Summer Camp Extravaganza Our pick of this year’s best upcoming summer camps Girls in Sport Levelling the playing field
Kids and Tech: Getting it right
internationalschoolparent.com
Spring 2015
Welcome to International School Parent Magazine! Welcome to all readers, both old and new, to the first International School Parent Magazine of 2015. In this issue we address a number serious and interesting topics. In particular, allow me to draw your attention to our piece on Kids and technology: how to get it right. More important today, in the age of the selfie, than ever before, there is an important role for parents and schools to play in creating and maintaining the boundaries of technology. One thing we look to stress in this issue is that respect and humility are important traits throughout life, and that the internet should be a platform on which these qualities play out. A particularly hot topic for many parents at this time of year is keeping children gainfully entertained in those long summer holidays. Have a look at our Summer Camps Extravaganza with 15 excellent summer camps covering a wide range of activities in Switzerland, the UK, and France. We are really pleased to continue to host the “School Noticeboard”, to which we are particularly pleased to welcome the International School Rheinfelden and International School of Central Switzerland. Our online presence continues to grow and becomes an increasingly significant aspect our publication: with nearly 1700 followers now, I would urge anyone who has not already done so to ‘like’ our FB page. Through that, you will be able to keep in touch with online articles, summer camp offers, and exciting events.
Lastly, I would also like to extend an invitation to expert writers in all fields of education are welcome to get in touch with us about writing opportunities. We are particularly interested in mathematicians and those involved in Early Years education, but would like to hear from writers on all subjects! We remain committed to the task of helping parents and children to make the most of the fantastic opportunities an education at an international school in Switzerland can provide. All that remains to be said is that I hope you have a wonderful end to the Spring Term – I look forward to writing to you in the summer! Nick Gilbert Editor & Publishing Director International School Parent Magazine Tel: +41 787 10 8091 Email: nick@internationalschoolparent.com Visit: internationalschoolparent.com
Contents 02 Kids and Tech: Getting it right
10 Taking the Drama out of a Crisis
28 Teaching Reading: A Guide for Parents
50 Yoga for Skiers & Snowboarders
06 Swiss Education Group: Swiss Hospitality Excellence
14 Girls in Sport: Levelling the Playing Field
32 Tutoring for Individual Needs
52 The Rise of the Reinvented Expat Spouse
18 Protecting Your Daughter Against Cervical Cancer
34 Mindsets: Influencing Accomplishment and Motivation
54 The School in the Cloud in the Wall Experiment
08 Law without the Law Degree
20 Summer Camps Extravaganza
38 School News
International School Parent Spring 2015
GETTING IT RIGHT BY EDITORIAL TEAM
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internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2015
In the age where the word ‘selfie’ officially appears in the Oxford English Dictionary, and Apple sells 34000 iPhones per hour, it is impossible to escape the impact that technology has on our everyday lives.
Millennials who have grown up in this tech-obsessed environment have been labelled “Generation C”, referring to their hyper-connected lives. Continual non-verbal communication through social media, email, texting, instant messaging and other digital platforms, is as instinctive to them as face-to-face contact – it seems inconceivable to them that the internet and other forms of technology did not always pervade every aspect of life. These digital natives are also developing skills and an adaptability that will be absolutely necessary to succeed in the jobs of the future, many of which do not yet exist. Technology, and particularly the internet, has opened up a whole world of opportunities for education, creativity, knowledge, sharing, and communicating. However, there are also potential risks that young people need to be protected from and educated about. These issues range from personal safety to privacy to concerns over literacy. Although these problems may all spring from technology, solving them is not dependent on parents and teachers being more tech-savvy than Generation C. How can schools and families prepare children to use technology responsibly and make them aware of potential problems? One of the most fundamental issues that schools currently face is integrating technology into learning and lessons in the right way. On the one hand, many teachers find that technology engages children and keeps their attention, and are investing in iPads, interactive smart boards and laptops. In geography and science, technology allows teachers to better illustrate their lessons with online resources, such as the National Geographic’s interactive education section, the BBC Nature video collection or even NASA’s multimedia resources. In history, students can supplement their textbooks with extra context from the archives of online magazines such as History Today and Horrible Histories, or by watching YouTube videos that bring speeches and other important events to life. GCSE, IB and A Level students have immediate access to thousands of past questions and mark schemes on exam boards’ websites. In some countries, large tech companies, such as Google, are paying for coding courses in schools. Art students can explore apps such as Artsy, which gives access to art from over 2000 galleries worldwide. If they cannot make a visit in person, they can now download apps that major galleries, such as the Louvre, have created. Such resources mean that access to education and information has never been so democratic, and it has dramatically changed the way our children learn. On the other hand, involving technology in classes and homework has provided students with huge distractions, and teachers with new challenges. During classes, many teachers battle with students over smartphones and computer usage, struggling to prevent students from straying from the assignment.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
With lots of homework dependent on the use of a computer, it is more difficult for parents to monitor their children, and keep them from hiding themselves away in their rooms. As students are increasingly multi-tasking in their personal lives (watching TV with a computer and iPad on their lap, while texting), they may need to learn to focus on one thing and to prioritise tasks. A challenge in itself is to teach the ‘Google’ generation that although all of this information is instantly available at their fingertips, there is enormous value in knowing things yourself. Although calculators and word processors may correct all of your mathematics and English mistakes, literacy and numeracy are still fundamental life skills. There are some more serious issues that schools and parents between them are facing in the modern world. The younger generation will likely have a slacker notion of the importance of privacy, posting on social networks every day and leaving an indelible, digital trace of their social interactions. In most cases this is harmless and of course we should not be overly paranoid. Even so, children and young people need to be made aware that everything they post is public (even with supposed privacy settings) and permanent (even if they delete it). In ten years’ time, will they want employers, girlfriends, boyfriends, friends or foes to have access to private photos? There is also evidence to suggest that increased usage of social networks causes a sense of inadequacy and insecurity because users too heavily believe all of the ‘hype’ and endless positivity that others project about their lives. Getting too caught up in this world at the expense of real human interaction can cause a sense of emptiness because you only receive what people want to show you.
It is also important that they understand that they have a choice to escape the permanently connected virtual world – simply by switching it off! There is a growing consensus that these issues should be talked about – many schools are tackling these problems head on and have brought in trained counsellors, community police officers, or technology specialists to explain these issues to young people. Technology businesses are also increasingly focused on designing products to reflect, predict and shape how we behave. Our iPhones can tell us how long it takes to get to work from home before we ask. Facebook, in a bid to deliver more value for advertisers, encourages you to surrender more and more personal information to sell to them. It even has a special ‘empathy team’, who, as well as being tasked with helping engineers and designers understand more about the site’s users, is also responsible for discussing ad campaigns with large corporate clients. Our emails and search results are scanned and analysed in order to personalise internet advertising even further. We accept this in return for access to ‘free’ social media, email, instant messaging and search engines, and we understand how we are really ‘paying’ for these things. We understand that the data and photos will be stored indefinitely on the servers of the internet company and that they make their money from our personal information. Children also need to be given these overarching perspectives on the businesses whose services and products they enjoy every day, and helped to realise that if they are not paying for the product, they ARE the product.
“There are some more serious issues that schools and parents between them are facing in the modern world.”
Among people of all ages there is also a notion that people are anonymous on the internet, which often leads to bullies (or ‘trolls’ as they are known online) feeling less culpable, largely because people tend to feel freer to write things online that they would not dare to say to people’s faces. Bullying used to be clearer cut as a problem – schools felt a responsibility to act if it was happening during school time, and victims of bullying would have had some respite when they went home. With technology, victims can feel reachable 24/7 as kids are constantly plugged in. Both schools and parents can help teach children the importance of ethical behaviour online just as they do in the real world.
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The generation gap between the tech literacy of children and adults does not have to leave the older generation powerless. Obviously there are many amazing ways that the internet enables our children and students to learn and discover the best things about the world. Teachers and parents are guiding children to understand that the internet should not and cannot be a law-free, ethicsfree, grammar-free, privacy-free parental-influence-free extension of real life. Just as we do in health, food, exercise and other areas of life, we should be teaching children to take responsibility for their behaviour and act positively and with caution in the virtual world.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
IT’S MORE THAN A DEGREE. IT’S A CAREER-MAKER. 79% of Glion Alumni are in management positions. We’re developing the next generation of global business leaders in the hospitality industry through our successful, proven methods. Will you be one of them?
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We offer unique programs with global opportunities and many specializations on our campuses in Switzerland and London. Register for an Open Day or a private visit. | 7 Gregoire Pittet - Admission Manager / gregoire.pittet@laureate.ch / +41 21 989 26 85
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A D V ERT O RI A L
International School Parent Spring 2015
Swiss Education Group: Swiss Hospitality Excellence Staying true the excellence of the Swiss hospitality tradition, the Swiss Education Group is a worldclass hospitality education network focusing on the practical aspects of hotel management. The Group’s five schools are situated in seven stunning campuses in both the French- and German-speaking regions of Switzerland. They offer graduates an excellent foundation for a successful career in hotel and hospitality management: • César Ritz Colleges Switzerland – Lucerne, Brig, Le Bouveret – Specialises in Hospitality, Tourism and Entrepreneurship • Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM) – Montreux – Specialises in Hospitality and Business • School of Hotel Management (IHTTI) – Neuchâtel – Specialises in Hospitality and Design • Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS) – Caux, Leysin – Specialises in Hospitality, Events, Resort and Spa • Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland – Lucerne, Le Bouveret – Specialises in Culinary, Pastry and Chocolate Arts Close ties with the big names in the hospitality business ensure that the Group’s curricula meet industry requirements. At the biannual International Recruitment Forum students can network with industry leaders and have the opportunity to be recruited for full-time or internship positions. Each year, SEG welcomes more than 6,500 students of over 120 different nationalities, offering a multicultural environment in which to study and live. SEG’s success is also reflected in its global alumni network, which brings together over 21,000 graduates worldwide. Your hospitality career starts here! drobertson@swisseducation.com www.swisseducation.com
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Dream job just two weeks after Hotel Institute Montreux graduation!
“The atmosphere and the program were the two major differentiators that helped me make up my mind when I was looking for the right school”, explains Nina Bachmann, who recently graduated from Hotel Institute Montreux based in Switzerland with her Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management. Most hotel Nina Bachmann schools concentrate on hospitality ( Graduate of HIM ) training, having management studies and the possibility to specialize in Human Resources as well, is a real advantage. During her studies, Nina was very comfortable with the family atmosphere of faculty and staff and became actively involved in student life. She was elected by her classmates as an Ambassador on the student council and took part in the internal tutoring platform that HIM runs for students, by students. Speaking 4 languages fluently, Nina helped her fellow students improve their German. This passion and commitment were instrumental in motivating her to lead a number of large school projects and served her well in finding internships with prestigious hotels in Zurich and Hong Kong. In her final year of studies Nina knew she wanted to specialize in Human Resources and this decision has really paid off. Two weeks after graduating, she landed a job in the corporate office of the Kerzner Hotel Atlantis, in Dubai. Hired as a management trainee, she is thrilled to be able to further develop her Human Resources skills and learning in hospitality management. Upon arriving in Dubai, she immediately logged into the SEG alumni in Dubai and has already been in touch with numerous people. Nina finds it very comforting knowing there is a large network of likeminded hospitality professionals to connect with close by, and is looking forward to meeting up with her new global family of SEG alumni.
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A D V ERT O RI A L
International School Parent Spring 2015
More information www.swisseducation.com info@swissedcuation.com
International School Parent Spring 2015
Law without the Law Degree BY SAM CUTHBERT, RECENT UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM GRADUATE, AND ASPIRING BARRISTER.
It’s fair to say that law had always been on the backburner for me. Throughout school it was bordering on a fait accompli: ‘Oh you like arguing, you’ll go into law, won’t you?’ was the sort of thing that was regularly leveled in my direction. But when it came to university applications, aged 17, I struggled with the thought of making a decision to study something that I would go on to spend my days working in. I was 17; I had better things to do than make important career decisions. And so with a growing interest in Hume and Kant from my A-Level philosophy syllabus, and the half-baked idea that I might learn the sort of stuff that makes me sound clever around girls, I went and did a philosophy degree. Sadly, whilst I was right in that my interest in philosophy was genuine, I was sometimes disappointed by the poor pulling power of Wittgenstein. However, as I neared the end of my degree, the niggling thought of law as a career moved from the backburner and lodged itself firmly at the forefront of my mind. The more I researched, the more I knew I wanted to pursue a career as a barrister. I realised that it was something I could excel in, something well suited to my skill set, something I could be happy doing. The one problem? My lack of a qualifying English law degree.
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But this problem was far easier to overcome than my bookish awkwardness around the fairer gender: the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) is aimed at people in exactly my position. For those who have completed an undergraduate degree in any discipline that isn’t law, and have at least a 2:2, there are a number of English universities that allow students to complete the requisite 7 core law modules in one year. This gives them a qualification which, when paired with their initial degree, is equivalent to a standard law degree. I chose to attend the Birmingham centre of BPP University as it has an excellent reputation and is close to my family home, but the course is largely standardised and so the material covered is generally similar across providers. The course consists of the following modules: Criminal Law, Land Law, Equity & Trusts, EU Law, Tort Law, Contract Law and Constitutional & Administrative Law. The work covered is varied in content, unfaltering in intensity, and very fast paced, as there is a great deal to get through in the time. There is an emphasis on selfstudy which exceeds that of even the most diligent arts student’s timetable. Almost certainly, this is because the material covered will be used in practice, and so needs enshrining in memory at this point so as to facilitate immediate recall later on. Aside from the core modules, most of which are examined in the summer, there is a 4,000-word independent research project, and exams in case and statutory analysis too. There is always a huge pile of reading material, and lots of work to complete between weekly lectures and tutorials for each module. This means that for the few short months spent studying for this qualification, you live, breath, eat and
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International School Parent Spring 2015
sleep law – in fact I have only looked up from this week’s workload to write this piece. They say there’s no rest for the wicked, and prospective lawyers are certainly no exception. Now, the question of whether all this hard work is worthwhile is probably what you were skimming through this article in search of. The worry concerning competing for jobs against students with law degrees need not bother you at all; it is evident from browsing the personnel on any chambers’ or firm’s website that there is no discrimination against the GDL, it is the norm to find equal numbers of law degrees and graduate diplomas on the resumés of those working there. In fact, the GDL is so intense and those taking it are often so set on working hard for success in the legal sphere that they are very attractive to legal recruiters and prospective employers. They really are seen as equivalent qualifications. In terms of financing your study, prospective solicitors are eligible to apply for training contracts prior to commencing any formal legal study, and many of those will fund the GDL and subsequent LPC course too. Prospective barristers (myself included) have fewer options available, although each of the Inns of Court offers generous scholarship schemes to bear some of the financial burden. There are also law loans available from a number of high street banks, some of which have deals with individual course providers.
