ISF - Monthly Newsletter Nov 2022

Dear ISF Community,

Welcome to the final term of the academic year, Term 3! A very warm welcome to all the new families who joined us in Term 3.

This term will fly by with all the events, activities, celebrations and vacations starting with Spring break that is just around the corner (April 3-14).

After Spring Break our High School students will be getting ready to take their external examinations. The scores our students have achieved in recent years have been truly remarkable and we know this year’s IBDP, AP^®, and IGCSE students are on course to do the same. We offer them all our encouragement and best wishes as they approach this important time in their lives.

We will truly celebrate our seniors and all their hard work and accomplishments in June when we hold the Senior Send-off at ISF June 9^th and Senior Graduation at Geothe University June 10^th.

Up to this point, our scholars have learned so much and experienced all sorts of new and exciting events. This final term is their opportunity to bring it all together, to put the knowledge into action, demonstrate the wisdom and to ensure they are perfectly prepared for next year. Term 3 is the time to focus and finish strong. I am looking forward to an awesome final term!

Corina Rader, Director

The senior photo day was undoubtedly one of the most exciting days of our high school journey. It was a day that we will cherish for years to come, as we all came together in formal attire to take our senior portraits and graduation photos.

The excitement was palpable as we arrived at the venue, dressed in our best outfits and eagerly waiting for our turn to shine in front of the camera. There was a buzz of excitement as we greeted each other and complimented each other's outfits. It was a beautiful sight to see everyone looking so elegant and confident in their senior attire.

As we waited for our turn to take our photos, we took many group photos with our friends, capturing memories that we will treasure for years to come. It was a day of laughter, joy, and anticipation as we contemplated the fact that our high school journey was coming to an end in just two short months.

The atmosphere was electric as we put on our graduation caps and gowns for the final photos. The feeling of pride and accomplishment was evident on our faces, as we looked back on all the hard work and dedication we had put in over the past four years. We were all feeling a little bit more grown up and special as we posed for our portraits, knowing that these photos would serve as a reminder of our high school journey for years to come.

Special thanks go to some of our seniors' mothers who were there to help us get ready and ensure that we looked our absolute best on this important day. Their presence and support meant a lot to us, and we are grateful for their contribution in making this day even more special.

As we look back on this day, we are filled with a sense of nostalgia, realizing that our high school journey is coming to an end. However, we are also excited about the future and the endless possibilities that await us. This day will always hold a special place in our hearts as we reflect on the incredible memories and friendships that we have made along the way.

written by Ateeksh Luthra G12

Last weekend, our school's table-tennis teams traveled to the Franconian International School in Erlangen to participate in the very first German International Schools Sports Tournament (GISST) for this discipline. The teams who took part included Leipzig International School, the Berlin British School, Franconian International School, St. George’s School (Düsseldorf) and ISF.

After two days of fierce competition, both our teams, Varsity boys and U14 boys, took the second place in their respective categories. All our players showed excellent skills and great composure throughout the two days, but I would like to congratulate in particular JIWON SHIN. The youngest player in the whole competition, he showed nerves of steel during the tight deciding game that secured a place in the final for the U14 Boys!

SOOMIN YOU and YUNSU HUR also won the medal for Best 2^nd Seed Double, a fantastic feat achieved against more experienced pairs! Finally, the U14 boys received the award for Sportsmanship, another achievement they should be proud of.

- St. Georg School Duisburg-Düsseldorf (STG)

This month the seniors had a "lock-in..." The event was a sleep over at school with lots of games and fun. The seniors had a dodgeball tournament, sang karaoke, played charades and hide and seek, and spent the night watching a horror movie in the gym. They were able to experience the school in a different way and have an ultimate bonding event before their final exams. The event was full of crazy times and also allowed them to share some moments with teachers, like Mr. Hashmi, Mr. Robert, and Ms. Schlarbaum, who gave a wonderful performance at the karaoke and were a good sport throughout. Thanks to the chaperones and to Eita and Ishan, the two seniors who organized this great event! It's definitely a memory all seniors will cherish

ISF would like to thank Superfly Frankfurt for their generous donation of jumping time. Over 225 students and staff had a fantastic time on Monday, March 20, during their 90 minute session. This was a great way for our students to bounce right into Term 3.

"On the 20^th of March, the SLO^® organised a trip to Superfly for the first time. This was my first time at Superfly and I absolutely loved it! Jumping on the trampolines with my friends was exhilarating. My favourite obstacle course was the Twister, which was super challenging and intense! Thanks to the SLO^® team, our students were able to enjoy this fun outing with their friends."

Written by Dharini Palanivetrivelan, G11

Junior League Debate

The ISF Junior League Debate Team hosted and competed in rounds 3 and 4 of this year’s Junior League Debate competition. We welcomed Anna-Schmidt-Schule Frankfurt, Phorms Frankfurt, and Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium Heilbronn to our school for a long day of debating. Our debaters competed in two debates: one impromptu and one prepared. The motion for the impromptu debate was ‘This House Would Ban Homework’. Students Shaurya B. (9), Ayan V. (8), and Ahan Singla (8) debated this motion as the proposition side with assistance during the prep hour from Aaditya N. (8). Unfortunately, our team unanimously lost this debate to the opposition side. The second debate of the day was the prepared debate with the motion ‘This House Regrets the Rise of TikTok’ where we were also on the proposition side. This debate was carefully researched and prepared by Spenta D. (7), Siyun L. (7), and Dhwani L. (8). All three on this team were debating for the first time. They also did not win their debate, but it was close. Their efforts resulted in a split decision which means one out of the three judges found them to have been the winners. Even though the results were not what we had hoped for, the students still enjoyed the day debating and meeting with other debaters from Frankfurt and Heilbronn. We are already looking forward to debating in rounds 5 and 6 in May and will be working hard on our skills and improving based on the feedback we have gotten so far this year.

