To kick off Term 3, we hosted a special Well-being Morning Session on the very first day of the term for our Grade 1 to Grade 8 students. The session was designed to engage students in discussions and activities surrounding mental health that are essential for their growth and development.

Additionally, we welcomed Let’s Be Real (LBR), a local organization dedicated to equipping young people with the tools they need to navigate today’s challenges. LBR has provided specialized workshops for our high school students, parents, and staff, focusing on building resilience, managing stress, self-care, and fostering well-being. These workshops aim to create a unified approach to well-being that brings the school and home environments together, strengthening our community’s support for each student.

We are confident that these initiatives will have a lasting impact on our students’ emotional and mental well-being, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.

Thank you for your ongoing support in making well-being a priority this term!

U14 Boys Basketball

The U14 boys' basketball team traveled to Stuttgart to compete in the GISST during March Madness. The boys came into the tournament undefeated for the season, but their captain Leo Steinmetz had broken his finger, and his availability was very limited for the tournament. The boys fought hard in a competitive tournament, finishing in an impressive fourth place out of 11 teams. They started strong, winning their first two games with solid defense and teamwork, but some tough opponents from Bavaria and Berlin proved too much for our team. The team only lost 2 games for the season, and they were losses to the two teams that finished in 1^st and 2^nd at the GISST. Unfortunately, there wasn't time for a 3^rd place game, and ISF lost the tie-breaker for the bronze medal. Though disappointed, the players showed great sportsmanship and determination throughout the tournament, and they were awarded the sportsmanship award by the other teams. Their performance was a testament to their dedication, and they left the tournament proud of their efforts and optimistic for next year.

U14 Girls Basketball

The U14 GISST Girls' Basketball travelled to Berlin to take part in an exciting and action-packed event, where our team showcased exceptional skills and teamwork. We finished in Second place, narrowly missing out on the championship but achieving a remarkable result nonetheless. The tournament saw fierce competition and memorable moments, with our team overcoming challenges and rising to the occasion when it mattered most. Our team started the tournament with great energy, facing a tough group stage and winning the first match vs Stuttgart. Our girls then stepped up during the second game and got a comfortable win over Ulm. The last match of the day would see us confront our first hurdle to lose to Beris but showcased our defensive abilities against a tough opponent. We finished our first day in good spirits to face the second day.

Day nº2 started with a win against BBS, which placed us second in the pool and gave us the pass into semifinals, where we met BBIS in a thrilling finish game with overtime included, our ISF Bulldog girls proved that they are strong and committed and took the victory that would send them to the Final.

In the final, we played against Bavarian International School where, unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to clinch the top spot and lost the match by 7 points. However, the team played with heart and pride and confronted a very fair opposition that shared a beautiful joint celebration. The experience gained from competing at such a high level will only make us stronger in future tournaments. We are very proud of our Girls.

Varsity Boys Basketball

The varsity boys' basketball team traveled to Ulm for the 2025 GISST. The boys started the tournament with an impressive victory over Dresden and a hard-fought, close win against Stuttgart. The boys lost a very close game to BERIS but bounced back to decisively defeat the home team from Ulm. The next morning, the ISF team played the undefeated BIS team, and though it appeared on paper that the BIS team was the more dominant team, the ISF boys came out ready to play. They executed the game plan to perfection and dominated the BIS team by 17 points. The semi-finals saw a rematch against the boys from Stuttgart. It was a close game throughout, and with 6 seconds to play, senior guard Tobiah Thomas's three-point attempt bounced off the rim, and Stuttgart prevailed by 2 points.

Though the team was devastated by the close loss in the semifinals, the boys demonstrated great determination and will to win in the bronze medal game. Down 9 points entering the 4^th quarter, senior guard Junghyun/Ray Seo hit two early 3-point shots to quickly cut the deficit to 3 points. Junior forward Tim Pachtner grabbed critical rebounds and scored under the basket and at the free throw line to give ISF a 2-point lead with 14 seconds left to play. Guards Houn Kim and Assan Turdiyev were ready to attack as BERIS inbounded the ball for their final play. Our boys gave the opponent no chance to get off a good shot and when the final buzzer sounded, the ISF team erupted with joy. They had held the BERIS team to 1 point in the final quarter. The boys showed great character and resilience and they proudly celebrated their well-earned bronze medal.

