 March, 6:00 pm (Upper Building Atrium)
This will be a simple concert featuring the Primary Orchestra and the Junior and Senior Primary Choirs. Because the Orchestra has not yet had a performance opportunity this year, I thought we could gather for an evening of beautiful music and show our appreciation for their hard work and early morning rehearsals. The concert will be approximately 45 minutes and we will follow with snacks so we can catch up and chat for a while. More details will follow.
Summer Festival - 19 May (IB Hall)
This will be the final concert for the year and our first big event for four years. It will feature the Primary Orchestra, The Junior and Senior Primary Choirs, and some other surprises. More details will soon be sent out.
Donna Morley Head of English Primary School |
We are very excited to have our seventh Wellbeing Week this year from 20 to 24 February. After the last challenging years with online working/learning and being isolated and separated from each other our focus is on reconnection with one another and building healthy relationships. We are offering an exciting programme for the whole school community and hope you can attend some of the workshops and learn something new, or practice just self-care during this week.
To start the week on a fun note and in wellbeing colours we are inviting the whole school community to dress up in green, which suits quite well with the German tradition of Fasching or Karneval which happens to be on 20 February (Rosenmontag).
Parents Talk
There will be a parents talk by Dr. Gracemary Leung, which we will be offering to parents of students of both Primary and Secondary streams, on the topic of effective strategies when responding to the emotional and psychological needs of their teenagers. It is the first session of a 3-part series, held on Thursday, 23 February (6:30-7:30 pm) in the IB Hall. If you would be interested please sign up via the link in the invitation you got via email. The next two talks in the series will be held on 8 and 22 March.
Student Workshops
We are very happy to have Mind HK and Kely Support Group as our workshop provider for the students this year. The workshops for the students (Y7-Y13/K06-K12) will run on Wednesday, 22 and Friday, 24 February during WW. Mind Mental Health Hong Kong Limited (“Mind HK”) and KELY Support Group (“KELY”), are a charitable organisation that promote mental health awareness, support and understanding for youth in Hong Kong and those around them. As part of their initiative, they have developed student mental health training to help young people better understand what mental health is, how to develop support for positive mental health, and how to identify if they are struggling, and how to ask for support.
Student Activities
The idea of this years well-being week is to connect with each other through fun activities. During the whole week our students have the chance to try different activities during the break-times. Teachers are volunteering to offer these activities throughout the week! The activities will run before school, in the first, second and the lunch break Monday-Friday. The students are allowed to join any of these activities for as long, or short as they like. The timetable of the activities will also be given to the students via email and displayed on the TVs around school during WW. Besides the break time activities offered by teachers, the students will have a choice of break time activities offered by outside providers during the lunch breaks where they have to sign up beforehand, like Yoga, Capoeira, drumming or K-Pop dance.
Jeanette Dellinger School Counsellor |
ADMISSION INFORMATION SESSIONS
Spring Into U of T - UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (ONLINE & OFFLINE)
During Spring Into U of T, students can register for a campus visit, attend a virtual information session, or connect with recruitment staff and current students. Register here.
The Universities of Bath, Cardiff, Exeter, Keele, Lancaster, and Warwick (ONLINE)
Joint online conferences aimed at providing information, advice, and guidance on what different courses are available and how to apply when students are considering university. Please register here.
Dates: Saturday, 11 March & Saturday, 10 June 2023
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 pm HKT (10:00 - 13:00 UK time)
ENRICHMENT & ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Enrichment & Summer Programs - UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (ONLINE & OFFLINE)
Sign-up for our Enrichment & Summer Programs which are offered on all three U of T campuses on a wide range of topics. For more information, please click here.
Boston University Summer Journalism Academy
If you are thinking about a career in communications or simply enjoy writing, you may consider the Boston University Summer Journalism Academy hosted by Boston University College of Communication.
To know more please click here.
EHL's Junior Academy Camp
Delve into the world of hospitality and luxury brand management with this pre-university course tailored to provide students with a taster of their renowned Bachelor programme. To know more please click here.
Please see all events with full description here.
![]() Claire Wilkins |
![]() Beatrice Ugolini |
Please find attached the March 2023 lunch menus for our Secondary and Primary Students. Alternatively, you can also find further information on our website.
Each day Secondary students can choose between four different hot dishes, including a vegetarian option and a noodle soup option. To complement the main courses, students can also add a dessert and/or soup for an additional HK$10 and/or add an additional portion of protein for an additional HK$15. The prices per 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. Pre-ordered lunches for Primary Students will be delivered to the Upper Building each day at 1:15 pm.
Please click on this link for your respective pre-order. Primary Pre-Order Deadline is Sunday, 26 February 2023.
For further questions please feel free to contact directly Mr Ariel CHAN, Operations Manager, Compass Group Hong Kong Limited, or Mr Baric SO, Unit Manager Chartwells / Compass Group Hong Kong Limited under the following email address: gsis@compass-hk.com.
