Message from Miss Parker, Primary Deputy Head
Dear Parents,
It is my pleasure to have been asked to write to you this week. The final weeks of the summer term are always my favourite as school becomes abuzz with excited students, preparations for day and residential trips, performances, sports days and end of year celebrations. When we ask students about what they remember most about school, it is usually these events that they recall and it is easy to see why!
Our youngest children in Pre-School enjoyed their very first school trip this week when they visited the Bioparc in Bellevue, while our Year 8 students visited the Anne Frank exhibition at the Château de Prangins discovering how Otto Frank, from his new home in Switzerland, made it his life’s mission to to bring his daughter’s diary to light and preserve her message of humanity and tolerance for future generations.
Across school, there are a number of residential trips taking place in the next few weeks, including our Duke of Edinburgh expedition this weekend which will see our adventurers camping and navigating the Rhône in their kayaks. Our Key Stage 2 students have been finding out about the exciting itineraries which are in store for them as they visit Les Crosets and Torgon in the penultimate week of term. Trips like these are a valuable part of our students’ time at school, offering them unique experiences and learning opportunities. From their very first residential trip in Year 3, all the way through to our Key Stage 5, students can develop their independence, social skills and resilience in a way that is only possible by being away from home. This busy period is a perfect opportunity to say a huge thank you to our committed GES staff who meticulously plan these trips and give up their own time to ensure all our students have the best experiences possible, making memories they will treasure forever.
On Thursday, students in Years 7 to 13 competed in a variety of track and field events in our annual Secondary Sports Day. Under stormy skies at the Versoix Centre Sportif, students demonstrated our GES values, cheering and supporting each other in a variety of events culminating in the exhilarating student and staff relay race. The whole school was gathered together for the final standings of the year to be revealed: Dôle House was crowned both Sports’ Day and overall House champions for 2023-24. A celebration breakfast in the Grand Cafe was enjoyed by all Dôle House members and the newly elected House Captains were also revealed for next academic year.
We are very much looking forward to our Key Stage 1 and 2 Sports Day, which will take place on Tuesday 4 June, and to welcoming our Early Years parents on Tuesday 11 June for their children’s first ever Sports Day. I hope to see many of you showing off your sporting prowess as parents are invited to take part in the eagerly anticipated parents’ race. On Wednesday 5 June, over 70 performers will showcase their musical and dancing talents as part of our Primary Summer Rising Stars event. This will take place in the Primary Gym at 17:30. Thank you to all the members of our GES community for supporting all these incredible extra-curricular events taking place.
Have a lovely, restful weekend and I look forward to seeing many of you next week.
Emma Parker
From the Primary School
Smashing Success for the Gospel Lab en Famille
Parents and students had a brilliant morning at the Gospel Vocab Lab en Famille last weekend. Local singer, Emy Lanzafame, and her pianist husband, Luca, had us all singing in harmony, and dancing. Some brave parents and children sang solos, and the children taught Emy, Luca and their parents an African call and response song that they have been learning in choir. The morning’s events finished with a terrific mini concert.
Pizza Time at ASC
There is always something exciting happening at After School Care! This week, our young participants donned their pizzaiolo hats for a pizza making session that had the entire school smelling delicious! They also enjoyed bouncing around the Primary gardens and spending all that extra energy left over from a busy day of learning.
Save the Date | Summer Rising Stars
Save the date for our Summer Rising Stars show next Wednesday 5 June at 17:30 at Primary! Featuring the GES orchestra, choirs, ballet and street dancers, this event will feature our school’s rising talents for an evening of unforgettable music and dance.
Free admission
Message from Nurse Polly
Owing to an increasing number of head lice cases in Primary, we kindly ask all parents to check their children’s head this weekend, and regularly thereafter. Head lice spread easily amongst children and can cause discomfort. Please find below some tips in case head lice are found in your children’s hair:
- Head lice are easier to catch when hair is wet as they won’t move when wet.
- The nits (white eggs) can be found with a regular hair conditioner, applied every 2 or 3 days, and a special anti-lice comb that can be purchased from any pharmacy. Lice themselves will require a special treatment with anti-lice shampoo, to be repeated 5-7 days later (follow the manufacturer’s guidelines). Please do not hesitate to get additional advice from your pharmacy if you need to purchase a product.
- Your child’s pillowcase will also need to be washed at a high temperature to kill all remaining bugs.
We also ask that all students with long hair have it tied up to reduce the spread of head lice and that parents remind their children not to share hats, hair/ headbands, hairbrushes, etc. with their friends.
News from Secondary
A Trip Back in Time for Year 8 Students
Year 8 students visited the Anne Frank in Switzerland exhibition this week, which focuses on the Frank family’s links to Switzerland.
