winter 2014-15 - Inter

Transcription

WI NTE R 2014-15
CONNECTIONS
1960
inter-community school
zurich
Connections Winter 2014-15
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4-5
Physics of flight
Grade 4 has been studying the science
of materials while Grade 3s have been
learning about the physics of flight.
10-12 An autumn of
athletics
ICS athletes brought home trophies
and performances to be proud of
during the autumn season.
19-23 Learning
through service
We cover some of the service learning
initiatives happening this winter. Plus
we meet Shirley Blair and hear what
Grade 9s can expect when they visit
Nepal next spring.
2
6-7
From electric
car to solar suitcase
From screenplays to solar suitcases
and from baseball to electric cars,
Grade 10 students are exploring a
wide range of topics in their researchbased Personal Projects.
13-15
Performing
Arts round-up
Students from across the school who
are passionate about Performing
Arts, have been getting valuable
experience playing in the Winter
Concert, performing on Zurich’s
Singing
Christmas
Tree
and
appearing in the student-produced
movie The Hallowed Halls.
24-25
Bringing
books to life
The ICS Library encouraged our
love of reading with a Book Swap,
Book Character Day and a visit by an
award-winning Irish storyteller.
8-9 Window into the
classroom
The second article in our series
highlighting great teaching and learning
at ICS focuses on Primary classrooms.
16-17
Introducing
the world of work
Guest speakers at the annual ICS
Career Fair introduced students to
many potential career paths.
Also in this issue:
Enriching learning Early Years visits the farm Grade 1 studies Swiss life
A trip to the Kunsthaus Mina’s journey
to Cambridge From the PA page 18
page 26
page 27
page 28
page 29
page 30
NEWS IN BRIEF
Primary Fathers come back to school
The Winter issue of
Connections
Since October, students have
enjoyed studying everything from
the construction of shelters to
the science of materials. Primary
students have been learning about
artistic expression, the colours of
autumn, the physics of flight and the
properties of gases. Further up the
school Grades 10 and 12 students
have engaged in serious research for
their Personal Projects and Extended
Essays respectively.
We invited Dads (and Grandads) of
Primary students into school for breakfast
and the opportunity to spend time in the
classroom with their children. Many took
up the invitation and it was a pleasure to
see so many fathers in school with their
children on Friday 21 November. The ICS
Primary building was a hive of activity, and
the smiles - on both the fathers' and the
students' faces - throughout the morning
were a delight to witness.
Head of School Mary-Lyn Campbell
welcomed fathers and shared some
information about 21st Century trends
in learning. Then Primary Principal Tim
Crocker talked about the ICS learning
environment and some of the ideas we
are gaining from working with renowned
Photos by Rachel Doell and Gil Woodley
education experts Bill and Ochan Powell,
who visited ICS earlier this year.
Then fathers headed off to their children’s
classrooms. They enjoyed looking at
students’ work, learning how to use
iPads, practising their English spelling,
playing Maths games and joining in all
the educational activities their children
engage in every day. Many fathers spilled
out into the playground to help the Grade 3
students who are inquiring into the science
of ‘Flight’: dads and children worked
together to launch rockets into the sky and
fly student-built planes and kites.
See www.icsz.ch/page.
cfm?p=514&newsid=62 for a slideshow
of more pictures from the event.
Middle Years ‘Performing Arts’
enthusiasts produced and premiered
their own film, while older students
learned about a wide range of careers
at the Career Fair.
ICS athletes enjoyed a great autumn
sports season and ICS musicians
got valuable performing experience
on stages at school, in Zumikon and
in Zurich. And across the whole ICS
community, many offered service to
others and learned from doing so.
Connections offers a round-up of
some of the many activities that have
taken place at school in October,
November and December. We offer
readers best wishes for the holidays
and for the New Year. The next issue
of Connections will be out in March
2015.
The ICS Connections team:
[email protected]
3
PRIMARY LEARNING
Learning the science of materials...
Grade 4 has been getting
hands on with science in their
inquiry into ‘Materials’.
Grade 4 students inquired into
‘Materials’ during the term. They learned
that understanding the properties of
materials can determine how they are
used and how they can be transformed
to meet the needs and wants of humans.
As Chiara L explains: “In this unit we
learned about “How the World Works”.
We learned how some materials are
made and did some experiments with
them to see what the reactions were.”
Students took two field trips during
the unit. By the time they visited the
Technorama Science Museum in
Winterthur and the Hergiswil Glass
Factory near Luzern, they already had
some prior knowledge of the properties
of materials. The trips enabled them
to test and extend their understanding
further.
At Hergiswil, students learned about
the properties of glass and blew and
shaped hot glass into balls.
4
Museum staff at Technorama demonstrate an experiment with gases.
Classroom experiments
Back in their Grade 4 classrooms and in the Secondary Science Labs
- the learning continued. Dan Z said:
“I learned that all the materials around
us are called matter. Matter is found in
three forms: solid, liquid and gas. We
did an experiment to find out if materials
are magnetic and we found out that iron
and steel are magnetic. We did another
experiment to find out which materials
float: I filled a glass with water, then I put
a tissue in the water and a needle also.
The tissue sank and the needle floated.”
Quinten T reported: “We did some
experiments on solids, liquids and gases.
We went to the Secondary Science Lab
and did an experiment about how to
change a solid into a liquid and a liquid
into a gas: we melted an ice cube into
water and then water into steam. We
also did an experiment on mixing liquids.
We had to write our information into a
lab report.”
Jan P said that he had “really liked the
experiments in this unit.” He added:
“During this I learned about a lot, like
that every [material] has its mass and is
made out of molecules. I really enjoyed
this unit.”
Students got hands-on with electricity
at Technorama Science Museum.
PRIMARY LEARNING
...and the physics of flight
Grade 3s have explored
planes, balloons and rockets
as they study flight.
Lauren wondered: “How does an airplane
lift itself?” Meanwhile Imogen asked, “How
is an airplane steered?” These were some
of the questions Grade 3 students started
exploring at school after a trip to the Luzern
Verkehrshaus (Transport Museum) to start
their inquiry into ‘How the World Works’.
In this unit, the children study the flight of
different objects and the physical forces
that interact to allow objects to fly. In Luzern,
the students could see flying machines up
close and study their wings and engines.
This helped them start considering the
mystery of how such heavy objects as
airplanes stay in the air - and it really
engaged them. “I have to go there again
to know more stuff about aeroplanes and
trains,” said Polina. William agreed: “It was
the best adventure of my life!”
Buoyancy and lift
At the musem the children saw two families
of flying objects: aerostats, which fly using
buoyancy, and aerodynes, which use
aerodynamic lift. They also saw a simulator
of the first powered aircraft made by the
Wright brothers. Otto says: “You went up
by a lever and you turned by wriggling your
stomach.” Oscar adds: “It was pretty hard
“The children loved the
experiments in the classroom
and quickly developed a
growing understanding of
aerodynamics.”
Heidi Eismann, Grade 3 class teacher.
Grade 3s see aerodynes (powered aircraft) and aerostats (balloons) at the
Luzern Transport Museum as they start their inquiry into flight.
to fly, but it was fun.” When the children
came back to school they explored a
range of questions in the classroom using
experiments and simulations. They built
different models to demonstrate the four
physical forces interacting when objects fly:
lift, thrust, air resistance and gravity.
Understanding aerodynamics
Grade 3 class teacher Heidi Eismann
says: “The children loved the experiments,
and it was interesting to see how their
understanding
developed
over
the
course of just a few weeks. Their initial
misconceptions (e.g. ‘The airplane flies
with smoke’, ‘The wind makes the planes
fly’) quickly gave way to a growing
understanding of aerodynamics.”
Designing airplanes of the future
The class went on to design futuristic
airplanes to aid their understanding of how
airplanes need to be designed to lift off the
ground and maintain a controlled flight. They
had to consider criteria such as the weight
of the airplane, the necessary power of the
engine and the shape and surface area of
the wings. Guided by questions like ‘How
does your airplane create thrust?’, ‘Are the
wings large enough for the weight of your
plane?’ and ‘How do you change pitch of
the plane to increase its angle of attack?’
the children were encouraged to perfect
their designs before going on to build flying
objects like hot air balloons and rockets.
5
GRADE 10 PERSONAL PROJECTS
From electric cars to solar suitcases:
This year’s Grade 10 Personal Projects range
from screenplays to ‘solar suitcases’. Coordinator
Caroline Little explains the learning objectives
while student Olivia C profiles six of this year’s
projects. Portaits by student Valentina W-H.