However you go about financing your study, you should take solace in the fact that you will have the chance to earn well once you begin to practice and so this investment in your future is definitely a wise one. Clearly, The GDL route is not the quickest, or the cheapest route to a legal career. As already touched on, it is an additional year following completion of an undergraduate degree, and there are further qualifications to be gained afterwards in order to qualify as a barrister or a solicitor (namely the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Professional Training Course). But, if you’re not completely set on law at undergraduate level, that additional year is a small price to pay for the extra time you are given to ensure your decision to go for law is the right one. I am certain that my decision was the right one, in spite of the fact I still haven’t found a way of sounding clever in front of girls. For me the GDL has set me on a career path towards a career I am deeply driven to succeed in, and I am sure my contemporaries on the course feel similarly. So, if you have a degree, if you’re willing to invest in your future, and if you’ll graft to make it worth it, the GDL is most certainly your cup of tea. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to that pile of books…
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International School Parent Spring 2015
Taking Drama out of a Crisis BY DEAN A W MARRIOTT, ACTOR, AND DIRECTOR OF THE WORLD LANGUAGE LEARNING CENTRE AT GEMS WORLD ACADEMY-ETOY
One only has to type ‘presentation courses’ or ‘public speaking’ into Google to appreciate the size of this market and the demand among adults for courses which focus on communication skills. The number of students passing through university is ever increasing, and it’s no longer sufficient to have a Bachelor’s degree to gain employment; one needs a Master’s. So why, with all this academic study, is there such a gap in the education system when it comes to communication skills? Perhaps, by looking at the example of England, we can gain some insight into what is happening in schools. One significant event in the English education system was the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) as a measure in the 2010 school performance tables in England. This should not be confused with the International Baccalaureate or the French Bac, which are generally taken after GCSE age.
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The EBacc is not a qualification in its own right, but is simply a term applied to the achievement of GCSEs at grades A*-C across a core of academic subjects; English, Mathematics, History or Geography, the sciences and a language. Students successfully achieving these grades in the core subjects at GCSE level are automatically awarded the English Baccalaureate. It is not difficult to predict the likely consequences of such a change. State schools, with increasingly limited resources, are highly likely to focus on the core subject areas of the curriculum, and encourage students to choose subjects from this academic subject list, thereby giving eligibility for the additional qualification. Indeed, in research published by IPSOS Mori in September 2012 which examined the effects of the introduction of the English Baccalaureate on schools, 27% of the schools questioned stated that, as a result of the EBacc, many subjects were withdrawn or failed to attract enough pupils for the 2012/13 academic year. According to the report, ‘The most commonly withdrawn subject was Drama and Performing Arts, which had been dropped in nearly a quarter of schools where a subject had been withdrawn.’
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International School Parent Spring 2015
This provides a useful insight into the value attached to the arts within the private sector and further illustrates how we are living in an ever increasingly divided society. Head teacher, Kevin Jones of St John’s College Prep School in Cambridge, England, highlights the issue: “The whole system of accountability, league tables, and inspection can narrow the curriculum and make schools risk averse. Independent schools are not bound in the same ways and can therefore choose to commit to cultural learning even when that commitment is not supported by the national curriculum.” He continues, “30% of our timetable is devoted to cultural activities, including sports, so we can employ full time specialist teachers of these subjects, who teach children from the age of four upwards. Our children will have a specialist drama teacher and a specialist music teacher long before they have a specialist maths teacher.” This raises an interesting point, which I would like to illustrate by posing two very simple questions: Since leaving school, how many times have you been required to calculate a logarithm or apply the sine or cosine rule?
So, why should this be considered a potential problem for society? The House of Commons Education Committee has highlighted the disproportionate impact of the EBacc on children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Children at schools with a high proportion of Free School Meals, a statistic often cited as an indicator of socio-economic backgrounds, are more likely to have arts subjects withdrawn. Research published in 2011 by the Cultural Learning Alliance The Case for Cultural Learning: key research findings shows that ‘children from lower socio-economic backgrounds who take part in arts activities at school are three times more likely to get a degree, twice as likely to volunteer, and 20% more likely to vote. Scottish research shows employability of students who study arts subjects is higher and they are more likely to stay in employment’. Not all students are faced with the same dilemma. In 2013, the Cultural Learning Alliance conducted interviews with a number of independent school head teachers and published these in a report entitled ‘A Duty to Provide Cultural Learning’.
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Now consider, how many times you have been required to attend an interview or interact in some personal capacity with people from different backgrounds, whether for business or pleasure? Based on your answers, which subject at school would have best prepared you for the situations faced: Mathematics or Drama?
“Sadly, Drama and Performing Arts are often viewed as options for less capable students.”
I don’t want to enter into a debate about whether mathematics should be compulsory beyond basic numeracy. After all, I followed the unconventional path of studying both Mathematics and English Literature at A level. However, to return to my opening paragraph, the fact that a very lucrative adult training sector in communication skills exists must be some evidence of what is missing from the education system.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
Sadly, Drama and Performing Arts are often viewed as options for less capable students. My opinion is that this may be the result of ignorance or a lack of understanding of the benefits that Drama can provide. There are numerous websites hosting debates as to whether drama should be a compulsory subject within an education system. Often it is the students who put forward the best arguments. Here are some of the most frequent: • Encourages fast-thinking and problem solving through improvisation • Develops interpersonal skills, builds confidence and communication skills • Provides motivation • Boosts self-esteem • Encourages creativity • Helps develop the ability to socialise • Breaks down cultural barriers • Fights against inequality In an age when communication is dominated by texts and emails, conversation is a dying art. Drama is needed more now than ever before. As Emma McKendrick, Headmistress of the independent Downe House School in Thatcham England, explains in her Cultural Learning Alliance interview about the role of drama, “It develops empathy, experience beyond your own, self-expression, enjoyment and pleasure. Communication and self-belief. It is a way of accessing many different cultures. Enhances understanding and ability to think.” The interdisciplinary learning approach of the International Baccalaureate, as favoured by International Schools, also offers schools greater scope for the inclusion of drama. I asked Audrey Peverelli, Head of School at GEMS World Academy-Etoy and accredited IB workshop leader, about this, “We are all different, and therefore, have different ways of learning and discovering. Skills are not always acquired in a traditional manner.
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We hope that by incorporating drama into our school curriculum, we are opening up further possibilities for our students to experiment with different ways of learning.” The good news is that the message is starting to be heard in the English state sector. From September 2014, Drama has been included within the statutory section of the English syllabus within the National Curriculum for England. Up to this point Drama was not included. The Spoken Language section now reads as follows: ‘All pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role. They should have opportunities to improvise, devise and script drama for one another and a range of audiences, as well as to rehearse, refine, share and respond thoughtfully to drama and theatre performances.’ I am personally delighted to see this. It now remains to be seen how this will be implemented. In the meantime, students in the International Schools sector continue to benefit from Drama embedded within the curriculum. I would like to conclude by referring to the words of Sir Anthony Seldon, Headmaster of (the prestigious and independent) Wellington College, England, “Who we are is determined by our creativity. The ability to express yourself artistically leads to our distinctive characters. It is what makes us. Cultural learning is important in the formation of personality and individuality.” The path to academic success may be a well-trodden path, but why follow in the footsteps of somebody else when you can create your own?
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LEVELLING THE P L AY I N G F I E L D
We need to keep girls playing sport so they can reap the benefits in other areas of life.
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BY EDITORIAL TEAM
International School Parent Spring 2015
International School Parent Spring 2015
In 2012, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, all 205 participating nations entered female athletes and women competed in every sport. Female athletes were thrust into the public eye, and many people hoped this would create a legacy at a grassroots level, spurring more girls to get involved in sport. However, the record turnout of female sportswomen at elite levels has not yet trickled down into schools and wider society. Across the world, the figures show that almost without exception that women and girls are less likely to participate regularly in sport than men, and are missing out on numerous health benefits and acquiring vital life skills. According to the United Nations, girls who play sport are more likely to participate in school and society. When women and girls get used to winning on the playing field, they are more likely to step up in the classroom, the boardroom, and as leaders in society. Playing sport develops strategic thinking, teamwork, self-confidence, and a sense of etiquette, as well as decreasing the risk of mental illness and use of drugs and alcohol, among other benefits. Girls need be nurturing these life skills through sport, just as boys do. So why is it often so difficult to get them to join in? While lots of girls are naturally sporty and love games, others admit to feeling hampered by insecurities such as a fear of being judged, which prevents them from exercising. Being the wrong size, the wrong shape, or not being fit enough, or skilled enough. Fear of becoming too muscular and looking unattractive to boys are all things that teenage girls worry too much about. We need to teach them to stop thinking like this, and to overcome these fears, so they too can reap the benefits of regular exercise from a young age and into adulthood. With renewed confidence in their abilities in sport, they can take on life’s challenges with more energy and reduce the risk of falling behind their male counterparts.
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Sport provides girls with role models promoting valuable life lessons on and off the court. Compared to some of the vacuous celebrity images we see in today’s media, these strong women offer refreshing alternatives for young girls making sense of the world around them. The tennis players Maria Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams (and Billie Jean King before them) all campaign for equal prize money for women in the game. Serena Williams, who has netted the highest amount of prize money in women’s tennis of all time, is refreshingly vocal about these issues, saying “I don’t deserve less because I have boobs” – a valuable statement for girls in all areas of life to hear. Female football (soccer) players such as Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and star player of the US Women’s National Soccer Team, have been debating with FIFA over whether the women’s World Cup will be played on turf like the men’s or on the less suitable AstroTurf, which they argue hampers the quality of their game. FIFA continues to act unreasonably on the issue, but the debate has drawn attention to sexism in sport at the highest levels, with politicians, lawyers and players demanding equal playing rights for men and women. Girls involved in sport at lower levels are more likely to look up to these women and see examples of fighting spirit and real passion, talent and commitment. As a result they are more likely to tackle their own issues with more self-assurance and less timidity. Creating strong role models for girls is important in the face of the image of the ‘perfect’ image of femininity that it makes them feel insecure about their own appearance. Girls who aspire to be stick thin with pretty makeup and hair, rather than exhibiting defined muscles and a red face, are unlikely to be turning up for field hockey practice. With appearance being one of the main reasons cited as to why teenage girls are slacking in sport,
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International School Parent Spring 2015
some campaigns are tackling these issues head on, debunking the traditional ideas about femininity that often hold girls back. The UK Lottery-funded “This Girl Can” campaign, showing girls working up a sweat cycling, dancing, running, spinning, climbing, orienteering, swimming and playing a whole array of sports with captions such as “Hot and not bothered”, and “I swim because I love my body, not because I hate it”, has been incredibly popular with young women, and is a refreshing new development. Another campaign, LikeAGirl from a feminine hygiene brand tackles similar issues about female self-confidence and women as traditionally weak. Some female celebrities are peddling the Twitter hashtag #FitNotThin to try and encourage girls to change their desire to be skinny to being healthy. While all these battles around equality and appearance are being fought in the public eye, there are some great opportunities for girls to get involved in sport here in Switzerland. Holiday camps are a fantastic way to get girls running around in the sunshine with their friends. Often camps also employ older girls to help the professional coaches teach the younger girls, providing a good opportunity to mingle with different age groups. Girl-only sports camps can also be a good environment for girls to feel uninhibited and to work on their sports skills. At the same time, schools have a role to play. Often it is all too easy for girls to make their excuses and sit out P.E. lessons. There needs to be less tolerance for this at school, at the same time as offering a range of activities to suit girls at all levels of activity, so that they are not deterred from joining in. While we should be encouraging girls to get stuck into traditional field games, it may also be useful for schools to provide other options such as dance, cycling, or aerobics, so that they can try lots of different types of exercise and actively choose what works for them.
“Girls involved in sport at lower levels are more likely to look up to these women and see examples of fighting spirit and real passion, talent and commitment.” 18 |
The earlier girls get involved in sport and the more enjoyment they gain from it, the more likely they are to keep up the habit later on. It is important to build physical activity into their lifestyles, both at school and in the holidays, as well as to tackle the potentially negative insecurities that can prevent them from playing. There is really no need to choose between being girly and attractive or powerful and ambitious – girls can be both. After all, in their spare time, Serena Williams is a qualified nail technician and Maria Sharapova designs Sugarpova sweets.
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SISTERS n Sport Sports Camps for Girls Learn the Skills, Love the game Sisters n Sport are a sports coaching company that run girls-only netball camps in Switzerland. A girls-only camp is the perfect place for your daughter to develop life skills such as leadership, confidence and self-esteem, through sport. Our camps cater for all abilities covering basic skills for complete beginners and tactics to challenge those more experienced players. Never played netball before? Do not worry, netball has similar principles of other team sports such as basketball and football. The best way to learn is to play, so come and join us this Summer. Awesome Summer Netball Camps for Girls aged 6-14 years in Geneva, Lausanne, Founex, Montreux and Zurich. Our aim is for each girl to leave our camps feeling more skilful, more confident and with a love of sport to last a lifetime.
For more information and to book a place for your daughter please visit
www.sistersnsport.ch EAT • SLEEP • PLAY NETBALL • REPEAT
company No: 8088199
International School Parent Spring 2015
Protecting your Daughter Against Cervical Cancer BY DR MICHELLE WRIGHT, MBCHB, MRCGP, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF HEALTHFIRST
What is the cervix?
We hear the words ‘cervix’ and ‘cervical’ a lot but what do they actually mean? Like many medical words, they have their origins from Latin – here, the Latin word ‘cervicis’ meaning the neck of the body, or of any organ. The cervix is the neck of a woman’s womb (or uterus, if we use the medical term) and it extends down slightly into the top of the vagina. It allows blood to flow out from the womb when a woman has her period, sperm to travel inside during sex, and the cervix opens up very wide during labour to allow a baby to be born. ‘Cervical’ is just the term used for anything of, relating to, or affecting the cervix. So, cervical cancer is cancer affecting the cervix.