Angelin, Emily, Minerva and Conny Student Services Team |
Attachments
For the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l’Image, wanted to take a look back at the history of European construction in comic strips. The thirteen comic strip pages that form this exhibition highlight critical events in the history of the European Union.
From the first declaration by Robert Schuman in the Clock Room at the French Foreign Ministry on 9 May 1950 to the first European rocket launch into space and the recent agreement on the Recovery plan for Europe in July 2020, ‘Europe in a Comic Strip’ will show you the great moments that have built Europe as we know it today.
The exhibition will run from Friday, 24 February, to Friday, 10 March 2023, at the reception foyer of the Lower Building.
The GSIS Easter Camp is a wonderful opportunity for GSIS students and siblings to participate in sport and intellectual activities to discover their own strengths and find new interests. We offer a fun-filled Easter break with qualified teachers and a secure environment in our Peak Primary school campus.
Our camp director, Mr. Davidson (Head of Individual Needs and Data Management), along with his team, welcome all students between 5 and 11 years (Y01-Y06 / DVOR-K05) to participate in physical activities (e.g. football, yoga) as well as other fun-filled daily activities (e.g. cooking, arts & crafts, and team trivia challenges).
The GSIS Easter Camp will be held in both English and German, with Mr. Budwill running bilingual sports activities.
When | 3, 4 and 6 April 2023, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm |
Age Range | 5-11 Years (Y01-Y06 / DVOR-K05) |
Camp Location | German Swiss International School, 11 Guildford Road, The Peak |
Camp Fee | HKD 3,500 (GSIS students)
HKD 3,700 (GSIS students’ siblings) |
Camp Registration | From 13 January 2023 until Friday, 10 March 2023 |
![]() GSIS Students Book Here Siblings of GSIS, please contact our Student Services Team regarding booking. |
Additional Notes:
Find out more on our website!
If any questions please contact our Student Services Team by email at ecacoordinator@gsis.edu.hk or afternoonactivities@gsis.edu.hk or by phone on (852) 2180 0506.
Angelin, Emily, Minerva and Conny Student Services Team |
Attachments
No matter how big or small, please join us in our efforts to raise HK$12 million towards our GSIS Annual Fund which will go to help upgrade our building facilities, including the air-conditioning at the Peak Upper Building and Pok Fu Lam campus.
As a not-for-profit institution, the GSIS Annual Fund is a critical component in our continuous effort in delivering a world-class education so please send your monetary gift today as a single or recurring payment which would be tax-deductible.
10% Discount for GSIS Students
The Goethe-Institut Hong Kong is now offering new German language courses for children and teens in the coming term. All current GSIS students can enjoy a 10% discount for any of their German courses.
Helau and Alaaf!!
Today the Kindergarten children celebrated the Fifth Season of the Year, better known as Fasching or Karneval in German-speaking countries. We all had a fun-filled morning with art and craft activities, games, dancing, a candy shower, and a costume parade where every child and staff member could see and admire all the colourful and lovely costumes. In addition, you may check out the GSIS Social Media Post and your shared class drives for amazing photos of today’s celebration!
Here are more events planned for March:
Wednesday, 15 March - Visit by the GSIS Year 10 students, performing “The Gingerbread Man”
Friday, 17 March - KG Sports Day at Stanley Ho Stadium
Monday, 13 to Friday, 24 March - Parents’ Information Days (afternoons)
Wednesday, 29 March - Kindergarten Easter Celebration & Easter Egg Hunt
Thursday, 30 March - Easter Assembly followed by Easter Bonnet Parade
We plan to hold our second KG KPR Meeting before Easter. Kindly contact your class KPR if you wish to address any topics at this meeting.
![]() Sophie Burdel |
![]() Eileen Mah |
Alaaf, Helau and happy Fasching!
Yesterday at the Peak and today in PFL the Fasching fever broke out. It is this time of the year when happiness, joy and a bit of silliness rule the school. The students dressed up and enjoyed the games and songs.
Wellbeing week
The Primary is very excited to host a range of activities for students during our Wellbeing Week this year from the 20 to 24 February 2023. Our focus is on reconnecting with one another and building healthy relationships. Please see below for an overview of what is in store.
Monday - Dress-up day. Wear green!
Tuesday or Wednesday - Mindfulness & Yoga with Amber from Illuminate Kids Wellness*
Thursday - “Plastic Disaster” presentation by Green Sense
Friday - Dancing lessons with the Ballroom Bees (children should wear comfortable / sporty clothes for these activities)
Other wellbeing initiatives
Cross stream / cross department collaborations
Each class will meet with a cross stream / cross department group for a team building activity.
Conflict resolution
Each class will have an activity-based lesson on how resolving conflicts and communicating peacefully contribute to overall wellbeing in our lives. Students will reflect on what words and behaviours contribute to resolving conflicts.
