ISR Info Day Saturday, September 18th

If you are not yet familiar with ISR, you are invited to attend the next Info Day on Saturday, September 18th, from 13:00-16:00 hrs. There will be presentations for interested families at 13:30h and 14:30h in the Large Conference Room followed by tours. In the meantime, feel free to read what families say about ISR prior to your visit and checkout other info on our Facebook Fan Page.

If you cannot attend, if your needs are more immediate or if you would already like an individual consultation, please call +49 2131 40388-14 for an appointment. Everyone is welcome.

8th Grade School Trip to Xanten with Lots of Exclamation Marks

As reported by Grade 8 Student Ana:

After an early lunch it was finally time to go to Xanten on our school trip with 21 class members, Miss Francey and Mr Otto. Luckily for us a sunny and warm weekend was predicted and everyone going on the trip was excited. When we arrived at the youth hostel we couldn't believe our eyes! The youth hostel was nice and new and when we went to dinner we were surprised that the food was awesome and even better we didn't need to wash our own dishes!


On Saturday Miss Francey woke us up early and we walked down to the lake and went water skiing and then after lunch we went windsurfing. The water skiing was so much fun but the lake itself was freezing! I can only find one word to describe the experience – awesome! The girls all seemed more talented at water skiing, as many of the boys didn't even master the art of the take off! Some people even did it with two people and that was amazing fun! Wind surfing was a little more difficult but some people in the class were able to do it really well. After all the fun we went back to the youth hostel and played volleyball on the courts they had there. Then we had another delicious buffet dinner and then some of us went on a walk into the town of Xanten with Miss Francey. Most of the shops were shut but we went to the old mill and then to the church. Afterwards, we went to a cafe for a drink and some ice cream!

The next day before we got on the bus to head back to school we had one more activity to master – climbing! It was a climbing course 15 meters above the ground and it was really exciting. We even had the chance to be pulled high up by a rope and then drop into a swing! A quick photo and we headed back to school in the bus. Many people were exhausted and immediately fell asleep. It was by far the best class trip ever!

 

 

 

 

 

Lecture and Presentation Evening About China at ISR

The Internationaler Dialog im Rhein-Kreis Neuss e. V. & Deutsch-Chinesische Gesellschaft in Neuss e. V. hosted a Lecture and Presentation Evening “Im Jahrhundert des Drachen – Wie China die Welt verändert und wie die Welt China verändert” (The Century of the Dragon China is changing the world, and how the world is changing China).

The event took place on Tuesday, May 11th 2010 at 7:00 pm. As part of a moderated panel discussion, Dr. Thomas Emmerich of Carl Duisberg Training Center (Bejing), Mr. Yine Zhang of N&H Technology (Kaarst) and Mr. Ming Thong, Frankfurt School of Management and Finance (Frankfurt) discussed the Century of the Dragon in German. Mr. Ludger Baten led the moderation. Afterwards the gentlemen were at the disposal of all those in attendance to deepen the discussion in both German and English, followed by a social gathering with drinks.

Family Fun Day Was Fabulous!

 

ISR’s Family Fun Day was held on Saturday, 29th May 2010 from 10:00-14:00 hrs. Student Life Coordinator Mr. Tarrant, in collaboration with staff and Parent Network reps, organized a BEAUTIFUL day, weather and all, which included a Family Fun Run/Walk, a soccer tournament, a music recital, a Tombola with great prizes and many more things to do and see. Look on ISR's Facebook Fan Page for photos.

This year’s fundraising activities supported ISR’s new charity “Cambodia’s Hope”. And, Jünter from Borussia Mönchengladbach celebrated with the ISR community. ISR would already like to thank the following Tombola sponsors:

 

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Thank you, everyone, for a day of fun and games!

University Offers Already Pouring In

In June, ISR will have its first-ever graduation and nine students (pictured left on 80s Spirit Day) will receive their SABIS® High School Diploma. From those nine, two will go on to university, having completed their American Advanced Placement (AP) exams, and seven will complete their International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in Grade 13. ISR is pleased to announce that the two AP students have received very positive feedback on their university applications.