Some facts and figures
Throughout the world, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women, behind breast cancer. In Switzerland, around 320 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and 100 woman die from the disease. There is a “pre-cancerous” stage to cervical cancer – early, abnormal changes present in the cells of the cervix which could develop into cervical cancer in the future if they are not detected and treated. This is what doctors are looking for when a woman has her cervical screening test – usually called a “smear test” or “pap smear” (named after Georgios Nikolaou Papanikolaou, the Greek pathologist who invented it). Each year in Switzerland, more than 5000 women are found to have pre-cancerous changes on cervical screening and require further investigations, and sometimes laser treatment or surgery, to remove the abnormal cells.
What causes cervical cancer?
Pre-cancerous and cancerous changes in the cells of the cervix are usually caused by previous infection with a virus called the human papilloma virus – HPV for short. Although we hear a lot about HPV being connected with
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cervical cancer, there are actually over 100 different types of HPV, which can infect lots of different parts of the body, not just the cervix. The part of the body affected depends on which type of HPV is causing the infection – they all have numbers. For example, many HPV types cause skin warts, others verrucae on the feet, and HPV types 6 and 11 cause around 95% of genital warts. There are two particular types of HPV linked to cervical cancer – HPV type 16 and HPV type 18. Together, they are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers. Infection with these types of HPV is passed on by having sex with an infected person and men and women can both be infected. A woman will have no outward symptoms or signs of infection but the virus can persist for months or years in the cells of her cervix. In one woman in every 4 or 5 infected, the persistent infection can cause pre-cancerous or cancerous changes in the cells. Because the woman has no outward symptoms, she will not know that she is infected but she can still pass on the virus to others. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in Switzerland and throughout the rest of the world. Around 70% of sexually active men and women are infected with HPV at some point in their lives. The risk of infection is highest for young women between the ages of 16 and 25. The younger a person becomes sexually active and the more sexual partners they have, the greater their chance of becoming infected.
The HPV vaccine
The good news is that since 2008 in Switzerland, an HPV vaccination campaign has been in place. The vaccination protects against infection with HPV types 16 and 18, and so protects against 70% of cervical cancers. There are two different vaccines available. The Gardasil® vaccine also protects against HPV types 6 and 11 which cause genital warts but the Cervarix® vaccine does not offer this additional protection. There are generally very few side effects after vaccination.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
There may be some reddening of the skin and soreness around the injection site. Some people experience headaches, tiredness or fever but these problems tend to resolve within a few days. It is not possible for the vaccine itself to transmit HPV infection or to lead to cervical cancer. However, these are relatively new vaccines and at the moment the chances of other, extremely rare, side effects cannot be completely excluded. But, even if other extremely rare side effects are found, this risk should be weighed against the much higher risk of developing pre-cancerous changes or even cervical cancer if a young woman is not vaccinated.
Who should have the vaccine?
Vaccination against HPV is most effective if it is given before a woman becomes sexually active. Studies show that in Switzerland, 5% of young women become sexually active before the age of 15 and around a half of 16 year olds are sexually active. For this reason, vaccination against HPV is recommended for all girls between the ages of 11 and 14. A ‘catch-up’ vaccination programme is also currently in place for young women between the ages of 15 and 19 who didn’t receive the vaccine when they were younger. But women up to the age of 26 may be vaccinated and it can be given to those who are already sexually active. Even if a woman has already been infected with one type of HPV before, the vaccine can still protect against the other types covered by the vaccine and it may also protect against re-infection. However, the usefulness of vaccination becomes less the greater the risk that a woman has already been infected with HPV – for example, women who have had multiple sexual partners. For this reason, in women aged 20 or over, the decision about whether to vaccinate is usually made on an individual basis after discussion with their doctor. Girls between 11 and 14 need two doses of the vaccine over a period of 6 months. If the vaccine is given to young women of 15 or older, three doses are needed.
What about the boys?
At present, routine HPV vaccination in boys is not being carried out in Switzerland. HPV infection does increase the risk of some cancers in men including penile and anal cancer but these cancers are rare and HPV is not the only cause. Because HPV can be passed on through sexual contact, vaccinating girls should mean that the numbers of young men becoming infected with HPV will also be reduced.
How can I arrange vaccination?
Each canton in Switzerland is responsible for organising its own HPV vaccination programme and the vaccine is
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offered by the school health doctors and nurses in many Swiss state schools. In Swiss international schools, speak to the School Nurse, or if there is no School Nurse, your doctor or paediatrician. In that way, you can find out more about how the vaccination programme works in your area. The cost of vaccination for girls and young women between the ages of 11 and 26 is covered by basic health insurance, provided that it is carried out as part of the cantonal vaccination programme.
Is cervical screening still needed?
The HPV vaccine does not protect against all types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. This means that women still need regular check-ups and cervical screening. Cervical cancer develops very slowly. Regular screening can help detect any pre-cancerous or early cancerous changes so that prompt treatment can be given with the aim of preventing progression of the disease.
Do condoms protect against HPV infection? Unfortunately, wearing a condom does not offer full protection against HPV infection because the virus can also be carried on the skin and genital area not covered by the condom. However, it is still important to practice safe sex to help reduce the risk of transmission other sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia and HIV. Vaccinations can be a controversial topic that may provoke a range of strong emotions. The hope is that this article has given you some useful general information. Do discuss your personal concerns and needs with your own doctor.
More information Dr Michelle Wright is a British-trained General Practitioner and Medical Director of HealthFirst, providing dynamic First Aid Training and Health Education in English throughout Switzerland www.healthfirst.ch. She also works as a doctor in the Staff Medical Service of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva and has a regular radio show about health on World Radio Switzerland www.worldradio.ch and on Mountain Radio Verbier www.mountainradioverbier.com. Contact info@healthfirst.ch if you are interested in attending or organising a First Aid course near you.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
OUR PICK OF TH I SUMM S ER’S BEST CAMP S
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Sisters n Sport Netball Day Camps – “Learn the skills and love the game” Sisters n Sport are a sports coaching company for girls. We run fantastic day camps that teach the girls the key principles of netball through skills, fun games, team building
For more information and to book a place for your
“We always love going to Sisters n Sport netball camps. The coaching team are always friendly and make everyone feel welcome.”
daughter please visit: www.sistersnsport.ch
Izzy & Megan Arthur
and matches. Covering basic skills, new tactics and challenge more experienced players in a relaxed and enjoyable experience. Awesome summer netball camps for girls in Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux. We want the girls to leave our camps more skilful, more confident and with a love of sport to last a lifetime.
International School Parent Spring 2015
Altitude International Discover Altitude International Summer language and adventure camps located in the prestigious Swiss resort of Verbier, Switzerland. Residential and Days Camps – 3 to 14 Years – English Speaking Staff High Quality Accommodation – Fun and Safety. Altitude offer life-changing adventures and lifelong friendships to encourage personal growth, inspire self-confidence and develop teamwork. Language Camps Study English or French with fully qualified teachers. Altitude Camps will help your children to develop their linguistic skills whilst also offering a balanced program of sports, team building activities and local excursions. Fun and learning is guaranteed! Mountain Adventure Camps Discover mountain adventures combined with a balanced program of sports, team building activities and local excursions. Altitude Camps provide a nurturing environment where your
Day Camps Altitude summer day camps allow your children to unearth the fantastic experiences of the residential camp but head home for an evening with the family. Choose either the Language Day Camp, Mountain Adventure Day Camp or the Multi Activity day camp.
children can venture off into the mountains to have fun and
www.altitude-camps.com
learn new skills
info@altitude-camps.com +41 79 530 5224
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Summer Camp Beau Soleil 2015 « The most important word at the Annual Beau Soleil
Themed Activities: Ages 12-14 FILM & TV – Designing and directing your Own TV Show: Create your own programme. Write the script, find the actors, and shoot the show, edit and showcase. Eg: Drama, Puppets, Fashion Show, Master Chef.
Summer Camp is a short one; DO »
Themed Activities: Ages 15-16
From July 4th to August 2nd (a stay of 2 weeks is possible)
LEADERSHIP – Teens participate in a variety of hands-on
With children, boys & girls 7-9, 10-11, 12-14, 15-16 years old. Our Beau Soleil Summer Camp is more than a holiday and it is a huge fun. We have a huge variety of carefully planned activities and coaching sessions, from dawn until dusk. Your child’s experience at Beau Soleil summer camp will be unforgettable. This is what we do – Never a dull moment Themed Activities: Ages 7-9 / 10-11 CIRCUS – Learn Circus tricks from an expert. How to make a clown face. How to juggle. How to walk a tightrope. How to be an acrobat. SCIENCE – Young campers will discover and perform fun science experiments. They will enjoy a wide range of activities based on Animals, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Space, Weather, etc.
activities and challenges. Designed to encourage campers to evolve into effective leaders. Teens learn the mind-set needed to become the best leaders they can be! Daily Activities: and much more… Join us – The countdown has begun! summer.beausoleil.ch summercamp@beausoleil.ch +41 24 496 2626 Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland
International School Parent Spring 2015
Berlitz Kids & Teens camps
In the afternoons, you can choose between a diverse selection of workshops and a wide range of sport activities such as a windsurfing and stand-up paddling course, sailing or canoeing, horseback riding, a summer toboggan run, soccer, volleyball, table tennis, slack line and much more. As an alternative to the language camp, Berlitz offers the Junior Leadership Training for beginners and advanced students. At this unique
Would you
camp, teens from all over the world meet to benefit
like to learn
from a professional introduction to developing the
English, French
flexibility and skills required for future success in an
or German while
increasingly diverse environment.
having fun? Discover the
The following skills are trained:
Berlitz Kids &
•
Communication and effective presentations
Teens camps in
•
Intercultural competences
Switzerland!
•
Leadership skills and group dynamics
Our spring, summer, autumn and winter camps offer the perfect combination of an English, French or German class
More information:
and a variety of spare-time activities. Lessons take place every
www.berlitz.ch
morning in small groups with six to ten participants.
ellen.witzke@berlitz.ch +41 43 388 8312
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Boa Lingua: Language studies abroad
Germany, Austria and Switzerland, together with other kids and adolescents between the ages of 7 and 18. The language schools offer high quality language courses in an international setting with very few Swiss course participants. The experienced teachers design their classes in a very varied
Are you ready for an unforgettable time?
manner. Small class sizes and high-end infrastructure are a
Make new friends from all over the world, enjoy practicing
given. Thanks to the designated caregivers you will always have
your favorite hobby, discover unknown places and cities
a contact person outside the class room, around the clock.
and learn a new language in the meantime: this you will experience through a Junior Premium language stay with Boa Lingua.
Of course a diverse activity program is also included. This means you do not only learn in school, but can also enhance your language skills after class while enjoying yourself and
You are looking for a memorable experience? Then you should
having lots of fun. Together with other adolescents from all
have a closer look at Boa Lingua’s Junior Premium language
over the world you will be living directly on campus. You will
studies. You can practice and develop your language skills at top notch schools in England, Ireland, France, Belgium,
meet new friends very quickly, with whom you can participate at several exciting leisure activities. Football, tennis, horseback riding, sailing, golfing, dancing and painting are only some examples of an almost endless range of possibilities. What are you waiting for? Come by for a free consultation: www.boalingua.ch/free-counselling +41 41 710 3888
International School Parent Spring 2015
Collège Champittet Summer Camp Every summer for more than 20 years, Collège Champittet
activities (creative, water or alpine) which all lead to a friendly challenge at the end of camp. A team of professionals and qualified instructors constantly coach and support participants to ensure their safety and wellbeing. For more information:
has been organising a summer camp filled with languages,
www.challengecamp.ch
fun and adventure for children aged 12 to 16 years!
summercamp@champittet.ch
This year’s summer camp will take place from 28th June to 25th July. Kids join them to learn French or English and enjoy unforgettable moments with other students of all nationalities and cultures. Challenges, adventure, sports, discovery of the most beautiful places in Switzerland, their summer camp gathers all the main ingredients for a colourful summer! Mornings are dedicated to English or French classes. Students will improve their ability to speak and understand French or English in varied and interesting lessons. Small class sizes (max.10 students) enable teachers to provide a one-to-one support to students, and to tailor their lessons to the students’ level. Every afternoon is dedicated to exciting activities full of fun and discovery. Students can choose between three types of
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Camp Suisse: multi-activity holidays For more than ten years Camp Suisse has been providing multi-activity holidays for children and teens (7-17 years) from all over the world. Their private, purpose-built centre is situated 1100m above the Rhone Valley and Lake Geneva in the resort of Torgon. With space for 140 campers, we have access to a wealth of facilities that enable young people to live and learn in a serene, safe and clean environment. As an accredited ‘Adventuremark’ provider, Camp Suisse make sure that every day is action-packed with events that are delivered by dedicated and enthusiastic staff. There are a range of Alpine Adventure outdoor pursuits (including rock climbing, mountain biking and camping), supervised cultural excursions, language courses (Spanish, French, German or English) and sporting activities.
– with the chance to forge lifelong relationships with likeminded individuals from a range of backgrounds and cultures. Individual camps (one and two weeks) run from the early July to August – Camp Suisse also welcome school and group trips throughout the year. Find out more: www.campsuisse.com
All of these help campers to grow as people – improving self-
info@campsuisse.com
belief, confidence, responsibility and time management
+44 845 519 1031
International School Parent Spring 2015
Junior and Teen Camp Running international camps has been a family affair at JT Camp since 1965. We are happy to share our passion with our campers and to welcome them back year after year, from generation to generation. It is with great pleasure that we repeatedly see the friendships and links formed during the campers’ stay at camp extend to later in life. The satisfaction we receive only increases our commitment to providing a fun, safe, and enriching experience to each and every camper. JTC is family owned-and-operated by Rose-Marie, Bernard, and Gilles Repond. JTC offers a safe environment for unique experiences
Courses are given 5 mornings a week for the following
of learning, discovery, and sharing. The well-being of the
languages and for any level: French English German Spanish
campers, the professionalism of our staff, the fostering of mutual respect and, of course, smiles and laughter are of the utmost importance to us. JTC welcomes boys and girls aged 7 to 16. The campers and staff come from every part of the world, making interaction
In the afternoon over 40 sports are available, and all are included the fees. We invite you to visit our website for a complete overview! www.jtcamp.ch
and new friendships all the more special.
