issue 9 I 21 november 2025
Gutenberg Post
Years 3-4 on camp
GRÜSSE Vom schulleiter
Liebe Mitglieder der GISS-Gemeinschaft,
ein ereignisreiches Schuljahr neigt sich dem Ende zu und wir blicken mit Stolz und Dankbarkeit auf viele Leistungen, Entwicklungen und gemeinschaftliche Erfolge zurück.
Besonders hervorheben möchte ich an dieser Stelle unsere Class of 2025, die in diesem Jahr ihre IB Final Exams absolviert hat. Es waren drei intensive Wochen, geprägt von Konzentration, Durchhaltevermögen und großem persönlichen Einsatz. Wir sind stolz auf unsere Schülerinnen und Schüler, die diesen anspruchsvollen Prüfungsprozess mit so viel Ernsthaftigkeit und Reife gemeistert haben. Wir freuen uns mit ihnen auf die nun bald eintreffenden Ergebnisse.
Ebenso erfreulich ist der erste Durchgang unserer GISS Diploma Prüfungen, die unsere Zehntklässlerinnen und Zehntklässler in diesem Jahr zum ersten Mal absolviert haben. Neben denjenigen, die erfolgreich den deutschen Mittleren Schulabschluss erworben haben – in diesem Jahr waren es 18 Schülerinnen und Schüler – haben alle anderen Lernenden des Jahrgangs mit dem GISS Diploma einen aussagekräftigen internen Abschluss erreicht, der eine fundierte Standortbestimmung im Hinblick auf den Einstieg in das IB Diploma Programme ermöglicht. Auch das ist ein wichtiger Schritt in der Weiterentwicklung unserer Sekundarstufe.
Währenddessen steckt unsere Class of 2026 derzeit mitten in ihren End of Year Exams. Diese internen Prüfungen finden unter vergleichbaren Rahmenbedingungen wie das IB statt und sollen unsere Schülerinnen und Schüler behutsam an die Anforderungen des kommenden Abschlussjahres heranführen. Auch ihnen wünschen wir Klarheit, Ausdauer und Erfolg in dieser wichtigen Phase.
All diese Leistungen wären nicht möglich ohne das Engagement und die Professionalität unserer Lehrkräfte. Sie begleiten, fordern, fördern und gestalten jeden einzelnen dieser Schritte mit. Für diese beständige Arbeit und den oft über das Normale hinausgehenden Einsatz gilt ihnen mein aufrichtiger Dank.
Dank sagen möchte ich auch unseren School Captains, die sich in diesem Schuljahr weit über das zu erwartende Maß hinaus in das Schulleben eingebracht haben. Vom Kiosk Betrieb über die Organisation der Halloween Aktivitäten, von der Essensausgabe bis hin zur Bereitstellung von Hygieneartikeln in den Mädchentoiletten – ihre Ideen, ihre Präsenz und ihre Tatkraft haben unsere Schule geprägt. Sie haben gezeigt, was es bedeutet, Verantwortung zu übernehmen und mit gutem Beispiel voranzugehen. Danke euch für euren Einsatz.
Mit herzlichen Grüßen
Michael Cordes
Schulleiter
gREETINGS fROM the principal
Dear members of the school community,
An eventful school year is drawing to a close, and we look back with pride and gratitude on many achievements, developments, and shared successes.
I would especially like to highlight our Class of 2025, who completed their IB Final Exams this year. These were three intensive weeks, marked by concentration, perseverance, and great personal commitment. We are proud of our students, who approached this demanding examination process with such seriousness and maturity. We look forward with them to the results that will soon arrive.
Equally gratifying is the first round of our GISS Diploma examinations, which our Year 10 students completed for the first time this year. In addition to those who successfully obtained the German Mittlerer Schulabschluss—this year there were 18 students—all other learners in the cohort achieved a meaningful internal qualification with the GISS Diploma. This provides a solid benchmark for their readiness to enter the IB Diploma Programme. This, too, is an important step in the further development of our secondary school.
Meanwhile, our Class of 2026 is currently in the midst of their End of Year Exams. These internal examinations take place under conditions comparable to the IB and are intended to gently prepare our students for the demands of their final year. We wish them clarity, perseverance, and success during this important phase as well.
None of these achievements would be possible without the dedication and professionalism of our teachers. They accompany, challenge, support, and shape every single one of these steps. My sincere thanks go to them for this consistent work and for the effort that often goes far beyond what is normally expected.
