Message from Ms Matillon, Director General
Dear Parents,
We had a short, but busy week in school. Was it really only three days?
Students across year groups are now fully immersed in their lessons and seem engrossed in their classes and subjects. We’ve observed friendships being formed and new students already looking as though they’ve been with us forever. Reflecting on how smoothly we’ve eased into this academic year is a very rewarding part of my job.
As we continue to expand and enhance our A Level provision, we are delighted to have our first Sociology students entering Year 13, and our Year 12 class is the first to include a cohort taking academic Physical Education at A Level. This year, almost half of our Year 12 class is new to GES, with some students joining us from abroad, but even more from local private and state schools. With word getting out about the benefits of A Level studies as a pathway to universities worldwide, as well as the outstanding results achieved by our students since the inception of our programme, GES’ reputation is clearly growing in the region.
Extra-curricular activities scheduled for Monday to Wednesday have started – old favourites as well as fresh new ideas for fun, such as “All Things Animal” in Key Stage 1. Next week, the full five-day programme will run on both campuses.
In Primary, our broad range of clubs offers something for almost every taste and, on average, our students have been enrolled in 3.5 activities each! We’re delighted to keep the children with us that extra bit longer each day and to have them explore the breadth of clubs available. In our choir led by Mrs Humphreys, veteran singers were proud this week to perform “Vois sur ton chemin” for new members, and all are looking forward to the Christmas and Rising Stars concerts. In Gaelic Football, our more seasoned athletes led the session, guiding new participants through the basic rules. Once foundations are mastered, the games will begin – including the much-loved Gaelic Dodgeball, a game invented by the children and a favourite of theirs and Mr Bradley’s!
The Outdoor Clubs run for students in Years 9 and above remain popular, and our most senior group is proving to be a real inspiration for the younger year groups; the Year 13 Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award candidates, led by Mr Pearce, are planning their trip to Sardinia and we’re all very jealous! Luckily for the group, Cosme, a native Italian speaker, has taken the initiative to call a refuge in the Golfo di Orosei national park to ask for advice on the best hiking routes. Excitement is clearly building amongst the team as they prepare to celebrate this pinnacle of their GES outdoor experience.
The range of ECA choices available in Secondary, such as Debating and Model UN, French Cooking, Dungeons and Dragons, and Performing Arts has meant that each of our students has signed up for, on average, just under two clubs.
A very big thank you goes to all of our devoted teachers for their imagination and energy in planning such a robust after-school activity programme, and to our students for sharing their passions!
Wishing everyone a fantastic, well-deserved long weekend,
Christina Matillon
Settling Into The New Academic Year
School Values: I.C.A.R.E.
As we start afresh, teachers are reintroducing students to our GES values:
Integrity, Community, Achievement, Resilience, Excellence
Our values are at the core of everything we do in school so that the children grow into confident, responsible and committed adults.
What better way to remind students of these values than by incorporating them into team-building games, as seen here at Primary!
Making New Friends
It has only been a week since the start of term and the children have settled in so well! Making new friends plays a key role in a child’s wellbeing and, as a consequence, in his or her academic success.
At GES, our small groups and spacious classrooms enable independent and collaborative learning.
Here, Year 4 students are enjoying sharing some reading time in peer groups.
GES Community Spirit
Year 5 started the year with discovering their older peers’ wisdom and advice. The current Year 6 had written letters to the next cohort of Year 5 students to share with them their experience.
Year 5 students are getting a little insight into what to expect this year. Some said the letters made them feel less nervous.
Letters included positive messages, such as:
“Don’t worry, I felt nervous when I started Year 5, but you will have lots of fun.”
“You will love the trip to the Roman museum.”
“You will love Year 5, we did lots of fun and exciting work.”
“Year 5 work was challenging, but we had lots of support from the teachers.”
Enrichment Programme
Extra-Curricular Activities
From football and sewing in Primary to French cooking and STEAM club in Secondary, our enrichment programme is off to an exciting start.
In their Science club, Year 6 students don lab coats and goggles to try their hand at practical experiments in the Secondary school lab. Experiments include burning magnesium and creating elephant toothpaste, an impressive mixture that instantly rises out of the beaker, leaving the budding scientists in awe at their own success.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Year 12 students are planning a hike in the Alps to practise their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. This level entails spending a minimum of 4 days outdoors, including 3 nights and 8 hours of planned activity each day.
The group will be staying overnight in a hut in the Kandersteg area. They are looking forward to the “lake and waterfall which is, apparently, Instagram-worthy”.
Faces of GES
Sabine Hutcheson joins us this year as our new Director of Marketing and Head of Secondary Admissions.
Sabine has worked in education for over 25 years and held a variety of roles from French and English Teacher to Head of Sixth Form and University Advisor. What Sabine enjoys most about working in schools is guiding families in making the right choices for their children and forever learning from the students.
Sabine is a Swiss and Greek national, born and raised in Geneva and a graduate in Archaeology, History of Art, Ancient History and Education from the University of Reading and University College London. She speaks several languages and understands the experience of being an international student.
After a few weeks at GES, Sabine says she feels like part of the community already and she loves the relaxed atmosphere amongst students and staff.
