Message from Ms Matillon, Director General
Dear Parents,
I am your guest writer this week as Matt Williams is away on medical leave. I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank all of you who have taken the time, through various means, to share words of encouragement as we settle into our new structure with renewed purpose. The mood in school has been overwhelmingly positive and the optimism on both campuses is energising!
At Secondary, this week was marked by a continuation of exams for many of our students. We are very proud of the hard work, diligent revisions and professional attitude that our students have displayed during the exam session so far, which I am sure will produce excellent results. A big thank you also goes to the rest of our Secondary community for standing shoulder to shoulder with our examinees in making sure noise levels near the exam rooms have been kept to a minimum, as well as to all staff who jumped in to invigilate, even during half-term.
The home stretch of A Level exams also spells the end of our Year 13 students’ time in our wonderful school. They will be taking part in an assembly next Friday 31 May, during which we will bid them all a formal farewell. Their time with us at GES has marked us all and though we are sad to see them leave, we are also filled with hope and excitement for their futures, whatever the next step for each of them will be.
In anticipation of the upcoming performance of our Year 5 and 6 show, Beauty and the Beast, the final performance of which has been postponed to Monday 24 June at the Espace Culturel de Genthod, our performers have been rehearsing and putting the finishing touches on their play. Their dress rehearsal yesterday brought the curtain down, and I urge you to save the date and not miss this superb performance. To find out more, read on below.
Next week, we are excited to be holding the first of our Sports Days. Our Secondary students will launch the season on Thursday 30 May at the Centre sportif de Versoix. They have a busy, action-packed schedule of events planned for them, and we look forward to cheering them on as they defend their House colours. Parents are, of course, most welcome to join at Versoix for this much-anticipated event.
Wishing you a relaxing, sunny weekend,
Christina Matillon
From the Primary School
Save the New Date | Beauty and the Beast
Save the (new) date!
The Year 5 and 6 performance of Beauty and the Beast has been postponed to Monday 24 June at 17:30 at the Espace Culturel de Genthod.
Our thespians, musicians and chorists have been rehearsing assiduously, and enchanted our younger students yesterday with what can only be described as an absolutely stellar dress rehearsal! We look forward to seeing many of you for this upcoming evening of song and dance.
Free admission
Marquez la (nouvelle) date !
Le spectacle, Beauty and the Beast, des classes 5 et 6 a été déplacé au lundi 24 juin à 17h30 à l’Espace Culturel de Genthod.
Nos acteurs et actrices, musiciens et musiciennes, et choristes répètent assidûment, et ont enchanté nos plus jeunes élèves hier avec une répétition générale extraordinaire ! Nous nous réjouissons de vous vois nombreux pour cette soirée de chant et de danse.
Entrée libre
ASC Students Take a Dive
Our After School Care cooks dived into the fascinating world of underwater wildlife this week! Having designed a brand new display, they tried their hand at baking turtle-shaped cupcakes. Though their designs weren’t quite what they had aimed for, they nonetheless delected themselves in tasting their colourful creations.
Reminder | UN Children's Walk
Thank you to all the families who have already sent in the funds raised by their children as part of the UN Children’s Walk.
We will be transferring the fundraised cash to the UN Women’s Guild soon and therefore kindly ask all those who have not done so yet to send in their child(ren)’s sponsored earnings as soon as possible, ideally no later than Monday 27 May at 15:00. Please hand the money in either to your class teacher or to Primary Reception. Thank you!
News from Secondary
Maths Certificates Galore in Secondary
A couple of weeks ago, Year 7 and 8 had a chance to participate in the Junior Maths Challenge. A record of 25 students earned certificates, putting them in the top quarter of all entries.
Special congratulations go to joint best in-school candidates, Isobel Birchall and Ben Whitton, best in the year, George Markoff, and Gold Award winners Mia Sahar and Noah Sheikh.
Reminder | The Addams Family
Don’t forget to pencil in 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 at the Espace Culturel de Genthod, 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.
GES Violin Prodigy on Tour Across Europe
We are delighted to share the news that Year 11’s Ciara Elliot has been offered a scholarship to play in the prestigious European Youth Orchestra. From mid-July to mid-August, she will be touring with this musical group in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia.
Ciara has also been invited to play as a soloist in Tuscany with Maestro Zufferey.
We are immensely proud of how far Ciara has come in her musical career since she had her first solo concert, age 4!
School news
Summer Camps at Primary
Are you looking for fun, athletic activities for your child(ren) this summer? Check out the camps organised by our partner, Key English School, on our beautiful Primary campus.
Open to children aged 4 to 11, these camps are the ideal solution for spending all that summer energy while making new friends.
Faces of GES
Our Faces of GES are back, with a spotlight on Siân Humphreys, our one-of-a-kind Head of Primary Arts and Year 5 classroom teacher, who joined us in 2010 from a school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Siân realised her passion for teaching while working as a peripatetic music teacher after graduating with a degree in Music from Newcastle University. Resolved to pursue a career in primary education, she was especially drawn to teaching because of the variety of subjects you can teach at primary school level. Going from teaching multiplication one moment to running show rehearsals the next, Siân is the first to say how incredibly rewarding working with children is, especially when you witness their achievements and proudest moments. For Siân, GES is especially fortunate when when it comes to celebrating these student successes as our school community spirit is such a strong one: once a GES-er, always a GES-er! It comes as little surprise therefore that her very first GES class has a special place in her heart, not least because they marked the start of her journey in our school, but also because they are now all undertaking successful studies at university!
Beyond the classroom, Siân is an outdoor enthusiast. From running to cycling and skiing, she loves exploring the beautiful area in which we live, but also enjoys escaping to nearby Provence, a region for which she has a soft spot. A born performer, Siân loves playing music and she is at her happiest in the orchestra pit, performing for shows and musicals. In addition to playing the saxophone and clarinet for GAOS shows and the orchestra of her local commune, the Echo du Crêt de la Neige, she is not one to deny herself new artistic experiences, and recently joined a gospel choir to try something completely new!
