Message from Ms Matillon, Director General
Dear Parents,
I hope you and your children had an excellent half-term break and that the return to school has been a joyful one.
Whilst our students and staff certainly welcomed our recent time off, not everyone was relaxing at the start of the half-term break. In their quest for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh International Award, fifteen adventurers from Year 13, along with Mr Pearce and Madame Bugeja went on a trek across the island of Sardinia. Our students not only successfully completed their mission, but they also earned high praise from Maurizio, the owner of the Calle Gonone where our adventurers stayed for two nights in preparation for their hike. He sent the following message to Mr Pearce following the GES group’s stay:
“A truly very high level of education and behaviour. Iron discipline and great kindness… we can only applaud you as group leader and all the girls and boys who were truly extraordinary.”
Hearty congratulations go to everyone involved in this trip for demonstrating such maturity, determination and resilience, and for showing GES in such a positive light.
I am sure that the two groups of Secondary students, one of which has set off today to Venice, along with Ms De Bortoli and Mrs Hopley, and the second which departs tomorrow to Alicante with Mr Pearce and Ms Noble, will make us just as proud. I look forward to hearing about their exploits and to sharing news and photos in next week’s newsletter. Buon viaggio, buen viaje to all!
This week has featured a series of successful events in school, organised by our dedicated teachers and staff, including the Halloween celebration in Primary on Monday, the Key Stage 1 and 2 Book Looks, the Pre-school and Reception Stay & Play and the Year 7 parents’ evening. Madame Bugeja led our young netballers to a 2nd and 3rd place finish in an SGIS tournament – a brilliant result as 9 schools took part in the competition, so bravo to them! Under Mr Dupont-Panon’s guidance, the House Basketball Competition in Secondary is halfway to being complete and the race is still wide open – more to come on that before the end of term!
I would like to extend my thanks to those amongst you who have participated in these and other events, cheering on our children and celebrating their achievements academically, creatively and in the sporting arena. We all know that nothing conveys more clearly to our young people that what they do in school is important other than our interest, our praise and our encouragement.
A special mention must go to a collection of parents who have gone above and beyond this week, including our class parents representatives who ran our deliciously scary Halloween bake sale and those who rolled up their sleeves to help Mrs Humphreys and Mrs Livesley sort and tidy the bunker in Primary and take unwanted items to the tip. We were also privileged to have two visitors devote time to sharing their experiences with our students: Ms Quirighetti who spoke to our Year 6 classes about growing up in Ghana and Mr Oates – one of our parents – led an assembly on the topic of what it means to go to war in advance of Remembrance Day on Monday. The latter was a very moving talk for all present, and I am certain that Mr Oates’ messages will bring about some meaningful discussions this weekend.
I wish you happy reading of this newsletter and a wonderful, warm weekend.
All the best,
Christina Matillon
Halloween Fun and Learning at GES
All kinds of zombies, ghouls, ghosts and monsters invaded the school this week as Primary celebrated the beloved feast of Halloween. The week’s events kicked off with the traditional sweetness associated with Halloween thanks to a delicious bake sale organised by our wonderful Primary parents. Students and staff joined in the fun, bringing all their creativity to the design of the fantastic costumes they donned for the occasion.
The festive occasion was also a tremendous learning opportunity for all involved and across the curriculum. In Year 5, a spooky History lesson looked at the origins of the feast and students learned new vocabulary and synonyms linked with the day.
Across the French classes, Halloween helped introduce and develop our learners’ language skills. For the most advanced group, students explored Halloween-inspired synonyms related to fear, coming up with expressive words like “pétrifié,” “apeuré,” “terrorisé“, “terrifié“, “paniqué“. They also invented dialogues and made predictions about what would happen next in each story. The lower-intermediate group focused on sentence-building skills. They created their own sentences using structures learned before the holidays, such as “Il a…” , “Il est…” , “Il y a…“, “C’est…“. By using the technique of “circling questions”, Mme Durey encouraged them to practise a variety of different sentences. While Years 5-6 students listened to and answered questions about the origins of Halloween, their younger peers in Years 3-4 practised their questions skills by trying to find out which ghost was chosen by one of their friends.
In Year 1, Halloween rhymed with culinary creativity as they concocted chocolate sparklers and wands for the occasion.
In P.E, a zombie infestation hit as selected zombies were tasked with catching their friends during a warm-up game.
This week in class
Delving into the world of Philip Pullman’s The Firework Maker’s Daughter, Year 4 have designed their own fireworks.