+41 26 915 0505
Key English School
Key English School welcomes all levels of English from absolute
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beginner to fluent, and anything in between. Each camp is split by age and ability helping everyone learn through interactive
Knowing what kids love makes Key English School the perfect
themes led by qualified language teachers.
choice for the school holidays. Children learn, improve or
Key English School camps are available throughout Vaud
perfect their English through great themes like Inventors Week, Rainforest Adventures, Time Travel or Commotion in the Ocean – learning English has never been so much fun. Most camps are designed for kids aged 4 – 12 but this year Key English School will also cater for tiny tots between 3 and 4 years, and for older kids between 12 -15 years with the new DJ camp! For those that love sport, try
(Lausanne, Lutry, and Bussigny) and Geneva (Corsier, Genthod, Vesenaz and Central Geneva) with a fantastic choice that will suit every parent and more importantly every child looking for fun and excitement during their school holidays. Most camps are available for ½ day or full day with discounts available for enrolling more than one child. English + Fun = Key
the new Active Camp
English School
or Golf Camp to
www.key-english-
learn new skills or
school.ch
improve on those you already have.
+41 76 370 4836
International School Parent Spring 2015
Ecole Lémania Summer Camp Ecole Lémania (Lemania College) – Lemania Summer Camp at the edge of lake Geneva- Since 1908. Ecole Lémania (Lemania College) is a well-known prestigious Boarding School in Switzerland. Lemania offers Summer Camps for boys and girls aged 14 to 20 in the centre of Lausanne, Switzerland. The Lemania Summer Camp offers students the perfect combination of an intensive language programme in English or French and the chance to actively participate
The bedrooms are spacious and extremely comfortable with views over Lake Geneva or the Alps. Activities
in sporting, cultural and artistic activities, thus helping to
Typical activities include : visit to United Nations Office at
enrich their boarding school experience and get a taste
Geneva, the Olympic Museum, Adventure Park, Aquasplash,
of the Swiss tradition of excellence.
laser games, visit to the Chillon Castle, Aquaparc, soccer, volley-
Ideally located in the heart of Lausanne, the Olympic Capital, Lemania College is only a few minutes away from Lake Geneva and the city centre. It is in this unique setting that the College has its own urban campus and near shops and museums,
ball, basketball, tennis, go-kart racing, barbecue, dancing, paint-ball, swimming, sailing, windsurfing and paddling, as well as painting, music, photography, videos, trips to Bern, Geneva and France, and shopping.
sports facilities. We have an outstanding boarding house
www.lemaniasummerschool.com
facility which helps to create a family atmosphere in which
summercamp@lemania.ch
every student can feel happy.
+41 21 320 15 01
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International Summer Camp in Geneva For day students and boarders alike, Lycée Töpffer welcomes young people aged 9 between 17 years old from all around the world! Mornings are spent studying French, English, German or math and afternoons are dedicated to different cultural and sporting activities. Lycée Töpffer’s French/English bilingual Summer Camp enables students to learn and improve their academic skills with three hours of lessons a day. They then have the chance to thrive in numerous activities with classmates from a wide variety of different nationalities and cultures. The beautiful Geneva area is the perfect venue for many diverse and stimulating activities
qualified and experienced teaching staff and also energetic,
that please all age groups and tastes.
yet competent and caring pastoral staff.
Lycée Töpffer is located near the town centre, in the attractive
Inscription for one, two or three weeks is possible from
and calm neighbourhood of Florissant. The school is
6th to 24th July 2015.
surrounded by its magnificent gardens, swimming pool and multisports area.
lycee-topffer.ch/cours-ete.htm info@lycee-topffer.ch
Lycée Töpffer, founded in 1954, lives up to its excellent
+41 22 703 5120
international reputation as the guarantee of both highly
www.facebook.com/topffer.vacances
International School Parent Spring 2015
Awesome Summer Camp Zermatt
sports. Finding the time to do this is rare. Our well-structured programme
Awesome Summer Camp Zermatt offer highly specialized
encourages
residential summer camps in the heart of the Swiss Alps. We are
children to
a private camp offering a varied selection of programmes for
build trust and
boys and girls aged 7 to 17 years of age. Each camp is tailor-
teamwork,
made to fit the needs and requirements of each group, whilst
and teaches
group numbers are kept low to ensure a high quality service.
valuable life skills
Campers will experience the time of their lives and enjoy a great summer that they’ll remember forever. Our experienced, qualified and friendly camp staff will ensure campers feel safe and at home whilst encouraging and enabling campers to gain more self-confidence, get involved in new and exciting activities, learn new skills, make new friends and developing team-building skills. Skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, tennis, nature activities, arts and crafts and cooking are among activities campers will take part in.
for the overall development of each child. Holidaymakers already in Zermatt can also book their children in on non-residential Day Camps. Hannah Bryans – Camp Director www.awesomesummercampzermatt.com info.ascz@gmail.com +41 79 709 0006 @CampZermatt
We believe that each child should have the opportunity to
www.facebook.com/awesomesummercampzermatt
discover more about the outdoor environment, experience
Haus Don Bosco, Steinmattstr. 56, 3920,
nature, learn about the environmental challenges the world
Zermatt, Switzerland
faces today and experience adrenaline-fuelled mountain
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Summer Golf for Teens Summer Golf School for Teens is a prestigious summer school based in Scotland. We specialise in providing a personalised, safe and friendly summer experience for students aged 12 to 17. Tuition options include English (ESL) and Global Entrepreneurship. We are an approved partner of the Duke of Edinburgh and can award CAS hours to IB students. Whether golf is your passion or you are new to the sport, the opportunity to play in the “home of golf” is something you cannot afford to miss out on. Our golf summer school is designed to expose all students, beginners right through to advanced players, to a range of Scotland’s most interesting and famous courses. PGA golf tuition will include specifics such as video analysis, swing improvement and golf specific fitness. Our summer school is set in a private castle estate which is situated on a beautiful loch. Students will be supervised 24 hours a day and all meals and airport transfers are included. Our wide ranging activity programme is designed to inspire students to soak up all aspects of language, culture, leadership and offer the memorable experience of playing golf in Scotland.
2015 Dates: 4th – 16th July 2015 – £2400 7th – 14th August 2015 – £1200 Applications can be made via our website www.summergolfschooluk.com
International School Parent Spring 2015
Elevage de Marly Riding and Pony Camps During the school vacations Elevage de Marly offers young people (ages 5 to 18) and adults, wonderful weekly residential riding holidays at a private Savoyard farm just 30 minutes from Geneva. Each camp runs from Monday to Friday and costs 600 euros per child including all accommodation, meals, teaching and horse/pony. Courses are taught in English and French, individualised lessons with all levels of rider welcome. Elevage de Marly has a choice of 20 lovely horses and ponies, a heated pool, and delcious home cooked food. Elevage de Marly 956 Route de Chez les Gris 74570 Groisy, France sally.moore@bbox.fr +33 45 077 3188
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Village Camps
With a happy camper comes a happy and worried-free parent, so join Village Camps this summer to put a smile on your child’s face and your mind at rest!
This will be Village Camps’ 43rd summer providing fantastic summer camp experiences to children from around the world! After much demand, this year, Village Day Camp (VDC) is introducing a Football Camp as well as a Language Camp! Taking place at the College de Terre Sainte in Coppet, VDC provides a wonderful environment for 4-14 year olds to participate in a wide range of sports & activities such as the ever popular funky fitness and mad science. Campers also create new friendships, increase their self-confidence and improve their French or English. The general welfare and safety of each camper is our top priority and this is reflected in the enviable Counselor-Camper ratio of 1:5. Staff members are carefully picked and well-trained, assuring that your child is safe and comfortable at all times. Village Camps also organizes international residential camps in Switzerland and 6 other countries with well-structured programmes focused on languages, sports, the arts and leadership training.
Contact: Village Camps S.A. 14 Rue de la Morâche, 1260 Nyon www.villagedaycamps.com camps@villagecamps.com Tel: +41 22 990 9400 Fax: +41 22 990 9494
International School Parent Spring 2015
Teaching Reading: A Guide for Parents BY RITA WADELL, READING SPECIALIST AT OAK HILL
Can you remember being taught how to read? One of my oldest memories is as a five year old being asked to read from a list of words, and the head teacher ticking each correct answer. I cannot recall being explicitly taught how to read. My most powerful memory is of Mr. Knowles reading ‘The Waterbabies’, his brown brogued feet resting on the desk in front of him as he sat back on his chair, book in hand feeding the imagination of forty, nine year old students. By that time I could read, but he fostered a love of reading that has continued into adulthood. This article will discuss the skills, resources and good practice which can enable parents to support children in the acquisition of reading. It is aimed at students from four years of age, as this is when most children begin compulsory schooling. Some children will read before this age and for some it may take a little longer. However, it is important to mention that children will learn to read in different ways and their progress will often not be at the same rate. Furthermore, if your child has experienced quality, explicit instruction and appears to have difficulty reading, a conversation with the teacher may be appropriate. Students vary in the pace at which they learn, but it could be that a specific learning difference such as dyslexia¹ or Irlen Syndrome² is impeding progress. If your child tells you that print is ‘jumping’ or ‘moving’, the chances are that it is. Your may wish to seek advice from a certified Irlen Screener.*
repertoire of books in order to develop an inquisitive mind and purposefully engage your child. The next step is the transition from paired and shared reading to becoming an independent reader. Above all, you will be making this time fun!
Print in the Environment
When your child begins to take an interest in letter shapes (graphemes) you will be able to point out print from the world around them. Signs and advertising boards are everywhere, and this is an enjoyable way to help your child recall letter names, sounds and whole words. You may hear your child say, ‘that letter is in my name’ and they will soon be able to recognise and spell their own name.
Phonological Awareness
Phonological³ and Phonemic⁴ awareness are literary terms which are often used interchangeably. There is a difference. Phonemic awareness is the manipulation of the smallest unit of sound (phoneme) within words.
Early Years
There is a plethora of reading material aimed at very young children, including board books, song books and plastic books. At this stage your toddler will begin to understand how to hold a book, to turn pages, and that a book is read from front to the back. Through pictures, they will learn that they must hold a book the right way up. You will be reading with your child, tracking words so that they understand words carry meaning. You will be discussing the pictures, extending vocabulary, and you will be modelling how to read with intonation and expression. You will be asking questions and selecting from a vast
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International School Parent Spring 2015
Phonological Awareness includes Phonemic Awareness but considers other skills such as the ability to rhyme, syllabify (break words into syllables) and count words, letters etc., Research suggests that good phonological awareness is often a pre requisite to being an effective reader. Activities to promote Phonological Awareness include rhyming games such as continuing a rhyming string, ‘bat’, ‘hat’, ‘cat’, ‘mat’. I have played this game with three year olds by simply throwing and catching a bean bag to each other as we generate rhyme. A great activity to develop hand-eye co-ordination at the same time! And there is no problem in accepting a nonsense word as an answer, (cat, zat, gat)!
¹Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling, (British Dyslexia Association (BDA) 2015 ²Irlen Syndrome (also referred to at times as Meares-Irlen Syndrome, Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, and Visual Stress) is a perceptual processing disorder. It is not an optical problem. It is a problem with the brain’s ability to process visual information, (Irlen 2015) ³Phonological Awareness, is a broad term that refers to the ability to focus on the sounds of speech as opposed to its meaning and it has a number of different levels or components, (Konza, 2011 p. 2) Phonemic Awareness is the oral manipulation of phonemes (sounds) within words e.g. ‘man’ change the /m/ to /p/, ‘pan’, change the /n/ to /t/ ‘pat’, change the /a/ to /i/ ‘pit’. 4
Employing a visual (sight) auditory (hearing) and kinaesthetic (touch) approach to learning. 5
*If a letter is inside a forward slash, /a/, it is asking for the sound. If a letter is inside of inverted commas, ‘f’, it is asking for its alphabet name.
internationalschoolparent.com
To develop phonemic Awareness you can take a word such as *‘hat’ and change the initial/first/ beginning sound /h/ to a /m/ ‘mat’, change the final/ end sound to a /p/, ‘map’ and then the middle/medial sound from an /a/ to an /o/, ‘mop’. You can also add and delete sounds for exampvle ‘slat’ without the /l/ becomes ‘sat’, ‘sap’ with a /l/ after the /s/ becomes ‘slap’. This is an aural activity and does not require your child to recognise letter shapes (graphemes). They will be listening to the sounds within words and changing the word according the changed sound. Bear in mind that the initial sound is the easiest sound to change, then the final sound. The most difficult sound to hear is the middle vowel sound. It is important to mention that good practice would be to use ‘pure’ sounds. Therefore the sound /m/ is pronounced as /mmm/ not /muh/. Does it make a difference? For some children no, but for a minority they will hear the /uh/ and apply the heard sound in their reading and spelling for example /m- uh- o- p/ instead of /m- o- p/. The skills involved in acquiring phonological and phonemic awareness can be developed with 5 to 10 minute activities in the car or whilst out walking. Clapping syllables, using an instrument such as a tambourine to tap syllables, singing syllables in a high, low, funny voice are ways of making word segmentation fun. It is crucial to remember that children learn best if taught in a multi-sensory⁵ way so thinking of creative ways to teach phonological awareness is important. Games such as I spy are an excellent way to encourage your child to associate a sound to an object. To begin it is good practice to ensure that the sound matches the object i.e. ‘I Spy with my little eye something beginning with /c/ (cup), (car), (cat). This is an aural (listening) activity. It does not necessitate the need to recognise graphemes (letter shapes). The next step would be to play I spy linking the grapheme (letter name) with the phoneme (letter sound) for example, ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with ‘c’ (letter name) but its sound is /s/, (ceiling), (cent), (circle).
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International School Parent Spring 2015
This is more difficult and requires the child to visualise the different sounds some letters of the alphabet make and to link the sound to the correct alphabet name. (As an aside, there is actually a rule for when the letter ‘c’ makes a /s/ sound)!
