Message from the Head
Dear Parents,
We have had more Primary parents visiting the school and classrooms in the last two weeks than we had in the last two years – and your children, as well as our staff, have really enjoyed seeing so many of you. We now look forward to our Secondary parents coming in soon and seeing the work of their children and the general, purposeful mood of learning at the Versoix campus.
For those of you who haven’t had a chance yet, please cast your vote on the simplification of the legal structure of the school before Monday, 28 March. It will be a really positive and useful change, make some of the School’s operational administration easier and less costly, and will allow us to set up GES for an even brighter and more sustainable future. Every family has one vote and the primary contact in our overall database has received the link to vote. If you have any questions or issues, please email Patrick Le Roy before Monday lunchtime ([email protected]).
And our thanks go again to the tireless, behind-the-scenes work of our wonderful Parent group, who collect donations for families who have been forced to leave Ukraine and who are organising an exciting Easter Picnic on the afternoon of 1 April – I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the event and to being able to thank you in person for all you do.
Have a great, sunny weekend,
Matt Williams
Head
DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR
Next Friday 1 April - Whole School community event at Primary campus (16:30 - 19:00)
Come along and join friends, bring your own picnic or why not buy a pizza from the delicious Pizza Matta.
There will be a GES bar, cake sale, a treasure hunt (CHF 5) with a prize for each child and a wonderful raffle.
Please note the treasure hunt will be running from 16:30 to 18:00.
Please bring CASH and donate generously – all money raised will be going to humanitarian aid charities helping in the ongoing crisis.
Tuesday 5 April, 17:30 - 19:30 Music recital
We are delighted to announce that we will be holding a live recital of our instrumentalists and singers who have music lessons at both GES Primary and Secondary.
The recital will take place on Tuesday 5 April at 17:30 at Secondary, Room Chaplin (Versoix).
This is a particularly exciting occasion as we have all been waiting and hoping for the sanitary situation to allow the opportunity for our music students to perform live.
We are looking forward both to welcoming you and to supporting our fabulous music pupils who have worked so hard.
FROM YOUR SECONDARY TEACHERS
KS3 work around the Red Cross
This week, after an enriching trip to the excellent Red Cross Museum in Geneva, KS3 students were asked to summarise in French: Quel est le travail de la Croix / Croissant Rouge?
The visit to the museum, which hosts a temporary exposition entitled To Heal a World, was part of the school’s enrichment programme and gave our students some food for thought around the current events happening in the world.
Careers Enrichment Day: Wednesday 11 May
Access to work experience, visiting speakers, personalised careers guidance are incredibly important elements to offer to our students.
As part of our commitment to providing engaging opportunities to learn key skills, we are holding a Careers Day on 11 May and are looking to invite a range of speakers to share their experiences with our students. The format would be a talk outlining your personal journey to your current role and career followed by a question and answer session with students. Students will be accompanied by their teachers who will facilitate each session.
If you are able to contribute to the day, please respond by completing this form. If you are not available on 11 May but are interested in participating at a later date please leave a comment in the final question box.
We would also welcome further suggestions about outreach opportunities that your company/ employer might offer – these can be shared in your final response.
Thank you to those of you who have already expressed an interest in coming into school to speak with our students.
Mrs Newbury, Head of PSHE
From Ms Shibil, Acting Head of PE and Sport
GES Cycling Tour
We still have some places left for our exciting GES Cycling tour in Copenhagen.
The trip covers a great programme, including flights, bed & breakfast, bike rental & support and clothing. The cost is therefore a little higher than the usual (CHF 1650), and can easily be spread over 3 separate payments. If this would be of interest, just let us know when you sign up.
The trip will run from 30 June to 4 July 2022, and is aimed at keen and able cyclists in Years 5 to 9.
It will consist of 3 days of cycling, watching the first stage of The Tour de France (Le Grand Départ), experiencing the culture of Copenhagen, and evening activities.
Sign up by next Friday 1 April via My School Portal, under Sport & Extra-curricular.
Summer Term Rugby club : Registration now open
Year 6 to 8 Rugby club registration is now open for the Summer Term!
If you wish for your child to take part in the GES Rugby club on a Monday 15.45 – 16.45 throughout the Summer term please sign up via this link.
Rugby club happens on the Primary field and transport is provided from GES Secondary. We ask you to collect your children or organise pick up arrangements accordingly from the Primary campus.
The club will resume as per the extra-curricular programme from 2 May.
FROM THE OFFICE TEAM
End of Spring Term
During the last week of term (4 – 8 April), there will be no extra-curricular activities except for missed sessions (due to illness or staff safeguarding training), which are listed here:
- Secondary Outdoor club
- Primary/Secondary Football with Mr Whibley
- Primary Stop Motion Animation
- Primary Bricks for Kids
- Primary TechLabs
- Primary Judo
- Primary Street Dance
Please note that Spring Term 2022 will end on Friday 8 April
- at 12:00 for GES Secondary
- at 12:20 for GES Primary
There will be no hot lunches and no After-School Care on that day.
Primary Parking
On a normal day, please can we remind all parents from KS1 to Year 6 to use the drop-off line (Kiss & Fly type queue) rather than the park up.
You are welcome to use the car park if you are attending a school function such as a coffee morning.
If you have children in Nursery or Reception, you can park on the courts next to the Early Years pick up area/Netball court.
We thank you for your understanding.
This weekend
Good luck to Jonathan Ahrendsen (Year 7) who is competing in a ski race in Norway this weekend!
A reminder that clocks will go forward 1 hour this Sunday 27 March at 2:00.
GES English Language Academy
The English language provision at GES on a Wednesday afternoon is designed for external Anglophone children who attend a French or Swiss primary school and want to develop their literacy skills and confidence in the core skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening in English.
The classes are for children in the equivalent of Years 5 or 6 and are designed for students to achieve an equivalent level in English as those who attend an English-language primary school.
Students are eligible for this course if they understand and speak English fluently.
If you know any families who might be interested in challenging their children in English, please share the word. Parents can email us at [email protected] and a member of our Languages team will get in touch.
Theatre recommendations, From Mrs Ball (Head of Drama and Performing Arts)
For all of our theatre and performance lovers, here is Mrs Ball’s latest recommendations of local theatre productions.
If you would like further information about any of these, you are welcome to email Mrs Ball at [email protected].
Kinderzirkus
Une promenade musicale dans l’univers magique du cirque avec un concert haut en couleurs pour les yeux et les oreilles !
- Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
- Salle Marie Laggé – Boulevard Carl-Vogt 102, 1205 Genève
- On Saturday 9 April 2022 at 10:30 and 16:00
- Details and tickets here
Oklahoma!
Enter the Oklahoma territory of 1906, beyond the western reaches of the federated United States. Shotgun rides, shotgun weddings, and shotgun justice. No local government, no electricity, no motor cars.
- Simply Theatre Studios, Versoix.
- From Saturday 2 to Sunday 10 April 2022
- Details and tickets here
