ISU NEWS - International School of Ulm

ISU NEWS       19 MARCH 2021

               Important Dates:

                   26 March: Grades 1-5 Parent Check-In - virtual
                   29 March - 9 April - Easter Break, School Closed
                   12 April School resumes
                   13 April: Grades 1-5 Parent Check-In continued
                   16 April: MSUS Parent-Teacher Conferences

                                 News from the Director
  It is almost a year to the day when COVID-19 started to impact our lives in this part of the world. As I write, we are
  now back to full-time, on-campus school and it is great to see smiling faces (albeit under masks). I am so much
  looking forward to a Newsletter article in which I can talk about “emerging from” or “putting Covid behind us”. With
  the increasing roll-out of vaccinations, we are hoping that we will be able to gradually return to a greater degree of
  normality and continuity of education on campus over the coming weeks.

  COVID and the measures taken to contain the spread of this pandemic have posed several challenges for schools.
  While lamentable, the disruption to education systems worldwide has offered valuable lessons and provided a
  unique opportunity to reimagine education, how we educate, and question what we need to teach and what we are
  preparing our students for. As we start to reflect on the impact this COVID-19 crisis has created on education
  systems, and also the vulnerabilities and shortcomings it has highlighted during the lockdowns, it teaches us many
  lessons about how education needs to change to be able to better prepare our systems and learners for what the
  future might hold. Recently, UNICEF published a report “Building Resilient Education Systems beyond the COVID-
  19 Pandemic”. The major points from the report were:
Building a more resilient education system
  School education is undergoing unprecedented difficulties and challenges during the pandemic. This has
  highlighted how vulnerable and unprepared our system is, including physical infrastructure and teachers’
  preparedness to meet any unforeseen event. At ISU, we were in a position to move quickly to distance learning
  and having the support systems at home and school to ensure the continuity of education.
Developing a robust education continuity plan at school level

  The disruptive crisis such as this COVID-19 can collapse the entire education ecosystem around the world. The
  world has seen many sorrowful consequences of poorly managed risks, but we still fail to prepare our system to
  meet any eventuality. While we will undoubtedly take learnings from this pandemic, ISU does prepare for risks
  with our Health, Safety, Security and Environment Committee. As early as December 2019, ISU was in
  communication with schools in Asia to see how they were managing the crisis and as the crisis came closer we
  closely liaised with our counterparts and authorities in Europe and Germany.
Redefining the role of the educator
  Not just after the break out of this COVID-19, the need to redefine the role of the educators has been felt for quite
  some time now. This is because of the fact that the notion of an educator as the knowledge holder who imparts
  wisdom to their pupils is no longer relevant for the purpose of 21st-century education. With students being able to
  gain knowledge and even learn a technical skill through a few clicks on their phones, tablets, and computers, it has
  become necessary to redefine the role of the educator in the classroom.

Teaching life skills needed for the future
  Teaching life skills is always important. However, this pandemic has given schools more reasons to reimagine
  education and realize the importance of teaching life skills to students needed for their future. Highlighting ways
  Covid-19 could change how we educate future generations, Poornima Luthra (Founder and Chief Consultant,
  TalentED Consultancy ApS, and External Faculty at Copenhagen Business School) and Sandy Mackenzie (Director,
  Copenhagen International School) wrote: “resilience and adaptability – skills that are proving to be essential to
  navigating through this pandemic – will be crucial for the next generations entering work.”
Inclusion of families in the educational process

  Another important lesson learned from this pandemic is the importance of communicating with the families and
  including them in the educational process. It is because of the fact that they are now more involved in their children’s
  education, they have a lot to contribute. So it is essential to let the families express their opinions and feel heard.
  We value the positive contributions of families at ISU.

The importance of mental health

  Another very important lesson that this pandemic has taught us is the importance of focusing on mental health. With
  everyone going through a turbulent and traumatic time, people open up more with each other to talk about isolation,
  emotions, and how each person copes with the situation differently. This has made us realise that we are all
  connected and that collective actions are vital and have a significant influence on the health and well-being of the
  entire community.

  As we pivot back to on-site learning, it is important to me to continue to stress the importance of taking personal
  responsibility for our own health and hygiene practices, specifically hand washing/sanitising, mask-wearing, physical
  distancing. Additionally, please follow appropriate protocols when feeling unwell and stay at home, and follow self-
  isolation rules if required by your doctor.

