GAIS New Office
When
you come back to school next Monday  you will certainly notice that a few
changes have been made over the summer. The parking lot will look even and the lines will be clearly visible.
The school building has had a new paint job which gives it a more
colorful and friendly aspect. One of our
big projects this summer was a re-design of the GAIS Office. Here we changed just about everything, except
for Frau Stullich our Office Manager.
When you come in you will appreciate the new floor put in by our
custodian, Tim Farris, and the paint job by Jan Buchner. New furniture gives the room more space and
reduces clutter.
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News from the Head of School
Summer
is winding down and it is time to welcome  everybody back to school. This last
week has been a busy week for our school staff. Teachers have been busy
preparing their classrooms, planning their lessons for the first few weeks of
school and collaborating to establish some goals for the school year. One of
our main objectives was to explore our theme for the year which is
CREATIVITY. This is of course one of the
IB attitudes and is something that permeates all aspects of learning. Under the
guidance of Maike Silver, our PYP Coordinator, the staff looked at creativity
under four areas which are performing arts, visual arts, problem solving skills
and communication skills, and discussed ways that these can be addressed
throughout the year in all subject areas. This will naturally lead to a number of creative initiates that will be
presented as the year progresses.
Our
Middle School staff has been specifically focused on the MPY which we are
starting this year. Dominic Liechti has lead his MS team through an intense
orientation program to get ready for all of the new components that this
program encompasses, such as unit writing planners for each subject. Our
Preschool staff, lead by Heike Schmalstieg,
have also been very busy getting ready to welcome all of our new and returning
students in this dynamic section of GAIS.
As
we look forward to a great start of school on Monday, I ask that all parents
remember the morning drop off procedures which will make the first day start
smoothly. Drop off for Grades 1-8 runs
to 8:20 and we ask that you allow the line to move fluidly. Preschool starts at 8:30 and the drop off
area converts to parking after 8:20.
Please remember the speed
limit on all of Elliot Dr.
is 15 mph.
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IB Corner by Maike Silver
I t is hard to believe that the new school year is
already upon us. The staff has been busy getting the classrooms ready and
preparing for the upcoming school year. New this year will be the introduction
of the Middle Years Programme (MYP). The Middle School teachers have been busy
working out the leading concepts of the program and planning to integrate them
into their lessons.
As for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) our focus this
year will be on the transdisciplinary nature of the program. We will explore how
best can we integrate all the essential elements of the PYP curriculum framework
into all our subject teaching.
As a whole school our focus this year will shift from
the attitude of respect to the attitude of creativity. During this week teachers
spend one day exploring the aspects of creativity under the lenses of
communication, visual arts, dramatic performances and problem solving. We
explored questions like: What do we want to accomplish by
the end of the school year? How are we going about reaching our goals? What will
the impact be on the school community? How will we assess the progress and the
final achievement? What will the evidence look like?
As a staff we are looking forward
to see our brainstorming being put into action and for all of you to see an even
more creative approach to the learning in our
school.
I can speak for the whole
administrative team when saying that we are really excited to see the
International Baccalaureate (IB) programs unifying our school with a strong
emphasize on international mindedness.
In the coming weeks I will
elaborate on different components of the programs to help all of you gain a
better understanding of how IB will prepare our students for the
future.
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Preschool Corner by
Heike Schmalstieg
Summer is drawing to an end and the Preschool staff has been gearing up to greet all new and returning families for the new school year.
The teachers have been preparing with workshops, planning meetings and their
individual classroom preparations. The Preschool facilities received some major
improvements over the summer. Our sun and moon room received a new lighting
system with sound absorbing ceiling panels, the asphalt in the backyard was
resurfaced to provide a smoother and safer surface for bike riding and the front
yard received a few improvements as well. Among them, a new climbing dome,
donated by the Valenta family. Thank you very much! We are welcoming a new staff
member in the Preschool: Claudia Trojan, an experienced Preschool teacher from
Germany has joined our team. She will be the assistant in the 'Enten' group and
a Hort teacher in the afternoon. Saturday will be the first chance for the
children to meet their teachers and see their classrooms during our school
picnic. The event will be from 12:30-3:30 PM, with an orientation at 1:30 PM in
the Preschool for new Preschool parents. Please bring a potluck dish and eating
utensils for your family. We look forward to greeting everyone either Saturday
or on our first day of school and are excited and eager to start the new school
year.
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First Day of School for First Grade students
First Graders will not be
on campus on August 23 but will start their school experience with a commencement
ceremony on August 24th at 9:10 am.
The ceremony will be attended by the proud parents and by the entire Elementary
School. A special guest will also be on hand to help with the giving out of the
cones.
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In Search of an Apartment
Our new teacher, Katharina Taatz is
looking for an apartment to rent. If you are renting out your apartment or know
of someone please contact her at ktaatz@gais.org.
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Start of New School Year Picnic - August 21
We
will start the school year with our traditional Start of School Picnic from
12:30-15:30. Please remember to bring food to share as well drinks, plates and
cutlery. In addition to meeting your teacher you will be able connect with
other parents in your class. We will have a schedule of presentations for new
parents to the school.
13:00 New Parents in the Preschool
14:00 New Parents in Grades VS-8
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Back to School Nights
The calendar of Back to School Nights is as follows:
Preschool August 26 18:30
- 21:00
Elementary School September 1 18:00
- 21:00
Middle School September 7 18:00
- 20:00
More details will be sent
in a separate communication.
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Donation
urgently needed
We are in need of donations of eight working 17" to 19" flat screen
monitors for our classrooms. If you are to donate one or more, please drop it
off at the office. Thank you.
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