CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- Schoolwide News
- German International Stream
- English International Stream
- Highlights of the Week
Dear school community
We have had a busy two weeks and are all looking forward to the Easter holidays.
Peer review – Satisfaction
Last week at GSIS, we hosted education inspectors from Jakarta, Taipei and Silicon Valley at the school. They conducted a so-called "Peer Review" in preparation for the scheduled Bund-Länder Inspektion (BLI - Federal State Inspection) in November of this year. The inspectors visited lessons and completed several surveys and interviews. From their feedback, the students are very content with the school, which confirms what I feel every day when I look at all the happy faces. I, therefore, look confidently towards the upcoming BLI inspection.
School Tuition Increase
An excellent school requires adequate resources to meet all needs. These needs include resources to pay teachers, maintain the learning environment, and various learning supplies. We have already communicated via several channels that we will need to offset the increased costs with an increase in tuition fees again for the upcoming school year. The tuition fee increase for the academic year 2023-24 will be 5%, subject to the EDB's approval. As the Principal, I thank the school community for their support and understanding. In the future, we will continue to be as economical with the available resources as possible to achieve the best for our students.
IB Exhibition, Spring concert and CPD Day
Last week two remarkable events occurred at school: the IB Art Exhibition and the Spring Concert. First, I would like to thank all the students, the Faculty, and everyone involved for the outstanding achievement. Then, on Saturday, after a busy week, we held our Faculty Continuous Professional Development Day, a further step toward a positive contribution to the school's development.
I wish you a happy Easter and relaxing holidays.
Dr Dirk Bennhardt Principal |
1) Middlebury & Hamilton Universities Visit
2) Talk on Canadian Universities by the University of Calgary
3) John Hopkins University Visit
More details about the above university guidance events can be found here.
4) US Liberal Arts College Fair (In-Person)
Join representatives from eight US liberal arts colleges for an in-person college fair in HK.
5) Information Session for international students - Kyushu University (Online)
Attend this session to know more about the science undergraduate program.
6) Destinations Conference - The University of Bristol (Online)
The University of Bristol is excited to invite you to its Destinations Conference this summer.
1) The 17th Lau Oi Wah Memorial Science Lecture Series
Talk 1: The Secret of Splashing by Prof. XU Lei (Dept. of Physics)
Talk 2: Nanoscience around You by Prof. CHEN Ye (Dept. of Chemistry)
2) CityU - Learning Classroom For Secondary School Students
CityU is offering a range of interesting classes for the Easter holidays.
3) Summer Institute 2023 - CUHK
CUHK’s Summer Institute is offering a wide range of short courses this summer.
4) Science Academy for Young Talent, Summer Courses 2023 - CUHK
Applications are invited for 20 different science summer courses this summer.
5) Bucknell Academy Summer Experience (Base)
Explore the value of a liberal arts perspective in making challenging decisions to improve today’s world.
6) Bocconi Summer School 2023
Study leading-edge subjects taught by faculty members of a top European University.
7) Pre-Vet Summer School 2023 - Royal Veterinary College
Applications are now open for PVSS to be held in July.
8) Investin STEM & Summer Experiences
Participate in an exclusive summer with world-class professionals across 10 STEM industries.
Please find the details for all events in the attached PDF.
![]() Claire Wilkins |
![]() Beatrice Ugolini |
Attachments
What is it that separates people from achieving their goals from those who don’t? In 2022, Charles R. Snyder, an American professor who specialized in Positive Psychology, suggested in an influential paper that there are two obstacles:
1). Not believing we can achieve our goals
2). Not identifying the pathways to achieve them
It is recommended that we should start by asking ourselves; ‘why do we want to achieve this goal?’ When you connect your goal to a ‘why’ a few things happen:
To understand the ‘why’ behind a goal you’ve set, try this statement: ‘I want to _______so that I can_______’. Getting to the ‘why’ can be an emotional experience, but once it is clear, commitment to your goal is strengthened. When trying to achieve our goals, it is helpful to utilize some helpful tips:
Once we look at setting goals this way, achieving them no longer seems impossible! We just need to remember the cognitive short-cut of Goals, Pathways, and Agency!
Dominique Talebli ESD Counsellor |
The Reading Promotion Project aims to encourage students to develop an interest in reading, and to foster this passion through various activities, involving games, displays and book quizzes. The “Book Bento” exhibition was held in Term 1, in which we offered a visual representation and highlights of the RPP team’s favourite books.