From screenplays to ‘solar suitcases’ and from baseball to electric
cars, Grade 10 students are exploring a wide range of topics
in their Personal Projects. They are turning their research into
products such as novels, self-built sports equipment, CDs and
documentaries. The Personal Projects celebrate students’ learning
and interests as they complete the Middle Years Programme and
prepare for their studies and work thereafter.
Personal Projects Coordinator Caroline Little explains: “Through
exploring a topic of personal interest, students practise and
strengthen learning and skills like communication, self-organisation,
self-management and creative thinking. They experience the
responsibility of completing a significant piece of work over an
extended period of time and the need to reflect on their learning
and the outcomes of their work. These key skills prepare students
for success in further study, the workplace and the community.”
The screenplay
Abby C is creating a screenplay for her Personal Project, writes
student Olivia C. It was inspired by her experiences of watching
the science fiction film Divergent, an adaptation of the book of
the same name, and being very unimpressed. So she thought she
would try her hand at adapting a book into a script. Her product will
be a script of the book The Beginning of Everything, a story about
a popular boy who loses everything, including his popularity and
athletic career, due to an injury and has to adjust
to being a misfit.
For Abby, challenges she faced
included getting permission from
the author to create the script,
doing all the research required and
thinking creatively of how to present
the script. At the moment, she is
concerned about whether she will be
able to complete it in time. However, she
is very positive about the whole experience.
She
said she wanted to learn how movie scripts are c r e a t e d
and how books are adapted to films and through her research has
already learnt so much. She says, “It’s so exciting to be working on
an idea that is completely my own.”
The electric car
Justin V is combining creativity and technology by creating a
documentary on the growing success and popularity of electric
cars. Their development is progressing at a surprising rate
and Justin wanted to explore this. He says that this has been a
positive experience so far and that a preparation session during
the September Activity Days helped him prepare for the Project by
teaching him about good planning, organization and the importance
of keeping a calendar.
The ‘solar suitcase’
Knut H is creating a documentary to raise awareness about the
lack of electricity in rural areas of developing countries and the
impact of this on medical procedures. In some hospitals and
clinics where electricity supply is unreliable, operations have to
be carried out by torchlight and midwives deliver babies in near
darkness. Knut conducted two interviews to find out about how to
make a documentary and interviewed ICS staff member Mr Kassu
Aytenfisu, who is Ethiopian. He then travelled to Ethiopia for five
days in November to collect all his footage. He is now working to
complete his eight-minute long documentary.
Justin chose to do a documentary for
his Project as he has been interested
in filming for a while and has
experience in creating films. But
he says his interest in electric cars
is relatively new. “I hope to learn
about both the car industry and the
film-making process through this
Project.”
Knut said he got his idea over the summer when talking to his
mother. He found out information about the organisation We Care
Solar, which has developed solar lighting equipment, called ‘solar
suitcases’, for 25 countries around the world. The installation of
such a suitcase will be featured in his documentary. He has a little
previous experience in filming, but it is a new experience for him
filming a documentary. He said the Activity Days in early September
really helped him “reach a goal and plan effectively” and he believes
he has acquired the skills to complete his Personal Project.
6
GRADE 10 PERSONAL PROJECTS
Grade 10s project their learning
Knut H at a health centre in north-east Ethiopia, filming his documentary about the installation of a ‘solar suitcase’. This
solar lighting equipment helps doctors avoid having to operate by torchlight.
The novel
Martha R is writing a novel about ‘Third Culture Kids’ - children
who have ‘spent a significant part of their development years
outside their parents’ culture.’ Martha’s mother is Indian, her father
is German, and she has grown up in seven different countries
including Thailand and Turkey.
Martha decided she would write a fictional autobiography, using
interviews from other Third Culture Kids as well as her own
experience. She had initially wanted to write a book for her Project.
After learning about Third Culture Kids during the summer she
decided this would be the subject. “I thought it would be relatable
to write about growing up in an international community in several
different countries other than your own.”
Martha switches back and forth from
writing and research and says this
has improved her writing skills and
has made her a better researcher
and writer. She also hopes her
organizational skills improve in this
process.
The album
William S is creating a musical album of eight tracks with cover
songs that he is recording himself. They are a range of genres,
from pop to classical. William has a passion for music (he used
to perform with the boys’ choir at the Zurich Opera House) and
wants to pursue it. He has almost completed his research and has
started his product. “I had to research different genres, and ways
of recording. It was quite a lot of work, but now I am excited to start
working on my product.” He has been practising the eight tracks,
along with planning and creating the cover art for his album. He
hopes that all the hard work will pay off in his finished product. The baseball bat
Toby H has been pursuing a hobby for his
Personal Project: baseball. He is making
a baseball bat out of two kinds of wood
(North American ash and hard maple)
all by himself. Toby got his idea over the
summer when he was playing baseball
and his bat broke. He is finding it
interesting and fun. “I am fascinated
with baseball and I am quite excited to
be able to create my own bat, having never
done it before,” he says.
He has had previous experience in building and creating objects
so he feels he is able to create this bat. He has his own materials
and workshop and is learning independence and the ability to plan
in advance, as well as getting more out of his comfort zone by not
using school materials and workshops. Toby says the planning has
taken several weeks and that if there is one thing he wants to learn
from this experience, it is how to be better organized.
7
TEACHING, LEARNING AND CARING AT ICS
A window into the classroom
In the second in a series, Head of School Mary-Lyn Campbell takes us on a tour through
some Primary classrooms to share some of the learning practices taking place and
introduce some of the newer Primary teachers at ICS.
Mrs Tracy Mikton, Grade 4 Teacher
“What is civilisation?” “What’s a
constitution?” “What does the word
‘culture’ really mean?” These were some
of the concepts our Grade 4 students
were getting to grips with early in the
term. They were working on their inquiry
into ancient civilisations and reflecting
on the many ways in which we can learn
about the past. ‘Ancient civilisations’ is a
fascinating unit and we are lucky enough to
have the Roman town of Augusta Raurica
near enough that we can take the students
to visit it to support their learning. When
I dropped into Mrs Mikton’s Grade 4
classroom, the students were preparing to
go there for the first time and were doing
an activity designed to build their curiosity
ahead of the trip and get them thinking
about Ancient Rome.
Mrs Mikton had already asked the students
to tell her how they would rate their
knowledge of Ancient Rome on a scale
from beginner to expert. She then used
their responses, and their level of familiarity
with the English language, to create
differentiated lists of key words and put
students into groups to work with them.
Mrs Mikton explained that some of the
students already had a lot of background
knowledge on this topic and by placing
them with others who knew less, they could
extend each other’s thinking about some of
the more complicated concepts they were
discussing. The students read the words,
discussed their meanings and sorted them
into categories – such as ‘clothing’ or
‘civilisation’. The students had to discuss the
8
Judy Firkins working with a Grade 4 student.
choice of categories amongst themselves,
justifying and agreeing between them what
they were. The categories they developed
ranged from concrete (‘clothing’, ‘places’) to
abstract (‘culture’, ‘Roman civilisation’). This
‘concept sort’ activity, asking the students
to sort and categorise words related to a
unit or text, was very valuable in the way
it helped students to recall and use prior
knowledge and build understanding.
Mrs Judy Firkins, Grade 4 Teacher
Meanwhile in Mrs Firkins’ classroom, the
students were also working on the Ancient
Civilisations unit. They had begun the unit by
learning about the past from artefacts. Now
they too were working with key words from
the topic, using them to spark discussion
and further understanding. In order to help
them work as independently as possible,
Mrs Firkins was giving her students very
clear and concise instructions on the task,
holding up the envelopes of word cards,
explaining what she was asking them to
do and stopping every now and then to
clarify anything that was unclear. I enjoyed
seeing the way the children responded to
these clear instructions, quickly getting into
their groups and working independently.
The walls of her classroom were covered
with information about the unit, and about
some of the big concepts. (One poster
was headed: “I understand that civilisation
is…”). What was also on show were the
many ways in which the students were
learning. A whiteboard, headed ‘How do
we learn about the past?’ asked students
to add their ideas to the discussion. It
already contained lots of suggestions –
from passing down stories within a family to
handling artefacts, from looking at pictures
to visiting old buildings, from carrying out
research on the internet to looking at bones,
weapons or statues.
a field trip… to San Diego Zoo. Thanks to
the internet, they were able to go on a tour
of a zoo 9,500 km away, interact with the
animals, and stay safe even while getting up
close and personal with the tigers.
The students were inquiring into ‘Where we
are in place and time’. In this lesson they
“Tigers eat a lot,” one child replied. “Tigers
have teeth that are four inches long,” said
another. But they weren’t just finding
out about tigers. The students were also
learning answers to the question, ‘How do I
go to places safely on the computer?’ Using
the online digital citizenship tool Common
Sense Media, the Grade 1s experienced
Above, left: Tracey Mikton. Above, right: Kate Uebelherr working with Grade 1 students.
