Message from Mr Crabtree, Executive Head
Dear Parents,
A very warm welcome, or welcome back to school to every member of our GES community; the rentrée is always a precious moment to appreciate the very special place our school is!
It was wonderful to greet the smiling, excited and eager faces of our Primary pupils at drop-off on Wednesday, and experience the buzz at our Secondary campus as students welcomed new classmates and stepped up to the new challenges in lessons. I would recommend viewing the gallery of the first House event of the year at Secondary, the traditional whole-school tug of war, a celebration of healthy community competition, with the first House Points spoils going to Dôle!
Returning to school after the summer is a chance to re-connect, both for our teachers, students and families. I very much enjoyed and valued meeting and speaking with so many families yesterday evening at our Primary Parents’ Welcome event, and I am in anticipation of a similarly successful evening at our Secondary campus later today.
I look forward to the whole community continuing to reconnect over the coming weeks and sharing further news and updates with you.
Mr Crabtree
Executive Head
Back to School
We were delighted to have both campuses buzzing with activity once more as our students returned to school for an exciting year of learning. A special welcome goes to our new students and their families joining our school community, and to our youngest learners, who started school for the very first time this week!
As a special treat for their first day of school, our wonderful Parents’ Association treated our Primary students to some delicious ice lollies, which made the return to school even more exciting.
This week in class
We have had such a great start to the year in Year 4!
Students enjoyed making their own time capsules which will be sealed and opened again in June. This involved taking measurements of their height, tracing their hands and feet, and carefully placing these data into the capsules. Everyone is excited to see how they will progress and change over the course of the year!
Our Year 3 learners have kick started the year with some dictionary work! After some practise and with some excellent teamwork and encouragement from each other, everyone was successful in finding AND choosing the most appropriate definition for a selection of words from “sad” to “tumultuous”!
Our students are looking forward to applying these new skills to their learning!
Our Year 8 students launched headfirst into their Science lessons, with a first practical experiment investigating metals and non-metals. Our students took a close comparative look at the physical properties of various elements, noting differences in appearance, conductivity and malleability. A great way to refresh and deepen their knowledge of the Periodic Table!
Beyond the classroom
House Tug-of-War at Secondary
To kick off the new school year, Secondary students and staff participated in our traditional House Tug-of-War on the shores of the lake at Port Choiseul.
Pulling their weight to defend their Houses in this first competition of the year, our students cheered each other on as they huffed and puffed and strove to carry the day.
Congratulations to Dôle for coming in in first place, followed by Léman, and a tie for third place for Jura and Rhône.
Extra-Curricular Activities
ASC Cookie Bake-off
Our After School Care club had the first of their cooking sessions this week!
Our young club-goers had a great time baking, permeating the school grounds with the delicious smell of warm cookies, which they eagerly tucked into as soon as they came out of the oven.
Community News
Outstanding A Level and GCSE Results
A few weeks ago, we were proud to celebrate the exceptional A Level results of our class of 2026 cohort, who achieved 100% pass rate in their examinations and no fewer than 90% of grades between A* and C.
These achievements reflect our students’ ambition, our teachers’ expertise, and the support of our entire school community. With such fantastic results, our graduating students have been accepted into prestigious universities, including the University of Oxford, UCL, Durham University, and the universities of Bristol, Edinburgh, Bath and Leeds.
Last year’s Year 11 students also produced some excellent results in their GCSE exams, with 52% top grades 8 and 9, and 70% grades between 9 and 7.
We look forward to celebrating their continued success as they step confidently into their future A Level or higher education studies.
Orientation Day and Welcome Picnic at Primary
We were thrilled to welcome our new families on Tuesday as part of our Orientation Day for students joining our Primary School! In addition to hearing from our Head of Primary, Lee Connor, our new students and their families were able to meet their teachers and visit their classrooms.
The morning’s events were followed by the much-awaited Welcome Picnic on our Primary grounds, which brought together new and returning families under the cool shade of our campus’ trees. An opportunity to meet new classmates and reunite with friends while enjoying a bite together!
GES Student in the News
We are immensely proud of our student, Eddie, whose project “I Can Be the Change” has earned him a dedicated article in the most recent edition of the Tribune de Genève’s Rives-Lac supplement!
Drawing inspiration from the work of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai and British artist Banksy, Eddie created three posters to raise awareness about pollution and how individual actions can lead to collective change and a healthier environment for all. As a strong advocate for the protection of the environment, he went on to contact his local Town Hall and the village shops to ask if he could display his artwork in the hopes of spreading his message of sustainability to a larger audience.
Eddie’s indefatigable efforts, perseverance, creativity and community spirit earned him a Head’s distinction at our school’s final assembly last year! Well done, Eddie!