Decoding
Your child will begin to make phoneme (sound) grapheme (letter shape) association. Flashcards of alphabet letters can help your child to learn the alphabet. A word of caution. Be careful if you ‘sing’ the alphabet. I have known more than one child ask ‘Where is the lemon?’ Correctly articulate, l, m, n, o p, as it could be misinterpreted as ‘a lemon, o, p’! The alphabet names will not change but their sounds can. It is important to teach sounds with the alphabet names. Your child will be able to use their knowledge of phonemes to match to the letter shape
(grapheme). You will have a vast assortment of objects in the home which can be used to develop the concept of phoneme, grapheme, object correspondence. A quick look around your kitchen will offer an array of objects just waiting to be sorted by initial sound! Help your child recognise the letter shapes using dough, hide plastic letters and ask your child to find each one, draw a letter on your child’s back and ask them to guess the letter name. Sorting games help to successfully make phoneme/ grapheme correspondence. With two graphemes e.g. ‘s’ and ‘t’. Say the sound remembering to use ‘pure’ sounds. Hold up an object and ask your child to put the object into the correct basket/set. Repeat to model the correct answer. ‘That is correct, spoon begins with /s/ (sound) and this is the letter ‘s’ (name). You will know when your child is ready to increase to sets with more sounds. This game can be played in sand (hide the objects) in the bath (put objects into nets). The aim is to have fun whilst your child makes grapheme, phoneme, object association for all letter names. Once your child can make grapheme/phoneme correspondence you can begin to ‘build’ simple three letter words such as ‘cat’. You can put them together as ‘c-a-t’ saying the sounds with increasing speed until they can blend the word. You will probably hear teachers call this ‘sounding out’. Some will teach their students to sound out using onset and rime e.g. ‘c-at’ as they will make the connection to word families e.g. ‘c-at’, ‘m-at’, ‘h-at’. There is an order to teaching phonics and this will be included at the end of this article in further reading. Make sure that when you are asking your child to decode words, they do know the sound e.g. to successfully attempt the word ‘fudge’ your child will need to know that ‘dge’ makes the sound /j/! There is a vast array of books which take a phonic approach to reading including Soundstart or The Oxford Reading Tree. These books will introduce decoding at the three letter word level moving on to more complex phonic patterns. They will also include high frequency words which will be learned visually i.e. will not need to be sounded out.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
High Frequency words
Alongside phonics, you will need to explicitly teach the recognition of high-frequency words so that they become sight words (instantly recalled for reading). These words make up over 50% of words read in a typical text and are the ones that are often non-phonic (said, was, who etc.,) and therefore do not follow a phonic rule. Whilst flash cards of words are readily available you can download games such as Bingo which are multi-sensory and meaningful. Pelmanism is also a good game in which pairs of cards are turned over on the table or on the floor. You and your child turn a card over, say the word and then find its partner. At first, keep the amount of cards you use to a minimum and play for no longer than ten minutes at any one time. Reading material will continually expose your child to high frequency words. If you are helping your child to acquire sight words and they are having difficulty remembering the shape of the word or if they do not recognise the same word on a different page, it might be worth having a conversation with the classroom teacher about their reading progress.
Interestingly, I cannot remember being taught the mechanics of reading. It must have happened with my parents and teachers. However, I do remember a teacher reading for me. Your child(ren) will enjoy listening to you read for them. There is a huge choice of fiction and non-fiction books, books with rhyme such as Dr. Seuss. Books with repetitive phrases will encourage your child to recognise pattern in text and, especially with rhyme, anticipate the next word. Children like to mimic their parents, so modelling reading habits such as reading the newspaper, books, magazines, comics will have a positive effect on your child’s perceived value of reading. Remember that your ultimate aim is not only to develop an independent reader but to also foster a love of reading that will stay with your child throughout adulthood. Embrace this time and remember that the experiences your child receives will be those that he or she will pass on to your grandchildren. And finally, the rule…’c ‘ makes a /s/ sound when followed by ‘e’, ‘I’ or ‘y’!
Search light model
This model asks the reader to employ their phonic knowledge, acquisition of high-frequency words and use pictures, syntactic and contextual clues in order to read. The ultimate aim is to enable your child to read fluently as an over reliance on phonics may result in your child ‘sounding out most words’. This will impede fluency and could have a negative impact on comprehension as they are thinking about sounding out and not story content. Whilst reading, ensure that you or your child tracks each word, for example, with their finger, so that they develop good concepts of print in that they know that letters make words, words make sentences and that they can count words and find the beginning and end of a sentence. Remember that we read for meaning so always check that your child has understood the story and can answer questions, predict an ending and discuss what a story could be about from the title, blurb or cover. Take time to ask what could happen next, describe the characters and link the plot to your own experiences. If it is a picture book, ‘read’ the story together using the pictures. Scaffold words you know will be a difficulty i.e. names ‘this is Sally, here is the word ‘Sally’, let’s see if we can find the word ‘Sally’ on other pages.
Further Reading Irlen Syndrome www.irlen.org.uk Dyslexia www.bdadyslexia.org.uk Searchlight model www.brandlehow. ik.org/attachments/ Searchlightsreadingstrategies.pdf Order of teaching phonics www.letters-and-sounds.com Certified Irlen Screener education@oakhill.ch
International School Parent Spring 2015
Tutoring for Individual Needs BY SABINE HUTCHESON, EDUCATION CONSULTANT AT TUTORSPLUS
An ever-growing number of parents in the international community in Switzerland are turning to tutoring to support their children and help them achieve their potential at school. While seeking a tutor might once have been reserved as a last resort for children struggling at school, it is becoming increasingly common for high achieving students to benefit from extra lessons as well. Starting young
Traditionally, when students and their parents seek help from tutors outside school, they are usually driven by a perception of their child’s poor academic performance. In the case of a young child, the parents may be dissatisfied with progress at school, or they may have come from a school system where academic study starts at a later age, or they may be anxious about an imminent return to the home country, or there may be issues derived from the language in which the curriculum is being taught. Very young children may find it difficult to understand why they are struggling at school, and it may be difficult for their parents to diagnose the specific problem, too. This is a very natural situation that should not cause parents to feel guilt, dismay or panic. It may be the case that professionals with a little distance from the situation can work with them and with school teachers to identify the issues a child is facing. An experienced tutor will soon determine whether the problem is academic or organisational. If the student is held back because he or she does not understand an explanation, application or reasoning in a particular subject or topic, the tutor’s
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role is to revisit what has been done in class. Tutors have more time to spend helping the student to explore other learning and teaching methods, for example by taking a more interactive approach, to give the student a second chance at learning what they have missed in a way that suits them best. At primary school level, parents should look for tutors who are specially trained and equipped with the right approach for this age-group to break down the fundamentals of maths, spelling, grammar, handwriting and reading.
Teenage years
As students grow up, they of course have different needs. Teenagers who are falling behind may be experiencing an accumulation of gaps in their knowledge, combined with the challenge of coping with antagonising hormones. Tutoring, in these cases, requires specialist subject and syllabus knowledge, as well as the correct psychological approach, and particular attention to the student’s individual learning methods and personality. This often requires a soft but disciplined approach to encourage teenagers to come out of their shells and catch up with their peers. Conversely, it is not uncommon for ambitious, talented students to require extra support from a tutor. High achieving students are often naturally driven, and are often consumed with getting the best possible grades, being fully focused on their future studies and careers.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
They often need answers to very specific questions and help to improve their exam skills. As a result they may seek someone to work with them as a sounding board, to guide them through key periods in their academic career such as GSCEs, A Levels, IB or applying to university.
Study Skills
If parents or students are finding it difficult to diagnose, or even verbalise, what the problem is, it is often the case that the issue lies with study skills. Qualified teachers and experienced tutors can help assess a student’s particular requirements. Tackling poor organisational skills with simple and easy rules for time management, personal discipline, and keeping to a routine is often the place to start. Study skills include adopting a responsible approach to regular revision, timed homework, memorising techniques, as well as exam skills. Re-learning how to feel in control of studying can help boost the student’s confidence and work wonders on his or her overall performance. The key ingredient here is consistency, so regular, stable sessions should continue even after positive results are showing, ideally establishing a relationship with the same tutor to accompany the student along their path to recovery.
from low self-esteem, and therefore personal compatibility plays a fundamental role in the teaching-learning relationship. The student should above all feel comfortable, free to make mistakes, and receive praise for progress, however small. Specialist tutors are often keen to explore the student’s interests to use as context for school work, be it through practising writing, reading or maths. This helps to contextualise school work, and take away the feeling that it is abstract, difficult and hard to relate to. For students diagnosed with special needs who lack organisational skills, development of routine and structure are essential for the success of the tutoring sessions, so that the tutor is able to reinforce what has been learnt and to check understanding on a regular basis. Refreshment and rest breaks can be really beneficial, especially where the student is able to move around so as not to feel constrained to a chair and desk. Tutors with specialised training and experience usually encourage students to feel free to learn, and give them enough breathing space, at the same time as enforcing structure.
“If parents or students are finding it difficult to diagnose, or even verbalise, what the problem is, it is often the case that the issue lies with study skills.”
Organisational skills may also be lacking for structuring longer projects. A tutor can help with essay writing skills, crucial to such assignments as the Extended Essay on the IB programme or the Swiss Travail de Maturité. Here, again, tutors must have the know-how and experience to guide students through the required criteria, helping them organise their own work to give them valuable skills for later university assignments.
Tutoring students with special needs
The term Special Educational Needs refers to a range of learning difficulties, including Dyslexia, ADD or Slow Processing. Specialist tutors can provide support tailored to each particular student. Not only do specialists have the training required to help a child follow a curriculum, they also have an array of strategies to work with and to adapt to the student’s learning style. Many such students suffer
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Exam quick fix
IB, iGCSE, A-Level or SAT. These acronyms are enough to send chills down the spine of students across Switzerland. Many students aged 14 to 18 have reached a stage in their school career where they are completely focused on their exams and have identified what they need to do to maximise their chances of securing a place at the university of their choice. This is an age-group that can really benefit from ‘quick fix’ intensive group tutoring to close specific gaps in knowledge or exam technique. Students can benefit from learning from each other and being surrounded by people with shared goals. This shared experience can be a great motivator for revision, particularly if the alternative is revising solo at home. Such classes are an effective way to kick-start independent study in the final months and weeks before the exams. In these cases, the tutors’ detailed knowledge of the marking criteria and particular styles of exam questions, with their various requirements, can make the difference between a 5 and a 6 or a B and an A.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
Mindsets: Influencing Accomplishment and Motivation BY LAURENCE VAN HANSWIJCK DE JONGE
How simple changes in praising can influence accomplishment and motivation. We’ve all heard parents exclaiming, “How clever you are!” at the slightest illegible scribble or mispronounced syllable their child produces. In fact one study showed 85% of parents believe that it is important to praise children for their intelligence, tell them they are smart. In essence you want to be an angel on their shoulder reminding them they have what it takes and that they can do whatever it is that they are tackling. You never give a second thought to praising kids to boost their self-esteem. However, selfesteem isn’t about telling kids that everything they do is terrific, a real sense of self-worth is based on the skills they build for themselves and the true accomplishments they feel they’ve made. So it is internally and not externally driven. However, many parents have the tendency to build up their kids with false or exaggerated statements, such as: “Wow, you are amazing!” You hear and see these vacant platitudes everywhere. “You can do anything.” “You are amazing” “You deserve it.” We thought we were building self-esteem with these cheerleading praises. In fact the reverse is found to be true: wrong praise makes you lose self-esteem, curiosity, motivation and drive – the essence of what builds academic achievement!
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Every so often a truly groundbreaking idea comes along – one of them is “mindsets.” This theory has been developed and scrutinously researched by Dr. Carol Dweck, a Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. It explains: why brains and talent do not equal success, in fact it can stand in the way of success; why praising brains and talent does NOT foster self-esteem and accomplishment but jeopardizes them; and how using the correct praise can raise grades and productivity. When you enter a mindset world you enter a dichotic world one of “fixed traits” and “growth traits”. In the “fixed” world, success is about proving you are smart and talented, validating yourself. In the “growth” world it is about stretching yourself to learn something new, developing yourself, reaching further even if you fail at it. In the fixed world, failure is about not achieving something, i.e. having a setback, getting a bad grade or losing a tournament. This failure leads you to believe that you are not smart or talented. In the growth world, failure is when you are not striving further than your comfort zone, when you are not growing, not reaching out for the things you value, not fulfilling your potential. In the fixed world, effort is a bad thing. If you have to make an effort, it implies that you are not smart or talented. If you were smart or talented surely you wouldn’t need effort. In the growth world, effort is what makes you smart or talented.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
These findings are especially important in education and how we, as a culture, assess intelligence. In a study of hundreds of students, Dweck and her colleagues gave each of them ten fairly challenging problems from a nonverbal IQ test, then praised the students for their performance. Most had done pretty well, but they were offered two types of praise. Some students were told, “Wow, you got [X many] right; that’s a really good score. You must be smart at this (“ability” praise).” While others were told, “Wow, you got [X many] right; that’s a really good score. You must have worked really hard (“effort” praise).” In other words, some were praised for ability and others for effort. The findings are jarring. The “ability praise” pushed students into the fixed mindset, and they showed all the signs of it. When given a choice, they rejected a challenging new task that they could learn from. They didn’t want to do anything that could expose their flaws and call into question their talent. In contrast, when students were praised for effort, 90% of them wanted a challenging new task that they could learn from. The most interesting part is what happened next. When Dweck and her colleagues gave the students a subsequent set of harder problems, on which the students didn’t do so well. Suddenly, the ability-praised kids thought they weren’t smart or gifted after all. If success had meant they were intelligent, then less-than-success meant they were deficient. But for the effort-praised kids, the difficulty was simply an indication that they had to put in more effort, not a sign of failure or a reflection of their poor intellect. Perhaps most importantly, the two mindsets also impacted the kids’ level of enjoyment — everyone enjoyed the first round of easier questions, which most kids got right. However, as soon as the questions got more challenging, the ability-praised kids no longer had any fun, did worse on their performance and became discouraged by their own success-or-failure mindset. The effort-praised kids not only still enjoyed the harder problems but also had significant improvements in their performance as the problems got harder.
