Message from Mr Crabtree, Executive Head
Dear Parents,
I am writing having just returned from the AGM of the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS). This was a great opportunity to work with fellow Headteachers from the 54 member schools, and contribute to roundtable discussions on student wellbeing and the management of digital learning in schools. I was particularly interested in exploring further opportunities to represent GES in sporting competitions, and join events to celebrate our students’ excellence in the creative and performing arts. I hope to bring further news on this later in the year.
Again the week has been energised by lots of activity beyond the classroom, including Year 5’s visit to the Musée Romain in Nyon, the House Football tournament at Secondary, and the Year 12 Alps hiking trip to Lac de Taney last weekend. Do take a moment to view the photo galleries below!
To finish, I wanted to share the wonderful start to my day as we began by celebrating pupils’ achievements and awarded Stars of the Week at Primary before Mr Casey led an assembly on building conflict resolution skills to develop and maintain friendships at school and beyond.
I wish all of our families a very happy weekend,
Mr Crabtree
A Trip to Roman Nyon
Year 5 had a fantastic time on their trip to Nyon to visit the Roman ruins and the Musée Romain. Our investigators walked the streets of Nyon with a highly knowledgeable tour guide, who channelled the inner historian in each of our students when looking for historical clues of the ruins throughout the old town. As one of them rightly pointed out: “I can’t believe I’m standing in ancient history!”
Students continued their tour into the Musée Romain and were absolutely inspired by the feats of Roman engineering and technology they learned about. Everyone now has so many answers to their historical inquiry question, “What legacy did the Romans leave in Switzerland?”
This week in class
Year 1 students have had so much fun presenting their first History project: an oral history interview with their parents and grandparents to find out what homes were like in the past.
Our little historians came up with some fantastic questions, including, “Did you have a fridge?”, “Did you have electricity?” and “Did you have heating?” They discovered that many of their grandparents’ homes were heated by a single fire or coal stove and that, without a fridge, families often had to visit the shops every day to buy fresh food. They also learned that in Korea, special food jars called Onggi were placed outside in the snow to keep food cool and fresh.
Our students found out that many grandparents used oil lamps for light and that, even when their own parents were children, technology looked very different before iPads, tablets and smartphones.
Well done, Year 1 historians, for asking such thoughtful questions and presenting your findings so confidently!
What is the greatest amount of counters you can place on a grid without making a square? Such is the question our Year 3 students were challenged to solve during their Maths lessons. Using their classroom interactive whiteboard or working directly on their sheets, they tested various configurations, developing their geometrical awareness skills along the way.
Our Year 3 historians had the privilege of meeting the author, Christina Balit, of their text, Escape from Pompeii!
They were excited to be able to ask Christina about her creative process and how she brought a true story to life in her book. This exchange was also a terrific opportunity to share their own views on what happened back in AD 79 and their knowledge of Roman history.
It’s been another busy week in the Secondary labs!
Our Year 7 biologists looked at lake life and moss life under the microscope this week in an effort to identify the organisms of these two ecosystems and draw scientific diagrams of them.
In Year 10, our students carried out an investigation into the rate of reaction of amylase in digestion starch under different pH conditions, followed by a comparative exercise to test the effectiveness of different insulators – namely cotton wool and bubble wrap.
Year 12 students had a busy morning in the lab. They carried out their first titration with great success, calculating the concentration of an unknown sample of NaOH using the standard solution they had prepared last week.
Year 13 chemists spent an afternoon preparing, purifying and testing aspirin. A complex practical involving a variety of equipment requiring complex techniques, this experiment enabled them to calculate the percentage yield of their sample and analyse its melting point using a Theile tube.
Beyond the Classroom
A Rainy Day for House Football
Our House footballers (under the watchful refereeing of a rain-drenched Mr Sheppard-Burgess) braved the pouring rain for another match!
Despite the inclement weather, our students bravely defended their House colours, with Rhône beating Dôle 3:1 in the Key Stage 3 match, and Léman carrying the day 1:0 against Jura in Key Stage 5.
Could heatwaves change the way we live, go to school and spend our summers?
In a fitting and timely presentation to his Year 9 peers, Arthur gave a great presentation during Tutor Time this week entitled “Could heatwaves change the way we live, go to school and spend our summers?”.