I would also like to express my gratitude to our School Captains, who have contributed far more to school life this year than could reasonably be expected. From running the kiosk to organising the Halloween activities, from assisting with food distribution to providing hygiene products in the girls’ bathrooms—their ideas, presence, and initiative have shaped our school. They have shown what it means to take responsibility and to lead by example. Thank you for your commitment.
Warm regards
Michael Cordes
Principal
We welcome our new casual teacher Brodie Kidd, to our team.
Wir begrüßen Brodie Kidd, einen neuen Aushilfslehrer in unserem Team.
staff - mitarbeiter/innen
Farewell lunch with (most of ) the admin team
Farewell lunch with (most of ) the admin team
farewell to Abdullah Tabarrant and welcome to simon franck
After successfully taking over the BVB training from Benni in August, Abdullah has, due to unforeseen circumstances, had to return to Germany.
We are very sorry to see him go and would like to thank him for his strong commitment and dedication to our students, as well as for his continued efforts in developing the GISS Football Academy.
Nachdem Abdullah im August erfolgreich das BVB-Training von Benni übernommen hatte, musste er aufgrund unvorhergesehener Umstände nach Deutschland zurückkehren.
Wir bedauern seinen Weggang sehr und danken ihm für sein großes Engagement und seinen Einsatz für unsere SchülerInen sowie für seine kontinuierlichen Bemühungen beim Aufbau der GISS Football Academy.
Thanks to the support of Borussia Dortmund, we have been able to secure a highly qualified BVB coach to continue the training program from next week. Simon Franck will take over Abdullah’s responsibilities for the remainder of the term (and possibly beyond).
Simon holds a UEFA B-Licence, DFB Youth Elite Coaching & Advanced Goalkeeping Licence and has extensive coaching experience with youth teams in Germany and abroad. He has worked with players across different age groups under the official BVB Academy methodology, focusing on technical excellence, tactical understanding, and player development. In addition to his football qualifications, Simon is also a trained teacher — a combination that will be a great asset to our program and students.
Dank der Unterstützung von Borussia Dortmund konnten wir einen hochqualifizierten BVB-Trainer gewinnen, der das Trainingsprogramm ab nächster Woche fortsetzen wird. Simon Franck wird für den Rest der Saison (und möglicherweise darüber hinaus) die Aufgaben von Abdullah übernehmen.
Simon verfügt über eine UEFA-B-Lizenz, eine DFB-Jugend-Elite-Trainer- und Torwart-Lizenz und hat umfangreiche Trainererfahrung mit Jugendmannschaften in Deutschland und im Ausland. Er hat mit Spielern verschiedener Altersgruppen nach der offiziellen Methodik der BVB-Akademie gearbeitet und sich dabei auf technische Exzellenz, taktisches Verständnis und Spielerentwicklung konzentriert. Zusätzlich zu seinen Fußballqualifikationen ist Simon auch ausgebildeter Lehrer – eine Kombination, die für unser Programm und unsere Schüler von großem Vorteil sein wird.
Students, teachers, admin staff — and even some parents — went all out and showed up in full costume for Halloween this year!
The SRC’s Halloween Catwalk on the sports field was a huge hit, with creative, scary, and hilarious costumes across all five categories — Most Scary, Most Creative, Individual, Duo, and Group. The inners were as follows:
Thank you to the SRC for organising this fun event, including a raffle and cake sale, thank you to the parents for baking in support of a Girl & her world, to the panel of judges who selected the winners of the different categories, and to the students who dressed up in the most amazing costumes!
HALLOWEEN - A truly 'fang-tastic' day!
and the winners were:
Most scary
Best Individual -
Chicken Jockey
Best Group - Alice in Wonderland
Best Duo
Most creative - Haunted Circus
more great costumes here:
an amazing kick-off to our very first GISS Football Holiday Camps!
What an incredible start to our very first GISS Football Holiday Camps — a week filled with fun, learning, and teamwork!
Students took part in hands-on activities, creative workshops, and, of course, plenty of football action with the GISS Football Academy powered by BVB.
From skill-building drills to exciting match play, our young athletes trained like pros and created unforgettable memories both on and off the field.
Don’t miss out on the next one — registrations for our Summer Holiday Camps are now open. Please click here to book.
Ein großartiger Start unserer ersten GISS Football Holiday Camps!
