Issue 03 2022
Message from the School Director
Dear ISF Community
We are delighted to see the interest in ISF continue to increase. This can be attributed to the strength of the SABIS® system which creates a strong academic foundation, balanced with SLO® and Sports Academy opportunities for life- and self-development, resulting in a well-rounded educational experience.
With the increase in interest comes an increase in enrollment resulting in an increase in classes and staffing.
With that being said, I would like us all to warmly welcome our new staff.
Corina Rader, School Director
New Teachers and Staff
My name is Mariebelle Harb, and I am so excited to join the ISF family as an English teacher for grades 5-8 starting from December 1st.
I was born and raised in a multicultural home in Lebanon. I am multilingual and speak four languages: English, German, French, and Arabic. I went to a British international school, earned a BA and MA in English Language and Literature, and have been teaching for 13 years. I am so passionate about teaching, have worked in different international academic institutions, and have taught different ages and grades. I have been living and working in Hessen as an English teacher for 4 years, and I plan to stay here. My hobbies are reading, traveling, playing badminton, enjoying the outdoors, singing, and listening to music, especially classical music. I love tea and cannot start my day without it—having so much British influence in my upbringing made me appreciate its different flavors.
My name is Mark Ullius.
I am the new 7th grade English and Social Studies teacher and a Beginner’s English teacher for grades 5 and 6. I was born in Germany and I moved to Greece when I was two and lived there until I was ten. Then I moved back to Germany and finished school in Germany. When I was nineteen, I moved to the U.S. and studied at a university in Boulder, Colorado.
I love to play football, ultimate frisbee, and most other sports. My family lives in the U.S. so I visit whenever I get the chance and appreciate any time I get to spend with them. A good day at school for me is when I feel that the students have enjoyed learning and leave the classroom feeling upbeat.
Please welcome Rehab El Kady who will be joining us as the new Registrar. Rehab is from Alexandria, Egypt and graduated from the DSB German School of Alexandria. She has a B.S in political science and a German commercial diploma. She speaks German, English, French and Arabic. She has worked for 15 years as senior admin assistant in an American classification society.
My name is Ana AvilaI, I am a Kindergarten teacher and also a mother of two. I have lived in China, Mexico, America, and Germany and I speak Spanish, English, German, and Chinese.
I am dynamic, self-motivated, hardworking, and good at creating positive team relationships that thrive in international environments. I believe that my training as a teacher is a quality that can be applied in many areas. I am very interested in natural healing practices and have had many positive experiences.
My name is Poying Ho and I am a Secondary Maths teacher. I have been teaching for over 10 years and my interests are cycling, running, and reading.
I had a dog many years ago and I would like to adopt another one from a shelter one day. My favorite snack from the cafeteria is the Butter Pretzel. I don’t believe in Astrology and I make it a point to not know my star sign. A smartphone app that I cannot do without is my running app. I must know the distances I covered.
Event Highlights
GOMUN was all go in Prague early this month! The delegates first attended the Opening Ceremony, where the discussion centered around the Middle-Eastern Cold War. Ice-breakers and committee dinners then completed the program for Day 1.
Day 2 began with all delegates in their committees. Each committee had two topics of discussion that the delegates researched. The aim was to write - and pass - an UN-style resolution that will help to address the issues they are debating.
ISF students represented a wide range of countries - including Ukraine, Morocco, and Somalia - across six different UN committees.
We finished the day with some free time exploring the city, including a visit to Prague Castle, and a delegation dinner at a lovely Vietnamese restaurant.
Day 3 marked the second day of committee sessions and a change to new topics. With the committees covering topics such as deforestation, organ trafficking, guidelines for military interventions, and the legality of abortion, there was a great deal up for discussion.
Day 4 was the General Assembly, where all delegates representing all countries gathered together to discuss the resolutions they had created. There were some heated cross-floor debates and cleverly worded questions were utilized as countries tried to ensure that their views were the ones that would take center stage.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our time at the conference and are having difficulty readjusting to a world where diplomatic jargon is not used regularly. Thank you to everyone who supported us and made the trip possible! Planning for the next one is already underway!
Even with finals going on, SLO® did not forget about promoting inclusivity, wellness, and kindness! Kindness Week, hosted by the Discipline department, took place between the 14th and 17th of November. It served as a reminder to be kind to everyone, especially during this stressful time. Monday started off with Odd Socks Day, where students wore mismatched, colorful socks to show individuality and remember that being unique and different is not a bad thing!
Tuesday was our Random Acts of Kindness Day. Anyone could participate by writing down acts of kindness and awarding smiley stickers to the kindness spreaders :) The cards we received at the end of the day included hugging a friend and wishing someone a nice day and we gave out more than 250 stickers!