We now know we can change this and we can change it through praise. However, you might wonder, “when does this all start? At what age do our children become subconsciously divided into a mindset dichotomy?” Research shows that mindsets are formed very early in life. When four-year-olds were offered a choice of redoing an easy jigsaw puzzle or trying a harder one, these young children conformed to the characteristics of one of the two mindsets. Those with a “fixed” mindset stayed on the safe side, choosing the easier puzzles; those with the “growth” mindset were perplexed by the first choice. Why would anyone want to do the same puzzle over and over if they weren’t learning anything new? In other words, the fixedmindset kids wanted to make sure they succeeded, whereas the growth-mindset ones wanted to stretch themselves, for their definition of success was about becoming smarter. What it all comes down to is that a mindset is an interpretative process that tells us what is going on around us. In the fixed mindset, that process is scored by an internal monologue of constant judging and evaluation, using every piece of information as evidence either for or against such assessments. In a growth mindset, on the other hand, the internal monologue is not one of judgment but one of voracious appetite for learning, constantly seeking out the kind of input that can be metabolized into learning and constructive action. However, effective praise comes with a caveat. When you praise kids every time they do something they enjoy, it might actually subdue their motivation.
An unsettling finding came after the questions were completed. The researchers asked the kids to write private letters to their peers relaying their experience, including a space for reporting their scores on the problems. The most toxic byproduct of the fixed mindset turned out to be dishonesty: forty percent of the ability-praised kids lied about their scores, inflating them to look more successful. In the fixed mindset, imperfections are shameful, especially when you are talented, and so they lie them away. What is so alarming is that these children started lying simply because they were told they were smart. These children experience a lot of stress because they feel that they are on display all the time and that they have to be smart, accomplished and successful. This stress comes from a fixed mindset, not a growth mindset. A growth mindset says: focus on the learning and the enjoyment of it.
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“Don’t use social comparison praise: This teaches kids that competitive standing, not mastery, is the goal.”
Overpraising is counter effective and one must look out for artificial praise as well! So here are the dos and don’ts of praising!
Don’t give phony praise! Children know instinctively when they did well, achieved or performed well. When a kid is upset because he missed a goal in football, and he is met with praise along the lines of, “Wow, you played really well,” it is not going to make him feel better. Children know instinctively when they have or haven’t done something well. If we globally praise them and tell them how well they have done, how bright they are or how wonderful something is that they have created and they know instinctively that it isn’t true, then it is meaningless to them and ineffective. Do give realistic praise: “Yes you missed those goals, however, I saw how well you passed to your team mates during the game and gave them an opportunity to score for your team!” Don’t overpraise! When you praise kids every time they do something they enjoy, it might actually reduce their motivation. Over time, even when praise is sincere they will automatically dismiss it. For instance, in China, praise is rarely given. As a result, people are likely to infer that praise is insincere or patronizing. In addition, Chinese people are more inclined to view intellectual achievements as a product of effort. In other words, it is not necessary
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to always praise. Sometimes kids don’t’ need it, you can see the satisfaction on their face when they have achieved something they were striving for, they don’t need the external praise, let them ravel in that satisfaction they naturally feel. Don’t praise achievement that comes easy. Research shows that when children find certain things easy and are constantly praised for how well they do it, they lose interest in that area. When children do something quickly and perfectly, or get an easy A in school, it would not be effective for parents to tell the children how great they are. Otherwise, the children will equate being smart with quick and easy success, and they will become afraid of challenges. Do instead praise for effort and persistence: “I can see you’ve been practicing” and “Your hard work has really paid off.” Parents should, whenever possible, show pleasure over their children’s learning and improvement. Don’t praise the person (ability praise). Don’t praise the ability of the child with statements such as: “You are wonderful”, “You are so clever.” Do be more specific and content oriented: “You did a great job with those math problems.” Praise the strategies: “You found a really good way to do it.” Be specific. It takes more time because we have to spend more time observing what the child has done. Don’t use social comparison praise: This teaches kids that competitive standing, not mastery, is the goal. No one can win all the time and, with comparison praise, when they lose, they lose interest and give up – they become poor losers. Do encourage kids to focus on mastering skills, comparing themselves to their goals or previous outcomes—not on comparing themselves to others. Here is the good news. We can change our mindsets at any point, and we have the power to change the mindsets of our children too! It’s never too late to change your mindset.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
Mindsets are beliefs and beliefs can be changed. There is more and more new scientific evidence in support of the growth mindset. Research from cognitive psychology and neuroscience shows that fundamental parts of intelligence can be developed and that the brain has an amazing capacity to learn and form new connections throughout life. Our brain is a muscle which gets stronger the more we use it, constantly forming new connections as we learn and work hard. Much new research from psychology is showing that genius and great creative contributions grow out of passion and dedication. They do not simply come from gifts we are born with. We as parents should not shield our children from challenges, mistakes and struggles. Instead, we should teach our children to love challenges. Parents can say things like: “This is hard. What fun!” or “This is too easy. It’s no fun.” Teach your children to embrace mistakes: “Oh, here’s an interesting mistake. What should we do next?” Teach them to love effort: “That was a fantastic struggle. You really stuck to it and made great progress” or “This will take a lot of effort—let’s go for it!” So next time you as a parent think or say these words, or hear your child say these words: “I can’t do this,” simply add one little word “yet”. “I can’t do this…yet!”
More information About the Author: Laurence van Hanswijck de Jonge, MSc, PhD, is a Developmental Neuropsychologist and Coach who provides educational and neuropsychological assessments for English speaking children between the ages of 3 and 18. Her practice is rooted in Positive Psychology and her belief in the importance of letting our children flourish through building on their innate strengths. She is certified by the University of Pennsylvania, USA, to run the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy based resilience building programme for children. She is also a CogMed coach, an evidence-based Working Memory Training program (computer-based) which sustainably improves attention by training working memory. www.laurencevanhanswijck.com L.vanhanswijck@gmail.com
BERLITZ KIDS & TEENS CAMPS Language Camps in Switzerland for Kids & Teens from 7 to 18 years!
FUN WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGES • Camps in French, German and English • Great afternoon activities e.g. sailing, golf, horse riding • Junior Leadership Training for teens MORE INFORMATION Tel. +41 (0) 43 388 83 12 e-mail: kidscamps@berlitz.ch www.berlitz.ch
The latest news from Switzerland’s top International Schools.
SCHOOL NEWS: The British School of Geneva
BSG Basketball BSG is now part of the International
Schools Sports Association and started the year with a basketball matc h against reigning champions Ecolint – LGB. With an increase in confi dence across the team, the players have been having a fabulous experience on and off the court with team spirit at an all-time high .
www.britishschoolgeneva.ch
ps Geography Field Tri dents BSG Geography stu ar with had another great ye Year 11 some fantastic trips. rbank, had fun on the rive t a week whilst Year 13 spen in Naples.
Ski Trip 2015
as Fee at the for the slopes of Sa School left Geneva r nio Se the m fro Students azing due to the . The snow was am annual BSG ski trip the for ry ua Jan of end improved , and all the students ctly timed for their trip hthuge snow fall perfe the evenings with nig staff. Fun was had in ing ch tea t llen ce thanks to the ex ar! at way to start the ye bowling alley. A gre the to trip a d an time sledging
The Gift Box Collection Collection, which sent ticipated in the Gift Box BSG Primary School par Ukraine and many oss Albania, Bulgaria, the gifts to those in need acr g each box with dren were tasked with fillin other countries. The chil plies and finally d, toiletries or school sup specific items such as foo ive paper. wrapping the boxes in fest
BSG Netball The secondary girls Netball team played a friendly against Ecolint – Nations.
A D V ERT O RI A L
SCHOOL NEWS: Ecole Eden
www.ecole-eden.ch
Eden: Education transformation & Ecole that’s no longer adapted Traditional degree conferral and why ard model (of in-class education), each lopment (OECD) states: “In the stand Deve and tion pera Co-o omic Econ s to ensure A report from the Organization for ber of parallel structures and processe r this model have set up a large num unde ols Scho . time same the at to participate student learns the same thing uce graduates with the skills required ard educational model was able to prod stand the age, strial indu the in this standardization.” Born to specialize in an industry and a Bachelor or a Masters degree a foundation in general knowledge of d prise com h whic omy, econ in the industrial onto a well paved road to success. ution was a guarantee to setting off niche. A degree from a reputable instit fer of knowledge from teacher to tionally been earned through a trans to be considered, diplomas have tradi is el mod eship entic appr the ss Unle or laboratory time. hands on application ie workshops g cardinal student, with very little practice and innovative think tanks are now askin d and educators, students, as well as enge chall g bein now is rral confe ee However, this traditional degr as: of our existing educational system such questions about the building blocks ? so boring and separated as if clustered • Why do all subjects have to be Why are classes rhythmed by a bell? ps? graduation batches of specific age grou gies are • Why are children separated by education. Effective education strate size fits all’ model when it comes to one ‘no fact in is there that light to These questions have brought transition requires itioning to an innovation era and this been done before. Today we are trans has what nd beyo g goin and s about challenging norm classroom are able to teaching to ensure that children in the adopt new models of learning and and re explo to ystem ecos ation players in the educ potentials by experimenting. meet as well as realize their diverse that teachers will be risks and provide adequate resources so to create a safe space for teachers to take have will tions nistra admi l schoo ion, In addit through several flexibility and engage with their students as out-of-the-classroom learning with more able to conduct their in-classroom as well . We should enable their aptitude and their current knowledge d have programs adapted to their skill set, different channels. In turn, students shoul gle with. the support needed in the fields they strug they show strength in while still providing the child to progress quickly in the fields better ation of skills while also using tools offering content to foster creativity and the applic class ure struct to led enab r bette be d Teachers shoul progress levels. and faster feedback about their students’ have changed a disruption. Global education exhibitions place in the classroom, and is pushing for its found has ology techn today why is This based on real ssor individually assess their students’ skills tools to help the children learn and the profe completely and now offer a lot of digital Eden, a school that t an age old system by introducing Ecole gogue Magali Wahl has decided to disrup time, digital feedback. This is why the peda s. better suited to shape the future generation she believes embodies a new pedagogia skills as learn today is to develop critical thinking n today, so the most useful skill a child can know not are jobs rrow’s tomo of most Unfortunately, behavior. well as learn how to agilely adapt his/her nging their beliefs, sly, in small groups, big groups, by challe l skills by helping students work autonomou School can help teach technical and socia social world around us and a lot more. the impact the virtual has on the real and tinkering with technology, understanding having original ideas Robinson says “creativity is the process of in and out of the classroom, and if as Ken Today we have to become creative both s. can participate and build tomorrow’s value should better prepare our youth so that they we then m,” rando not it’s ss; proce a is that have value. It •
A D V ERT O RI A L
SCHOOL NEWS: Ecole Eden
OPEN DOORS on March 7th Ecole Eden open its doors on March 7th from 10:30 am to 4:30pm. On this occasion, anyone
Introducing a new model for classroom learning
passionate about education, is invited to meet
Magali Wahl says: “I cannot predict what skills children will need tomorrow, but I know they will
all our teaching staff and get answers to all their
need to be creative and have a critical mindset for starters.” Ecole Eden’s teachers have rigorous
questions. You can also visit our premises, or
academic benchmarks, yet employ a personalized approach to classroom learning by setting
even, become a child again by following one of
development goals for each group based on their aptitudes. Ecole Eden strives for every child
our courses given by our teachers. Come and
to enjoy going to school while benefiting from a structured academic program that includes
experience the environment we are building for
customizable structures to develop students’ creativity, autonomy and self-confidence.
your children and understand our pedagogy.
Eden school is about letting children dream without limits while guiding them to discover their
Ecole Eden, 270 route de Veyrier, 1255 Veyrier.
own personal and academic interests.
Tel: 022 347 40 44
www.ecole-eden.ch
Ecole Eden has recognized that not all students have the same level at the same time and across all subjects. Ecole Eden adopts some methodology inspired from the flipped classroom (a form of blended learning in which students learn content at home, usually e by watching video lectures or interactive lessons, and practical interactiv exercises are done in the class to ensure that students are able to solve questions as well as to elicit dialogue and debate amongst peers), the school’s pedagogical body organizes courses as situational workshops with specific objectives based on the students personal understanding and aptitude to help shape not only their academic skills, but also their personality and personal well-being. This provides the students with a more flexible learning of environment while being engaged in an interactive workshop with peers his/her level whatever the subject, but unlike the flipped classroom model. form Ecole Eden students are not required to do any work from home in the learn of homework or assignments. As soon as the student is ready, they will be to use technology to enhance the learning experience, ie the student will given a lot of support through digital tools that will enable students to work at their own pace in their own time.
When digital tools are used properly as a support to educators rather than a substitute for teachers, then the learn ing capacities of students can be mult iplied and the learning experience becomes more enjoyable, more in depth, more flexible and more adapted to stude nts needs. Also it can encourage students to deve lop their confidence, curiosity, autonom y and analytical skills. Ecole Eden strongly believes in findin g the right teaching talent to foster a unique and energetic learning environment by exposing children to a variety of teaching methods in a nurturing environment. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry would say: “The real education is not done by teach ing you but by leading you.” The teacher body says things such as: “The children clearly love learning, they are constantly challenging themselve s and pushing me to develop my teach ing practices to suit their ever growing need s.” Magali Wahl has turned her dream into a offers children the possibility to emb race
reality by founding a school that
and experiment with technology while encouraging a lot of human interactio n to promote strong emotional, biolo gical and social synergies. Magali Wahl also puts a lot of energy learning with teach ers to gain new skill sets and educating parents around the need for a shift in the current educational model.
SCHOOL NEWS: Collège Champittet Pully
www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/champittet
Ski Camp 2015 Every year, Collège Champittet students take part in a one-week ski camp in Fiesch (VS). The weather conditions being good and especially with lots of snow right down into the valley, this year’s ski camp has been a great success! Our students enjoyed skiing during the day and taking part in night activities such as snowshoeing for the eldest and snow sculptures for the younger students.
Haute Route Expedition
pittet’s sports department is to hike the Haute The somewhat crazy project of Collège Cham t a 7- day expedition of 90km, 5500m of heigh Route in skis from Chamonix to Zermatt: difference and 8000m of descent.
and a osed of 6 students, their sports teachers The team taking up the challenge is comp ing ture, it has completed special training includ mountain guide. To prepare for this adven the rting entire school community will be suppo hiking at night and over long distances. The team as it will start its expedition on March
21st!