Ms Kate Uebelherr, Primary
Technology Integration Specialist
and Ms Safaa Abdel-Magid, Grade 1
Teacher
learned that, thanks to technology, where
we are in place is no longer restricted.
We can learn new things in far-flung
destinations by using the internet and
entering the virtual world. This lesson was
being led by Primary Technology Integration
Specialist Ms Kate Uebelherr working in Ms
Safaa Abdel-Magid’s classroom. Kate was
linking up with the Grade 1 unit of inquiry to
teach an early lesson in digital citizenship:
we can go to exciting places online, but we
need to follow certain rules to remain safe
– just as we do in real life. Ms Uebelherr
encouraged the children to listen carefully
when they watched a video about the tigers
at the zoo. “Listen for something you didn’t
know before,” she said before showing the
video.
While Grade 4 students were preparing
to visit Ancient Rome, Grade 1s were on
Afterwards she asked, “What did you hear
about tigers that you didn’t know before?”
Mrs Firkins had also put up reminders of the
students’ prior work. There were posters
about the many ways the children had been
learning from looking at artefacts. How did
you learn?, the posters asked. The answers
included ‘examining evidence’, ‘recording
evidence’, ‘coming up with a hypothesis’,
‘making something’, ‘discussing ideas’ and
‘searching for answers’. This made the
whole learning process very visible and
reminded the students that how and why
we learn is just as important as what we
learn.
the power of the Internet to take them to
places they might not be able to visit in
person. They learned that they should follow
safety rules when they travel online, just as
when traveling in the real world.
The teachers asked the students first to
think back to a field trip they had taken the
previous year and to remember the rules
given then for staying safe. The children
remembered that they had to stay together,
ask a parent or teacher if they wanted to go
somewhere else, and that they should only
talk to people they knew. Then Ms Uebelherr
showed the same rules revisited in a video
called ‘My online neighbourhood’. Lessons
like these are part of a school-wide initiative
to encourage better digital citizenship
among our students. It was good to see
students learning such valuable lessons at
such a young age.
9
AUTUMN SPORTS:
An amazing autumn of sport
From the first week of the
autumn season, ICS teams
have been in action on the
court, pitch and race course.
ICS girls bring home gold
By Grade 10 Journalism students Cameron
O, Max H, Rhiannon T, Natalya L, Sophie G,
Sofia M, Srushti R, Georgina C, Toby H &
Florence C.
It was a triumphant end to the autumn
season for the ICS Varsity Girls’ Soccer
Team: they won the SGIS (Swiss Group
of International Schools) Championships
for the second year running. Eight teams
participated in the tournament which took
place in Tenero, Ticino. It was a triumph for
ICS. Our top scorer Sofia M had a superb
tournament, scoring six goals and saying “I
knew we had it in us to win it.”
The girls won five consecutive
games to finish off a nearly flawless
season, including a tremendous 7-1 victory
against Leysin. But their final match against
Basel was a close-fought game. New
Junior Varsity Boys Football
By Grade 10 Journalism students Toby H,
Cameron O and Max H.
The Junior Varsity Boys’ Football Team had
a great start to the season.
Led by captain Fedor P they won a majority
of the games and one tournament. But
disappointingly they did not fare so well at
the SCIS (Sports Council of International
Schools) tournament in Basel in early
November, the final major event of their
10
Our top scorer Sofia M in action with the ICS Varsity Girls against Basel.
player Ginger R (Grade 10), who was
subsequently named Most Valuable Player
of the tournament, said afterwards that she
had been at her most nervous during that
game “because it mattered so much and
because it was our chance to win”.
It was still 0-0 at half time but luckily,
ICS striker Hannah H scored a goal in the
second half, giving ICS the match 1-0 and
season. They left the tournament with one
win, one draw and two losses.
Star player Adeleke K proved his mobility
at every position this season, playing
defense, striker and wing. The highlight
of his season was when the team won
their first tournament against rivals Zurich
International School.
Adeleke told ICS student journalists, “I am
looking forward to next season because It
will give me the opportunity to build on the
skills I developed this season.”
securing ICS’s second championship title
in two years. This tournament was a suitable
ending for an outstanding season.
The coach, Mr. Chris Moore, was very
encouraging and supportive throughout. He
told the girls to “have fun and play hard!”
– a philosophy that produced a supportive
team ethos and a highly successful season.
Photo: Jonathan Malcolm
Please support our teams! You
can see when they are playing by
checking the
Athletics Calendar
on our website. Scan this code on
your smart phone to go direct to the
calendar.
SEASON ROUND-UP
Great season for Varsity Boys
By Florence C, Grade 10.
The Varsity Boys’ Football Team had “a
great season,” says coach Huw Jones.
Their largest winning margin was 9-1
against Basel in the Swiss Group
of International Schools Tournament
in Tenero, Ticino. Coach Huw Jones
described this as their most successful
tournament in terms of team spirit and
enjoyment.
The team’s most succesful tournament
was at the Basel Invitational where they
beat TASIS 4-0, ZIS 1-0 and tied with
ISZL 1-1. The 18 squad members had
training sessions twice a week for about
90 minutes, and participated in three
tournaments in all.
Paolo B (Grade 11) gets a determined ball past the opposition during ICS’s 9-1
win over Basel at the SGIS Tournament in Ticino.
Hosting SGIS Volleyball
Girls’ Volleyball
By Sofia M, Grade 10.
By Srushti R, Grade 10.
Over the weekend of 8-9 November, the
ICS Varsity Boys’ Volleyball Team hosted
the SGIS (Swiss Group of International
Schools) Tournament at Farlifang. The
ICS team, made up of players from
Grades 9 - 11, played four close
games and finished the tournament in
5th place. Sam C, a 9th Grader, said:
“The highlight of the season for me
was the SGIS tournament where we
enjoyed ourselves and played some
great volleyball, and we all improved
throughout our games.”
He added that “It was always
pleasant on the team, even when
anyone of us did something wrong
the team would not put you down for
it. We always got along, even when
we were losing.” Overall, the Junior Varsity
boys may not have come first place, but
they did play their hardest and improved
immensely throughout the season.
The Varsity Girls’ Volleyball Team had an
enjoyable autumn season, playing many
games and tournaments.
Though victory was elusive, the team was
enthusiastic. Team member Sabrina R
said “We might not have won much, but
winning isn’t all.” She added that the girls
learnt a lot, both individually and as a team.
She said: “The team spirit rarely faded
through games, but when it did, we realised
and turned that back around.”
This positive attitude, motivated the team
to keep going and put in their best efforts
for every game until the end of the season.
11
AUTUMN SPORTS ROUND-UP
Tennis: “Every player is important.”
The ICS Middle School Tennis Team
hosted many games here at ICS and had
friendly games against ISZL, ISB and ZIS,
writes Natalya L, Grade 10
A total of 20 students from Grades 6-8
applied for the Middle School Girls’
Tennis Team. After tryouts in midSeptember, 13 were selected to participate
in friendly games against other schools
and five were picked (along with five boys
from the MS Boys’ Team) to play in the
competitive fixtures. Asked about the girls’
team dynamic, Coach Monica Pombinho
said: “As this is a very small squad, we have
the chance to get to know each other very
well and we have become a big family.” The
girls’ team is very balanced: each player
brings a different and useful technique to
the group. Coach Pombinho says: “We
believe in our team. We value their effort
and what they bring to the sport.”
Talk to players on the team and they say that
there has been noticeable improvement as
the season has progressed. Doubles player
Noa M (Grade 8) said: “We’ve all had
better attitudes towards each other and
the sport. We’ve also enhanced our overall
performance tremendously and seen huge
improvement. We have played better as
a team as the season has continued.”
Fellow doubles player Rachel H (Grade
8) commented: “The doubles players in
particular have gotten to know each other
better and have therefore played better in
games. This has been really great and I
hope it continues.”
Although not all students who sign up for
the team are chosen for the games, Coach
Pombinho makes sure everyone who is
interested is included. “Each member of this
team has been important and has played a
key role in the success of the team. Three
of our Grade 6 players - who reached the
final group but were not selected for the
SCIS team - came and actively participated
12
The ICS Middle School Tennis Team.
in organizing the tournament.” This year’s
Middle School Girls’ Tennis Team has had a
successful and productive season, not only
learning new techniques but also valuable
team lessons.
Meanwhile the Middle School Boys’
Tennis Team had a smashing season,
writes Georgina C. They finished the
season with a tremendous ICS-hosted
tournament at the Stork Tennis Centre in
Oetwil in November.
