Message from Mr Williams, Head
Dear Families,
Thank you to all teachers and students who took part in our second PSHE Enrichment Day of the year at Secondary this week. The theme “Living in the Wider World” was explored in various ways across year groups and, by all accounts, was a very eye-opening experience. While our Year 8 students role-played in a “Dragons’ Den” session, older groups learned about mortgages, taxes and pensions. Others considered the impact and permanence of their social media posts, went through mock interviews, worked on their CVs and set up effective revision strategies for their GCSE and A Level exams. I’m sure all participants were happy to shift the focus at the end of the day onto maintaining their wellbeing – a skill of which we should never underestimate the importance in today’s world.
Today is a busy day for Sport at GES as our Years 3 and 4 boys and Years 5 and 6 girls footballers have been taking part in a competition at Ecolint’s Nations campus. Our Key Stage 3 team is travelling, as I write this, to a competition in Rome. I know you will join me in wishing them all the best as they enjoy the matches, the stunning scenery and the delicious food!
At GES, the wellbeing of all children and staff in school is our highest priority. We are committed to outstanding practice in safeguarding and continually work to ensure that this is embedded in all we do in school. During the week beginning 27 November, an external team will come into school from The Safeguarding Alliance to review our policies and procedures in this area. Parents and students across the school may talk to the team as part of this audit and we thank you in advance for your participation in our proactive approach to safeguarding as we work to maintain our excellent outcomes.
On the topic of safety at Primary – the excessive rain we have experienced lately has, unfortunately, led to an uneven surface in the carpark. Work is done regularly on the surface, however, as we are not permitted to tarmac this area, it remains imperfect. Improvements are being investigated and in the meantime, please take extra care when driving through at pick-up and drop-off.
Parent Teacher meetings have continued for our Year 10 class; thanks to all who have taken part. For parents of students in Year 11, a reminder of next week’s Parent Coffee Morning and “Book Look” next Wednesday 22 November from 8:00 to 9:00. We hope to see many of you in school on that day to share a social moment and to see your children’s work first-hand.
Thankfully, the weather forecast is drier in the coming days and, on that optimistic note, I wish you a great weekend.
Matt Williams
Head
Performing Arts This Week
LAMDA Training Sessions
LAMDA training sessions have started this week in Secondary.
Divided into groups, students were asked to act out the roles of different circus artists, and suddenly the Chaplin stage was full of ringmasters, clowns and fortune tellers.
Thank you to, Simply Theatre, for working with us again this year!
Drama Workshop with Kathryn Rose
A Drama specialist from the UK visited GES today to deliver a Drama workshop in Primary and Secondary.
Years 5 and 6 students were introduced to their very exciting summer show, Beauty and the Beast, and were challenged to act out the main characters’ roles.
Year 8 participated in a devising workshop with a murder mystery theme, and Year 10 had an exam writing workshop.
Thank you, Kathryn, for visiting us!
From the Frenchies
Sortie de la Classe 4 au théâtre des Marionnettes
La semaine dernière, la classe 4 a assisté à une magnifique représentation au théâtre des Marionnettes de Genève: Ultra Saucisse.
Plongés dans le monde des saucisses, avec beaucoup d’humour, les enfants sont invités à réfléchir au thème du harcèlement scolaire abordé dans cette histoire.
Le spectacle conclut sur une note positive avec ce message important: ne vous moquez pas des autres mais essayez plutôt d’être tous amis.
Les tournois de Football de Key Stage 3
Merci à Callum et Paul en classe 7 pour leur contribution aujourd’hui, depuis le train qui les mène à Rome.
Mercredi, nous sommes allés à Nations pour un tournoi de foot contre d’autres écoles en suisse romande. Nous avons voyagé dans le grand bus de luxe de plus de 40 places, même si nous n’étions que 7 élèves !
Le tournoi n’a pas bien commencé – nous avons malheureusement perdu les trois premiers matchs de notre groupe. Après quelques changements de stratégie, nous avons retrouvé la forme pour gagner les deux derniers. Donc, nous avons progressé aux matches éliminatoires. Sous plus de pression, nous avons gagné encore deux matches – nous avons même battu une équipe contre qui nous avions perdu avant. En dépit des meilleurs résultats, nous n’avons pas pu rattraper le retard, terminant le tournoi en 9ème position.
C’était quand même une belle expérience parce que nous avons appris de ne jamais renoncer car nous avons terminé en gagnant les dernier matches. C’était une bonne préparation pour le tournoi de foot international à Rome ce weekend!
Merci à nos entraîneurs qui nous ont donné l’opportunité de représenter GES.
Upcoming Christmas Festivities
Countdown to the Christmas Fair
Only 3 weeks until the GES Christmas Market!
Thank you to all our Santas, elves and helpers who have already volunteered; it is greatly appreciated.
If you haven’t yet signed up for a 30-minute slot to lend a helping hand yet, please do so today via this spreadsheet. Let’s come together to share in some Christmas cheer. Remember, Santa sees when you’re nice!
Quiz Night
To all GES players, adults and students alike, the Secondary Parent Reps have organised a Christmas Quiz Night, straight after the Christmas Market on Friday 8 December.
Put your general knowledge in your pocket and join us for a jolly evening!
From the Office
School Photos Orders
Thank you to those families who placed their orders for school photos this week. Children will bring the photos home in their school bags as soon as we receive them, before the end of term and in time for Christmas.
For those families who have not ordered yet, please note that you can still do so, using the link(s) you received on 23 October.
If you wish to receive your order without delay, we recommend paying the relevant postage & packaging charges with delivery to your home address. Your order will then be dispatched to you as quickly as possible, but may be subject to customs charges.
There is now a 2nd deadline for ordering with the option of free delivery to school which is Sunday 21 January 2024. Any orders placed with the free delivery option from now on will be sent to school at the beginning of February.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact Gillman & Soame directly at [email protected] or on +44 1869 328200.
Christmas Gift Boxes Appeal - Last Days
A final reminder for putting together your gift box(es) this weekend if you would like to take part and help a child in Eastern Europe.
Gift boxes are filled with school supplies, toiletries, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, toys and warm scarves, gloves or hats etc.
Your boxes can be dropped off until next Wednesday 22 November at the Primary Gym or Secondary Reception.
Please click on the link here for more details on the project and read the instructions on how to wrap your gift box.
Many thanks for your support.