Was für ein fantastischer Auftakt unserer allerersten GISS Football Holiday Camps – eine Woche voller Spaß, Lernen und Teamgeist!
Unsere SchülerInnen nahmen an spannenden Aktivitäten, kreativen Workshops und natürlich jeder Menge Fußball-Action mit der GISS Football Academy powered by BVB teil.
Von Technikübungen bis hin zu mitreißenden Spielen – unsere jungen SportlerInnen trainierten wie die Profis und sammelten unvergessliche Erlebnisse auf und neben dem Platz.
Verpassen Sie nicht das nächste Camp – die Anmeldungen für unsere Sommerferien-Camps sind jetzt geöffnet! Bitte klicken Sie hier, um zu buchen.
Reading at home is one of the simplest and most effective ways to support your child’s development and build a lifelong love of books. It doesn’t need to be long, complicated, or perfect — just regular, joyful, and together.
We wanted to take a moment to talk about why it is so important for children to read at home on a regular basis — and how you, as parents and carers, can support this in simple, practical ways.
In our school library, we’ve noticed that a number of children regularly borrow and return books — wonderful! But we also notice other children who often forget to return theirs or don’t borrow as often. By working together, we can aim for every child to have a reading-at-home routine, borrow books regularly, and come to see the library as a important part of their week.
- When children are regularly read to and engage with books at home, it supports their language development, their understanding of how books work (print, pages, directions) and their early literacy skills. For example, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that children who are read to frequently from a young age have greater vocabulary, stronger knowledge of print and better school readiness. (AIHW)
- Reading together also builds connection and empathy. When you share stories, your child learns to see the world through different eyes, to imagine how others feel, and to understand emotions — all while feeling close and cared for by you.
- Reading at home helps build a positive attitude towards books and libraries. When children see reading as something enjoyable and part of everyday life, they are more likely to borrow and return books, select books themselves and become confident readers.
- From our school library perspective: when children regularly bring home books and return them, they practise responsibility, they keep access to new books flowing, and they build the habit of reading as part of their routine.
from the library
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). Australia’s children (Report No. CWS 80). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
- Choose a regular time — Even just 10 minutes a day is valuable. It might be after dinner, before bed, or first thing in the morning. The important thing is consistency.
- Read together — Let your child pick the book, sit together, talk about the pictures, ask simple questions (“What do you think happens next?” “Which is your favourite part?”).
- Make it enjoyable — Use voices, point out interesting pictures, pause and let your child turn pages or name things. The more fun the reading time, the more your child will look forward to it.
- Model reading — Let your child see you reading too (magazines, books, newspapers). Showing that you enjoy reading helps communicate that reading is a normal part of daily life.
- Support the borrowing routine — If your child borrows from the school library, you might help them choose a spot at home to keep the book and set a reminder to bring it back. This supports the habit of returning books and keeps the library system running smoothly.
- Encourage and connect — Instead of focusing only on remembering the book, talk about the story your child borrowed and show interest in what they enjoyed. Sharing in their excitement — or even helping them retell the story — strengthens the bond between you and makes reading feel meaningful rather than just another task.
Thank you for your support in helping make reading at home a regular and happy part of your child’s routine.
Warm regards,
Sibylle Burkart (Librarian) and Jenny Krueger (Library Technician)
What you can do at home (and it doesn’t have to take long)?
Why reading at home matters
Senior Secondary
(IB)
Senior Secondary (IB)
Junior Secondary
Junior Secondary
Primary
Primary
Preschool
Preschool
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT GISS? | was WAR los an der giss?
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING AT GISS?
was WAR los an der giss?
wellbeing
useful apps for teens in their day-to-day lives
Ulrike Miehle, School Counsellor
Sleep Ninja is a free app that helps teens get better sleep.
Half of all mental health issues start by age 14, and around 40% of young people this age have serious sleep problems. Poor sleep can make anxiety and depression more likely. Getting good sleep isn’t just about feeling rested. It boosts mood, social life, physical health, and school performance.
Created by the Black Dog Institute with input from teens, parents, and sleep experts, Sleep Ninja is the first app made specifically to help adolescents sleep better. It uses techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia across six easy ‘training sessions’ to build healthy sleep habits and improve sleep quality.
With ClearlyMe, teens can:
- Feel and think better during difficult moments
- Get to know themselves through their thoughts, feelings, and actions
- Feel less alone and know support is available
- Be their best self at school and in life.