The team trained with Coach Rob McHarg
twice a week, working on their serves,
forehand and backhand strokes. All the
tennis trainings paid off when the team
competed in five tournaments, some friendly
and others competitive. They travelled to
ISZL and Basel for friendly matches, as well
as hosting many matches.
At the ICS tournament in November, the
ICS boys played their hearts out, however
they failed at the last hurdle. Henry C said
“I think that in the end it didn’t matter about
our wins and losses, we played our hearts
out and that’s what matters”.
Overall the team had a fantastic season,
filled with many wins as well as losses, and
should be proud of what they achieved.
Girls Football Team has the
magic!
The Middle School Girls’ Football
Team showed determination, teamwork
and diversity throughout the season writes
Natalya L, Grade 10. They participated in
games against different schools taking
home not only medals but improvement
and motivation to continue to strive. Led by
Coach Andrew Grover, the girls developed
their skills throughout the season. They look
forward to building on these skills for the
next soccer season. Lydia W (Grade 6)
said, “The team is a lot of fun and especially
on the overnight trips everyone is really
happy and excited.”
PERFORMING ARTS REPORT
Arts are alive at ICS
The first ArtsAlive! concert of this school year showcased a
wide range of performances.
ICS took a record number of
young vocalists to perform on
The Singing Christmas Tree in
Zurich in early December. In
this charming Zurich tradition,
local choirs go to perform
seasonal songs on the huge
Christmas Tree in the centre
of town. This year there were
59 ICS students there when
Primary choir The ICS Singers
performed on 2 December.
“We have never had so many
singers take part before,” says
Primary Music teacher Maggie
Johnson.
By Grade 10 students Sofia M, Natalya L
and Sophie G.
There was a fantastic turnout in the Primary
Hall on Friday 7 November as many
members of the ICS community came to
support the performers at the first ArtsAlive!
Concert of this school year.
These concerts are designed to showcase
performing talent at ICS and give students
with a passion for performing valuable
experience of appearing in front of an
audience. The eleven performances at this
concert were very diverse, and featured a
range of talents from across the school:
acts included dancers, singers, guitarists,
violinists and even a DJ. There was also a
wide range of ages with performers from
Grade 3 all the way up to Grade 12.
Sophie G (10th Grade) sang an
original piece called ‘Listen’, with the
accompaniment of her guitar. She said
afterwards, “I was nervous, because I was
expecting a smaller crowd. But it was a
good experience, since I haven’t had a lot
of practice singing or performing in front
of a large audience, and this gave me the
chance to do so.”
Natalya L, photographer and audience
member, said: “The audience were all
very supportive. “They were really good
listeners and they paid a lot of attention
to each performance. It was truly a lively
ArtsAlive!” Overall, the show had great
atmosphere, and was a good opportunity
for ICS students to share their talents,
and for members of the ICS community to
come and watch a variety of performances.
Photos: Jonathan Malcolm
Primary Singers
are seasoned
performers
Performers included Sophie G, above with
guitar, and Jan D and DJ Aryush G below.
And this wasn’t the only
outing for the ICS Singers.
They joined several other ICS
musical ensembles to take part
in the MehrgenerationenKonzert
in Zumikon Dorfplatz, run by
Zumikon Music School, at
the end of November. They
also appeared at the Parents’
Association Christmas Market
on 4 December. These
appearances all give students
experience and confidence in
performing in public.
Below, Pemba S and Grade 3 dancers.
The ICS Singers perform at the
PA Christmas Market.
13
PERFORMING ARTS
An evening of music
Audience astounded by
‘The Hallowed Halls’
Secondary students performed at the Winter Concert.
A scene from spooky thriller The
Hallowed Halls
This year’s Middle Years production broke
the mould, write Grade 10 students
Georgina C and Florence C. A spooky
thriller that questioned the existence of
ghosts, it was not the usual stage show,
but a combination of film and live action.
The Primary Hall was turned into a cinema
for the event and the performances, in early
December, received an overwhelming
response.
Above, left, William S at the piano and above right, cellist Sophie K.
The Secondary Winter Concert is one of the
highlights of the ICS Performing Arts year.
This year it featured Grade 6-12 vocal and
instrumental soloists, small ensembles, and
extra-curricular ensembles including The
Big Sing, ICS Wind Band, ICSaxophones,
ICS Stage Band and rock band Paroxysm.
Centre, the ICS Wind Band. Below left, Greg T rocks out & right, The Big Sing.
14
The screenwriters were two 10th Graders,
Georgina C and Abby C. There was a team
of five technicians and over a dozen cast
members. One of them, 7th Grader Keren
S, said she felt that “not only was the film
and performance enormous amounts of
fun, but it was also a valuable learning
curve for me as I had never participated in
a film/performance before.”
‘The Hallowed Halls’ was directed
by teachers Philip Miller and James
Waterkotte who worked with a dedicated
group of Grade 6-10 students for three
months to bring it to life. Audience member
Amanda M (Grade 11) said it was “an
unforgettable production, as it is the first
ever student-produced film that ICS has
produced”. Overall the performance and
film was a huge success. A massive round
of applause goes to all the students and
teachers who made such an unforgettable
movie and live show.
PERFORMING ARTS
Three colours of theatre
IB Theatre students
performed their own work
Blue in late November.
By Olivia C, Grade 11.
This year’s Grade 11 and 12 theatre show,
called Blue, was created entirely by our
students and teachers. Inspired by the
French movie ‘Three Colours: Blue’, it
featured blue chocolate, blue costumes,
blue fabric and blue food coloring. The play
even had a student in a blue unicorn onesie
who on one night proposed to Secondary
Principal Ms Butterworth and got furious
at teacher Mr Maullin. It was an exciting
performance and the crowd interactions
kept the audience involved. It also added
tension as no one wanted to be picked!
The performances showcased a fantastic
array of talent and showed the depth of skill
in our IB Theatre students. The varieties of
interesting images and stills created gripped
the audience. Some students had spoken
parts while others were powerfully mute.
There were images of madness when all the
actors began speaking at once and images
of death and loss as characters seemingly
died from drowning. The darkness at the
end of each scene gave an even more eerie
atmosphere.
As student Casper K said: “The show has
been a great experience and the fact that
we created the theatre piece ourselves
makes it even better!” It was a deeply
symbolic, psychological and moving play
that kept one wondering about the nature
of madness and loss. ICS can expect great
shows from our Diploma Theatre students
in the future!
15
SPECIAL FEATURE:
Introducing students to
From computer science to chocolate
making, from engineering to education,
there was a wide range of careers
represented at the ICS Career Fair 2014.
For our older students who are thinking about their futures, but
don’t yet know what they want to do, our Career Fair panellists had
some advice. Scientist Dr Kim Chaffin said: “It may take you a while
to find the area you are passionate about. I did several jobs just to
learn that I never want to do that job again - for example, working
in an oil refinery. But don’t worry: those life experiences are just as
important as the ones that lead you to find your passion.”
Dr Chaffin was speaking at the 2014 ICS Career Fair - an event that
showcased a world of workplace possibilities. ICS students met
executives working in power station technology and physiotherapy,
anaesthesiology and architecture, investment and insurance. In all,
nearly 50 panellists came along to talk about careers.
We hold a Career Fair at ICS every year to give our Grade 10
and 11 students insights into possible careers. Our goal is to
offer information that will expand their horizons and help them
make informed choices about the next stage in their education.
At this year’s Fair, there were nine panels covering Technology;
Science and Research; Engineering; Media, Communications and
Marketing; Health; Human Resources and Consulting; Business,
Finance and Management; and Education and the Arts.
Choosing a suitable career
Panellists talked about how they got involved in their careers. ICS
Science teacher Carissa Fletcher told students that she had known
from a young age that her passion was environmental science. “I
was always interested in science and loved the outdoors and the
natural world. I became an environmentalist at the age of seven
when they built a road where I used to go to play and to catch fish.
That was when I first started to write to my local government and
petition to get these things stopped. When I left university, I went
to work in the rainforest, continuing a connection with nature that I
had first made as a child.”
Other panellists told students that they had found their area of
interest by accident, rather than design. Lisa Moretti was not sure
what she wanted to do when she graduated from ICS in 2013.
16
Photos: Gil Woodley
“When banking was suggested, at first I felt very negative about it.
But then I was accepted on a UBS training scheme and I have really
got into it. I work with the international team in Zurich, with clients
from all over the world and people from many different cultures. As
I am half-English and half-Italian and grew up with the international
school culture of ICS, I find that really interesting.”