On Wednesday, SLO® Social Responsibility joined forces with SLO® Discipline to organize Compassion and Reaching Out Day. We sold treats and made over 50 Euros, which have all been donated to the ISF Kenya project. Thursday was our finale. Every participant in the Random Acts of Kindness got a little treat from the SLO®. Those who could not participate before Thursday also had a chance to answer a few questions regarding kindness or perform an act of kindness on the spot. The event was a big success and we are always happy to see everyone enjoying themselves while spreading such a positive and important message!
We hosted the GISST U14 2022 Girls Football Tournament on November 11th and 12th!
Seven German schools along with our U14 Girls competed in this tournament. With every round, our girls only got better and better. They did an amazing job with only two weeks of practice before the competition! Most importantly, they learned to work as a team, support each other, make new friends, and stay motivated in the eye of defeat, all while having fun! A big thank you to coach Mike Colvin and Marco Giorgio as well as the Athletic Director, Dr. Carlos Puente Torres, and Athletic Coordinator, Camila Martinez. Go ISF Bulldogs!
The festival of Diwali marks the victory of good over evil. The festival of lights, love and happiness brings much-awaited hope and excitement in people’s home. Everyone decorates their homes with lights, diyas, and flowers. It marks the beginning of cheerful moments to be spent with friends and family.
It was amazing how quickly our school can transform from spooky and scary Halloween decorations to colorful and magical ones for Diwali! We are fortunate to have such a supportive community that make these transformations possible. Happy Diwali!
A group of high schoolers recently spent a weekend afternoon helping to tidy the American Kinderfeld.
“We helped rake the leaves, trim the hedges, and make the area into a more pleasant place. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side as it started to rain halfway through our work, but we managed to get everything done. After a day of hard work, we enjoyed hot chocolates at a nearby cafe to warm ourselves up before heading home.
Many thanks to Mrs. Ator, for showing us around and sharing a bit of the history of the Kinderfeld. We all learned a lot and will remember our experience fondly.”
SLO® Social Responsibility G11 Prefect Shruti Vattiam Sivakumar
Happy Halloween
Click here to watch our Halloween Video
The school photographer visited ISF in mid-November and took yearbook pictures of our lovely students. Many smiles were captured throughout the week! The photographs are also available for purchase.
If your child has misplaced their card, please email Foto Wachendörfer (info@foto-wachendoerfer.de) directly with the following information:
- School Name
- Student grade including section
- Student ID
- Day of the photo shoot
Mathematics Corner
Winners of the First ASMA (American Scholastic Mathematics Association) Contest
The first contest of the American Scholastic Mathematics Association (ASMA) took place on Thursday, the 10th of November, in the Theatre. Over 50 students from grades 7 to 12 participated in the intense 35-minute problem-solving competition. Thanks for joining us!
Congratulations!
JUNIOR
SENIOR
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A big thank you to great number the Grade 10 – 12 students and parents who attended our Studying in Germany information meeting on 29th November. Together with our presentations on studying in the US and in the UK earlier this fall, this was the third big annual presentation intended to support our parents and students in better understanding the university landscape and application process in three very popular university destinations for ISF graduates.
The presentation covered topics ranging from introducing the different types of public and private colleges and universities, general admissions requirements for AP and IB candidates, application procedures, university search websites, an overview of the different degree options, language requirements, as well as options for candidates not meeting general admissions requirements for direct access to German universities.
Grade 9 Workshop
After discussing the importance of developing organizational skills at school, their eventual workplace, and in their daily life, we concentrated our efforts on study tips. They were introduced to the Pomodoro technique, which helps people concentrate as they have to set a time to study with small breaks in between. Finally, we discussed time management, which we defined as ‘organizing your time in such a way that you can experience success. The definition of success would be different for each student and the different ‘times’ would need to be managed accordingly: time at school, time at home, time to play, time to sleep, time for friends and family, time to study, time to eat, etc.
We showed various videos throughout the workshop to enhance the points we discussed.
Hopefully, the students found the workshop useful.
Kind regards / Mit freundlichen Grüßen. Richard Koffi
Senior Debate Team
On Friday 25th, the Senior Debate Team successfully began their 2022/23 season.
The first round was impromptu on the motion: This House would ban cars in city centers. We were in favor of this motion and had one hour, one dictionary, and two reference books to come up with our line of argument.
We took a more holistic view of the issue but unfortunately did not come away with the win.
The second round was a prepared debate on the motion: This House believes that foreign citizens with a residence permit should be allowed to vote in all elections.
We were on the opposing side this time, and our practice and preparation certainly paid off as we came away with the win.