Wellbeing wall
Students can share a photo of themselves participating in the activities and habits that keep them feeling well.
Letters of kindness
Students can write a kind note to someone in our school community and it will be delivered on Friday.
![]() Priska Erni |
![]() Beate Weinhardt |
We are pleased to share five events on vocational training and studies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Hong Kong that are scheduled in the coming weeks:
Business College Hongkong, Wednesday 01.03 //2:00 pm [LB01/02], Presentation will be held in German
Advantage Austria, Tuesday 07.03 // 1:15pm [LB01/02], Presentation will be held in English
Federal Employment Agency, Thursday 16.03 // 1.15pm [Online in LB01/02], Presentation will be held in German
Education Suisse, Tuesday 21.03 // 5:00pm [online], Presentation will be held in English
German Consulate General Hong Kong, Tuesday 28.03 // 5:00pm [online] , Presentation will be held in English
Some of these events are designed specific for the students and their personal development, while some others are aimed for both students and parents. More information to follow soon.
![]() Udo Krebs |
![]() Arnold Leitner |
Helau and Alaaf!!
Today the Kindergarten children celebrated the Fifth Season of the Year, better known as Fasching or Karneval in German-speaking countries. We all had a fun-filled morning with art and craft activities, games, dancing, a candy shower, and a costume parade where every child and staff member could see and admire all the colourful and lovely costumes. In addition, you may check out the GSIS Social Media Post and your shared class drives for amazing photos of today’s celebration!
Here are more events planned for March:
Wednesday, 15 March - Visit by the GSIS Year 10 students, performing “The Gingerbread Man”
Friday, 17 March - KG Sports Day at Stanley Ho Stadium
Monday, 13 to Friday, 24 March - Parents’ Information Days (afternoons)
Wednesday, 29 March - Kindergarten Easter Celebration & Easter Egg Hunt
Thursday, 30 March - Easter Assembly followed by Easter Bonnet Parade
We plan to hold our second KG KPR Meeting before Easter. Kindly contact your class KPR if you wish to address any topics at this meeting.
![]() Sophie Burdel |
![]() Eileen Mah |
Our school counsellors have been working together to plan a Primary & Secondary Wellbeing Week. We are very excited to host a range of activities for students from 20 - 24 February 2023. Our focus is “Reconnecting with one another and building healthy relationships”. Please see below for an overview of what’s in store.
Monday - Dress-up day. Wear green!
Tuesday or Wednesday - Mindfulness & Yoga with Amber from Illuminate Kids Wellness*
Thursday - “Plastic Disaster” presentation by Green Sense
Friday - Dancing lessons with the Ballroom Bees (children should wear comfortable/sporty clothes for these activities)
Other well-being initiatives:
Cross-stream / cross-department collaborations
Each class will meet with a cross-stream / cross-department group for a team building activity.
Conflict resolution
Each class will have an activity-based lesson on how resolving conflicts and communicating peacefully contribute to overall well being. Students will reflect on what words and behaviours contribute to resolving conflicts.
Wellness wall
Students are asked to share a photo of themselves participating in the activities and habits that keep them feeling well to be displayed in school.
Letters of kindness
Students can write a kind note to someone in our school community and it will be delivered on Friday.
We thank Ms. Marquard & Ms. Neumann-Hillebrand for all of their hard work, and we look forward to a fantastic Wellbeing Week 2023!
![]() Donna Morley |
![]() Eleanor Cowling |
Julian Lewis (House Coordinator, Head of PE, Physical Education Teacher)
Our students competed in the ISSFHK U20 fencing competition last weekend. They achieved some great results for the open-age category - congratulations!
Paula Wymond (Head Y10 & Y11, Physical Education Teacher)
The GSIS girl's tennis team came runner-up in the ISSFHK finals at the Hong Kong Country Club. A great effort and congratulations!
Brendan Ghazavi-Gill (English Teacher, Extended Essay Coordinator)
GSIS Kapow Cross Country runners competed on Friday, 3 February 2023, in the ISSFHK Cross Country championships, achieving an overall position of seventh amongst 26 schools. Our best categories included the Under-20 Females coming third in their category (Natalie Chan, Charlotte de Jong, Camille Vong, Kelly Wong) and Under-14 Males coming third (Jack Colin-Jones, Kevin Shah, Palash Sheethal Kumar, Kyle Shih, Chenming Song, Kristopher Suratkal). It is appropriate to give a special mention to Charlotte de Jong and Jack Colin-Jones for two excellent performances against extremely talented opponents.
I would like to give a special thanks to those who turn up each week to help build a community of growth and self-improvement. Thank you!
Chenyang Zhang ()
Grace Tianyao Zhang of Y10D participated recently in the ‘All HK Youth Visual Arts & Painting Competition 2022’ sponsored by HKCCI and won a Golden award for her Chinese traditional painting ‘Lotus’ in her age group.