Using a variety of imperative verbs, they wrote recipes for the production of these firecrackers, and following strict safety rules, even got to observe some real life sparklers and poppers!
Year 6 enjoyed a rare treat this week with the visit of Ruby Quirighetti, a guest speaker who shared her first-hand experience of growing up in Ghana.
In a wonderfully animated presentation, Ruby entranced us with anecdotes, dances, ceremonial costumes and foods. Students were fascinated to learn that babies are observed for 42 days before they are officially named at an “Outdooring” ceremony and that names correspond to the day of the week on which they were born. In fact, we found out that Adwoa was born on a Monday!
The Year 5 and 6 classrooms were buzzing with energy and chatter this morning at the Upper Key Stage 2 Book Looks. We received a lot of lovely feedback about the art installation in the playground (the results of our artists’ efforts and creativity last term!) and about the writing and work on display in the classrooms.
We were thrilled to welcome Anne Evrard, former Head of French and French teacher at GES for 25 years, for a special presentation of the inspiring project Des racines pour grandir (Roots for Growth). This meaningful project will be completed by our Year 5 and 6 students this term, building on an initiative originally introduced to our school by Anne during her time teaching here. Created by her close friend Vinciane Hanquet in Belgium, this project continues to be successfully implemented in over 100 schools.
The heart of this project is all about exploring and celebrating our roots. Students will dive into their family histories, discovering stories, unique family traditions, and cherished heirlooms passed down through generations. By sharing special moments with parents and grandparents, they will gain a deeper understanding of their heritage. The initial purpose of this project is for the children to connect to their roots which helps them grow in confidence and a sense of belonging and to learn about their friends’ cultures. Through guided activities, students have brainstormed words and ideas that define “family,” sparking meaningful exchanges and reflections.
Beyond the Classroom
November Reading Challenge
Hiking, singing, painting, football… what is your favourite hobby?
This month’s Reading Challenge is all about non-fiction texts and how these can inspire readers to try out new or different activities. Read up on your favourite hobbies by using our English and French sports and hobbies collection in the Library and create a poster to encourage someone to try it out!
World Children's Day Preparations
Ahead of World Children’s Day on 20 November, our Secondary assembly this week focused on the 2024 theme, “Listen to the Future” – a theme which urges governments, teachers and parents to listen to children about their experiences of the world.
Students reflected on the biggest problems faced by children in today’s world, and looked closely at the three global challenges faced by children according to UNICEF: conflict, disruptive technologies and climate change.
Remembrance Day Assembly
We had the privilege of welcoming Jon Oates, ex-serviceman and father of Teddy and Arthur, into school for a Primary assembly about Remembrance Day.
Explaining about the different specialisations of soldiers, such as parachute jumping or driving tanks, Jon also underlined the difficult sacrifices that are made by the men and women serving their country. He spoke to students about the loss of friends and family members, and the impact of this on the lives of survivors.
Jon also presented the work of the Poppy Appeal in support of veterans and their families.
House News
Registration Time for Our Houses
Our House Captains organised exciting and fascinating registrations this week.
In addition to planning upcoming House events, including the much awaited House Basketball Competition which also took place this week, our school leaders also engaged with their teams on a number of fascinating current events discussions through quizzes. These covered as diverse topics as fluctuations in UK economics and finance, world championship results in the traditional game of conkers, and genetic investigations into the DNA of historical explorers.
Well done to all of them for their inspiring leadership and indefatigable enthusiasm!
House Basketball Competition
This week saw the Secondary basketball teams enter round two of the inter-house competition, with boys’ matches taking place this week, and the girls’ fixtures planned for next.
So far Dôle are top in the standings with 16 points, closely followed by Rhône with 12, and Léman and Jura fighting it out for third place with 5 and 4 points respectively.
Best of luck to all teams next week!
Extra-Curricular Activities
A Trekking Trip in Sardinia
Our Gold Duke of Edinburgh International Award students had a fantastic time on their assessed expedition to Sardinia over the break. Spending the first two nights in Cala Gonone, they then undertook a four-day trek in the Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei, reaching an altitude of 800m at their highest point. During the trek, our Gold expedition-goers walked and cooked independently, carrying their gear with them throughout the trip.