Congratulations to the team and all those who helped us prepare.
Many thanks to Heinrich-von-Gagern Gymnasium for hosting us. We look forward to the next round of competition in February!
U14 Girls' Football - The GISST Tournament was organized by ISF this year and it was a great success! We hosted seven other GISST schools as part of the tournament and, although the weather wasn’t on our side. It was great to have so much support from ISF students and staff. We are proud of our soccer team and looking forward to their future success!
U14 Boys' Football - Our boys traveled up to Berlin for their GISST tournament, accompanied by their coaches and Sports Academy staff. Unfortunately, we picked up a few injuries and illnesses while we were away, but the remaining players did their best. We won as many games as we lost, but we learned a lot and we hope to build on that record next GISST.
Varsity Girls' Football - The girls also headed up to Berlin for their tournament. It was an eagerly anticipated trip and provided a good respite from final exams. Most of the team was new to football this season, but they had put in a lot of effort at practices throughout the term to build up their skills. ISF had a lot of fun competing against the six other teams at the tournament and definitely came closer as a team. The players are now keen to keep up with our training to see if they can continue to improve their skills throughout the year.
Varsity Boys' Football - The team headed down to Munich for the 2022 GISST. Varsity Boys’ football is divided into two divisions, with ISF playing in Division One. The team had been looking forward to the tournament immensely and put together some great performances, especially on the second day. They finished in 5th place overall, a very commendable effort.
It was great for our students to be able to travel to, and participate in, proper GISST tournaments this year. Everyone really enjoyed spending time together outside the classroom and having the opportunity to spend some quality time on the football field. Thanks to the coaches and chaperones for accompanying the teams and a massive thank you to the Sports Academy for organizing all the logistics.
We are looking forward to future tournaments already!
Badminton Holiday Crafts &
Staff vs. Students
The annual Staff vs. Students Badminton competition is scheduled for Friday, December 16th from 15:20-18:00 in the gymnasium. This is a chance for all of you to share your badminton skills with our pupils, as they conclude the competitive season, a week after their GISST. All levels of badminton backgrounds are welcome.
ISF Girls GISST badminton team visited the Bezirksoberliga match between Active BC Frankfurt and TGS Vorwärts Frankfurt. The girls learned a lot about high-level badminton and were able to hone their skills by practicing in the hall after the competition.
ISF SCIENCE
The first volume of the monthly Science Spectrum magazine, written by the Student Science Organization, is out!
Three IB1 students decided to work on different scientific themes each month and express their passion for science, specifically for chemistry, through games, activities, and writing. Their advisor and editor, Dr. Mrad-Hage, the Head of the Chemistry Department, ensured that all the published information was accurate and met high standards.
Please click on the link and read the wonderful work by Shruti Vattiam Sivakumar (Leader), Shauryadip Sanyal (Author), and Anya Pujol (co-Author). The magazine includes a study on Bioplastics, a crossword, and some science riddles!
Hands-on Learning at High School Biology
In the spirit of the new academic year, the department conducted a number of experiments to enhance active learning. Students were engaged and interests were expressed in various Biology fields.
The grade 10 classes benefitted the most in term 1 as the topics covered enabled them to learn through simple school-prepared experiments. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) Biology and the Advanced Placement® (AP®) Biology courses started the year with theory-based learning and some experiments along the way. Nevertheless, all students experienced substantial active learning that was authentic, collaborative, meaningful, and reflective.
The following summarizes term 1 laboratory investigations:
Enzyme activity
Students studied how pH (neutral, acidic, and alkaline conditions) and temperature (ranging from cold to hot environment) affect enzymatic activity. Various experiments were conducted to study the factors separately. The students concluded the experiments using appropriate scientific terminologies such as enzyme denaturation, kinetic energy, and specificity.
Diffusion and osmosis
This fundamental knowledge of science is a must-do experiment in grades 8, 10, and 11. The experiment was conducted using deshelled eggs and potato tissues. As a result, students described the result of immersing animal and plant cells (and tissues) in different osmolarities i.e hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic solutions.
Respiration of germinating seeds
This was another grade 10 exclusive experiment. However, as a major step up, the students were given the task to prepare, setup, observe and conclude their experiments. This challenged them to develop scientific, organization, collaboration, and management skills in addition to their knowledge and understanding of the topic.
Food tests
The grade 10 students conducted tests on food to identify the presence of some nutrients in samples through qualitative observations.
Photosynthetic chromatography
The AP® Biology students extracted photosynthetic pigments (mainly chlorophyll), then prepared a paper chromatography to see the separation of the pigments. The retention values were calculated for each of the separated pigments.
