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Guest Speaker & Information Evening
Dr. Henriette W. Langdon to talk on Bilingualism at Information Evening - January 12
 All GAIS parents and friends are invited to a special evening featuring a talk by a leading local expert in the field of Education. This evening we are honored to have Dr. Henriette W. Langdon, Professor of Education at San Jose State University, who will speak to us on the topic of Bilingualism and Education. Professor Langdon has been a full-time professor of Education at SJSU since 1997. She has written and lectured extensively locally, nationally and internationally on topics related to bilingualism and speech and language disorders. Her latest book titled "Assessment and Intervention for Communication Disorders in Culturally and Diverse Populations" was published by Cengage in July. She is fluent in English Spanish, French and Polish. Following the talk we invite you to learn about our various school programs. We will hold four sessions running simultaneously starting at 7:30 pm. Parents are encouraged to learn about programs that their children will be moving into in the years ahead. The sessions will be lead by Heike Schmalstieg for the Preschool, Maike Silver for the Vorschule, Peter Metzger for the Elementary School and Dominic Liechti for the Middle School.
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News from the Head of School
I hope that all parents, students and staff had a fun and restful holiday. The New Year finds us with both challenges and opportunities to engage our energy and talents. The opening of the new International Middle School (IMS) provides GAIS with a logical evolution of our development as a true international school and provides tremendous potential for the growth of the Middle School program. A good number of new applicants have already found their way to GAIS and we are confident that this will increase in the months ahead. In order to give additional steam to the promotion of the IMS, we will be offering GAIS parents a special referral bonus this year for new Middle School students of $1500 instead of the normal referral bonus of $500 for all other levels. This March we will be up for re-accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. We see the accreditation process and the consequent self study as a chance to reflect on the school's growth and development and provide focus for the future. Over the holidays, the school has not been idle. Work on the landscaping of the front of the school has been completed. This is not only about aesthetics, but will reduce the mud situation which has been a particular problem this year. The Vorschule play structure was also completed during the break and will be open to student use next Monday. The school has also installed an alarm system in the main office block. Persons entering the offices and staff room need a code in order to enter the building outside of school times.
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MYP Corner by Dominic Liechti
In the International Middle School (IMS) we have been working towards the MYP verification that will be completed in 2013. During our in-service day we had a position-fixing with the IMS team about the different standards that we are expected to fulfill. Currently we are continuing to work on the Unit Planer and the assessment policy. Our focus on the Unit Planer is to create Units of work that are connected to real-life issues. Our goal is through the context of the five Areas of Interaction (AOI), to design lessons which are meaningful and connected to concepts rather than memorizing content.
Besides the curriculum, we continue to improve the lunch area in the IMS by adding wood chips in the front.
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IB Corner by Maike Silver
If you are like me, you might think the holidays went by too quickly, but nevertheless helped to rejuvenate and get us ready for the rest of the school year. One of the key elements that make the IB such a successful program is the emphasis on professional development, collaboration and planning. During our in-service day on Monday the Preschool and Vorschule staff spent some time on reviewing our assessment policy which you can find in the handbook. This task has also been picked up in the Middle School where they need to make some adjustments due to the implementation of the MYP. The teachers of the Elementary School enjoyed an inquiry based math workshop, which proofed very successful and the implementation has already occurred in several classrooms. The review of the assessment policy is on the agenda for their next staff meeting and contributes to the team work necessary to understand and implement the IB curriculum framework. The high level of collaboration contributes to ongoing professional development. Every planning meeting is meant for each teacher to rework their personal construct of the relationship between theory and practice in the IB programs. It is an opportunity to share experiences, ideas, processes and imaginings in a way that allows the planning group to share responsibilities for the developing understanding of each member in the group. And even though we have received an excellent PYP evaluation report from the IB last spring, we continue to learn more about the program and look for ways to improve our teaching. This is what truly makes an excellent school.
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Preschool Corner by Heike Schmalstieg
 We are in the middle of our re-enrollment process for the coming school year. Preschool parents that will transition to the Vorschule next year, will be able to receive more information during our upcoming Info Evening on January, 12th. You will also be able to receive info and get questions answered during the next Preschool Parent Coffee on January 14th at
8:45 am in the Library.
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Re-enrollment for 2011/12
Information and enrollment contracts for the re-enrollment of current students for the upcoming school year 2011/2012 have been put into your mail folders. Re-enrollment started on January 4th. Parents wishing to enroll siblings should have application forms in to the office as soon as possible. Should you have any questions, please contact the office.
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Tatort - Sunday, January 16 at 20:15
 Missing your Sunday Night Tatort Krimi? Did you grow up with Schimmi and Tanner? We will screen a new Tatort Krimi and offer soft drinks and popcorn at this rare occasion to watch one episode of the legendary German crime series. The audience has the choice of several recent Tatort inspector teams: Boerne and Thiel (Münster), Odenthal and Copper (Ludwigshafen), Ballauf and Schenk (Köln).
If you would like to come and watch, please RSVP to Katja Englert at englert.katja@googlemail.com, cost is $20 per person.
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Fencing - Saturday January 8, 2pm to 4 pm
There are still a few spaces available for the fencing party at the Golden Gate Fencing Center in San Francisco. This is an afternoon of sword fighting, game playing and fun. You will learn to fence, get to challenge your friends to a duel, play games and have a fantastic time. If you want to send your child (ages 8 and older, $30 per child) please RSVP by email to Mike Pederson or Maureen Griffin at goldengate.fencingcenter@gmail.com
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Martin Luther Kind Day - No School
In observance of Martin Luther King Day on January 17 the school will be closed. We do offer Hort. Please sign up ASAP. Special sign-up sheets will be sent by email.
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Extra Curricular Classes
The Extra Curricular Classes for the first semester will end January 28, 2011. The new program and sign-up sheets will be sent next week and new classes for the 2nd semester will start January 31.
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Members Meeting - January 19, 2011
All Members of the GAIS Corporation, as well as all parents and community members are invited to attend our next Members Meeting and Board election. At this meeting, as usual, the Board and Administration will review the status and progress at the school. In addition, we will hold elections for four board seats that will come open on the expiration of the terms of four current Board Members. More detailed information about the members meeting and Board elections will come out in a separate notice to all parents. Please mark this date on your calendars for 2011.
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GAIS is on the Map
 Of course you knew that the town of Gais is on the Swiss map. But more important is the fact that GAIS is now on the Swiss map. Recently we have been officially recognized by the federal office of culture in Switzerland and received a grant of about 90K for the next three years. After this period we can apply for an additional grant. As part of our grant we have to offer Swiss lessons twice a week. Claudia Gruber, our Swiss teacher is teaching these lessons and needs to report every year to Switzerland. These lessons are open to the public as well. For more information about enrolling in this course please contact Stella Klose sklose@gais.org. In addition to the grant, our school is being promoted on the Swiss foreign website (www.aso.ch/de/angebote/schweizer-schulen-im-ausland/internationale-schulen/weltkarte-1195631529). This website is connected to the federal government and is frequently visited. Have a look and see where we are on the map.
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