Our project in Term 2 revolved around the idea of an interactive “Book Escape” challenge. The participants were asked to visit five stations and answer multiple-choice questions on a specific book featured at each station. Correct answers allowed participants to collect letters. With those letters, they had to come up with the “escape word”, which meant the successful completion of the challenge. Throughout the activity, participants experienced the thrill and competition, whilst getting a chance to learn about engrossing titles that they might find interesting.
The winners were awarded chocolate bars. Participants have reflected on their enjoyment and the thrill during the whole process, marking our success in achieving the initial goal of this activity.
We certainly hope that through our efforts, we are able to raise awareness of the importance of reading and inspire more young minds to stimulate their interest in reading. If you have any suggestions for our future projects or simply want to discuss some reading experiences, you are always welcome to share your thoughts with us!
Reported by Joanna Yan (Y07B)
Caroline Chan |
We are pleased to inform you that the school bus tendering process has been completed and Kwoon Chung Motors Limited has been selected to provide the school’s bus services for the next two academic years (2023/24 and 2024/25). Please note that the school bus service provider, Lau Hon Por (School Bus Services) Limited, for the Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung District remains unchanged.
If you plan to use the school bus service in the next academic year, please be informed that enrollment with Kwoon Chung Motors Limited (KCM) will start on Friday, 5 May 2023 and the application deadline will be Friday, 9 June 2023. Further information including enrollment procedure, enrolment form, price lists, communication protocol, terms & conditions and FAQs will be sent to all parents in due course.
The enrollment form for the Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung District serviced by Lau Hon Por Schools Bus Services Limited will be published on the GSIS website at the end of April 2023. Please also look out for an update from the Student Services Team or view our website for any further notifications.
We also would like to thank the entire operations team from Synergy Travel Services Limited for their dedication and commitment to GSIS in the last two academic years.
Angelin, Emily, Minerva and Conny Student Services Team |
The GSIS Annual Fund
Our goal is to create a 'community of giving' which can come in many different ways. Because every contribution counts, we are grateful for the support thus far towards our GSIS Annual Fund.
In addition to personal donations where we continue to welcome your generosity, alternative ways to show your support is by incorporating a GSIS education into your corporate philanthropy efforts. Many community members have successful careers and businesses, and we ask that you join us in this shared commitment to help raise money for the school. We are looking for partners in any of the following ways:
No matter how big or small, your invaluable support would make a tremendous impact on the GSIS community. Please reach out to the Advancement team at advancement@gsis.edu.hk or 2825 8116.
The Goethe-Institut Hong Kong opened its doors in 1963 as the official German cultural institute in Hong Kong and now celebrates 60 years of cultural exchange and collaboration between Germany and Hong Kong. Find out more on their website!
10% Discount for GSIS Students
The Goethe-Institut Hong Kong is now offering new German language courses for children and teens. All current GSIS students can enjoy a 10% discount for any of their German courses.
Read More
In partnership with Kinderspiel, take home this Positive Affirmation Jenga set which comes with encouraging phrases engraved on its blocks. Stack them in a tower and ask a player to remove a block in standard Jenga fashion, while reading and improving your self-esteem. Not only does it inspire positivity, but it also builds hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills!
Kinderspiel will generously donate 20% of the proceeds to GSIS to help upgrade the school's facilities and fund student programmes.
Available until 31 Dec 2023.
The past two weeks saw many events for our school and GIS Departments that could have easily filled an entire month in the calendar instead. I want to mention a few of these events in greater detail.
Peer Review
Last week, a three-day Peer Review took place in the Primary and Secondary Departments of GIS as an essential factor of the quality assurance at German Schools Abroad (DAS). Based on lesson observations, surveys, and interviews with all stakeholders, we received constructive feedback on different focal points, which show our strengths and opportunities for development. These results now need to be expanded or further developed with a view to the BLI 3.0 taking place in November. Thank you to everyone who supported the Peer Review through their active participation. We would especially like to thank the "Peers" Pascale Mandel (DIS Jakarta), Morena Waack (DIS Silicon Valley) and Daniel Engler (DS Taipei), who, in the spirit of "critical friends", provided us with honest but appreciative view from the outside, which we can build on in the coming months.