Aniqah in Year 13, shares her insights with us from the experience: “For our Gold Duke of Edinburgh we spent a week in Sardinia: 4 days hiking and 3 days exploring. Overall, it was a team building experience as we developed our communication skills within our group, testing our resilience. The first day, despite navigation complications which led to our delayed arrival of 21:00 – marking the first GES trip where students walked in the dark – we persevered by maintaining a positive attitude throughout, cheering each other on, sharing resources and discussing alternative solutions. Through sleeping outside the first night to meal prepping with budgets and weight-limits, this expedition was a true test of patience, problem solving and cooperation.”
As a reward for their efforts and in celebration of their successful trip, students enjoyed two days of rest just outside Cagliari.
Medals Galore for Our Netballers
Our Category E and F Netball girls had an exhilarating afternoon at the International Institut de Lancy Netball Tournament, with every player returning home with a medal! The team competed against nine schools, facing a mix of wins and losses while continuously keeping spirits high and maintaining focus. The girls placed second in Category F (Years 3 and 4) and third in Category E (Years 5 and 6). They worked exceptionally well as a team, communicating and supporting each other throughout the tournament.
The results are as follows:
Cat E
- GES 2-1 CDL (Player of the Match: Aleyna)
- GES 4-0 LGB (Player of the Match: Esme)
- GES 1-8 IIL (Player of the Match: Lea)
Cat F
- GES 3-0 IIL 2 (Player of the Match: Lilly)
- GES 3-6 CDL (Player of the Match: Emma)
- GES 0-2 IIL 1 (Player of the Match: Carys)
- GES 2-0 IIL 2 (Player of the Match: Alex)
Well done to all the girls for their hard work in both training and competition. We’re proud of your efforts and achievements!
Year 11 Volleyball Vibes
Our Year 11 girls enjoyed a trip up the road to La Châtaigneraie on Wednesday evening to play a friendly volleyball match.
Having worked hard in lessons to develop their skills and prepare for GCSE P.E. assessments, this was an opportunity to apply their skills in a competitive match.
They played well against a well-trained team and played four sets. Each set was close with the girls scoring between 14-18 points each time.
We have been invited back again for future games and look forward to these in the coming months.
School and Community News
Course de l'Escalade | Final Call
The GES team for Escalade is calling all runners! Register now and join our 95-strong school team for this beloved Genevan event on Sunday 8 December that will bring together children of all ages to celebrate this important event in our local history.
The deadline for registration is this Sunday 10 November. No further registrations will be possible thereafter.
Please find details below on how to register:
Children and Youth Category races
The children’s / youth races will take place on Sunday 8 December. Children / teenagers aged 6 or above (i.e. those born between 2007-2018) can participate as part of the GES school team. Each runner will receive an official individual placement in their own age group and their individual times will also be recorded as part of Team GES.
Child-Parent races
Children born in 2019 or 2020 have the opportunity to run with one of their parents. The aim is to introduce 4 and 5 year olds to the Escalade races and prepare them to run alone in the future. Only one adult (minimum 16-years old) can accompany each child. We encourage you to sign up as part of the GES team if you and your child will run in this category too.
Adult races
Adults are also welcome to register individually via this link.
Coming Soon | Quiz Night
Don’t forget to mark your calendars on 22 November for the upcoming Quiz Night, organised by our wonderful Class Parent Representatives!
Primary and Secondary parents and students are welcome to attend.
Stay tuned for further details.
Save the Date | Winter Showcase
Save the date for our Winter Showcase coming up on Wednesday 11 December from 18:00 to 19:30 at our Secondary campus.
Featuring live performances from our Key Stage 3 and A Level students, this event is also the perfect opportunity to discover the creative skills of our GCSE and A Level students, who will be presenting an exhibition of their artwork from the past few years.
We hope to see many of you there!
Faces of GES
Our Faces of GES series hops over to Secondary this week, with a closer look at Gaetan Dupont-Panon, who joined our school as teacher of Maths in August 2023. Coming to us from Barton Court Academy Trust in the UK, where he was Director of Maths, Gaetan was drawn to GES for its international nature and the incredible multitude of languages spoken by our students and staff. An ed-tech enthusiast and a firm believer in lifelong learning, Gaetan especially enjoys the connectedness of our school and our use of technology to support learning and provide instant feedback to students.
Beyond the classroom, Gaetan also leads House activities and competitions alongside our House Captains. Convinced of the central role that collaboration plays as a 21st century competence, he is also one of the first to champion and advocate for the teamwork and spirit of camaraderie that so define our school.
A fan of the great outdoors, Gaetan prides himself on having recently completed a 14-day hut-to-hut trek in the Italian Alps! Bravo Gaetan!