SCHOOL NEWS: GEMS World Academy-Etoy
www.gemsworldacademy-etoy.com
The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course that a large portion of our staff were supported in is the first step in a continuum outlined by Kevin and Amy, “learn mindfulness, teach mindfully, and when appropriate, teach mindfulness.” Amy and Kevin spoke about how to balance wellbeing, inquiry and learning in a Exploring Wellbeing at GEMS World Academy-Etoy International School
school and how “Schools should be places for
Thought-provoking statements and questions were
welcomed GWA-Etoy community members,
debated
last February 11th at GEMS Wor ld Academy Etoy, International School, during the first forum expl oring wellbeing in education. Guest speakers Amy Burke and Kevin Hawkins, co-founders of the Mindwell Foundation, have extensive teaching experience and are trained in mindfulness. We were also fortunate to have an exclusive interview with John Abbott, author of “Battling for the Soul of Education”, “oversch ooled but undereducated” and director of the 21st century learn ing initiative. Our three guests are all well know n for their commitment and work in the field of wellbeing in education and provided us with a valuable blend of research, pers onal experience and provocation. During the day, students, teachers and staff were presented with new research into well-being edu cation and the impact this work is having on pedagogical developm ents with a particular focus on mindfulness education.
children to learn, not taught”. The evening forum parents, as well as interested educators. Amy and Kevin’s presentations were followed by a much debated Q&A session time. Wellbeing is a bespoke curriculum taught to all our middle year students at GEMS World Academy-Etoy, with a focus on emotional development, political literacy and positive psychology.
A D V ERT O RI A L
SCHOOL NEWS: International School Rheinfelden ISRH
www.isrh.ch
ucation advanced Early Ed School: Bilingual ed 3 ary im Pr / are yc Da ool for children ag Preschool / all day Primary sch d an l oo sch Pre e guag mary sh and German lan al Baccalaureate Pri The ISRH is an Engli ognized Internation rec lly ba glo the d on gic concept is base to 12. The pedago .org. status) see www.ibo an (IB PYP – candidate e mm gra Pro ingual English-Germ ars Ye programme and bil al on ati ern int an Advantages of nsition between ISRH combines the ilitates a smooth tra public schools fac of m ulu rric cu the arking with ividual coaching education. Benchm ool guarantees ind sch ed tat en ori ily H. Our fam system and the ISR l of all children. the public school ximise the potentia ers in order to ma ch tea ed alifi qu h highly and mentoring wit and Success”. assion for Learning tto of the ISRH “P mo the to ng rdi Acco
Ideal location The ideal location in the Frick Valley offers an outstanding residential area with a high quality of life, attractive tax benefits and ideal traffic location (12-15 minu tes by car or train to Basel, 3 minutes walking distance from Bahn hof Rheinfelden). Please find more information abou t our website: www.isrh.ch
school at our
To arrange a visit at ISRH please cont act: +41 61 831 06 06 info@isrh.ch Sabina Sümegi-Schärli Head of School
All day school and part time
ISRH International School Rheinfeld en AG Zürcherstrasse 9 / Drei Könige
offers with highly qualified CH-4310 Rheinfelden teachers As well as being an all day scho ol, ISRH also offers part-time places. ISRH provides an innovative, high quality, inte rnational, multilingual and inte grative education in an inspiring, caring and safe env ironment in Rheinfelden. The programme focuses on the total development of the child , both in the classroom and in the world outside. A balance is sought between the acquisit ion of essential knowledge and skills, the development of conceptual understanding, the demonstration of positive attit udes and the ability to act responsibly. Bilingual English-German inte rnational education Most of our current internationa l families enrolled at ISRH hav e the intention to stay long term in Switzerland because they have started to love the country. German and even some Swiss German is the key to integration in the region. ISRH strives to empower children to become indepen dent, inquisitive and respectf ul world citizens, passionate about lifelong learning and succ ess.
A D V ERT O RI A L
SCHOOL NEWS: International School Rheinfelden ISRH
local community at ISRH Unique integration focus with the taught bilingually, to one tutoring. Several subjects are lessons in small groups or even one an Germ sive inten daily have ren ISRH child breaks or after will even hear Swiss German in some iry (UOI) investigations. Our children such as Music, Sports and Unit of Inqu olds. As the age of approximately 80% for the 3 to 5 year English instruction at ISRH starts with school activities. The percentage of of e 6. Simultaneously, the percentage to approximately 45%-50% in Grad s ease decr ually grad ge enta perc the children increases this . subjects taught in German is increased be necessary.) e, school system in case that might to change to the public, free of charg able be later may ren child ISRH (Therefore and/or German native speakers. e 3 onwards, yet optional for English French classes are offered from Grad after school ish, as well as our children attending ding ISRH twice a week to learn Engl We have local part time children atten an excellent local ple, we have close cooperation with ren outside of our premises. For exam programmes together with local child n to integrate to the local community p. Families therefore have the best optio grou tre thea a with ol scho c musi dancing school and Switzerland ate to another country, they will leave ever, if they wish return home or reloc How n. regio the in term long the and settle for g Switzerland, Germany and France. in this beautiful 3-country corner joinin re cultu the of e ledg know und with a profo
SCHOOL NEWS: La Côte International School
www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/aubonne/
Annie! Having moved into out wonderful new facility in September we could not wait to use our state- of- the- art theatre. With her usual endless energy and enthusiasm, Mrs Collier our wonderful performing arts teacher, produced our first whole
Mathematics Workshops We were delighted to welcome Ms. Ruth Merrtens to La Côte International School for two days in February. Ms. Merttens is a prominent ‘thought leader’ in numeracy. Based in the UK, Ruth has written maths programmes
school musical ‘Annie’ Our secondary students, as part of their enrichment programme, were involved in all aspect of the production from set design, to prop production, to marketing, ticketing and front of house, as well as on stage performing. The performance was an outstanding success, playing to a full house on 2
and text books as well as being a government advisor
successive nights. We were also delighted to have welcomed children from local
and key consultant in developing 21st century numeracy
Swiss and International schools to the dress rehearsals.
skills for our 21st century students. In her workshop for parents, Ruth talked about how maths is taught in schools, the benefits of both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency and how parents can support maths learning at home. In addition, during her visit, Ruth spent time with many of our year groups demonstrating the techniques discussed.
Tanzania Trip 2015 As part of Nord Anglia Education’s Global Classroom face-toface event, ten La Côte International School students had the opportunity to spend a week in Tanzania. The students, who were responsible to raise some funds for the trip, had a full schedule while in Tanzania. Activitie s included:: A visit to Ngrisi village, where students received an insight into Masai culture and way of living. Two days of service work at the Kitefu elementary school where students cleaned, sanded and repainted three classroo ms much in need of renovation. An afternoon at the Seeway Orphanage where students learned about the work carried out at the orphanage and their plans for the future. A safari trip to the Tarangire National Park, were students saw giraffes, elephants, baboons, impala and many other animals A day of outdoor activities at the Dolly Bush Farm. On the trip, LCIS students were joined by three other Nord Anglia Education schools from North America and the Middle East. It was a memorable experie nce for all students involved!
SCHOOL NEWS: Geneva English School
www.geneva-english-school.ch
Netball and Ru gby We have just re turned from ou r annual UK netb all and rugby to netballers enjoy ur, during which training session our Year 5 and s and matches 6 ag ain st ot against Coworth her schools. Th is year, we visite Flexlands Scho d and played ol in Surrey and Junior King’s Sc benefitted from hool in Canterbu two excellent tra ry. Th e girls also ining sessions led by a Senior King to bring lots of ’s School coach. new skills back They were excit to Geneva read ed y to put in actio Destiny n against the loc al international schools. So Destiny! – a romantic fantasy adventure writt en in 1994 by M School Headm r Stephen Baird aster happened! , Geneva English What a happy tim e it wa s! who left the sh T ha nk yo u to ow with a really all the 750 spec positive feeling tators . Apart from all sunshine does the energy from for you – especia the cast, that is lly when walking what on it!
SCHOOL NEWS: Ecole Riviera
www.ecole-riviera.ch
Fit4Future Some of the pupils took part in an activity day organised by Fir4future in Neuchatel. They had an amazing day taking part in and trying out different sports activities including:
Titanic Exhibition in Geneva
was built, its planned Year 5 learnt about how and when the titanic to each class of passenger journey and the different things on offer
d at the fatal night the (1st, 2nd and 3rd Classes). They also looke now. As part of the topic we Titanic hit the iceberg and where it is lying where we were able to look at went to the Titanic Exhibition in Geneva on how the Titanic looked. the artefacts and see real life size objects
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Volleyball
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Team challenge
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Free running
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Kin ball
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Theatre
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Water
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Funambolo
They were given a T-shirt and water bottle for their participation in the day along with other school from the whole of the Romandie. The day was incredibly rich in sports and it showed the children the importance of taking part in sports activities, especially showing them how fun it can be.
In History 3P have been learning all about DINOSAURS. They learnt that Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and dominated our planet for a very long time. They are now extinct but we know about them from fossils of skeletons and footprints that have been found and studied by Paleontologists. We know that they were lizards and were born from eggs. We studied their different sizes, body shapes, feeding habits and defense systems We made lots of different works and amazing homework projects which were on display in our very own class Dinosaur Museum. We had a very exciting DINO term
Science
have , different types of bones and why we In Science learnt about the human body body looked at animal skeletons against their a skeleton. We measured bones and de of some have the skeleton on the outsi shape. Some animals have a skeleton, d on ton. The 2nd part of the term was base their body and others have no skele ols and t how a circuit works, the different symb ‘Electricity. The children learnt abou then tested. d / would not work. Each circuit was how to recognise a circuit that woul up. equipment to make the light bulb light The children really enjoyed using the
SCHOOL NEWS: International School of Central Switzerland
www.i socs.ch
DIY Computing – students as makers Kids love creating an d making – give the m the materials and they will play. Equa enjoy (sometimes to lly, they like to figure our dismay) taking out how things work things apart. Our dig and often ita l na tive s often use tech too the International Sc ls without knowing hool of Central Switze how they really work. rland (ISOCS) we ha At ve created opportu revolutionary Kano nities for kids to bu . ild their own compute rs through the Kano is a Do It Yours elf (DIY) computer kit based on Raspberry Pi – designed to he scratch and learn the lp learners of all ag basics of computer es assemble a comp science in a fun and uter from en gaging way. The cre the next generation ators were trying to would look like and imagine what a comp wanted to know if it uter for was possible to ma attention, but smart ke a computer kit tha enough to actually t would be fun enou teach them someth gh to hold kids’ ing. Now, Kano is the a former British gove most crowd-funded rnment advisor for learning invention ev technology describe er. Rohan Silva, d Kano as a major bre computer designed akthrough in an interv with the majority of iew wit h Metro: “It’s the be the world in mind. Pa st st ‘maker’ innovation makes tools availab s have focused on the le wherever you are West, but for the firs born. It’s a revolutio t tim e na this ry moment for comp At ISOCS, students uting.” from ages 8-16 have been building, progra mming, and playing to host a trainer fro with Kanos on a reg m Kano who worke ular basis. Recently, d with our entire co we were able mmunity.
nts built a game called Snake Within an hour, our grade 2 and 3 stude introduction, students explored on their own using coding. From this ed their way to understanding how we ‘talk’ to computers and work how it has impacted our how the Turing test can be used and st students experimented with development of technology. Our olde ult it can be to know ‘who’ you the ways this has impacted how diffic to investigating the concept are talking to on the Internet, leading
were invited to come to play of artificial intelligence. Our parents relatively simple devices are with Kanos and understand how these eurship. As well as hoping to platforms for creativity and entrepren of coding and computer attract more young people to the world ambitions, with the non-profit engineering, Kano also has worldwide “low-cost, homebrew tech” into Kano Academy aiming to place the wide. the hands of smart young people world day one,” co-founder Alex Klein “We’ve been a global project since 2013. told The Independent in November
“The next invention generation is rising now, and in places that have traditionally been ignored – Sierra Leone, Harlem, Mongolia, Hackney. We think it makes more sense to take nothing for granted, and provide a simple, open playkit for the curious, wherever they live – they’ll hack to purpose to solve local problems rather than the western buzzwords or imaginings surrounding what ‘the Third World needs.’” At ISOCS, we involve our students with innovative practices to inspire how they can make a difference. As makers, they can experiment, play, construct and create. DIY computing gives them the opportunity to be hands on to discover how our world works and how they can participate in using technology to create solutions – be inventors as well as users. Tobin S. Bechtel, Director of Education, International School of Central Switzerland. Tobin.bechtel@isocs.ch
International School Parent Spring 2015
Yoga for Skiers & Snowboarders BY CHARLIE STEWART-BROWN
Here are some easy yoga poses & variations to help avoid injuries during ski season! Suitable for all the family The physical demands on cold muscles during ski season call for appropriate stretching, strengthening and balance in the body. These following poses will strengthen and stretch the shoulders, hips, thighs and knees and increase balance and focus. Repeated daily, these exercises can also help you to avoid injury and become more aware of the imbalances that snow sports often create in the lower body and tension in the upper body. Increase your focus and self-awareness by doing these poses with mindful deep breaths. This is the difference between just stretching and doing yoga! By taking long conscious breaths during your poses, you increase your focus, overall health and connection with your body.
Breathing correctly:
Utkatasana – Chair Pose
Standing with feet slightly apart, bend your knees and lean forward with a flat back and arms raised at ear level. Tuck your tailbone under your buttocks lengthening your lower back and relax your neck. Take 10 long breaths lowering through the knees and lifting through the fingers. Relax by inhaling into standing and exhaling flopping over into a standing forward fold for a few breaths to stretch out the legs before lowering into the following pose. Contraindications – Lower hands together at the chest if you have high blood pressure or shoulder tension.
Anjaneyasana – Low Lunge Pose
Bend your right knee and align it over the heel as you lower your left knee to the floor. Slide the left knee back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the left thigh and groin, relaxing the front of the foot on the ground. Inhale lifting the torso upright lifting the arms above and tucking your tailbone under the buttocks lengthening your spine. Relax the neck and take 5 deep breaths before gently swapping legs and repeating on the other side. Contraindications – lower the hands to the hips or in prayer pose at the chest, for blood pressure or heart problems.
Inhaling through the nose you want to feel your chest and abdomen expand outwards like a balloon, relaxing the diaphragm and filling the lungs with air.Exhale through the nose using your abdominal muscles to ´deflate the balloon ´drawing the abdomen in and up, expelling stale air from the lungs.