CPD Day
Last Saturday, the Faculty CPD Day took place at GSIS. The core focus of the day was to further enhance the skills of teachers with an emphasis on the following: Reflection on their own professional development, school support for Continuous Professional Development, collaborative professional learning, and networking in Hong Kong and the region. In individual and group work phases, a lively collegial exchange took place, hopefully giving motivation for further development in many areas.
"Jugend debattiert"
We have a winner in the German International Stream! Congratulations to Lilly Hirth from K09, who achieved first place in the Asia Final of the "Jugend debattiert" competition. Our four candidates Anouk, Lilly, Lea and Leander qualified for the Asian school final at GSIS in December and met the best debaters from the German Schools Abroad in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore last week. Lilly beat the intense competition in the preliminary round and made it to the final round. On the complex question, "Should voice-based chatbots be used in the classroom?" she demonstrated a solid performance with well-thought-out arguments and sophisticated language and was declared the winner. A big thank you goes to the two jurors, Mr. Hahn and Dr. Jentsch, whose work ensured that the debates were fair and of a high standard.
Spring Concert
The Spring Concert of the Secondary Department was another highlight before the Easter holidays. Students from both Streams delighted us with musical performances that represented an outstanding musical production. During this event, Emily Arisandy (K12) was honoured for her long-time commitment as a GMA - GSIS Music Ambassador. A big thank you goes to all participants and the Music Departments led by Mrs. Fehse (GSD) and Mr. Goldring (ESD) for the meticulous planning, preparation and execution.
Grit Cichon Deputy Principal / Head of German International Stream |
Easter is just around the corner, and we are all looking forward to this well-deserved Easter holiday after nine glorious weeks of continuous school.
Here is our calendar of events for April & May:
Literature Festival - Monday, 24 April to Friday, 5 May
Dress up as "My favourite Book Character" - Friday, 5 May
EGK Mother's Day - Thursday, 11 May
GKG Mother’s Day - Friday, 12 May
More information about the events will follow after the holidays.
After the Easter holidays, we are happy to welcome one new staff member to our Kindergarten. Mrs. Britta Möller will be the Floating Teaching Assistant in the German International Stream. Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Ms. Jane Kühne, who will be on maternity leave and will return to Germany with her family during the summer.
On the same note, we wish Ms.Rachel Frawley all the best as she returns to Ireland with her family at the end of this school year. The Kindergarten team wants to convey their warmest thoughts to you and your family during this festive season. Have a joyous celebration with your family and Happy Easter.
![]() Sophie Burdel |
![]() Eileen Mah |
Thank you all for your time during the past two weeks to see our teachers. I am sure it was helpful for everybody to share their experience about your child's learning.
Wandertag will be the last highlight since our previous holiday in the Chinese New Year - hopefully! We wish you a lovely Easter break and a lot of fun when you are on the Easter egg hunt.
![]() Priska Erni |
![]() Beate Weinhardt |
Besides the finals of "Jugend debattiert", a fantastic Spring Concert, the productive CPD Day and much more, I decided to report on an alumni lecture yesterday (Thursday) and extracurricular activities in the GSD.
Sophie Vukovich gave an extremely valuable talk to our K10 to K12 students about her time at the "Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF)". Sophie talked about the history of the CCF, its programmes and goals, and her own experiences. The K10, K11 and K12 students had time to ask Sophie more questions afterwards.
After the Easter holidays, the GSD colleagues will accompany our K06 to K12 students on various field trips. In May, K06 and K07 will visit the synagogue in Midlevels, and K08 will visit the Kowloon Mosque & Islamic Centre. K10 and K11 will visit the Tsz Shan Buddhist Monastery in June, and K11 and K12 students have already been to the URA (Urban Renewal Authority) HK in March.
Thank you all for your tireless efforts over the past weeks and months.
![]() Udo Krebs |
![]() Arnold Leitner |
Continued Professional Development Day
An important feature of a successful school is to ensure that staff have opportunities for reflection and development. Last Saturday, all the faculty members from both Streams and all five departments came together to focus on establishing professional learning pathways. We worked together to build understanding between the two Streams as well as to explore models for in-school development. We will be building on these proposals next term through twilight training sessions, action research groups and collaborative teams.
Time to talk about ChatGPT...
The age of AI has begun.