Experience and education
Other speakers also described how they found their niche. Nancy
Michels said that “through working as a management consultant
in lots of different industries with many different companies, I
identified what I loved the most, which was healthcare.” She then
spent the next 10 years working with healthcare companies. And
pharmaceuticals senior marketing manager Duygu Tanguler told
students that for her, taking an MBA degree was the springboard
to her current role. “Having an MBA enabled me to get into a
graduate programme that offered the chance to rotate through
several different departments of a business and see which one of
them I liked the most.”
SUPPORTING OUR OLDER STUDENTS
the world of work
Advice from our speakers
Dr Timothy Patey, ABB, scientist: “Science is a profession
where you can make a difference in the world using your skills
and talents. My background is electrochemistry and I work
on batteries that can be used in electric buses and also on
‘atmospheric carbon capture’ - a way of capturing carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere. These are technologies I believe
in that can make an impact.”
Sanjeev Premchand, Bank Julius Baer & Co. AG.,
Senior Relationship Manager: “Internships and work
experience offer valuable opportunities. During university, I
had a summer job filing what were called ‘S&P tear sheets’
- summaries of information on US public companies - at a
Swiss bank. One day the bank’s chief economist came in
looking for some information. I managed to find it for him and
as a result, we started interacting. He went on to hire me as
an analyst and I have stayed in the banking sector ever since.”
Belinda Fleischmann, Communications & Partnerships
Consultant, Antenna: “Personalised communications is a
growing area: they are developing billboards now that know,
from your smartphone, what your preferences are. So when
you walk past, the billboard can put up an advert targeted just
at you! This is an exciting area to work in and you [students]
could become specialists in it.”
Reflections from our students
David J, Grade 10: “I thank the panellists for explaining what
they do every day: it was inspiring to hear them.”
ICS alumnus James Patterson, who studied Medicine & Biochemistry
at the University of Cambridge, then talked to students. He urged
them to seek as much experience at school and university as
possible. “I got experience while still at school when I worked in
a hospital in Tanzania. In my first year at university, I worked on
incredible projects during an internship at ETH. Experience is
valuable: it proves you are ambitious beyond your academic grades
and helps you go where you want to go: the experience I got at ETH
showed me the science I wanted to work on.” James is now doing
a PhD in a cancer research laboratory in London.
Hannah H, Grade 10: “ I liked how the panellists shared their
personal experiences, both the positives and the negatives,
so we could get a good perspective on what their job is like.”
Sam S, Grade 10: “I came in expecting just to hear about
which courses to choose and universities to go to. Instead, I
heard about the life skills these jobs will need and will teach
me - e.g. in engineering, persistence in finding a solution, and
in technology, the importance of searching for patterns.”
Compete - or create?
And working as a discoverer is exactly what our students should
be doing, according to motivational speaker Magnus Lindkvist. In a
thought-provoking presentation, he asked students, “Do you want
to compete - or to create? Creating a new idea is painful. People
will tell you ‘That’s a crazy idea, it’ll never work!’ But we can’t all
compete. We need people to create and to start dreaming of the
ideas that will become the next products, trends and jobs.”
17
COFFEE WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM
Enriching and personalising learning
In October, parents heard
from the Leadership Team
about learning support and
enrichment.
Supporting a Grade 5 child who has Grade
7 Maths skills or helping a student who has
come to ICS from a very different education
system and has missed out on some key
foundation knowledge; enriching and
personalising learning at ICS spans a wide
spectrum of needs, as the ICS Leadership
Team explained at a Parents’ Coffee
Morning in October.
Fostering skills, supporting learning
At ICS, helping students at all levels
prepare for the challenges of the 21st
Century involves giving them the foundation
knowledge that will be the bedrock for their
learning, fostering the kind of skills they will
need – such as creativity, problem-solving
and collaboration – and supporting their
social and emotional learning.
“It’s about meeting students wherever they
are on their learning journey, enriching
their learning experience and taking them
forward,” the Leadership Team said.
As an example of how this approach
benefits ICS students, one of our older
“I thank ICS for supporting me:
I have seen a big improvement
in my organisation levels and
how I receive information from
teachers.”
How Learning Support helped one student.
18
students - who has spent 12 years at ICS,
and is now in the IB Diploma Programme –
gave testimony in a short film.
As parents heard him explain, “I have always
been in support classes because I needed
more help and a little more time to learn
and gather all the information I needed.
ICS has supported me very well over the
years and I really appreciate it because I
see how I have improved - and that is really
necessary, because the IB [Programme] is
not easy at all. I would like to thank all the
teachers who have supported me for such a
long time. I see the improvement, and so do
my parents, and I am really enjoying it now.”
Working in partnership
As staff told parents, strong partnerships
in learning are vital. That is why Learning
Support at ICS is not a parallel programme,
but one that integrates into the curriculum.
LS teachers from Primary and Secondary
explained to parents the ways in which they
work, ranging from advising class teachers
on strategies to help a child, to in-class
support, to pulling a child out of class to
support some targeted areas of difficulty.
“We act as a collaborative supportive group
behind a child,” they told parents. “We want
to learn as much about their areas of strength
and interest as well as their difficulties, as
we can use those strengths and interests
to support that area of difficulty.” And when
children receive such support, they say, it
benefits them both directly – and indirectly.
As our student speaker revealed, he had
become much more aware of his own
learning strengths and needs. “Over the
years I have learned about myself that I
am open-minded to new challenges and I
seek help whenever I need it.” As a result,
he says, “I have seen a big improvement in
my organisation levels and how I receive
information from the teachers.”
Challenging students to go further
Of course, enriching children’s learning
works at both ends of the spectrum –
challenging them to go further when they
are ready, as well as supporting them when
they find difficulties.
Teachers said: “We had a lot of success last
year in Grade 8 English where we offered
some enrichment for individual students,
pushing them beyond what would typically
be covered in the classroom and keeping
them challenged.” Research shows that
some behaviour issues arise when students
are bored because they are not being
challenged enough. Other enrichment
activities include an extension programme
in Grade 7 Maths that is proving successful.
“The core of all this is our Mission
Statement,” the Learning Support teachers
and the Leadership Team concluded. “We
are always looking at the pathways we can
pave for our children to fulfil their potential.”
SECONDARY LEARNING
Our school - ‘Nuestro Colegio’
In their Spanish class, Grade
8 students are learning to
talk about their school.
This article was written collaboratively by
the students in the Grade 8 Spanish class
as part of their studies on the topic ‘My
School’. The students have been learning
about school routines and here they explain
what they normally study and do at ICS. In
this article they describe ICS - how big it
is, how many students and teachers there
are - and the types of facilities and activities
offered to ICS students.
The students go on to discuss school
uniform and to talk about school and
what they dislike (homework) and like
(many friendly students and the fact that
it is a good place to learn about cultural
differences).
ICS tiene una biblioteca, laboratorios de
ciencias, un gimnasio cubierto, un campo
de deportes y muchas aulas. También hay
una cafeteria, un patio para los chicos de
la escuela primaria y salón especial para
teatro llamado “Black Box”.
En ICS se pueden hacer diferentes
actividades extraescolares. Hay talleres de
drama y de deberes. También hay club de
deportes, por ejemplo baloncesto, fútbol,
tenis y natación. Durante la pausa del
almuerzo podemos participar de actividades
de servicio a la comunidad a través de la
agrupación “Round Square”.
Los alumnos de ICS no tienen que llevar
un uniforme. Normalmente los chicos y las
chicas pueden usar lo que quieran siempre
que sea apropiado. Solamente se usa un
uniforme en los equipos deportivos. El
uniforme tiene camisetas de color naranja y
pantalones cortos de color negro.
Lo bueno de la escuela es que es muy
grande y los estudiantes son muy amables.
Lo malo de la escuela es que generalmente
hay muchos deberes. La escuela tiene
muchas cosas positivas. Este es un buen
lugar para estar con gente de todo el mundo
y aprender sobre culturas diferentes.
By Nora J, Till P, Dean H, Pauline H, Milana
V, Lisa H, Jordan O, Keren S, Max H,
Edward L, Cameron M and Emily H.
Photo: Gabriela Newman
Nuestro Colegio
Nuestro colegio se llama ICS. Es un
instituto internacional muy grande y está en
Zumikon, Zurich. ICS tiene tres edificios, el
Edificio Principal, DSC y Ruegg. En ICS
hay aproximadamente 800 alumnos y unos
120 profesores. Todos los días la escuela
empieza a las 8:30 y termina a las 15:25.
Tenemos 7 clases al día. Cada clase dura
45 minutos. El primer período comienza a
las 8:45 con la registración.
En el colegio tenemos muchas asignaturas:
matemáticas, idiomas como inglés, alemán,
francés y español, deportes, arte, música,
drama, ciencias, tecnología y teatro.