“By taking long conscious breaths during your poses, you increase your focus, overall health and connection with your body.” 52 |
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International School Parent Spring 2015
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana variation – Raised knee balance
Place your left hand on your hip grounding into the mat through the left foot as you bend and raise your right knee. Take hold of it with your right hand and draw the knee towards your chest without tensing your arm or shoulders. Activate the standing leg thigh and pull up the knee to keep the leg straight and strong. Relax your neck and take 5 breaths into your stretch before repeating on the other leg. TIP: make sure you are not holding your breath when holding a pose and fix your eyes on a point to help your balance. Contraindications – take caution with ankle or knee injuries.
Natarajasana variation – Heel to buttock balance
Place the left hand on the hip and take your weight onto your left foot lifting your right heel toward your right buttock as you bend the knee. Activate the standing leg thigh and pull up the knee to keep the leg straight and strong as you take hold of the right foot behind your with the right hand. Relax the right arm, your shoulders and neck as you draw both thighs and knees in line feeling the stretch through the bent leg. Take 5 breaths with your eyes fixed on a point before repeating on the other leg. Contraindications – take caution with ankle or knee injuries.
Prasarita Padottanasana – Wide Leg Stretch Pose
Step your feet as wide apart as you can engaging your thigh muscles upwards and making sure the knees don´t bend. Turn your feet inwards slightly and inhale lengthening up through the spine as you lift your arms straight above. Exhale and maintaining the length in your spine, lean the torso forwards bending from the hip joints. Fold over as far as you can relaxing you neck and placing your hands on your legs for support. If you can reach the floor, place the hands under the shoulders, bending the elbows back as you lower further into the pose for 10 breaths. Release by softening the knees before lifting the torso back up, straightening the feet and relaxing in standing. Contraindications – For lower back problems keep the forward fold to 90º/parallel to the ground and narrow the leg stance slightly for knee problems.
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Baddhakonasana – Bound angle Pose
Inhale sitting up with a straight spine with your legs out in front of you. Exhale bend your knees pulling your heels toward your pelvis and dropping your knees out to the sides as the soles of the feet press together. With the first and second finger and thumb, grasp the big toe of each foot or if uncomfortable, clasp each hand around the same side ankle or shin. Take and inhale as you straighten up through the spine and exhale as you lower your torso forwards keeping the back flat. Relax the neck and breath into the pose for 10 breaths keeping the outer edges of the feet firmly on the floor. Release by inhaling the knees away from the floor and extending the legs to relax the hips and knees. Contraindications – use a cushion under the tailbone or bolster under the thighs for comfort and groin or knee injuries.
Viparita Karani- Legs up wall Pose
Sit on the floor against a wall and gently lower your back on to the ground as you swivel your legs up the wall. Shift your buttocks to a comfortable distance away. Use a bolster or pillow under the lower back or buttocks for comfort and to expand your chest, and let your arms rest wherever the shoulders feel relaxed. Release any leg tension and let yourself sink into the pose for at least 2 minutes. Widen the legs into a V shape after 1 minute if you want to stretch the hips and thighs maintaining the legs completely relaxed. Contraindications – For high blood pressure, glaucoma or pregnancy: take 10 breaths in this pose followed by 10 breaths bending the knees and lowering the legs with the soles of feet together. Repeat the 2 poses for 10 breaths each 4 times. And remember to give your TOES and FEET a good stretch after being constricted in a ski boot! Spread your toes open, give your ankles a few circles in both directions and curl and stretch the feet.
More information Charlie Stewart-Brown ERYT200, RPYT, RCYT is one of the most qualified and experienced yoga therapists in Switzerland. She sees private clients and holds group classes at her studio in Nyon. For further information please see www.indivyoga.com
International School Parent Spring 2015
The Rise of the Reinvented Expat Spouse BY LISA GIBSON
It’s a little known fact that Julia Child, as featured in the 2009 film Julia and Julie, is the original trailing spouse reinvention success story. The wife of an American diplomat, she followed her husbands’ career to Paris in the late 1940’s. With time on her hands and the world of French cuisine at her fingertips, the California native took full advantage of her newfound situation and completely reinvented herself. She went from a rather mundane administrative job to a rewarding and successful career as chef, author and television presenter. This reinvention was even more surprising due to her rather limited cooking ability! However she jumped at the opportunity and threw herself headfirst into the world of French cooking, and the rest as they say is history. Today she is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public. The expression ‘trailing spouse’ often conjures up negative connotations however, there’s a growing trend of expat spouses who have put a positive spin on the term, and transformed themselves from trailing to reinvented. In a very serendipitous chain of events, their choice to follow their partners’ career has resulted in a rebirth of their own. An expatriation is an opportune time to explore new professional avenues, namely the world of entrepreneurship. With this reinvention, comes the creation of a new identity and an entirely new career path, often more fulfilling than the one left behind. For some, it starts out as a hobby whereas for others, it’s about identifying an untapped opportunity or an unfulfilled need. Four expat spouses share their personal stories and talk about what it’s like to be a reinvented spouse.
When creativity, passion and a personal need collide
May moved from Denmark to Switzerland in 2010 when her husband accepted a job in Zurich. She initially revelled in the time off and saw it as an opportunity to immerse herself in the local culture as well as to spend quality time
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with her boys, helping them with the new language. However, the former Communications Partner soon found herself wanting to take on something more. Creative by nature, it was only a matter of a time until May started searching for an outlet for her creativity.
May explains, “I took up painting again and started making jewelry and other crafts. Friends and family really seemed to like my creations so I opened a shop on Etsy.com. I also found a shop in Zurich that was a good match for my leather bracelets.” And this was just the tip of the iceberg for May – she then went on to launch a personal care line made entirely from natural products. When asked about the positives regarding her reinvention, she replies, “The best thing is that I can prioritize my boys and at the same time, still challenge myself. I get to make things I love which are also loved by others. And it makes me really happy to teach my boys about entrepreneurship.” As for her advice to others thinking of gong the entrepreneurial route: “Being an entrepreneur is extremely time consuming but also very rewarding for ones self esteem. A happy and fulfilled expat spouse makes for a more successful expatriation and an overall more positive family dynamic.”
Spotting a need in the market and a love for all things pretty
Singaporean native Sue Ann followed her Swiss sweetheart back to his home country in 2007. With a background in marketing and communications and having worked in the hospitality industry, her reinvention came about while she was preparing for her daughters first birthday party. She explains, “It was quite a challenge sourcing pretty yet affordable kiddies party stuff here in Switzerland. I founded my business with the sole purpose of helping other mothers acquire the perfect party accessories for their childs’ special occasion.” She has since opened a second business, specializing in affordable statement jewelry and accessories. Sue Ann believes that expat spouses should take advantage of their new situation and the unique opportunity it presents. “I think being in a new location and environment allows one to have fresh perspectives. What is a saturated market in your home country could be something completely new here,” she states. What is her advice to other would-be mumpreneurs? “While there’s no denying that it is a tough and challenging adventure, the valuable skills you learn along the journey, not to mention the fulfillment derived from it, more than make up for it!”
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International School Parent Spring 2015
She concludes, “My creativity level has definitely risen a notch since I started my two online shops; I feel like my inner Martha Stewart has been released! It also gives you more flexibility as you can determine how your day goes. You are in charge of your own destiny, and have the ability to set your own schedule, which is great for moms.
A love affair with cooking meets an untapped market
Born in Israeli and raised in the US, Danna and her husband have lived in Switzerland for almost ten years. With a background in graphic design and psychology, Danna has always gravitated towards all things foodrelated. She says, “My dream has always been to be my own boss and part of that dream was that it included food. My mother had run cooking classes for kids at her own home kitchen, and tried to convince me to start one here. At the time, I couldn’t imagine dealing with even more children – two active boys of my own was a challenge in itself! But as it came time for them to go to kindergarten and first grade, I saw the mornings as an opportunity to do something for myself.” Danna recalls, “I realized I was onto a good idea when I searched Google and saw that no one else was offering such a course in Switzerland, especially not an organic healthy cooking course.” She goes on to add, “My biggest dream has always been to educate children about healthy food, and the benefits of a well-balanced diet. You could say it stemmed from a personal desire to raise my children to become food-conscious.” When it comes to the positives she has experienced as a result of her re-invention, she has the following to say: “Having something to look forward to every morning when you wake up is so rewarding.”
Her final advice: “You have to find that one thing you’re so passionate about that you won’t mind working through the night.”
Bringing a taste of India to Switzerland
Born in India and having lived in the UK before relocating to Switzerland, Sunrita moved to Basel in 2013 when her husband secured a position here. With a background in Human Resources, mother of one Sunrita soon realized the language barrier would prove to be a restricting factor in finding a position locally. She explains, “I still deeply wanted to do something to keep me engaged and give me some kind of purpose, not only to give me a professional footing but also for the sense of personal gratification that comes with it. This was essentially the driving force behind my venture. She says, “My way of cooking is the `Lazy Womans Curry’ as I believe that you can bypass the extensive chopping, stirring and standing time in the kitchen. Because Indian cuisine is considered an arduous task, I had the idea of demystifying Indian cooking and making it easy for everyone to cook a curry.” She recalls, “It was then that I decided to start selling pre-blended organic spices and spice mixes through my online store. I believe if you have a skill, it’s better shared.” Sunrita shares the following advice: “Success and failure are two sides of the same coin. In business, there are both good days and bad days. Staying positive and persevering is key.” She concludes, “The pleasure of working for yourself is that you don’t have to fit your kids in, you fit yourself in instead. The flexible hours are a luxury a corporate role may not offer.”
International School Parent Spring 2015
The School in the Cloud Hole in the Wall Experiment BY SUNITA SEHMI, EXECUTIVE COACH, THE SCHOOL IN THE CLOUD
An innovative approach to learning and its historical context. The Hole in the Wall experiments were first implemented by Sugata Mitra Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University in 1999, when a computer with an internet connection was embedded into a wall, for children to discover and use unsupervised. The wall was connected to a slum; and only a month later, it was evident that the children had taught themselves to use the computer and also acquired some skills in English and Mathematics. His innovative and bold efforts towards advancing learning for children all over the world earned him the first ever one million dollar TED Prize award. Indeed, it was concluded that groups of children from underprivileged and remote settings could learn to use computers and access Internet resources, on their own, if given appropriate free, public and unsupervised access. They subsequently then used these resources to search for answers. Later it was discovered that children in groups can teach themselves – everything! This form of design was then organised in more isolated areas across India with virtually identical results. These were computers embedded in walls or kiosks in easily accessible and highly visible public spaces, facilitating peer interaction, discovery and learning in groups of children. The experiment has proved that kids can learn with the aid of computers very easily without any formal training. Sugata termed this as, “Minimally Invasive Education” (MIE). The experiment has since been repeated at many places.
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Once the “Hole in the Wall” experiments, exposed that groups of children could learn almost anything by Sugata then developed this original idea into the SOLE [the Self Organised Learning Environment] approach, reaching out to children with minimal or no educational opportunities, in remote corners of the globe. He and his team now drive his research into making this approach part of mainstream education.
Be part of the Granny Cloud Team
The Granny Cloud is a fluid team of e-mediators, young and old, both male and female. We reach out via Skype to children in SOLEs across the globe. Currently the Granny Cloud team consist of 75 active Grannies.
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International School Parent Spring 2015
“Education is a self-organizi ng system, where learning is an emergent phenomenon.”
project through the media and help with the recruitment of new Grannies. We Grannies hail from many different locations across the world but we all have one collective purpose to make learning fun and accessible to all children. Fifteen years of research since then continue to support his astonishing results, that groups of children, with access to the Internet, can learn almost anything by themselves!
There are more than one billion children on our planet; we need 100 million retired people on the Internet to give their time for free to be grandparents to these children. We need 10 million Self Organised Learning Environments where children manage their own learning. We need a curriculum based on questions that are meaningful to children. The School in the Cloud strategy’s aim is to reach millions of children at a fraction of the cost and time that it would take to attempt to reach them by good conventional systems, which in any case are unavailable to the large majority. All this will cost 180 billion dollars and take 10 years to build and touch every child’s life. So please help us create a world that has equal learning opportunity and is free of doctrine and dogma. Please support The School in the Cloud community to make this dream a reality by helping us build the ultimate School in the Cloud where children, no matter how rich or poor, can engage and connect with information and mentoring online. To get involved please go The School in the Cloud website at www.theschoolinthecloud.org
More information Our main role is to interact with groups of children in regular or one off sessions. This could involve stories, craft activities, songs, exploring the web together, quizzes and discussions. The aim is to stimulate curiosity, to develop confidence and generally to have fun!! The children work in groups, using the web, developing search skills, talking amongst themselves and then feeding back to their Granny. Taking its lead from Sugata’s principles of self-organization, the Granny Cloud has developed many different roles within the group. We offer mutual support, mentor individual children, provide technical support, gather data for research, explore fund-raising opportunities, promote the
internationalschoolparent.com
Charlie Stewart-Brown ERYT200, RPYT, RCYT is one of the most qualified and experienced yoga therapists in Switzerland. She sees private clients and holds group classes at her studio in Nyon. For further information please see www.indivyoga.com
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FROM KINDERGARTEN TO UNIVERSITY Kindergarten, primary, lower and upper secondary school Swiss Maturité French Baccalauréat International Baccalaureate Bilingual classes A Geneva Institution with an international vocation. Florimont offers all the qualifications needed for international, French and Swiss universities
37, av. du Petit-Lancy 1213 Petit-Lancy, Genève Tél. : +41 (0)22 879 00 00 www.florimont.ch
"A must-‐a)end event on the European expat calendar." -‐ The Telegraph
The Geneva Charity Ball brings together a dynamic group of over 400 guests across various ages and professions. The evening program boasts world class entertainment, a 5-‐star venue, and an aucAon and raffle featuring exclusive luxury items, all in support of our children's chariAes. Over the last 4 years, we have raised over 250, 000 CHF for the following 3 organizaAons:
F O N D AT I O N E N FAV E U R D E S P E R S O N N E S P O LY H A N D I C A P É E S
The 2015 edi2on of the Geneva Charity Ball will be held on 25th April at the Grand Hotel Kempinski 5* with several aEer-‐works events behindheld throughout Geneva in the run-‐up to the ball.
Follow us on & www.genevacharityball.com
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