One has been accepted at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT, Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Co, and the notable Boston University. All three universities are in the USA and would give the student the opportunity to study physics. Offers have also been received from the following UK universities: Royal Holloway at University of London, University of Leeds, University of Loughborough, University of Warwick, and University of York.

The other student has been accepted at Columbia College Chicago, University of Kansas, and has been offered a $14,000/year scholarship at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA.

So all in all, there are (so far) 11 acceptances for two students. And, four of the universities are in the top 100 of the Times Higher's Top 200 Universities list. Congratulations not only to both students but also to their teachers on their well-deserved success!

Grade 1-4 Students Raise Money for Environment and Vietnamese Orphans

Grade 3 students held a Math-a-thon before Spring Break to raise money to bring the EGG Project to their classrooms where they will hatch their own chicks. They were very successful and raised over €470! As part of the Science Curriculum, the students are learning about the life cycle of different birds. The students are donating the extra funds from the Math-a-thon to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), to be used to our planet’s animals.

Thank you to all those Grade 1-4 students who took part in the ISR Spell-a-thon and well done! YOU have raised €1000 for the Palm Tree Foundation. Congratulations to: Kiran Z., Danai R., Tamima L. and Quirinus W. for winning the competition for the most amount of money raised at their grade level.

ISR Girls Under 14 Basketball Team Participates in GISST

ISR hosted its first GISST tournament from March 18th until 20th. The tournament got under way on Thursday evening when the hosting parents collected their charges from other international schools around Germany. After a smooth and uneventful evening, the tournament began for real at 09:00h on Friday morning.  The ISR U14 girls were the youngest and most inexperienced of the teams in the tournament and this showed in their first game losing 34 – 0 to the Hanover International School. Despite this, the ISR girls showed great determination. The ISR Team was awarded the Sportsmanship award for their effort. Well done girls!

ISR Team: Lena E. (5), Stella K. (5), Caroline P. (5), Hee-Jin S. (5), Antonia S. (5), Joy F. (6), Cattariena F. (6), Talia M. (6), Luna N. (6), Chenghui P. (6), Jana V. D. B. (7), Hannah C. (7), Victoria D. (7).

The winners of the Tournament were Hanover International School who beat the Bavarian International School 27 – 23 in the final.

Thank you to all staff and students who assisted in any way. A big thank you to all the parents and staff who housed the students from the other international schools. Without your support it would not have been possible to run the tournament. Thank you also to those parents who helped run the kiosk on the Friday and Saturday.

Grade 4 Aztec Work Will Be on Display at Family Fun Day

Over the last two weeks Grade 4 has been researching and discovering the ancient civilization of the Aztecs and will continue to do so for the remainder of the school year. The knowledge gained has been transformed into jewelry, costumes, mosaic pictures, and replicas of Aztec crafts, pottery and much more. They have been bringing history to life and trying to give a taste of what life under the Aztecs would have been like. The children’s work will be exhibited at Family Fun Day, and they hope that you will share their enthusiasm for this era in history.

Annual Open Meeting with Mr. Carl Bistany

On Wednesday, 17th March, ISR hosted its Annual Open Meeting with Mr. Carl Bistany. This year, Mr. Bistany presented an Executive Overview that included topics such as SABIS® School Network Update, ISR Statistics and Data as a Key to Success; while the main focus of Ms. Lyons' (School Director) presentation was ISR 2009-10 Report Cards. Presentations were also given by SLO™ Prefects on SLO™ News and Developments and by Ms. Terhune (Head of Marketing) on the results of the 2010 SABIS® Survey (results may be viewed on WebParent). In addition, the audience had the chance to have many of their questions addressed.

Thank you to all those who attended and who contributed in any way to this productive meeting!

Four G9-12 Students Achieve University Level in French Language

In January 2010, four Grade 9-12 ISR students sat the French DELF Exams. In order to prepare for the exams, these students enrolled in the “DELF SLO™ Activity."

DELF (diplôme d’enseignement de langue française) and DALF (diplôme approfondi de langue française) are French diplomas in 6 different levels: A1 (Breakthrough), A2 (Waystage), B1 (Threshold), B2 (Vantage), C1 (Effective operational proficiency) and C2 (Mastery). B2 or above is required to study in French universities. Many international employers expect some knowledge of basic French. In addition, French is the second international business language after English in global organizations (UN, IOC, EU, etc.). For these reasons, DELF is a very useful diploma for the futures of our students.

