Message from Ms Matillon, Director General
Dear Parents,
As if in the blink of an eye, we’ve reached the end of our first half term. Much has been packed into these last few days before our two-week break, and our children have seemed particularly joyful.
On Monday, our Year 6 students and their parents took part in our annual Year 6 to 7 Transition Event. Children came up from our Primary school and spent most of the morning experiencing Secondary lessons in Science, English and French first-hand, whilst their parents were given a tour of the campus. Student ambassadors were on-hand to show their work and to describe their experience in Key Stage 3 and above. Feedback was very positive and our GES values (“I CARE”: integrity, community, achievement, resilience and excellence) and academic quality were clearly evident. In the evening, Ms Newbury hosted a video call in which she provided a very informative overview of our Key Stage 3 curriculum, assessment and progression, pastoral care systems, and more. My thanks go to Ms Newbury for having organised this event, to all teachers and Secondary students who extended such a warm welcome to our visitors, and particularly to Year 6 families who participated with such enthusiasm for our school.
On Tuesday in Primary, the spirit of the West End came to GES as children donned their House colours and performed in our House Singing Competition. Under the expert musical guidance of Mrs Humphreys and, in French, Mme Durey, children sang and danced their hearts out. I was genuinely impressed with the quality of the show and the talent on display. I was quite relieved not to be sitting in a judge’s chair when the time came to choose a winning House as everyone did such a brilliant job. After careful deliberation, our judges, Mrs Power and Mme Blondeau, named Léman as this year’s winners. Congratulations to our girls and boys in blue!
Also in Primary, we held our cross-country event on a drizzly, muddy Wednesday. The weather contributed to giving the morning a truly British feel, and our children did fantastically well braving the conditions, cheering each other on, and breaking several land speed records. Ella in Year 5 summed up how many people were feeling when she told me she was “”nervecited”, and Mr Sheppard-Burgess on his megaphone surely boosted the energy on the field. Well done to the organisers, cheering squads, runners and Sports Leaders. You’ve made us all proud.
GES footballers took part in another competition this week. The SGIS Cat F boys and girls tournament saw 8 teams competing 5-a-side and our girls’ team more than held their own, finishing second in a very strong field. Bravo to Team GES for their outstanding sportsmanship and result, and thanks to Mr Whibley for coaching!
Speaking of sport in Primary, I must remind all parents not to park on the basketball court at our Primary campus after 15:25. Cars were left there after school hours this week which meant that after-school clubs were forced to start late, and subsequently children in after-school care could not play there. If you have a reason to stay on school grounds after 15:25, please leave your car in the main car park.
Things got quite serious for some in Secondary as this week marked the deadline for UCAS early applications, including for the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, medicine and dentistry, as well as “early decision” prospects for US colleges. With the support of Mr Crabtree, our Year 13 students submitted their applications and can now begin preparing for interviews, should they be invited. According to Mr Crabtree and their teachers who know them well, our soon-to-be graduating students have very strong profiles and we are confident in their chances for achieving their university goals.
Our Year 13 adventurers will complete the criteria required to earn their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award over the coming week, having landed yesterday in Sardinia with their teachers, Mr Pearce and Ms Bugeja. These fifteen students will spend four days trekking, then will reward themselves with two days of rest and relaxation just outside Cagliari, which I am sure they will thoroughly enjoy.
As we head into our two-week holiday, I would like to draw your attention to the many events and activities planned for the week of our return to school, including Book Looks for all of Primary, “Stay and Play” in Early Years, the Year 7 Parent-Teacher meetings, and the Key Stage 5 trip to Venice. Please consult the school calendar and the various emails containing detailed information, and mark your diaries accordingly. A special reminder for parents of children in our Primary school: our first day back to school will be a Halloween Dress-up Day and bake sale. Please refer to the email sent yesterday by Miss Parker for details.
Finally, a thank you to all of our devoted Class Parent Representatives who tirelessly collate comments and questions, then relay them to School management and to me. I appreciated the time our Primary and Secondary committees took to meet with me this week so we could share information and ideas. More will be shared on that shortly.
I wish you and your families a safe and happy half-term break, and I look forward to seeing your children back at school on Monday 4th November.
All the best,
Christina Matillon
Year 6 to 7 Transition Day
Our Secondary campus was buzzing with activity on Monday morning as Year 6 students and their parents joined us for the Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Day. While our young learners enjoyed taster sessions in Science, French and English, parents were given a tour of the school during which they discovered our state-of-the-art laboratories and theatre, our specialist classrooms, and the beating heart of our campus, the Grand Café!
The day’s events ended with an online presentation for parents during which our Secondary team presented the Key Stage 3 curriculum, our pastoral care systems and extra-curricular opportunities, assessment and progression, and more.
Families interested in securing their place in Year 7 for next year are invited to write to Alice ([email protected]) stating their intention before Monday 4 November.
This week in class
Year 3 and 4 artists have been learning all kinds of techniques with charcoal and chalk this half term.
Their end of unit projects – drawing by torchlight – have encompassed all their drawing and observation skills so far, producing some beautiful results.