Varsity Girls Basketball

The Varsity Girls' Basketball team participated in the GISST Tournament held in Munich, where they displayed remarkable skill, resilience, and teamwork throughout the event. After a series of intense and closely contested matches, the team finished in second place, matching the results achieved in last year’s competition. We started the first day with a nerve-wracking match vs Stuttgart, winning by only 1 point. The second game vs Leipzig was equally challenging, and despite an incredible performance during the first three quarters, we lost by a narrow margin. The last match of the day was vs BBS, and the girls showed great drive and their commitment to go for more and took the game with an impressive 40-12 victory. The semifinal match was a thrilling battle against Saint George’s, where our team showed exceptional resilience and defensive skills. We played every point and were able to turn the match in our favour and win by 5.

The final was a fiercely contested matchup between us and Leipzig. Our girls fought a tough battle, but we ultimately took second place in the tournament. The game was filled with intensity and excitement, and while we didn't claim the top spot, our team played with great heart and spirit throughout the entire match, showing the dominance of The Bulldog Girls for the last 2 years.

We finished our tournament thanking Emmeline Hannon, our senior superstar, who is ready to start new adventures in her next stage at university. We wish you all the best, and we will miss you. We hope you carry your sporting memories at ISF with you forever. Bulldogs on 3…1,2,3 BULLDOGS!

We attended MUN earlier this month for a 3-day conference held at FIS ( Frankfurt International School). Muskan was in the committee DISEC and represented Sweden, and Sanvi was in the committee HSC and represented Slovenia. It was truly a wonderful experience.

Our days were filled with intense discussions and many learning opportunities, but not without its fair share of challenges such as strictly having to use formal language.

We were quite proud of ourselves, having made many speeches, raising many amendments, and standing up for what our countries believed in.

At the end of day 3, we truly felt we had learnt a lot and met some amazing people.

For anyone wanting to do MUN, we would say that it can be really fun and interesting as soon as you get the hang of it.

It was an amazing experience, and we are eagerly waiting for the next MUN.

Thank you to Mr. Horsley, Mr. Conlon, and Mr. Hammer for chaperoning us, and thank you to Ms. Hannon for coordinating this.

Muskan and Sanvi (Grade 9)

We are thrilled to introduce our newest member of the ISF family – our very own Bulldog mascot! The fun has only just begun, and now it’s time for the exciting part: naming our Bulldog!

Every student had the opportunity to suggest their favorite name for the Bulldog, and we received so many creative and fun ideas. After the break, we will announce the winning name, and we can’t wait to see which one will be chosen as our mascot’s official identity.

Stay tuned for the big reveal, and thank you to all our students for their enthusiasm and participation in this fun activity. We are looking forward to seeing our Bulldog mascot bring even more school spirit and joy to our community!

SLO Outreach Department

Primary Music

Toward the beginning of the month, we made decisions on what pieces we would perform for the summer concert. Grades 1 and 2 will have a piece to sing and a movement piece to perform. Grade 3 students will have a piece to sing and a more involved accompaniment to perform on the ukulele. Grade 4 students are in the process of learning three different songs to use for the concert and the promotion ceremony in June. Students in grades 1 and 2 took time to examine different performances and activities that relate to Vivaldi’s composition Spring. Grades 3 and 4 have continued learning and developing their skills playing and moving between new and established chords on the ukulele. The Summer Concert will be on May 28, with grades 1 and 2 performing at 14:00 and grades 3 and 4 at 14:45. We hope to see you all in the Theater if you are available!

In grades 5-9, March focused mainly on Final exams and projects. In Strings, the older grades developed a composition. These compositional skills become especially useful if they choose to study IGCSE or IB music. There were numerous examples of students developing their musical craft through their compositions. The choir worked on different aspects of analysis and theory. These strong and developing fundamentals continue to give them more tools to understand what they do and further express themselves. Music Production classes have been busy developing pieces based on sampled audio from other sources. These sampled selections are put together to develop an idea or express a theme. The Middle School Concerts will be during the week, 10 June 2-4 at 3:45 p.m. The Strings will perform on Monday. The Choir will perform on Tuesday. Music Production will perform on Wednesday. We hope to see you all in the Theater if you are available.