issue 1 I 12 February 2021
Gutenberg Post
The school year started with a short assembly where our Principal Lorenz Metzger introduced and welcomed the new students and teachers.
Assembly First Day of School
meet our new staff
Jarrod Kelly
Eva-Maria Bobbert
Mila Reingardt
Nicole Rosenthal
Nicole Rosenthal
Jarrod Kelly
Mechthild Broehl-Foster
Simone Schell
Susan Wilhelm
Throughout Week 1&2, we focused on the students' emotional well-being as we played various German and English games to learn more about each other, such as Skit-tell-us, Dice, and Autographs. The children were active and collaborative during these activities, making them feel welcome and encouraged to join in.
We have offered students board games, craft activities, Lego indoors, and various sports games outdoors, promoting them to choose according to their interests. We also played different social games suggested by the children (Stuck in the Mud, Museum, etc.)
During Coke & Mentos and, as a follow-up, Volcano Science experiments, the children hypothesized, predicted, and used their problem-solving skills to guess what kind of reaction would occur. The students were amazed and excited to observe the results.
The students took an active part in Pizza cooking as they placed the ingredients. After spending a large amount of time building an appetite on the soccer field, they happily devoured their self-made pizza.
Following the children's suggestions and interests, we have planned more fun activities for the coming weeks, such as Among us, Slime Day, Pancakes cooking, Disco, Easter Egg Hunt, DIY T-shirts.
So, join us and be part of the fun!
Meet our staff:
Hugh Crundwell
My name is Hugh and I am currently studying my Masters to become a Primary Teacher. I enjoy educating and caring for children, following their interests no matter what they might be! I always look to create a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for everyone and love music, reading, sports and board games.
Constance Rex
My name is Constance, I am from Germany and I have been in Australia since 2019. My son is a GISS student (Year 2) and enjoys the school. I am experienced in social work and passionate about working with children. In my spare time I like to go for bush walks, explore new places and meet other families and friends.
Mila Reingardt
My name is Mila. I have a bachelor's degree in Education, a Diploma in Early childhood education, and over 15 years of teaching experience in Australia and overseas. As I lived and studied in Germany, it helped me develop a deeper understanding of the German language, culture, and mentality. In collaboration with GISS families, my aim is to create a nurturing and stimulating environment where every student feels secure and develops a positive sense of self and an understanding of the world around them.
Here is what some students and parents have to say:
Mika Rieger
I am Mika Rieger and I am now 20 years old. I come from a mixed background, I was born here in Melbourne but my parents are German and Ecuadorian and I am proudly trilingual.
I used to be a student at GISS and was part of the 2019 Alumni. Nowadays, I study at Macquarie University and am doing a double bachelor of Business Administration and Arts with a major in German studies.
The time i had at this school was unforgettable, therefore i'm happy to be able to give back by working at GISS at Afterschool Care!
“After School Care ist Super! Erst treffen wir uns alle zusammen und essen was leckeres. Danach dürfen wir alle miteinander spielen oder basteln. Einmal schlug ich ein Spiel vor, dass ich mir selber ausgedacht habe namens Museum. Alle Kinder liebten es! Wir sind alle Freunde und wenn es Zeit fürs Abholen ist, sind wir immer traurig.“
"I love playing sports with Mika and Hugh at ASC. That’s fun.”
OUr students say:
our parents say:
“Meine Tochter sollte eigentlich nur mal kurz in die Nachmittagsbetreuung, weil ich spät dran war. Als ich nach ca. einer Stunde zum Abholen kam und sie mich vom anderen Ende des Raumes erblickte, rief sie gleich von Weitem “Nein, bitte noch nicht abholen!”. Jetzt möchte sie an jedem freien Nachmittag lieber zur After School Care als zu Hause am Fernseher zu sitzen oder alleine spielen zu müssen während beide Eltern noch ein Stündchen arbeiten müssen.
Erst hatte ich Bedenken, was die Kosten angeht, aber mit der zukünftig zurückerstattungsbaren „Subsidy“ und der eingeschlossenen Verpflegung (Nudeln/Belegte Brote und Früchte) sind diese ausgeglichenen und entspannten Nachmittage (Essen, Spiele, gute Unterhaltung, Kennenlernen anderer Kinder aus anderen Klassen unserer Schule, und auch ausreichend Zeit, die Gedanken einfach nur mal baumeln zu lassen, so dass dies nicht ein weiterer Nachmittag vollgepackt mit Sportprogramm für sie ist) ist mir das Geld mehr als wert.