  The following guidelines are from the Kultusministerium Bayern (Bavarian Ministry of Education):

  In Case of Symptoms

  In case of mild cold symptoms (runny nose without a fever, occasional cough) it depends on the grade level
  whether students can go to school:
       EYP and Grades 1-4
  -> students can come to school with mild cold symptoms
       Grades 5-12
  -> school attendance is not allowed on the day the symptoms start
  -> school attendance is allowed if no fever has developed after at least 48 hours after the onset of symptoms and if
  no adult in their household suffers from cold symptoms or a Covid-19 infection
  -> in addition: a doctor’s note or a negative Covid-19 test (decision of necessity will be made by a doctor)

  In case of an acute illness (fever, cough, sore throat or earache, stomach ache, vomiting or diarrhea, loss of taste
  and smell):
      students are not allowed to come to school - regardless of the grade level
      students can come back to school, if
      they show no symptoms for 24 hours (apart from a slight runny nose or occasional cough)
      no fever has developed for 24 hours
      in addition: a doctor’s note or a negative Covid-19 test (decision of necessity will be made by a doctor)

  Confirmed Covid-19 case of a student
     If a student has been tested positive, all students of that class need to self-isolate immediately (however, not
     their parents or other household members)
     Classmates are automatically considered as first-contact persons even if masks were worn at all times, the
     minimum distance of 1.5 m was maintained and the ventilation was adhered to
     The teaching staff are not automatically subjected to cohort isolation

What to do if a person in your household displays symptoms
   If someone in your household displays symptoms, students are asked to stay at home for the day the symptoms
   appear. Students can come back if no fever (more than 38°C) has developed after 24 hours
   If a student shows symptoms and needs to stay at home, we also ask siblings to stay at home for the day the
   symptoms appear
   Siblings can come back if no fever (more than 38°C) has developed after 24 hours

 I would also like to take this opportunity to show my appreciation of the resilience, flexibility and creativity
 demonstrated by our students, parents and guardians, faculty and staff throughout the transitions between online,
 hybrid and on-campus schooling. I appreciate that this has provided challenges for us all, and it really is not what we
 have wanted; however, we have all systematically sought to meet the situation as it is, rather than ruminate on what
 we would wish it to be. In doing so, we have all built capacity and grown our souls, whether we have realised this or
 not, and we now have a tool-box of skills and dispositions that we did not have just twelve months ago. It is
 important for us all to reflect on and be rightly proud of this, knowing that these will serve us well in the future.

 Dr Liam Browne
 Director

                                Catching up on CAS

Fundmate

  A CAS experience I had was to research a charity and find a way to support it. We chose WWF and used
  Fundmate as our tool to support that charity. As a class, we meet once a week and discussed how to
  promote our ideas and eventually sell the items that Fundmate supplied us with. I felt that this was a great
  way to sell parents and students everyday items such as soap and to promote the charity simultaneously.
  This showed us how even little ideas within our community can contribute to global engagement.

  Some challenges we faced included keeping organized as a group. It is difficult to meet as a group of people,
  remain on task, and allow for every idea to be considered. This meant we had to split everyone into teams to
  ensure productivity. We also faced the challenge of shipping and making sure everyone would get their
  Fundmate package on time. This we faced by trying to keep it as simple as possible. We made afterschool
  time for parents and students to pick up their packages with ease.

  I learned that as a group we can plan anything and find ways to make it happen. Moreover, that we can work
  fairly and allow for everyone to have input. I realized that every small idea can be carried out in large ways,
  and impact the world positively.

  By Timm, Grade 12

Learning Support
                  in the Middle and Upper School

By definition, every child is unique, and every child has different learning needs. Among educators, the ongoing
process that increases access and engagement of all learners in learning is known as inclusion. Valuing this diversity
and difference is a key aspect of becoming more internationally minded and is an important goal of ISU. In some
cases, Learning Support is required in order to “level the playing field” for students regarding their academic needs.

Students with Learning Support requirements may:

   display difficulties or live with conditions that are a barrier to learning and therefore need particular teaching
   strategies for classroom management and effective education.
   display a higher than average aptitude in one or more subjects that require adaptation and extension of the
   curriculum.
   have the aptitude to meet all curriculum and assessment requirements but require support to reach their full
   potential in learning and assessment.
   require support to access teaching and learning, including planned strategies to access curricular instruction and
   inclusive assessment arrangements to access assessment.

 At ISU, we provide students with the support they need in order to set and meet individual learning targets.
Differentiation is an integral part of teaching and learning. This may involve utilizing collaborative and cooperative
learning, a variety of learning practices, creative approaches to teaching and learning, differing formats and modes of
exploring and presenting knowledge and understanding being made available to the students. However, in those
cases where students require instruction beyond regular teaching practices, learning support is provided. Following
the school’s policies and procedures, the student’s learning needs are considered on an individual basis, and, when
necessary, Learning Support is provided by the Learning Support team.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your students learning needs/ concerns, please feel free to contact
me: j.oakley@isu-ulm.de.

Ms Jennifer Oakley
SEN Teacher

Grade 5 Begins Exhibition

Grade 5 have embarked on their PYPX experience
- and what a great start so far! There is much
excitement and anticipation from both students and
teachers as we all begin this stage of Grade 5’s
learning journey.