Normalmente tenemos tres recreos. El
primero es a las 10:20 y dura 20 minutos. A
las 13:05 tenemos el almuerzo y por último
tenemos un recreo de sólo 10 minutos.
The Grade 8 Spanish class with teacher Ms Pombinho
19
FOCUS ON SERVICE LEARNING
Learning from each other
Next spring’s Grade 9 trip to
Nepal will benefit students
both at ICS and SMD.
When a group of ICS students arrives
at SMD school in Nepal next March
they will be “welcomed by our kids with
open hearts” says Shirley Blair. Shirley is
Director of the Shree Mangal Dvip (SMD)
School in Kathmandu. It is a school that
gives children from the Himalayas, where
there are few schools, an education they
would not otherwise receive. A group of
Grade 9 students will be volunteering there
and “they will get a joyful reception from
our kids”, she predicts. “What they will also
get from helping at SMD is the realisation
that they are needed in society - and that
will give them confidence and a sense of
responsibility. Children often focus on what
they want; this trip will help them focus on
what they can give and learn that they have
a responsibility to help others.”
A sense of responsibility
She adds: “It really helps to knit humanity
together when the first world and developing
world meet and have something to offer
each other. ICS students can help us at
SMD by coming into some classes and
helping out with sports, or arts and crafts.
Our younger kids need physical activity
and the Grade 9s can help by organising
“It helps knit humanity together
when the first world and
developing world meet and have
something to offer each other.”
Shirley Blair, Director SMD School, Nepal.
20
Shirley Blair tells Grade 9 students and trip chaperone Chris Moore about life
in Nepal. Below, students at SMD School.
action songs and participatory games at
break times. SMD students will benefit and
ICS students will discover their place in the
spectrum of humanity and citizenship.”
Every year, Grade 9 students are offered
the chance to apply for a trip combining
service learning and adventure. For the
last few years, the destination has been
Tanzania. This year, however, the students
will head to Nepal. They will spend the
first five days volunteering at SMD, doing
whatever will most benefit the school,
whether helping out in classrooms or
working with local craftsmen and suppliers
to carry out some repairs. They will then
go trekking, and get to see where ICS’s
Nepalese students come from.
Learning what you need to know
And they will learn greatly from this service,
as Shirley said when she visited ICS in
October. “After spending some time with
us, a Canadian volunteer from a privileged
background told us in his parting, heartfelt
speech: ‘When I first came here, I thought
in my arrogance that I would teach you
what you needed to know. But instead, you
have taught me what I needed to know’.”
ICS has had a relationship with SMD School
since 2005 and gives two scholarships a
year to SMD students so they can study for
their IB Diplomas at ICS. (SMD only goes
up to Grade 10, so its students need to
find school places elsewhere if they want
to continue their education.) Our current
SMD students will work with the Grade 9s
over the next few months to help prepare
them for their trip, including giving them
some language lessons.
The ICS-SMD relationship is hugely
valuable, says Shirley Blair. When the
Nepalese students graduate from ICS they
go back to volunteer at SMD, taking with
them skills and ideas about teaching that
they have learned here. 2014 graduate
Kunchok “is working in a class for lateintake kids with no prior education,” Shirley
reports, “and fellow graduate Tenzin is
now in SMD classrooms revolutionising
instruction in English and Humanities,”
Shirley reports. “So the relationship is
beneficial in many ways.”
SHOWING SCHOOL SPIRIT
Bottling the essence of ICS
We challenged students’
creativity in our recent water
bottle photo competion.
We ran a 'Where in the world is my ICS
water bottle?' photo competition in
October. "Over the autumn break," we said,
"take the most original, beautiful or fun
photos of your ICS water bottles that you
can." Students sent in a range of delightful
images of our bright orange water bottles.
We chose three joint winners.
Filippo W sent a creative photo of a Ticino
waterfall pouring into one of our bottles.
Mathea and Eline I showed their water
bottle in the sea surrounded by beautiful
banner fish. Federico V took a fun shot of a
cow in Elm stretching out a thirsty tongue
to lick an ICS bottle.
We also gave special merit to a
photograph by Felix and Mikkel S. They
went into the forest near their house, used
their penknives to make a raft and sent
their water bottle on a journey downstream.
That, in our opinion, was original, creative
and fun.
Above, Mathea and Eline’s picture of the bottle with banner fish and top left,
Federico’s shot of the Swiss cow with an ICS bottle. Below, Filippo’s photograph
of the Ticino waterfall and Mikkel and Felix’s bottle on their home-made raft.
Scan the QR
code to see all
the competition
entries.
21
FOCUS ON SERVICE LEARNING
The ICS community reaches out
Across school, students, teachers and parents have been giving service - and raising
awareness and support for good causes while doing so.
Students lead Movember
men’s health campaign
From horseshoes to handlebars, many
male teachers at ICS grew moustaches
in November. They were supporting the
‘Movember’ campaign to raise awareness
of men’s health problems like prostate
cancer. The teachers were urged on by a
group of Grade 11 boys who ran men’s
health awareness- and fund-raising events,
including a competition for students to
vote on which teacher had grown the most
creative ’tache. “Many students would have
liked to grow moustaches too – but were
unable!” says Jack H, one of the group of
Grade 11 Round Square students who led
the student campaign. “So we looked for
other ways to get students involved.”
Nicolas G explains: “We gave presentations
in tutorials to encourage male students to
feel confident about sharing any health
worries that they have with a doctor.” “Lots
of men, particularly younger men, struggle
with this,” agrees Jack. Daniel T adds, “And
we also emphasised the need to talk about
men’s mental health as well as physical
health, as lots of people find mental health
issues difficult to discuss.”
Helping the homeless
This year’s annual Winter Food Drive for the
homeless in Zurich was led by the Grade
10 and 11 Round Square group. They
say: “We appealed to students in Primary
and Secondary to donate foods for the
homeless. Our goal was to fill the three
food crates set out across the campus. The
22
The students worked on this as a Round
Square service project. Ben S says: “We
could relate to Movember more than to
some other projects.” Aneeq A adds: “We
thought it was interesting as men’s health
issues, like the cancers that particularly
affect men, are not something we normally
discuss much.” The students ran sales of
Movember merchandise and came up with
the idea of having a competition for students
to select the best moustache,
as they thought the element
of fun would appeal to other
students.
Huw Jones and Simon Parker were among staff
who grew moustaches to raise aw-hair-ness of
men’s health issues.
homeless in Zurich are sleeping rough at a
time of year when the average night-time
temperature is -1 °C. We are grateful that the
ICS community was enthusiastic about this
project and know that those less fortunate
will be too.” The donated foods were sent
to a homeless shelter in Zurich run by local
organisation Sozialwerke Pfarrer Sieber.
Robert R says: “When
we talked to the younger
students in particular, we
didn’t want to scare them.
So we focused less on male
cancers and tried more to
stimulate their confidence to
talk about health issues that
worried them.” That, after all,
is what Movember is all about.
SERVICE LEARNING
to help others
Primary Round Square students worked
with the Parents Association to promote
this year’s ‘2 x Christmas’ campaign - an
annual campaign where families donate
boxes of gifts (such as toys, toiletries,
children’s shoes, etc) to families in need. It
is supported by organisations including the
Swiss Red Cross, who sent a representative
to tell ICS students about the scheme.
Teacher Doug Beard says: “Students then
gave out shoeboxes for donors to use. They
came back full of items for needy families
and individuals in Switzerland and Eastern
Europe. By 5 December we had received
276 boxes.” Students helped pack the
boxes so they could be taken, via Zumikon
Post Office, to the Swiss Red Cross centre
in Bern for distribution. A big thank you to all
families who contributed.
The Primary Round Square Club enjoyed
The Primary Round Square Club collected up the dozens of donated giftboxes.
helping out. Thomas in 5AG said: “When
we pack the shoeboxes it gives us a nice
feeling that we are making people happy
somewhere else.” Clio in 5MB said: “I think
this project is a very good idea. The people
from the Red Cross showed us pictures of
people receiving their gift boxes and they
had very happy faces.” Maya in 5AG said:
“You are giving something to someone who
really needs it and you are changing lives.”
Art sale helps victims of human trafficking
ICS students ran an art auction in November
to raise awareness of human trafficking
and funds for a local charity that supports
victims. It is the second year running that
Grade 12 students Veronica B and Polly L
have run the auction to benefit the charity
GlowbalAct, writes Grade 11 student Olivia
C. Helped by Veronica’s brother Fergus
(Grade 11), they raised 2,135 CHF - even
more than last year.
