International School of Bremen Parent Bulletin 12 2016/17 IGCSE Presentation Evening Thank you to all those who supported this event - a grand recognition of the current Grade 11 s past examination successes and a celebration of success in the Duke of Edinburgh s scheme. DATES Winter Children s Event - GOP Wednesday, 30 November Please remember that Elementary and ELC will close at 1.30pm on that day to allow ease of access to the event. It is a ticketed event, so you need to already have tickets. The Secondary School, Grade 6 and upwards, will function as normal in the afternoon. There will be no early closure for Secondary. If a sibling in Secondary is accompanying the family, then a normal Leave of Absence form (NOT a Leaving Early form!) needs to be submitted so we are aware of the few Secondary stu- During Whole Month of November ISB Key Club Bremer Tafel Food Drive Nov. 28 - Dec. 20 Registration Period for Library Chess Tournament Grade 1-4 Hip Hop Club Performance during Elementary Assembly, Malcolm Davis Hall, 8.15am Children s Winter Party GOP Bremen During Whole Month of December Student Council Bottle Drive EL1 - Grade 2 Latern Walk, 4.30-6.00pm December 6-9 IMYC Exit Point MEP Students Performance during Elementary Assembly Malcolm Davis Hall, 8.15-9.00am MEP Piano Students Recital, Malcolm Davis Hall, 3.15-4.00pm 0 ISB Winter Dance Atlantic Hotel Galopprennbahn Bremen, from 7.00pm Dec. 21-8 Jan. Winter Holiday IGCSE Mock Exams The Grade 10 Mock Examinations will be starting on 16 January 2017. Although there are still some weeks to go, we are sending you the exam timetable as an attachment with this Bulletin to inform you in advance so adequate preparation can be made. For our detailed Calendar of Events, turn to back pages www.isbremen.de 25 November 2016
ECB Student Award At the beginning of the academic year the European Central Bank (ECB) invited the International School of Bremen (ISB) to participate in the 2016-2017 Generation uro Students Award competition (G SA). The G SA is a prestigious competition for Secondary schools in the euro area and offers students a unique learning opportunity about the euro area economy and the ECB s role. The competition comprises three rounds, with the final round taking place at the ECB s headquarters in Frankfurt am Main where the students have the opportunity to meet the ECB s President, Mario Draghi, and the Governors of the national central banks. As the first team ever competing from the International School of Bremen, we would like to acknowledge Anika Blendl, Khushi Kotahwala, Yichen Wang and Jonas Blendl who completed the first round of competition last week, scoring 93 % overall and finishing within the highest level (90 %+). Their effort and dedication are commendable. Unfortunately, the team received word from the ECB a couple of days ago that due to the high number of participants this year, only teams scoring 100 % in the first round were able to move onto the second round of competition. We at ISB are optimistic and looking forward to next year s competition. America Fiesta Tomorrow, 26 November from 1.00-9.00pm, there will be an America Fiesta in Bremen s Übersee Museum. ISB teachers Marcela Caro and José Caceres (La Guagua de Cuentos) will be performing at 1.00pm and at 2.00pm, but there will be lots of other entertainment, including music, hands-on activities, bull riding, Carnaval do Rio and much more. Why not try capoeira and salsa dancing, or just enjoy the atmosphere and culinary delights? For more information see the attachment with this Bulletin or go to www.uebersee-museum.de for the full programme. Entrance fee: 9,50 Children up to 6 years of age: 3,50 Families: 19,50 INTRODUCING... Mrs Usha Shekhar Early Learning Originally from India and a proud mother of two, Mrs Shekhar s teaching career started early, as a part-time Kindergarten assistant while she was still in college. After her graduation she worked in the hotel industry at Mumbai s top Oberoi Sheraton. Following her marriage to a Sea Captain, she led a very adventurous life, travelling the globe, thus providing her the opportunity to be acquainted with different cultures. Bringing these experiences with her, she joined the ISB family in 2005, and has been teaching the youngest batch of ISB (EL1) students, welcoming them to their first home away from home. After 11 years, she maintains that teaching young children of different cultural backgrounds is definitely not an easy task but certainly challenging and extremely gratifying. Mrs Shekhar continues to enjoy travelling with her husband during breaks and thrives on opportunities to visit her family, especially her 3 year old granddaughter. 2 Parent Bulletin 25 November 2016
