Message from Mr Williams, Head
Dear Parents,
Since I last wrote to you two weeks ago, quite a bit has happened! Thank you to everyone who came along in person or virtually to Wednesday evening’s Town Hall event, for asking questions and getting to learn more about Mr Crawford and his vision for GES. I think it’s fair to say that the vast majority of parents left reassured and excited about the future of GES and join the staff in looking to move forward with our incredible school.
We are in the process of completing minutes from the Town Hall meeting and we will make them available, along with replies to questions sent to us in advance but which Mr Crawfod didn’t manage to answer during our lively discussion, as soon as these are ready next week.
Last night we held a similar meeting with all of our new families joining from around the world, and it was great to hear how excited they are to be joining our community next academic year.
On a personal note, I have been overwhelmed with the emails and notes that I have received over the past few days and want to thank everyone for your support. As Réjane Durey said so eloquently on Wednesday evening: we, the staff, are here for your children and love teaching them and we are also really positive about the future.
We will soon be sending invoices for the first tranche of fees for next academic year. You will note at the bottom of these invoices a new company name (i.e. GES School SA) as well as revised bank details. Please make sure to update our IBAN before making payments.
Mr Crawford has asked me to mention, in case you were unavailable to hear him speak on Wednesday evening, that tuition fees for the 2025-2026 academic year will not be increased from the 2024-2025 levels announced on 27th February and published on our website.
Two weeks ago, we held the International Carnival which was a roaring success enjoyed by all who could make it. Thank you so much to everyone who attended, cooked food, supervised the bar, helped set up or tidy away. We are really grateful for your support and time. The evening raised CHF 1173 which will be added to funds that the Primary children raised during the UN Children’s Walk, a fundraising event run by the UN Women’s Guild in support of children’s education and environmental safeguarding around the world.
In other good news, I am delighted to share the report I recently received from the Independent Schools Inspectorate following the audit of our school conducted before Easter. This document outlines our continued compliance with the ISI Framework and highlights the exceptional work our teachers and associate staff do every day. I am proud that GES remains the only school in Switzerland to be recognised as a British School Overseas, allowing us to train teachers and guarantee the quality of the education your children receive.
Finally, on Wednesday next week I will be having an operation (a repeat of the one I had in November) and so will be out of school for two weeks on planned medical leave. Apologies that I will not be present at a number of events during that period of time, but am looking forward to returning for the last few weeks of term and seeing everyone then.
Have a lovely long weekend,
Matt Williams
From the Primary School
Save the Date | Beauty and the Beast
Save the date!
It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that Year 5 and 6 invite you to their performance of Beauty and the Beast.
Join us on Thursday 23 May at 17:30 for an evening of song and dance.
Free admission
A vos agendas !
C’est avec une profonde fierté et un immense plaisir que les classes 5 et 6 vous invitent à leur spectacle Beauty and the Beast.
Rejoignez-nous le jeudi 23 mai à 17h30 pour une soirée de chant et de danse.
Entrée libre
Magical May | Primary Monthly Reading Challenge
There’s still time to join our library’s celebration of fantasy and all things magical. We want you to read and enjoy as many fantasy or fairy tales stories as you can this month. They can be in English or French. Once you’ve read a selection, choose your favourite. What was your favourite part in that story? Can you create a picture of it and write about what happened? Your picture can be a sketch, a painting, a collage…be as creative as you like. For your writing, tell us what happened in this part of the story. Use descriptive language to retell it and bring this part of the story to life.
Submit your drawing and writing to your class teacher by the end of the month to receive a reading certificate and 5 stars for your House.
Sweet Treats at ASC
It’s that time of year when all kinds of colourful and tasty fruit start to ripen and become available in the shops. At After School Care, our students seized the opportunity to cook up some deliciously sweet fruit tarts, which they very much enjoyed tucking into!
Gospel Vocal Lab En Famille
Calling all gospel enthusiasts in Years 3 to 6!
We are delighted to invite you to an exciting French music workshop with local gospel singer, Amy Lanzafame.
Open to students in Years 3 to 6 and their parents, this free workshop will take place on Saturday 25 May, between 10:30 and 12:30 in the Primary Gym.
There are limited places available and we therefore kindly ask you to register your interest by email to [email protected].
Marching for a Cause
Walking, running, singing, chanting… our Primary students demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm this week as they made laps around the school for the UN Children’s Walk. Holding high the signs they had made in class, the entire school marched proudly to call for the protection of children’s rights and the preservation of the environment.
Our students’ efforts culminated on Thursday with a ceremony held at the Palais des Nations, at which our Years 5 and 6 classes and the school choir were in attendance. Coming together with peers from other international schools, our young learners shared their experiences of the UN Walk and learned how the funds raised will be spent.
News from Secondary
Top Results in the Swiss Maths Kangaroo
Back in February, students from the Maths Extension Clubs took part in the Swiss Maths Kangaroo, an extra challenge on top of the UK Maths Challenges taken by most of our students, that gives our learners a chance to compete against local mathematicians in solving number, geometry and algebra puzzles.
Results are now in and we couldn’t be more proud of how well our students did! Special congratulations to those who produced top results in their sections: Paul Krisch for Year 7, Jun King for Years 8-9, Mitra Desai for Years 10-11, and Karlis Kaurats for Years 12-13. Bravo to Karlis for achieving the 10th highest score in the whole of Switzerland!
Save the Date | The Addams Family
Save the date for the grim, gruesome and utterly entertaining performance of The Addams Family by our Secondary students!
Coming up on Tuesday 25 June at 18:00, this musical comedy will bring to life all the eccentric and ghoulish characters of the Addams Family, whose affinity for all things macabre has enchanted audiences around the world.
Free admission.
School news
An Apple a Day
Did you know that a 500ml bottle of Coca-Cola contains up to 16 cubes of sugar? Or that a 500ml bottle of apple juice or a standard pot of strawberry yogurt can contain more than 4 cubes of sugar?
As part of the campaign MAYbe Less Sugar, students and staff welcomed nutritional experts from our catering service, Novae, for workshops on the theme of added sugars.
Presenting the sugar content of various foods and how this relates to recommended daily quantities per age, the nutritionists explained how excessive sugar consumption can have adverse health effects, and they introduced alternative, healthier options to consider when selecting sweet snacks.
Flashback to the International Carnival
We were thrilled to host the International Carnival a couple of weeks ago on our Primary campus. With stands of cuisine from around the world, music and activities for children, this event brought together our students, families, staff and friends of the school for a celebration of the wonderful cultural diversity at GES.
Thanks to your support, this event raised CHF 1173, all of which will be added to the funds collected during the UN Children’s Walk in support of education and the preservation of the environment.