Veronica said she first felt “moved to help”
after hearing ICS Humanities teacher
Lindy Hirt talk about GlowbalAct, a small
Zurich organization campaigning against
trafficking. She recruited her friend Polly
to the cause, and the two girls began
collaborating with each other and teachers
to run the auctions. This year’s proceeds
will support a safe house for trafficking
victims in Romania. Veronica said: “The
with parent Sean Baker bidding on half
of all the items auctioned! Meanwhile two
bidding battles between Dean of Students
Rob McHarg and Head of School MaryLyn Campbell helped to push up the overall
total. Thank you to everyone who donated or
bought an art item. Polly said it was a "huge
satisfaction" to have raised so much money,
helped victims and raised awareness at
school of human trafficking.
Donated art at the auction
Photo: Ryan G, Grade 11
auction went very well. Everyone really
gets into the auction spirit and is extremely
generous, so the donation we are able to
make to Glowbal Act is amazing!” Students
from Grades 6-12 donated art to sell, and
ICS community members bid generously,
At ICS, students are encouraged to reflect
on what they learn from giving service. Both
girls say they learned useful skills such as
the confidence to motivate people and
organize events. Veronica and Polly will
graduate from ICS in 2015, but Veronica’s
brother Fergus has offered to take over. He
says: “I will try my best to fill the huge shoes
of my sister and her friend when it comes to
organizing the event next year.”
23
STORIES FROM THE ICS LIBRARY
Sharing a love of reading
Students and staff seized
the opportunity to ‘Dress
as Your Favourite Book
Character’ in late October.
On Friday 31 October, Primary classrooms
were full of Spidermen and spacemen,
Harry Potters and Horrid Henrys.
Buzz Lightyear came along, as did Batman,
Bob the Builder, Cautious George, Hairy
Maclary, Rapunzel, Six Dinner Sid and
Winnie the Witch. And that’s to name just a
few. But nobody turned a hair. Because as
part of International School Library Month
24
- and to encourage students to share their
love of books and reading - the ICS Library
had asked Primary students (and staff) to
come to school that day dressed as their
favourite book character. It was quite a
sight when Primary held a Costume Parade
during morning break...
Photos: Rachel Doell
Bringing stories to life
.
Battle of the Books 2015
Eleven teams of students from Grades
6-8 are now preparing for Battle of the
Books 2015. In this popular annual
reading challenge, teams of students
read eight books set by international
school librarians. They then compete
to see who can correctly answer the
most questions about them. The ICS
rounds and final will take place before
Ski Week. The inter-school final - at
which the ICS winners compete against
teams from Zurich International School
and the International School of Zug &
Luzern - takes place just after Ski Week.
ICS is the current champion.
Irish storyteller Niall de Burca showed the power of
language and the joy of stories on his visit to ICS.
Comedian and award-winning storyteller
Niall de Burca entertained students with
his action-packed stories when he visited
ICS in December. A man who loves telling
stories and has a natural gift for performing,
he engaged the audience with his many
different accents, facial expressions and
body movements. He was a high energy
performer and he also provided life lessons
to his Grades 6 and 7 audiences, reminding
them that it’s important to hug someone in
your life and have one good laugh every
day, and that it’s okay to make mistakes as
everyone else makes them as well.
Niall also helped Grade 10 students
prepare for their upcoming Poetry Slam by
giving tips on body language, use of voice,
and how to reduce anxiety and nerves.
Toby H said afterwards that he “[felt] more
prepared for the poetry slam than before.”
Overall, Niall was a delight to have and an
inspiration to many of our aspiring poets,
authors and storytellers. Natalya L and
Florence C, Grade 10.
The titles this year offer something for
everyone. They range from historical
mystery The False Prince to Counting
by 7s, a poignant relationship novel.
Non-fiction book Chasing Cheetahs
is about the campaign to save Africa’s
fastest cats while The Chicken Dance
is a comedy about a family that inherits
a chicken farm. Sharing the strategies
that helped them, last year’s winners
emphasised it was important to read
the books more than once. So this
year, librarian Ruth Owen has set up a
Google Classroom for the teams where
they can keep track of their reading and
share comments on the books. See full
details at http://library.icsz.ch
Recycling literature
The Library ran a school-wide book swap
during International School Library Month
in October. It was a great success with
nearly 100 Primary students taking part
as well as Secondary students, teachers
and even some parents. ‘Old’ books were
brought from home and traded for ‘new’
ones - a wonderful way to recycle great
literature and a source of joy to some of our
readers, as these pictures show.
25
PRIMARY LEARNING
Exploring autumn
Early Years students
studied the seasons on an
autumn trip to the farm.
By Early Years Coordinator Emma Horsey
To help them inquire into ‘how life is affected
by the seasons’, and learn more about
seasonal celebrations, Early Years students
went to Jucker Farm in late October. There
they saw autumn in all its colourful beauty,
and ate some of the food that this particular
season brings. Additionally, the trip was a
great opportunity for the children to explore
a farm in the local community.
Jucker Farm specialises in
sculptures made from pumpkins. There were
also apple orchards to explore, hay bales to
climb, goats in an animal petting area and
an old tractor to ‘drive’. Students shared
a snack of fresh apples, juice and roasted
pumpkin seeds, all produced on the farm.
Then they chose some large pumpkins to
take back to school and carve to make Jacko-Lanterns for our Halloween celebrations
for the coming week.
Wille said: “I like to see all these
different pumpkins there and what they did
build with the pumpkins.” Nicky added: “I
liked it when we got to choose a pumpkin
at the farm.” Tuur also enjoyed the pumpkin
sculptures: “A plane pumpkin, a piano
that makes music and a butterfly made of
pumpkins.”
An educational trip to the farm: students ‘drove’ an old tractor, met the animals
and sampled the farm’s pumpkins and apples. They also practised their gross
motor skills by playing on hay bales and climbing trees.
Photos: Gil Woodley
26
PRIMARY LEARNING
Grade 1 studies Swiss life
at the materials found in a typical Swiss
environment: stone, wood, timber etc.
Teacher Kirsten Hougen took photos of
the different shelters and students chose
pictures of their favouite shelters and then
labelled the photos to show which materials
were evident in them. “Inspiration from our
trip prompted some students to design
and then paint their own ‘Swiss house’ in
a mountain region,” says Ms Hougen. Back
in the ICS classroom, work went on in more
detail with students connecting specific
materials to different regions.
Houses at the Swiss Open-Air Museum Ballenberg on the sunny day when
Grade 1 visited. The students were learning about how shelters are built.
Grade 1 students have been
learning about traditional
Swiss shelters.
The Grade 1 field trip to the Swiss OpenAir Museum in Ballenberg is always a key
experience in the unit Where We Are in
Place and Time. And it was extra special
this year, as classroom teacher Safaa
Abdel-Magid writes: “We could not have
picked a better day to visit Ballenberg! We
were fortunate to have beautiful weather,
and could enjoy the stunning Swiss scenery
in bountiful light.” The museum offers a look
at traditional Swiss life. Staff gave students
a tour in both English and German so
students could develop vocabulary relevant
to the unit in both languages.
Students enjoyed the trip. Helena H said “It
was fun because you could go in and out of
the houses, and I also liked what [the guide]
told us about the wooden houses.” In this
unit, students learn about how shelters are
built to suit the location they are in, using the
local materials, and how they are adapted
to the environment they are built in. Arjun H
said “I learned that you could make houses
out of whatever you can find.”
Students in 1CE students looked at
different pictures of shelters there and then
matched materials to what the shelters were
made of. They wrote journal entries about
the trip and completetd a graphic depiction
of the definition of the word ‘shelter’ and the
new things they had learned about it.
Stone, wood and timber
Meanwhile in 1KH, students were looking
‘Houses must be clever and beautiful’
Class 1SA used the pictures of the old
Swiss houses to organize their ideas
about shelters. They wrote down their
observations, understandings, hypotheses
and questions about these shelters and
sorted them under two concepts they
are learning about, form and connection.
Ms Abdel-Magid says: “We studied the
materials these homes were made from
and how these materials influenced the way
they were built, e.g. thatched roofs or stone
shingles. The following week we had an
architect visit us, parent Jane Crowhurst. She
introduced us to the concept that buildings
have to be strong, clever and beautiful. We
analysed these Swiss homes to see if they
were strong, clever and beautiful. We found
that they were clever, for example, because
they were built to suit all seasons.”
She adds: “Although the trip focused on
shelters, the tour guides included elements
from bygone days such as a traditional
Swiss classroom where there was a
blackboard and not a whiteboard, where
there were no carpets, where students sat
in rows, and where girls sat on the side
benches of the classroom. There was much
discussion after we left about how we would
prefer to go to school if we were given a
choice between old times and modern day.”
27
PRIMARY LEARNING
A morning at the Kunsthaus
Both Kindergarten and Grade 5 students
enjoyed field trips to Zurich’s own art
museum, the Kunsthaus, in October.
