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News from the Head of School
 Last Friday marked the official end of Unit 4 in the PYP program for Grades K-5. This has been an exciting unit, which saw numerous outstanding projects and presentations as well as a series of art displays in neighboring Café Zoe. Being a frequent visitor to the café due to my weakness for lattes, I was thrilled to see the great GAIS artwork on the walls and overhear some of the positive comments from the local patrons. In fact I was stopped by one gentleman who wished to fill out an application form immediately.
Friday was also the day for our end of unit assembly for K-5 organized by our PYP Coordinator, Maike Silver. The assembly featured both Grade 1 classes and their presentation focused on two topics related to their unit under the theme Who We Are. The first topic was on 'Healthy Eating' and students explained which foods are important for a healthy body and encouraged good food choices for lunch. The second topic was on 'Spreading Rumors" and focused on the social emotional domain. To this end, the students did a skit based on the book 'Feathers', a Jewish folk tale from Eastern Europe. Our Grade 1 students were model risk takers, standing up in front of the school and presenting with skill and poise. Thanks also to our Grade 1 teachers for a great job. The assembly ended with a slide-show quiz on the IB Learner Profile created by Maike Silver. The slide show has also been posted on the IB website and has already been used by two other schools, both with 5 star reviews. You can have a look at the quiz on our website and try it yourself. Just go to Resources/IB Programme/PYP News
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PYP Corner by Maike Silver
 "Sharing the planet" is the overriding theme all Elementary School students are exploring at this time. It is an inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
In Vorschule students explore people responsibilities to keep a healthy growing garden. Grade 1 explores our responsibilities for our oceans. Interconnectedness of animals, plants and people within our communities is investigated by grade 2. Grades 3 and 4 study our rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources by exploring waste management and energy forms. The grade 5 students had a choice of which of the components above they want to analysis as they engage in their exhibition around the central idea"Action make a difference".
With Earth day coming up during the break (April 22nd), it might be a great time for families to discuss what you can do to help preserve out planet.
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Preschool Corner by Heike Schmalstieg
 Thank you to all parents for coming to our second conference day of the year. The teacher-parent conferences provide an excellent opportunity for parents and teachers to meet and talk about the child's progress, their strengths and also any areas of opportunity. Teachers always appreciate the time with the parents and not only provide information about the child but also learn from the parents by hearing their perspective and learn about other aspects of the child's life. We hope that the information given was insightful and give you a better understanding about how your child is doing. Please let us know if you feel that you did not have enough time during your conference.
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Student Leadership
 The leadership academy is busy planning new events. On April 6th the students will prepare an Easter egg hunt for the younger students on the playground. The following Friday April 13th theywill ask the students to wear their favorite sports jersey. During "Grosse Pause" the Middle School students will assemble a Volleyball team and play against a group of teachers. Towards the end of the month on April 27th they would like to set up tables on the playground and ask students to bring in books for trading. As you can see we have a busy month ahead of us.
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Why Bilinguals Are Smarter
 Science continues to confirm what many of us already know or have suspected. Speaking more than one language fluently isn't just a helpful holiday tool but has a profound effect on your cognitive abilities. An article posted recently in the New York Times states that:
Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.
You can read the whole article here.
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Yearbook 2011-12
 The orderform for the Yearbook 2011-12 has been sent out. Please order your copy by tomorrow Friday April 23rd for a discounted price of $45. Thereafter it will be $50 per copy. Only the exact number of pre-ordered books will be available! Please send your order form to offmgr@gais.org.
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Spring Break & Teacher-in-Service Day
 Spring Break will be from April 16 - 20 and the Teacher-in-Service Day on April 23. School will be closed but we do offer Hort/Day Care. If you need a space for your child/children please send your sign-up to the office.. The deadline is April 6. Sign-up sheets have been sent out.
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