En Reception en français nous avons travaillé sur la belle saison de l’automne.
Nous sommes allés faire une marche d’automne pour récolter des feuilles de toutes les couleurs afin de réaliser nos petits hérissons !
Year 5 enjoyed a fascinating virtual workshop led by a marine biologist based in Vancouver, Canada. Alasdair Lindop’s work involves assessing marine habitats and providing advice on the potential impacts that infrastructure projects might have on them.
As part of their homework, Year 5 devised questions for Alasdair, who answered them during his presentation. They learnt lots of interesting facts, including the fact that although offshore wind turbines destroy habitats on the ocean floor where they are built, they can eventually serve as habitats themselves, sheltering marine life from boats and contributing to the survival and restoration of ecosystems.
Students were also reminded that, although Switzerland is a landlocked country, they should still be mindful of what goes down our household drains, because our rivers still lead to the ocean.
Thank you to Alasdair for staying up until midnight Vancouver time to talk to us!
Inspired by British artist, Lubaina Himid, Year 5 artists launched themselves into their new unit on 2D and 3D art. Using the grid method and their knowledge of negative space, they scaled up a tiny silhouette of a dog, and collaged torn, ripped or cut pieces of blown up etching and engravings (namely, George Cruikshank’s engravings from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist). To finish, they looked for innovative ways to make a stand so that their sculpture would be free-standing. Among the solutions found were the creation of a cardboard bowl, a large bone, and hinged stands.
Special mention goes to Tom in Year 6, who was awarded Ms Marceau’s first supernova this year. Inspired by the project in art, Tom went home and created a second life-size, free-standing dog sculpture using all the drawing and cardboard construction skills that he had been working on in class. Well done Tom!
Our Year 13 chemists made their own aspirin from salicylic acid, employing various techniques including filtration and extraction. They then had to test the purity of their final product using a specialised melting point apparatus. The temperature at which their product melted gave a clue of how pure it was compared to standard aspirin.
Beyond the Classroom
Year 3 Visit to Vallorbe Caves
Stalactites, stalagmites and columns were the words of the day during the Year 3 trip to the Vallorbe caves.
As part of their topic of ‘rocks’ in Science, Year 3 visited the caves to see first-hand how the river Orbe has shaped the rock over millions of years. The children learnt that stalactites grow 2cm every 100 years and when a stalactite and stalagmite meet, a column is formed.
The trip finished with an amazing musical light show in the cathedral – the biggest of all the caves.
Secondary Student Achievement
Students in Years 10 to 13 had the opportunity to take part in the UKMT, UK Maths Trust challenge.
Nine students achieved the Bronze certificate. Well done Kitan, William, Eric, Elen, Karen, Fleur, Olexandra, Theo and Nikko!
Congratulations also go to the four students who received the Silver certificate: Leon, Mitra, Aedan, Omar.
A round of applause for Jun who, despite only being in Year 10, surpassed everyone and reached the Gold certificate. Well done, Jun!
Most students took the challenge for fun but Aedan said he was keen on testing his own abilities in Maths beyond his A Level course.
Other than a sense of personal achievement, the UKMT is worth mentioning in the university application personal statement as evidence that a student has gone above and beyond the minimum requirement of their course to challenge themselves and demonstrate a passion for Maths. Thank you to Luke Pearce and Daniel Crabtree for organising this opportunity for our students.
Another illustrative example of our students’ high academic standards were the early applications to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Several of our Year 13 students have sent their applications, including one for medicine and one for dentistry. Fingers crossed as they embark on the many steps to get there!
Final Participants Selected for the International Poetry Competition
Congratulations to all the participants in the International Poetry Competition! The children showed remarkable resilience, courage and excellence by learning poems in French, Spanish and German. After careful consideration, the French team selected two students from each year group to represent GES in the upcoming international competition.
This morning, we celebrated all the participants during the assembly and announced the selected students.
For Spanish:
Year 6: Emma and Madieke
Year 5: Teo
For French:
Year 6: Sathiya and Johanna
Year 5: Leonard and Ella
Year 4: Alexander and Olivia
Year 3: Elenna and Joni
Stay tuned for the international results, which will be shared at the end of November!
House News
2024 Primary House Singing Competition
A huge congratulations to all of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 children for their excellent performances at the 2024 House Singing Competition. The competition was presented by our House Captains and it began with a beautiful performance of ‘Bugs and Butterflies’ by Key Stage 1. All of the children then performed ‘Dream Big,’ ‘Il faut de tout pour faire un monde’ and finally ‘(We are) unstoppable.’
Our judges, Sue Power and Maria Blondeau, had the difficult decision of choosing the winners, and after deliberation, crowned Léman the 2024 singing champions. Congratulations to Léman, but also to all of the other children for performing so brilliantly. Thank you once again to Mrs Power and Mme Blondeau for being our judges, and to the House Captains for their excellent organisation!
Primary Inter-house Cross Country Race
This week we held our much-awaited Primary Inter-house Cross Country race! All children in Years 1 to 6 took part, which turned our sports field into a spectacular rainbow of red, yellow, green and blue. Throwing themselves body and soul into the competition, our students demonstrated inspiring teamwork, community spirit and stamina.