Heart dissection
Exclusive to the higher level IBDP Biology class, this laboratory activity was conducted to study the human heart. A number of medically approved cow hearts were dissected through a guided inquiry-based lesson. The students followed the dissecting guide carefully and they observed the structure of the heart, identified the different parts and chambers, and even tested the strength of cardiac tissues.
Music and Drama
Music in Primary Ages
All classes are working on their pieces in preparation for the concert on December 9th at 2 p.m. The concert will commence with the Grades 3 and 4 playing the ukulele for their first piece and singing with their instrument for their second song. Grades 1 and 2 will follow at 2:45 p.m., singing one song and playing Boomwhackers. All of these songs can be heard on the weekly playlists updated in Teams. As a reminder, below are the concert dress requests so the students can reflect on the feel of the music.
Music in Middle School
Students are working on a variety of music, from western art music to popular music as they prepare for the upcoming concert. The Music Production class is working on compositions that will be played as part of the morning announcements around the time of the concert. Some of the best examples of their work will be highlighted before and during the concert. Choir and strings classes, please remember the special attire for the day:
DRAMA CLUB IS IN FULL SWING WITH REHEARSALS!
Drama has been working hard on learning dances and lyrics for this year’s show “High School Musical Jr.” So far they have learned “We’re all in this Together,” “Stick to the Status Quo” and the “Wild Cat Cheer.” We have had two Saturday Rehearsals thus far in addition to our weekly rehearsals. Looking forward to learning many more songs!
ART CORNER
Parent Network
Thanksgiving
To celebrate American Thanksgiving, decorations and centerpieces were on display at lunchtime in the cafeteria. Primary students drew their favorite meal or Thanksgiving meal on plates, which now decorate the lobby. Middle School and High School students wrote what they are thankful for on slips of paper that were then linked into chains for décor.
Zumba-weekly
The Zumba-style weekly dance workout is a fun way to exercise for everyone!
English Language Morning
Our first monthly English Language Morning was a great success with enthusiastic parents practicing introductions and building vocabulary.
Frankfurt Weihnachtsmarkt
On November 28, ISF families met up at the Frankfurt Weihnachtsmarkt to enjoy the stalls with festive goods, food, and drinks, as well as rides on the carousels.
December
is one of our busiest months!
We have the annual PN Bake Sale fundraiser, decorating for the holidays, Second Hand Uniform Sale at the ISF Holiday Market, regular weekly and monthly offers like the Parent Mingle, German lessons, English Language Morning, and Zumba-style workouts, as well as a staff appreciation snack bar on the last day of school before the break.
Take a look at our list of activities by date below so that you don’t miss a thing! We would love your support to help make these initiatives a success!
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Thursday, December 1- Free ZUMBA-style workout with Odeth from 8:30-9:30. Music building room 102- Sinterklaas treats. Volunteers needed 8:30-10:00 Sports Cafeteria, packing the treat bags.
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Friday, December 2 - Parent Network’s Annual Bake Sale! Please click here to donate and click here to volunteer for this important fundraiser! Baked goods donations may be dropped off from 7:45-9 a.m. at the front gate!
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Monday, December 5- KG, PS, and Primary receive a treat in shoes from Sinterklaas; he visits their classes.- Decorating for winter holidays after school from 15:30-17:30. Volunteers needed!
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Wednesday, December 7 - Wertheim Village shopping trip for parents. Includes round trip shuttle. Limit 50 parents. No children or pets are allowed on the shuttle bus. Online sign up.
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Thursday, December 8 - Free ZUMBA-style workout with Odeth from 8:30-9:30. Music building room 102.
- Friday, December 9
- Monthly PARENT MINGLE! Free coffee, informal program. Join us after drop off from 8:30-9:30 in the Sports Cafeteria (enter via playground).
- Hosting Primary Mix and Mingle with SLO® after the Primary winter concert: 15:30 in the cafeteria (serving cookies) Volunteers needed! - Thursday, December 15- 16
- Secondhand Uniform Sale - click here to volunteer- at ISF Holiday Market.
- Free ZUMBA-style workout with Odeth from 8:30-9:30. Music building room 102. - Friday, December 16 - Monthly English Morning- 8:30-9:30, Sports Cafeteria. Conversational English experience for both fluent English speakers and those wishing to improve their English.
- Wednesday, December 21 - 8:00-14:00: Faculty and Staff Appreciation: “Naughty or Nice?” Snack Bar. (Volunteer here!)
Thank you for your trust in choosing ISF.
We value each and every one of our parents and are always trying to improve to bring our student the best experience possible.
If you’re comfortable with leaving a review for us, we would greatly appreciate it!
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