We are proud of our students, two of whom achieved over 90% at A2 level and two achieved over 80% at B1 level. Félicitations à Patrick B., Ina H., Denise C. et Rakcheev A. pour leur succès aux examens de janvier dernier!

First Grade Visits Under the Sea

Recently first graders completed a unit about life under the sea. Our favorite projects were making sea dioramas and writing about sea animals, wrecks of old ships and treasure chests. Grade 1's favorite sea animal is a sea horse, and their favorite book is the Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister! Well-done to all of our first graders who enjoyed decorating the dioramas with sharks, fish, dolphins, crabs, coral, seaweed, shells and lots of sand!

 

 

 

Grade 10 Student Supports Endangered Region for Next 15 Months

A great thanks to all parents and students, who supported Christina K.’s "Save The Rainforest" project. We collected an incredible amount of 457.28 Euro. Through your contributions we can support an endangered region for the next 15 months. Look out for the next fundraising event on Family Fun Day!

ISR Student Saina K. Wins 3rd Place in the WZ Schulpreis Ceremony

ISR and Grade 12 students Saina K. and Christopher B. walked away with 3rd Place in the 2nd Annual Westdeutsche Zeitung Schulpreis (School Award) ceremony on Wednesday, February 10th at Görresschule Elementary School in Neuss. Saina’s academic support project, Schüler helfen Schülern (students helping students), an initiative to aid students in Rhein-Kreis Neuss whose parents cannot afford after-school tutoring, won over the judges. (For the WZ article in the German language, please click here.)

Saina and her fellow students, Ina H., Rico F. and Chris B., earned the right to be proud of their achievements as they have not only sustained but have also broadened their initiative during its six months.

Every Saturday, eager pupils from the region meet with the ISR Upper Secondary students at Haus Paris and receive academic support lessons in English and German. There is no grade level impossible for the ISR team; they have organized the Saturdays in a way to be able to serve any school age. And, the project only continues to grow. Students in neighboring towns have offered their services to teach as well.

This form of outreach to help fellow students is a further extension of what the SABIS Student Life Organization® does every academic day at ISR and within the SABIS® School Network. Saina and her team have simply taken it to another level and are now empowering students outside of ISR while at the same time proving their devotion to their community.

ISR is ecstatic about Saina and her classmates’ dedication and is impressed by the smooth and successful course their project has taken. This has enabled them to make a large, victorious step towards self development and life preparation.

Talented Participants at the Talent Showcase

On Wednesday, February 3rd the ISR Talent Showcase took place which was a big success. A big thank you to all those who helped out with the Talent Showcase. Mr. Theyssen and his crew, Mr. Bunner, and the countless others who put a lot of effort into preparations for this event. Most of all, thank you to all those who performed. The performers put many hours preparing for their performances. And, even some teachers managed to surprise the ISR community with as something as simple as a kazoo! Watch their "commandeering" performance. ISR has amazing talent.

Under 14 Football Team successful in School Football League

Both the Boys Under 14 and 16 Football Teams participated in the 2nd round of School football league on Friday, 29th January. The Under 14 Boys were very successful and won all their matches, well done guys! Unfortunately, the Under 16 Team was not so lucky with a number of injuries affecting their performance. Better luck in the next round!

ISR SLO™ Prefects Visit "Sister Prefects" at ISF

On Tuesday 19th January, a group of ISR SLO™ Prefects visited our sister school, ISF, in Frankfurt. The purpose of the visit was to brainstorm ideas with ISF Senior Prefects and discuss SLO™ issues.

The visit was a big success and both groups of students had valuable learning experiences. It is hoped that Frankfurt will come and visit us next school year.

Visit from the ISF and Lebanon SABIS® IT Teams

On January 19th, we were pleased to welcome the SABIS® IT Team from Lebanon and ISF, Mr. Elie Dagher, Mr. Vassili Athanassiou, Mr. Serge Bakhos and Mr. Gilmour Lothian; and SABIS® Regional Director, Mr. Salah Ayche. The SABIS® IT Team presented an overview of the new modules and enhancements of the SSMS (SABIS® Student Management System), while Mr. Ayche met with academic coordinators and administrators to discuss academic related issues. It was a very pleasant and productive visit for both ISR and SABIS® officials.