“My son was very happy with ASC this week. He enjoyed the activities and the games. He liked the food, especially on Tuesday. :)”
“Thanks for making the afternoon so fun for my kids!”
From Our New After School Care
GISS Chickens
The GISS chickens that hatched a few months ago in the Preschool have now truly grown up and love their home at GISS. The younger students were fascinated watching these little fluff balls develop into hens and roosters. They have just received a large coop, built by Michael Abicht.
Occasionally they are allowed to wander around the school grounds where they pick up scraps of food and they are also great at keeping ticks and spiders at bay.
We are now all waiting for the hens to lay their first egg!
Our music room received a new timber floor and we refitted the IB Day room to share the space with our new After School Care program. The preschool’s outside play area received a much needed revamp and was expanded. We will use the new space to install a state of the art play structure thanks to the generous donations from current and former Preschool parents.
Many areas of our campus received a new coat of paint and carpet. This includes a total redo of our two teacher rooms to improve their work environment & ergonomics. Over the coming months we will continue to invest in new equipment for our science rooms as well as new furniture for several classrooms in secondary school and the IB.
New timber floor in music room
The upkeep and improvement of our campus kicked into high gear during our summer break. Despite a lot of rain and COVID lockdowns our Facility Manager Michael Abicht managed to complete many important improvements over the holidays.
improvement of our campus
Where the new Preschool play structure will go
Up to the Preschool new play area
Teachers room 1
Teachers room 2
New grassy area at Preschool
New path for the Preschool
Valentine's Day comes early at GISS
As is tradition at GISS, the SRC and Kate organised Valentine's Day again this year.
The students created beautiful cards which were available for all to write some kind words to each other. These, together with a small chocolate, were then distributed by our lovely cupids to many lucky recipients. There were many smiles and happy faces everywhere.
Thank you very much to the SRC students!
What is Theory of Knowledge?
Die Redaktionsgruppe besteht aus Kimberley Pratt (12), Charlotte Pratt (11), Lanea Rueter (10), Linus Hessling (10) und Florian Gabriel (10).
Ihre Aufgabe ist es, vom Leben an der GISS, dem Leben in Australien, von den Kulturen und Besonderheiten dieses Landes zu berichten
.
Wenn ihr Anregungen und Ideen habt für Themen und interessante Geschichten, die redaktionell von diesen Schülern umgesetzt werden sollten, so meldet euch bei diesen Schülern direkt, schickt ihnen eine E-mail oder eine Nachricht im Teams Chat.
Das erste online Treffen der Redakteure findet in dieser Woche statt. Das wird bestimmt eine aufregende Erfahrung, die anderen teilnehmenden Schüler kennen zu lernen.
Florian, Linus, Lanea, Charlotte und Kimberley werden der GISS Gemeinde sicherlich bald davon berichten.
Simone Hessling
Liebe GISS Gemeinde,
ich möchte heute Schüler vorstellen, die als Redakteure für ein neues online Magazin, die GIB-Global-News, arbeiten werden.
Was verbirgt sich hinter diesem Online Magazin der GIB Schulen?
Weltweit gibt es 34 Schulen, die wie die German International School Sydney das „Gemischtsprachige Internationale Baccalaureate“ (GIB) anbieten, deren Abschluss von deutschen Universitäten anerkannt wird.
Diese GIB Schulen, deren Fokus in vielen Bereichen auf die deutsche Kultur und Sprache gelegt wird, wollen sich nun zusammenschließen und das Projekt GIB-Global-News starten, um die Schulen und vor allem die Schüler miteinander zu vernetzen, um neue Kollaborationen zwischen Schülern weltweit ins Leben zu rufen und um sich auszutauschen über das Leben als Schüler an einer German International School.
Zum Auftakt des Projektes haben sich viele Schulen gemeldet, dazu gehören die Deutsche Schule in Äthiopien, Vietnam, El Salvador, Ecuador, der Türkei und natürlich Australien.
GIB-global-News
Free Parent Webinar: Motivating and Supporting your Teenager's Learning
This webinar recording is shared with our school community because our senior students participate in a series of Elevate Workshops during IB Core Week, IB Transition, and/or IB Showcase. Whilst these workshops are geared more towards the HSC curriculum the advice, ideas and suggestions apply to all teenage learners and their parents/carers, who are keen to learn more about options and approaches to better support their learning.