This sparked a lively discussion as everyone reflected on their experiences of the summer’s heat waves both in Geneva and abroad.
Bravo, Arthur!
A Balanced View on Scandals
Year 10 student Caoimhe led the morning’s Tutor Time with a presentation highlighting the impact of Nestlé’s baby formula scandals in the 1970s and earlier this year. Her well-researched presentation provided her fellow tutees with a balanced viewpoint, despite the outrage these scandals caused when they broke.
Well done, Caoimhe!
Extra-Curricular Activities
Autumn Magic at ASC
Our After School Care students have been immersed in the magic of autumn this week.
They explored the forest, collected leaves and sticks and turned them into magic wands. These were especially useful in their action games as, with a flick of the wrist, they became different animals. To conclude, they transformed into little chefs to bake autumn-themed cheesy scones. The Salève building smelled wonderful and the scones disappeared very fast, almost by magic!
Chasing Patterns in Maths Club
This week in Maths Club, our mathematicians enjoyed solving an NRICH problem, an engaging, open-ended mathematical task designed by the NRICH Project at the University of Cambridge.
Working together, our students looked for patterns and predicted how many cubes they might need to solve the problem. For our Year 2 learners, this tricky task was a great opportunity to use the skip counting skills they have been developing in class to see what would come next.
Really good mathematical thinking all round!
A Treasure Trove from the Forest
Our extra-curricular Key Stage 1 Scrapbooking Club has been exploring the signs of autumn this week. Venturing into the forest to collect fallen leaves and seeds, they observed and discussed the beautiful colours and changes they could see all around. They then used the natural treasures they had collected to create colourful autumn collages in their keepsake scrapbooks.
Well done, Key Stage 1 scrapbookers!
Working Like Clockwork
Our DT Club-goers have shown some fantastic creativity throughout their clock-making project!
Stepping into the shoes of a horologist, each student designed and created their own unique clock, inspired by their individual interests. The finished clocks were incredibly imaginative and the results were truly impressive!
Saving the Egg-stronaut
Our Year 6 Science Club participants had an other-worldly experience this week.
Looking beyond their classroom, school, country, even planet, they undertook the challenge of designing a space capsule to bring their egg-stronaut home safely from space (the 5th floor).
A fascinating challenge that had them considering aerodynamics, gravity, padding, and more!
Community News
Cycling Through Céligny
We received some great news from our Year 3 cyclist, Harry, who came in first place in his category in the recent Criterium de Céligny bike race.
Not only did Harry ride brilliantly in the main road race, but he also performed very well on the timed bike agility course.
Well done, Harry! We’re very proud of you!
October Reading Challenge
This October, fall into a good book as part of our monthly reading challenge!
We invite our Primary bookworms to enjoy a book that they have never read before. They have some exciting seasonal titles about autumn or Halloween to pick from in the Library.
In their chosen book, students are tasked with finding 5 interesting, funny or unusual words, which they can write on the Autumn leaf template and try to use at least one of them in a sentence. Their Autumn leaf can be handed in to their class teacher to earn 5 valuable House stars and a certificate.
Happy reading!
Invitation | Primary House Singing Competition
Save the date for the upcoming Primary House Singing Competition coming up on Tuesday 13 October!
Primary parents are invited to attend this beloved community event which will feature performances by our youngest learners in EYFS all the way through to our songbirds in Year 6.
We kindly request that students wear their House tops for this occasion.
New Additions to the GES Family
Let’s give a warm welcome to the newest additions to the GES family who have taken up residence in the Secondary Science Department!
On everyone’s lips is the slithery Pantherophis guttatus, or corn snake. Still a juvenile (and still very, very small), it hails from scrublands and forests in the USA, but also likes to make a home in or next to corn barns, a behaviour that has given it its name.
We also have our Phantom Praying Mantis – Phyllocrania paradoxa. Also a juvenile (in its nymph stage), this creature is an exemplary master of disguise. Its unique appearance allows it to camouflage itself amongst leaf litter, requiring patience and perseverance to spot it in its habitat.
Owing to their young age, we cannot yet determine if our new residents are male or female but will be sure to spot for telling signs as they continue to grow.
Our new companions still need names and the Science Department is taking suggestions. If you come up with a name that you believe would be fitting for the corn snake, the praying mantis, or both, be sure to tell Mr MacLean!