For Grade 5 students, the trip tied in with
their unit of inquiry into How We Express
Ourselves. As part of their inquiry, and in
collaboration with Primary German teachers,
Grade 5 spent the day at the Kunsthaus.
There they took part in a range of activities.
28
These included a guided investigation of
selected works of art, an opportunity to
artistically respond to art viewings and the
chance to explore the persuasive power of
Art using the German language.
Kindergarten students, meanwhile, were
inquiring into ways in which we can
communicate through the arts. Their
morning at the Kunsthaus, among other
activities, really inspired them. At the end of
term, they planned, created and hosted their
own Art Gallery in the Primary Hall to share
the various projects and work they had done
surrounding the Arts.
Pictures: Gil Woodley
LIFE BEYOND ICS
Mina’s journey to Cambridge
Life for Grade 12s
Mina Chomich studied at ICS from Kindergarten until she
graduated from Grade 12 this summer. She is now studying
Natural Sciences at Cambridge.
Mina Chomich was at ICS for 13 years,
going from Kindergarten right through to
Grade 12. After graduating in June 2014,
she is now studying Natural Sciences at
St John’s College, Cambridge. Here she
recalls her time at ICS and offers some
advice to Grade 12 students.
“Every year at ICS, I was
encouraged to ask questions (something I
found I always had many of), to voice my
opinions, and even to challenge opinions
presented by the teachers. The atmosphere
I experienced at ICS grew alongside us
students, accommodating our new interests
and answering our new questions. ICS also
struck me as always having a great variety,
both in sports to try out, types of talents,
types of teaching, nationalities of students,
and types of school events. ‘Better prepared for university’
Perhaps this is easier to say now that it is
over, but I am very happy to have done the
IB Diploma Programme. I had been warned
of the difficulty, so though it was hard, it
was not harder than I expected. There were
stressful weeks sometimes and I found
maintaining my grades in some classes
challenging. But I recognised that this was
due to the difficulty of the programme, and
that it would just mean I would be better
prepared for university.
I had always thought that when
it came to the exams I would work and
work so much that I would leave the room
thinking I simply could not have written
the exam better. But what saved me in the
exams was good work in the years, not just
weeks, beforehand.
I would also like to advise 12th Graders that
no matter how much you study, expecting
every exam to go perfectly is unrealistic. I
didn’t know that, so I experienced some
panic in some exams – but the final score
surpassed my expectations.
Since we moved to Switzerland
from the US, I always thought that I would
go back to the US for university. I did not
think of applying to the UK and as I have
many wide-ranging interests, I didn’t want to
limit myself to studying one subject as you
do there. But when ICS introduced me to
more UK universities, and when my brother
applied to England, I began to reconsider.
I liked the fact that Cambridge’s Natural
Sciences course is broad and during the
University of Cambridge interview, I realised
it would be ideal for me. But I would not
admit this to myself at first, for fear of being
rejected.
At this point in time I do not know
what career I want, or whether I will end up
in Neuroscience, Chemistry, or Zoology. I
am happy to be in no hurry to make these
important decisions just yet.”
Grade 12 is a demanding year. By
now, while studying their six chosen
subjects, students have also done a
Theory of Knowledge presentation,
written an Extended Essay and sent
in university applications for next year.
And the pressure won’t let up over
the holiday. “We know students want
to enjoy time with friends and family
during the break. But we encourage
them to work and revise several
hours a day when possible”, IB
Diploma Coordinator Phil Marchetti
told a recent meeting of Grade 12
parents. “The mock exams next
term are very important practice for
the real thing.” She and Secondary
Principal Rebecca Butterworth and
University Counsellor Cristina AlcozZazu discussed key processes in
Grade 12 – from predicting grades
to submitting coursework – so
parents understood them. And they
discussed stress. Ms Alcoz-Zazu
said. “While some stress is good,
when students are so anxious they
can’t sleep or eat, that’s unhealthy. So
please let us know if that happens.”
She said that in response to student
feedback, this year’s Personal
Development Programme includes
sessions on stress management, time
management, study skills, and testtaking skills. Students will also learn
meditation techniques to help them
keep calm and focused before an
exam. And to help their parents? “We
recommend downloading the Harvard
Parenting Project’s report ‘Raising
Teens’,” said Mrs Butterworth. “It can
help you strike the balance between
applying pressure and being a loving,
nurturing parent.”
• Download ‘Raising Teens’
at www.hsph.harvard.edu/
chc/raising-teens/
29
COMMUNITY EVENTS
PA Halloween party is
a spooky success!
Harry Potters and pumpkins galore at the Halloween Party. There were also some very impressive decorations on display
at the ‘Trunk or Treating’. Photos: Valentina W-H (Grade 11) and Kim Chaffin
Almost 400 Primary students and their families enjoyed the autumn tradition
of Halloween at the annual ICS Primary Halloween Party. The kids enjoyed a
disco, face painting, a fortune teller, a Haunted House and ‘Trunk or Treating’.
The parents enjoyed greeting the ghosts, goblins, witches, vampires and
princesses as they filed through the extravagantly decorated car trunks
(boots) to collect treats from each of them.
This annual party is a wonderful event, bringing the ICS Primary community
together. THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped make this happen!
PA President Rachel Dale
Parents enjoy PA Clubs
The PA runs many Parents’ Clubs and
activities. The Daytrippers Club enjoyed
a visit to the Zurich Carnevale in midNovember (see picture right). And Parent’s
Ethnic Shopping Tours have also been
going strong! Groups have visited the area
around Zurich HB where there are Korean,
Asian, Turkish, Mexican and Indian markets
30
all within walking distance. These tours are
a great way to discover different shops and
they also expand your cooking repertoire,
with parents exchanging ideas on how to
use the different ingredients. More tours
will be run in the spring, but please contact
Kieran Joshi ([email protected]) if
you would like a list of the stores visited.
FROM THE PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Fun & fundraising at
our Christmas lunch
UPCOMING EVENTS
JANUARY 2015
Monday 5:
Welcome (Back) Coffee
14:00 - 15:15, Treffpunkt
This year’s PA Christmas Market opened with a celebratory lunch with entertainment and
delicious food. It raised a substantial amount of money for the PA University Scholarship
Fund. We are very grateful to our generous sponsors, auction donors and bidders and
volunteers who made this happen.
Every year, ICS offers a scholarship to two 11th and two 12th Grade students who would not
otherwise have the means to study. (See the story about our current Nepalese scholarship
students below.) When they graduate from ICS, many of our scholarship students receive
offers of university places. But for them, finding the funds to take up these places is virtually
impossible without external support. This where the PA University Scholarship Fund can
assist - and this year’s Christmas event has really helped to boost its coffers.
During the afternoon, adults and children all thoroughly enjoyed the food and shopping
and trying their hand at the Tombola. There was also much joy for the little ones having
the chance to meet Father Christmas & listen to our ICS Singers perform seasonal songs.
Thursday 8:
Coffee with the Leadership Team
Tuesday 27 - Thursday 29:
Secondary Book Fair
All day, Secondary Building
Wednesday 28:
NewInZurich workshop for parents
FEBRUARY
Thursday 26:
Digital Life Workshop: ‘Privacy in
the digital age’
For the most up-to-date calendar of
events, please see www.icsz.ch
CONTACT THE PA BOARD:
Above left, ICS-themed items on sale at the event, created by the PA Craft
Group. Above right, Nepalese student Damzik talks to parents at the lunch.
Scholarship students’ get-together
Our current scholarship students (from
SMD School in Nepal) got together for an
evening in October with current and past
host families and with the director of SMD
school, Shirley Blair. Shirley was visiting
Zurich and it was a great opportunity for
us all to meet each other and to be
reminded of the value of being involved
in this scholarship programme, which
so far has brought 10 students from
SMD to study at ICS. PA VP Secondary
Barbara Curtin
• Read more about SMD School in
Nepal on page 20.
If you have questions, or want to get
more involved with the PA, please
contact a member of the Executive
Board.
Rachel Dale:
[email protected]
Silje Sigernes:
[email protected]
Barbara Curtin:
[email protected]
Ingrid Indahl:
[email protected]
Kerry Hayden:
[email protected]
Maria Rinaldi
[email protected]
31
The Inter-Community School is committed to
providing a supportive and enabling learning
environment in which all members of the
community are challenged to achieve their
individual potential, encouraged to pursue
their passions, and expected to fulfil their
responsibilities.
ICS Inter-Community School Zurich
Strubenacher 3
8126 Zumikon
Switzerland
Tel: +41 44 919 8300
Website: www.icsz.ch
ICS is fully accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) as well as the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
32

winter 2014-15 - Inter

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