The Senior League Debate Team had an immensely successful weekend at our tournament in Würzburg.

We finished 5^th of 32 teams and have qualified for the Quarter Finals for the first time since 2019!

Sarah Jane Williams (G11) achieved a speaker ranking of 13 out of the approximately 200 speakers who took part. This is really impressive.

Please congratulate Sarah Jane, Paula Jurczynska-Chu, and Aaryan Kandala if you see them.

The students worked exceptionally hard over the weekend, winning four out of the five debates they had.

Senior Breakfast

“After the Final Exam is before the Final Exam” – this probably best describes the current situation for our Grade 12 Students and teachers. While Term 2 Final Exams just finished last Friday, End of Year Finals/ AP^® and IB Mock exams will begin next Friday already, requiring everyone's full attention and concentration.

However, on Tuesday morning, our Seniors and their teachers made time to get together for a Senior Breakfast in our Sports Cafeteria, allowing for a welcome break in the middle of Term 2 Final Exam feedback sessions.

Thank you to VielfaltMenü, who prepared this hearty and healthy breakfast, for such a good way to start the day!

The FIS Changemakers Conference 2023 was a really great and inspiring event. ISF was one of over 20 schools from around Europe that were invited. It was my honor to be on the team representing our school and taking part in the event with over 250 participants. Overall, the atmosphere was really interesting and vibrant.

There were many inspirational speakers, including a 6^th grader who built over 100 toilets for people in need, the former CEO of Opel, a food activist, and a pair of friends from Rwanda who brought water and medical care to their village. It was a very eye-opening experience as many shared their personal backgrounds and what led them to be a changemaker.

I was one of the fortunate people to conduct a workshop of my own. It was a full session with over 15 people attending. Some other workshops included a scavenger hunt around the school and a demonstration using a Van de Graaf generator. We learned a lot, are inspired to become changemakers, and had a lot of fun.

Written by Arnav Danish, G11

Last weekend we traveled to Erlangen with the girls and Ulm with the boys for our GISST competitions in this sport.

The boys´ competition was marked by injuries that prevented us from competing from start to finish. Thanks to the tenacity of our students and the effort they put into every match, we were awarded the sportsmanship trophy.

Our girls made a great tournament showing good basketball skills and a great knowledge of this sport in only two days. We achieved the fifth place. The format of the tournament did not let us go much further unfortunately (something that made us win the sportsmanship trophy too) but next year we will be back more motivated than ever.

In Primary School, students have been applying skills developed in Dona Nobis Pacem to learning their Summer Concert singing piece. Toward the end of the month, we made decisions on what additional piece we would perform. These pieces are listed in order on the weekly playlists that are also shared through TEAMS. 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 31 at probably the same times of 2:00 p.m. for grades 3 and 4 and 2:45 p.m. for grades 1 and 2. We hope to see you all in the Theater if you are available!

In the middle school, March was focused mainly on Final exams and projects. In Choir and Strings, students did performance assessments with rubrics. The rubrics give students a chance to think about how they perform music and how it conforms to these assessment values. These performance qualities come from how they practice, so it was a great vehicle to encourage the students to consider their everyday classroom habits. Music Production classes have been busy developing students’ understanding of the instruments of the orchestra. This involved identifying their sounds, relationships to each other and frequent uses. The Middle School Concert will be on June 7, at 2:30 p.m. We hope to see you all in the Theater if you are available.

Parent Network Springs into Action!

March was filled with special memories, including these highlights:

5 weekly dance workouts
Trip to Wertheim Village on March 8
Monthly Parent Morning Mingle on March 10
Family BINGO (free for PN members and their families) on March 13
Decorating the lobby for St. Patrick’s day and applying temporary shamrock tattoos to students in the lobby on March 17
The opening of the PN SHOP (Mondays and Fridays) and the beginning of PN-sponsored student awards on March 21:

“Super Kid Awards” for Primary
“Bulldog Bucks” for Middle School and High School

Family Pottery Night in Frankfurt on March 24
Parent Craft Morning on March 29 (making tissue paper flowers)
Primary Easter Egg Hunts on March 30

In March our Parent Network members enjoyed early access to limited-space activities, free BINGO, and a membership update email with detailed information about our exciting activities. Don’t miss out on benefits like these. Fill out the free, fast, and easy PN application today! Applications are on the ISF Parent Page and in the school lobby next to our bulletin board.

SLO^® Discipline

Expressing your gratitude, appreciation and kindness towards others can be hard or forgotten in the fast pace of life. Therefore SLO^® Discipline wanted to help high and middle school students reach out to their fellow peers and teachers. The event started on March 1, when we sold small slips of paper to the students to write encouraging messages on. We then delivered them to the lockers on the following Friday. SLO^® chose the week before finals for this event to give the recipients of the messages a little encouragement before the stress of finals began. In total we raised around 20€, all of which were donated to relief campaign for the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

Written by the SLO^® Discipline Prefect, Paula Jurczynska-Chu

The 22^nd of March is dedicated to celebrating World Water Day. We take water as a necessity, but for many people around the world, it is a privilege. This is why the Social Responsibility Department held a competition called the Coin Competition. The rules were simple: all CENT Coins would increase the classes’ total number of coins, and all EURO Coins would decrease the total number of coins. All grades contributed to the bottles. There was a clear winner: Grade 8. They were able to collect 944 coins, The money raised will go towards the building of water pumps in Africa.

Written by the SLO^®Social Responsibility Deputy Head Prefect, Aaryan Kandala

Issue 07 2023

Note from the School Director

Senior Photo shooting

ASMA (American Scholastic Mathematics Association) 2022-2023

Welcome to the Student Blog

The Dragonblood Chronicles