Another Successful Year for ISR with IGCSE External Exams

In June 2009, ISR Secondary students did the International General Certificates of Secondary Education exams (IGCSEs) in 13 different subjects. The IGCSE was developed by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

From the 78 tests taken, 87% received a passing grade of C ("befriedigend") or higher, with 15% receiving a perfect score of A+ ("sehr gut+"). In Foreign Language French and Foreign Language Spanish, there was no score lower than an A+ ("sehr gut+"), and in Physics no score lower than an A (“sehr gut”). In addition, 100% of the tests taken in Chemistry, Economics, English as a 2nd Language, English Literature, German as a 1st Language, and Mathematics received a passing grade of C or higher. (To see a larger version of the accompanying chart, please click on it.)

ISR congratulates its dedicated teachers, hard-working students and applauds the SABIS® curriculum in being a solid training ground for ISR Secondary School students.

 

Information and Calendar Dates for School Year 2010–2011

Important information in preparation for the school year can be downloaded:

• School Calendar 2010-2011 (PDF)
• Books and Supplies List 2010-2011 in English and German, coming soon

Open House for 2010-11 Enrollments

Thursday, August 26, 2010
14:00 – 16:00 hrs
Open House gives parents and students a chance, if they wish, to drop by and visit the campus at their convenience between 14:00 and 16:00 hrs. They may check their homeroom assignments, meet teachers informally and walk about the school campus. (Mrs. Meyers would like to meet with all Grade 2 students some time during this "Open House" to review plans for the "First School Day" ceremony on Tuesday, 31st August. Please make a point of stopping by to say "hello" to her!)

Upon arrival, parents and students should check the student's name and homeroom on the notice board in the Foyer just inside the main entrance. Please be aware that when forming homeroom sections at the start of each new school year, various criteria are considered; the primary consideration is to creat groups that are equally balanced academically based on students' performance in the previous year school year.

Of secondary consideration is the mixture of boys and girls, new and returning students, and language abilities.  Social factors are seldom an aspect that is considered when forming sections as there are opportunities throughout the day for friends to meet within and between grade/section levels.

First Day of School

Monday, August 30, 2010
08:20h, Grades 5 to 13

Upon arrival, students in Grades 5 to 8 should wait on the playground for the bell. The homeroom teacher will pick up the class at 08:20h. Grade 9 to 13 students may report directly to their homeroom.  This first day will be a full day for everyone – ending at 16:10h with the possibility of staying in the Extended Day program until 18:00h.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010
08:15h, Grades 2 to 4

Upon arrival, Grade 2 to 4 students should wait on the playground for their homeroom teacher who will pick up the class when the bell rings at 08:20h. This first day will be a full day for everyone – ending at 15:20h with the possibility of staying in the Extended Day program until 18:00h.

08:45h, Grade 1

The Grade 1 students and their families will start their first day of Primary School at 8:45h in the cafeteria with a brief, traditional German welcome ceremony ending no later than 09:30h.

During this ceremony, Grade 1 students will receive a traditional "Schultüte" from the Grade 2 students. Grade 1 teachers prepare the "Tüte" in advance. This is a large conical bag of sweets and school supplies given to children on their "Erster Schultag" (first day) of school. Families are invited to join their children for this special occasion. The Grade 1 students will have a "normal" school day after the welcome ceremony – ending at 15:20h with the possibility of staying in the Extended Day program until 18:00h.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010
08:00h, Kindergarten
Students and parents, upon arrival, should wait in the Foyer near the KG pinboards until called to the classrooms at 08:20. This first day will be a full day for everyone – ending at 15:20h with the possibility of staying in the Extended Day program until 18:00h.

Back-to-School Night

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
18:00 – 20:00hrs

KG through Grade 13 parents only
This is an opportunity for parents to meet teachers and to gain an insight into the curriculum their child(ren) will study at school next academic year as well as to learn about schedules and class/school procedures.

Other Helpful Information
The PN will put out an A-Z Guide for parents. This is especially helpful to those new to the area. Highlights of this useful guide contain helpful websites to newcomers such as Expat Women.