Students, who are currently reading The Diary of Anne Frank, had the chance to view unpublished family pictures of the Franks and learn more about the life of Otto Frank (Anne’s father) after his liberation and move to Basel.
Designed to be interactive, the exhibition enabled students to experience how the Frank family’s life worsened progressively whilst living in the secret annex. It also helped deepen their knowledge about the people who tried to help the Franks during their hiding in Amsterdam and after the liberation.
To end the trip, students explored the permanent exhibition at Prangins Castle, which helped them understand how different life was in the 18th Century.
Sports Day at Secondary
Despite the drizzle and the dark clouds overhead, our Secondary School had a fantastic Sports Day yesterday at the Centre sportif de Versoix. Running, long-jumping, shot-putting, vortex throwing… what a whirlwind of activities our athletes took part in! Grouped in their houses, our students made us very proud and displayed tremendous sportsmanship and teamwork.
Congratulations to all our athletes for their efforts and bravo to Dôle House for bringing home the day’s trophies!
A Special shout-out goes to the following students for marking new school records:
- Lila in the Long Jump Year 7-8 Girls and 200m Year 7-8 Girls categories
- Tara in the Long Jump Year 11-13 Girls category
- Fali in the Vortex Throw Year 9-10 Girls category
- Jewel in the Vortex Throw and 100m Year 9-10 Boys categories
- Charlotte in the Vortex Throw and 100m Year 11-13 Girls categories
- Katrina in the Shot Put Year 7-8 Girls category
- Raheem in the Shot Put Year 7-8 Boys category
- Ona in the Shot Put Year 9-10 Girls and 800m Girls categories
- Tino in the Shot Put Year 9-10 Boys category
- Amarachi in the Shot Put Year 11-13 Girls category
- Thomas in the Shot Put Year 11-13 Boys category
- William in the 800m and 200m Year 9-10 Boys categories
- Harry in the 800m Year 11-13 Boys category
- Rameesa in the 200m and 100m Year 9-10 Girls categories
- Jasmine in the 200m Year 11-13 Girls category
- Harrison in the 200m Year 11-13 Boys category
- Olek in the 100m Year 7-8 Boys category
- Louis in the 100m Year 12-13 Boys category
A Maths Whiz in our Midst
Our very own Ben Whitton (Year 8) took part in the 38e Championnat des Jeux Mathématiques et Logiques organised by the Swiss Federation of Mathematical Games.
Competing against more than 20,000 participants in the first round in January, Ben reached the Swiss final held at the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), coming in 24th in his age group of 160 children. Well done Ben!
A Final Cheer from our Secondary Houses
Today was marked by the last House celebration at Secondary, during which our students celebrated their House accomplishments over the past year. Enjoying some well-earned breakfast nibbles together, each House then proceeded to hand over the House Captain jerseys to next year’s House leaders.
Well done to everyone for your efforts this year. You have made your Houses and your school proud!
School news
Reminder | Sports Day in Support of Underprivileged Youth
One of our families is organising a fun fundraising sports day in support of underprivileged youth in Nairobi.
Taking place this Sunday 2 June at the Salle de Sport Les Morettes in Prangins, this is the perfect opportunity for our families to do sports together while sponsoring an important cause. Football, decathlon activities, sports quizzes and more are on the menu of this action-packed day!
Click here to find out more and sign-up
Save the Date | End of Term Picnic
Join us for the GES End of Term Picnic on Friday 28 June – the last day of school! Starting at 12:20, this event is the perfect way to end the school year and for families, friends, staff and students to enjoy a relaxing time together before we all head out for the summer holidays.
Hosted on the beautiful grounds of our Primary campus, this event will include a bar and pizza van. So bring along your picnic blankets and snacks and come and join in the fun!
Faces of GES
Today’s Faces of GES spotlight falls on Isabelle Nussbaum, Director of People and Culture, who joined our school in February 2023. Having worked for over 6 years as HR Manager in another international school and recently having completed studies to become a professional coach, Isabelle holds a diploma from the International Coaching Federation. Prior to entering the field of Human Resources, she worked as a creative, buying art for advertising. What really makes Isabelle click though is her passion for people and fostering a safe, supportive and inclusive work environment where everyone feels valued and respected. Always one to raise her hand to assist others, she is also the first to explore innovative solutions to build bridges and connect diverse perspectives. At GES, Isabelle has done just that and she cherishes the wonderful community that makes up our school. A source of wise counsel, her advice to those around her is to trust their instincts and make sure they are at peace with whatever decision they might be making.
Beyond school, Isabelle is an avid reader and music enthusiast, an indefatigable swimmer and a keen museum-, gallery- and concert-goer. Enjoying long walks in the fields and mountains (in fact many of her colleagues at school often warmly jest that they would want to measure her daily steps given her energetic to-and-fros!), she is happiest when she is surrounded by people, be they family, friends or colleagues.