ISB Photo Calendar 2017 We are happy to inform you that the winning photographs have now been chosen and the calendar is presently being produced. There have been some wonderful entries and it was not an easy task for the judges, Ms Eubank-Ahrens and Mr Holloway. Our thanks go to them and to all who have participated. The ISB Photo Calendar 2017 will be on sale in the week beginning 5 December and will cost 10. This is a wonderful gift for Christmas, so do come and purchase your copy!! The winning images were taken by: January February March Mrs Blanca Lago Aresti Mrs Ilka Seidel Mr Martyn Robinson-Slater April Marie Luisa Bade, Grade 9 May Ms Linda Gibbins June Yousef Jemmo, Grade 11 July August September October Mr Martyn Robinson-Slater Ms Linda Gibbins Mrs Deborah Dodds Mr Martyn Robinson-Slater November Simon Hoffmann, Grade 11 December Mr Malcolm Davis Duke of Edinburgh s International Award Auditing Process - Important Visitors at ISB To enable Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) centres, such as the ISB, to continue offering the Gold DofE level, the team must undergo an audit every three years. This entails much paperwork, but also a two-day on-site visit by the Head of Duke of Edinburgh s International Award in Germany, Mr Klaus Vogel, along with one additional auditor. On Friday of last week, 18 November, five members of the DofE team at the ISB waited with some trepidation for their important visitors. Their anxiety was relieved very quickly as, from the onset, Klaus Vogel and the second auditor, Barbara Oehl, spoke highly about the Award work at the ISB, mirrored through the paperwork they had been presented with prior to the meeting. On completing Day 2 of the audit during which the team drew up strategies for future Award work, Mr Bridge, as DofE Award Programme Coordinator at the ISB, was presented with the Gold certificate. The team was surprised and extremely happy when Klaus Vogel announced that he would like the DofE Award centre at the ISB to become a lighthouse unit, not only offering training to students, but also to ongoing DofE supervisors and assessors for all future DofE units in the North of Germany. The team is very proud of this accolade and is looking forward to starting on their new task. All winners will be presented with a prize for their efforts. Well done to you all! Part of the ISB DofE Award team together with Head of DofE Germany, Klaus Vogel (far left) and auditor Barbara Oehl (far right). 25 November 2016 Parent Bulletin 3
University and Career Guidance Counselling (Grades 9-12) StepOne InterQuest: Educational and Careers Assessment for Grade 10 Students On 14 December, all students in Grade 10 will be taking part in the StepOne Interquest Programme here at ISB. StepOne is a well-established educational and vocational guidance company who have worked successfully with international students for many years. The Interquest programme helps students explore their strengths, natural aptitudes and interests, guiding them to make good educational and career choices for their future. For more information please read the attached flyer or visit: www.step1.ac Gap Year Some students prefer to take a break before continuing their education - this is usually referred to as a gap year. It is a great opportunity to do something you are passionate about, prepare for your further education and see some more of the world! There are a couple of options regarding university applications. Students could apply in Grade 12 and request deferred entry to their chosen course - this means that if your application is successful, your place will be held so that you can start the following academic year. Alternatively, students can wait until IB results are out and apply with these grades during their gap year. Most students prefer to apply early so they have a clear plan and little to worry about during their gap year - particularly useful if you are planning to travel for long periods or to distant locations. However, if you are unsure about further study you might decide to apply for internships and work experience before you make a decision, and apply the following year. There are loads of really exciting options when it comes to what you can do during a Gap Year. You may want to look into volunteer programmes which can take you all over the world. You may want to take a year to focus on your sporting talents and take part in competitions. There are lots of internship and practical experiences to be had close to home and overseas, all of which will boost your university application, so start researching! November 25-26 December 3 (Saturday) December 9 FAIRS, TESTS & MORE Deutsch-Französisches Forum, Strasbourg (Find out more at www.dff-ffa.org/ fr/accueil/) SAT Testing at ISB (note: ISB students in Grade 11 and 12 need to have registered online to attend this test) Grade 10 Step One Programme, ICT Room, 1.00-3.00pm Careers Information Day for Gesundheit Nord at Bremen- Mitte Hospital, 9.00am - 2.00pm (Talk to professionals about medical and healthcare-related career opportunities) If you have questions on any of the above events, please contact Mrs Garrett on: mgarrett@isbremen.de 4 Parent Bulletin 25 November 2016