In a recent article, Bill Gates said, ‘the development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.’ (https://www.gatesnotes.com/The-Age-of-AI-Has-Begun; date accessed 24.03.23)
ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence ‘chatbot’ that is able to produce detailed responses to open questions across many knowledge domains and many more similar programmes will emerge over the coming months. Although it is not entirely accurate at the moment, it is likely that this technology will become more refined over time which will lead to even greater versatility.
‘Five days after it had been launched, (ChatGPT) had garnered more than a million users. Apparently, it took Meta ten months and Netflix three years, to do the same!’
(https://consiliumeducation.com/itm/2023/02/10/what-does-chatgpt-mean-for-education/; date accessed 24.03.23)
Although we have been living with AI for some time now, we are starting to appreciate its probable impact on the world of work but what does this mean for schools and education?
If ChatGPT can generate essays that are coherent enough to score highly in formal assessments from IGCSE to the graduate level, there will inevitably be concerns about academic integrity. Some students will no doubt attempt to do this, and some may have done so already, but our older students know that this constitutes academic dishonesty.
Teachers are very attuned to students’ individual writing styles and lexical choices and will notice if there is a change in style just in the same way that teachers know if a cut and paste is included in the work. This work is also produced over time with regular check-ins with staff who will ask questions to ensure understanding and provenance. There will be ongoing concerns about authenticity but our expectations for academic integrity will not change: if you didn’t write it, cite it... even if it was created by ChatGPT.
There are also tremendous advantages of generative AI as this could save time in some of the more procedural aspects of teaching and learning creating opportunities to explore the implications and applications of ideas and concepts. A shift from learning what to learn how.
One of the main takeaways from the time of school closures was that learning is a social activity. This is the feature that most students missed as they sat by themselves in front of their laptops. I firmly believe that collaborative, active learning will become the core purpose of schools in the future allowing us to explore and apply knowledge in real-world contexts. Teachers will become specialists in personalised learning and experts in neuroscientific strategies. This process has already started and the evolution of AI means that it will now gather pace.
Several staff are already actively engaging with the plethora of articles, discussions and podcasts that have emerged over recent weeks and we will review what this new technology will mean for us as a school. There will inevitably be changes to the way we work but these will be part of our ongoing school development and evolution as a learning school.
Best wishes for a wonderful Easter break with your families.
Simon Misso-Veness Deputy Principal / Head of English International Stream |
Easter is just around the corner, and we are all looking forward to this well-deserved Easter holiday after nine glorious weeks of continuous school.
Here is our calendar of events for April & May:
Literature Festival - Monday, 24 April to Friday, 5 May
Dress up as "My favourite Book Character" - Friday, 5 May
EGK Mother's Day - Thursday, 11 May
GKG Mother’s Day - Friday, 12 May
More information about the events will follow after the holidays.
After the Easter holidays, we are happy to welcome one new staff member to our Kindergarten. Mrs. Britta Möller will be the Floating Teaching Assistant in the German International Stream. Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Ms. Jane Kühne, who will be on maternity leave and will return to Germany with her family during the summer.
On the same note, we wish Ms.Rachel Frawley all the best as she returns to Ireland with her family at the end of this school year. The Kindergarten team wants to convey their warmest thoughts to you and your family during this festive season. Have a joyous celebration with your family and Happy Easter.
![]() Sophie Burdel |
![]() Eileen Mah |
We have been very happy to have so many opportunities to share learning and celebrations with parents again. Over the last 2 weeks, we have held Parent conferences, Science fairs, Orienteering trips and Easter celebrations together with parents. On Thursday night the Junior and Senior choirs and Orchestra had the opportunity to perform for their families at the Twilight Soiree and Friday we hope that the weather is kind and allows us to spend the day Hiking and relaxing together for Wandertag.
We have also had a wide range of exciting learning opportunities in school; learning to grow seeds, being brave and interacting with creatures from Jurassic Garage, growing our own food, creating stop-motion animation, gymnastics, and so much more. As we visit the classes, the children are so excited to share their learning with us, it really is a joyful place to be.
Coming up next term we will have camps for Years 3, 5 and 6, Year 1 will have their soloist concert and swimming lessons will be taking place for Years 3-6 - Mr. Champion has shared details by email.
We hope that you all have a wonderful Easter break and we look forward to welcoming your children back for another fun-filled term in April.
![]() Donna Morley |
![]() Eleanor Cowling |