The results were tight, with Jura carrying the day with 64 points. Léman followed closely behind with 62, and Rhône and Dôle closely thereafter with 55 and 54 points respectively.
Well done to all the participants and to the competition organisers!
Secondary House Basketball Competition
The second round of the 3v3 House Basketball games took place this week.
So far Léman are in the lead with 20 points, followed by Rhône with 14 points, and Dôle with 12 points. Jura need to catch up in the next game on 6 November to come back from a mere 7 points.
Well done to all participants for their sportsmanship and community spirit!
Extra-Curricular Activities
ADISR Year 2 and 3 Football Tournament
On Saturday morning, nine of our future football stars from Years 2 and 3 headed to La Grande Boissière (LGB) for an indoor football tournament. For many of the boys it was their first experience playing in competitive matches.
GES played 5 matches in the group, winning 4! With scores of 3-0, 3-1, 5-0, 2-0 and 0-1 GES were praised by the referees and coaches for their passing style of play.
GES went through to the final and just came off second best to a strong LGB team.
The number one aim of the day was to have fun and enjoy the experience, with the GES boys certainly achieving that goal! The bonus excitement of having success by reaching the final was shared by the large group of parents who stayed for the entire morning to cheer on the team across their six matches!
A great success and we look forward to attending more of these tournaments in the future.
Secondary Athletes Get Off to a Running Start
Our Secondary extra-curricular running club have been training hard this term.
They have been enjoying their sport in the beautiful scenery close to school, racing through the woods along the local Nant de Braille river.
An Autumn Feel at ASC
Autumn is in the air at After School Care! After carefully designing their newest display in the red and orange hues of the season, they took their creativity to a new level, baking enticing autumn-themes vanilla cupcakes.
Primary SGIS Cat F Boys & Girls Football 5s
Our Category F footballers were at the Centre Sportif du Blanché yesterday for the SGIS Football Tournament. Rearranged due to poor weather a few weeks ago, the rain returned to Geneva for a wet but fun day for our Year 3 and 4 participants.
Girls had a fantastic tournament, reaching the final and finishing 2nd. Congratulations to Emma, who has selected as the star player.
Boys worked hard and played well, arriving in 8th position. Bravo to Danny, who came through as star player alongside Leon and Eddie in goal.
School and Community News
Reminder: Parent Survey | Sharing Skills and Expertise at School
We are incredibly fortunate to have a wonderfully diverse parent community at GES. Our parents represent countries from all over the globe, with individual experiences of a multitude of home cultures, as well as a breadth of knowledge acquired through work opportunities worldwide.
As we continue to develop our programme of in-class visits linked to our curriculum at Primary, we would like to offer you the opportunity to share your skills and expertise for an hour or so at some point during the academic year. We know how much parents have previously enjoyed coming into school to inspire our children, and so would like to propose a few ideas to spark your interest. These include:
- Lead an assembly about a cultural festival;
- Give a talk about a globally recognised day;
- Demonstrate a dance or play a musical instrument from your home culture;
- Speak to children about your profession or a unique experience you’ve had at work;
- Lead an art or craft session
We would love to hear your suggestions, too, and invite you to complete this Google Form by Monday 4 November. Furthermore, if you have an idea that your child/ren would be able to share in school themselves, please let us know.
Thank you in advance for your time, as well as your ongoing support in helping us to enrich children’s learning experiences at school.
Coming Soon | Quiz Night
Save the date! On 22 November, our wonderful Class Parent Representatives are organising what promises to be a fun, mind-twisting Quiz Night!
Primary and Secondary parents and students are welcome to attend.
Stay tuned for further details.
Save the Date | Annual General Meeting of the GES Parent Association
Mark your calendars for the inaugural Annual General Meeting of the GES parent association, which will take place on Monday 11 November at 18:00. The location of this meeting will be determined based on the number of people who plan to come.
Parents from both Primary and Secondary are welcome to attend, and are invited to read and RSVP to the email that will be sent out in the coming days containing the full details of the meeting.
Faces of GES
Our Faces of GES spotlight falls on Victoria Magowan today, a fresh recruit who joined us as Secondary Learning Assistant in August 2024. After six years in Finance, most recently as a Chartered Accountant for PWC (the UK’s youngest chartered accountant at the age of 22), the global Covid-19 pandemic caused Victoria to reflect on her career and to throw herself into a more fulfilling area of work. Education was an instant draw and she began her online degree in English Literature with a UK university, with the final aim of qualifying as a teacher. When the opportunity came up to join GES, it was a no brainer!
Beyond her work with students from all over the world, Victoria especially enjoys the small school vibe of GES and how everyone knows and looks out for each other. Her greatest hope for her students: that their school experience gives them the confidence to challenge ideas which do not align with their own moral compass, be it in the workplace, socially or otherwise!
A keen amateur dramatics performer, Victoria was delighted when Ms Empson asked if she would help out at Performing Arts club on Wednesdays.