House News House Points Here are this week s results at the end of Thursday, 24 November. The Results of This Week There has been quite a leap from everyone due to the large amount of individual House Points collected over the last two weeks and also the Elementary Capture the Flag tournament on 16 November. It was a very competitive tournament with some very impressive performances, esspecially from our Grade 1 students! The results of the tournament were: 1. Lloyd 2. Schnoor 3. Hanse 4. Roland ISB House Clothing If you wish to purchase school clothing at your leisure, please go to: http://schoolclothing.isbremen.de/ 25 November 2016 Parent Bulletin 5
Inter-House Competition Dates To keep you informed about all Inter-House Competitions, we will be publishing the dates and events in this column week by week, as soon as new dates become known to us. INTER-HOUSE COMPETITIONS December 2016 Whole Month Student Council Bottle Drive 7 December Secondary Volleyball Tournament 14 December Elementary Handball Tournament January 2017 25 January Elementary Kickball Tournament, Part 1 26 January Secondary Handball Tournament February 2017 1 February Elementary Kickball Tournament, Part 2 March 2017 8 March Elementary Basketball Tournament 10 March Secondary Basketball Tournament 2.00-4.00pm April 2017 5 April Elementary Indoor Rowing Competition, 24 April Secondary Soccer Tournament May 2017 10 May Elementary Soccer Tournament June 2017 6 June Secondary Dodgeball Tournament 6 Parent Bulletin 25 November 2016
ISB Calendar at a Glance Early Learning Centre Nov 28 - Dec 2 Month December 0 Dec 21 - Jan 8 March 16 April 24-28 ELC - Grade 10 Multilingual Festival ISB Library (during Library classes) Children s Winter Party GOP. Varieté Bremen, 1.40-5.30pm Student Council Bottle Drive EL1 - Grade 2 Latern Walk 4.30-6.00pm EL2 visits Karstadt and the Spaghetti House 10.30am - 2.00pm Santa Lucia Singers singing to ELC - Grade 5 First Floor Foyer, 1.10-1.30pm ISB Winter Dance Atlantic Hotel Galopprennbahn, Bremen from 7.00pm EL 1 and 2 visit the Christmas Market City Centre Bremen, 12.00 noon - 3.00pm Winter Holiday - School Closed ISB International Afternoon 1.00-4.00pm ELC - Grade 9 Library World Book Week during Library lessons 25 November 2016 Parent Bulletin 7
Elementary Gr. 1 5 ELC - Grade 10 Multilingual Festival ISB Library (during Library classes) Children s Winter Party GOP. Varieté Bremen, 1.40-5.30pm Grades 1-4 Hip Hop Club Performance Thriller during Elementary Assembly and for respective parents, 8.15am Student Council Bottle Drive EL1 - Grade 2 Latern Walk 4.30-6.00pm Grade 4 Globetrotters Party, ISB Dining Room, 1.40-2.40pm MEP Students Performance during Elementary Assembly for respective parents Malcolm Davis Hall, 8.15-9.00am Santa Lucia Singers singing to ELC - Grade 5 First Floor Foyer, 1.10-1.30pm ISB Winter Dance Atlantic Hotel Galopprennbahn, Bremen from 7.00pm Elementary Handball Tournament Grade 1 Drama + Music Performance for Parents Malcolm Davis Hall, 2.30-3.00pm Grade 5 visits the Max Liebermann Exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bremen, 11.00am - 3.00pm Winter Holiday - School Closed Elementary Kickball Tournament, Part 1 Elementary Kickball Tournament, Part 2 Nov 28 - Dec 2 Month December 0 9 Dec 21 - Jan 8 January 25 February 1 ISB Calendar at a Glance 8 Parent Bulletin 25 November 2016
ISB Calendar at a Glance Secondary Nov 22 - Dec 13 Nov 28 - Dec 2 Nov 28 - Dec 20 Month December December 8 0 0 2 Dec 21 - Jan 8 Jan. 9 - March 31 January 26 MUN Club Cookie Gram Fundraiser Ground Floor Foyer ELC - Grade 10 Multilingual Festival ISB Library (during Library classes) Registration period for Grade 1-12 Library Chess Tournament Grade 11 + 12 IB Art students visit the State Art Gallery in Bremen, leaving school at 12.20pm Student Council Bottle Drive Grade 6-11 T-Shirt Design Competition Secondary Interhouse Volleyball Tourmament Grade 6-11 T-Shirt Design Competition Art Room, 3.00-4.00pm ISB Winter Dance Atlantic Hotel Galopprennbahn, Bremen from 7.00pm First Aid Course for DofE Students (Gr. 9-12) + Staff Malcolm Davis Hall, 8.00am - 6.00pm IMYC Entry Point (Grades 6-8) Grade 10 Step One Programme Exam Room, 1.00-3.00pm Grade 7 Car Race, Main Corridor 3.15 - approx. 4.30pm Winter Holiday - School Closed Grade 1-12 Library Chess Tournament Secondary Interhouse Handball Tournament 25 November 2016 Parent Bulletin 9