          The PYP Exhibition is a journey of self-discovery and self-efficacy, requiring students to
             “...engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in
              identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems”
                                          (PYP Exhibition Guidelines, IBO)

The PYPX is a culmination of all the skills, strategies and knowledge that students have accumulated as learners
at ISU. It is student-directed, research-based and action-oriented. One of its main features is the focus on a
collaborative experience. Students work together with a common goal, using the opportunity to show what they
know, what they can do and who they have become.

But it is also much more than this - it is also an opportunity for our students to share what they’ve learned about
themselves as learners during their time in the PYP. The emphasis is less on presentation, but rather more on
discussion and dialogue, where learners can use their platform to engage interested visitors, to share their
learning, their stories, and to answer as well as to ask questions.

A big part of the process focuses on action, and this year we decided to really challenge our students - could their
work lead to a real sustainable change? To this end, we highlighted the UN Sustainable Development Goals and
asked ‘could you attach your idea to one of the 17 SDG’s?’

                                                                         So the last couple of weeks we have been
                                                                         open-minded inquirers, using our research
                                                                         and communication skills to develop our
                                                                         Lines of Inquiry and really dig down into
                                                                         what interests us and where we might
                                                                         take action!
                                                                         Watch this space as we continue our
                                                                         journey….

       Ms Charlie Balsom
       IB PYP Coordinator

Counsellor's Corner

       All Things Higher Education
As we round the corner towards Spring Break and students in
the secondary (especially grades 10 and 12) look towards their
exam season and future choices, it might be a good time to
remind ourselves of the excellence of ISU students.

In a previous newsletter, I highlighted two students in grade 12
who had been extended scholarship offers from prospective
universities. The number of students who now hold those types
of offers is six!! Each of these students has been offered a
significant scholarship towards their tuition fees and five of
these are specifically related to academic excellence! These
are exciting times for our graduating students and we hope for
further updates of this nature as we get closer to graduation.

For those of you with students in grades 9-12, you will have
received emails about the first-ever, live AGIS Virtual Higher
Education Fair. Typically many of the schools that have a
membership with the Association of German International
Schools (AGIS) host coordinated, in-person fairs to help
highlight future study opportunities for our students but the
pandemic has made that a challenge. So, like educators all
over the world, the AGIS counsellors worked to put together a
highly interactive virtual fair for all of our students where 113
Higher Education institutions and 1410 students registered and
attended! It was an exciting evening with live presentations
(linked below) and opportunities to view the booths of the
universities as well as speak directly to representatives from
these schools. And it cannot be stressed enough the amount of
positive compliments that all of the counsellors received from
the university representatives about the quality of interactions
and questions they were getting from students. Please enjoy a
few photos of what the fair looked like from behind my screen.

For those that missed the presentations please find the
recordings listed below:
Reflections on Competitive Admissions -
https://youtu.be/xYsIPSmeC4E
Studying in the UK in 2021, what's new? -
https://youtu.be/4r0u7FFlZGE
Studying Medicine in English in Europe -
https://youtu.be/AnCsDnmxgbA
The Value of Liberal Arts Education -
https://youtu.be/v0tttm8Mbww
What can you do with an art degree/portfolio tips? -
https://youtu.be/t-3cS5euUv4

Ms Angela Collins
School Counsellor

Célébrons la Journée Internationale
            de la Femme

                  On Monday 8th of March, to celebrate International Women's Day,
                  Grade 8 inquired about a diverse group of women.

                  They were then invited to write a short paragraph about a woman they
                  admire. Some chose a famous woman while others describe a family
                  member.

                  Ma mère- by Anna
                  J'admire ma mère pour tout ce qu'elle fait pour moi et ma famille. Elle
                  est toujours là quand j'ai besoin d'elle et c'est la meilleure mère que je
                  puisse imaginer. Ma mère reste calme quand ma sœur et moi nous
                  disputons et elle trouve toujours une meilleure solution. Même si nous
                  ne sommes parfois pas si respectées, elle nous aime toujours autant
                  qu'avant.
                  C'est une femme confiante, belle et sympathique, et j'espère être
                  comme elle un jour.

       Greta Thunberg - By Teresa
       J'admire Greta parce qu'elle est une fille forte et déterminée. Elle sensibilise les gens
       au changement climatique qui est un problème mondial urgent, et peut être un des
       pires, cependant beaucoup choisissent d'ignorer ça. Je crois qu'elle est une figure
       importante car elle montre que l'âge que vous avez pour changer le monde n'a pas
       d'importance et qu'il ne faut jamais abandonner. Je pense aussi qu'elle sensibilise
       toujours d'une meilleure manière que les autres, en demandant que les leaders
       mondiaux s'unissent et tout le monde aussi.

       Wendy Tozer- by Reza
       Wendy Tozer,
       Une des femme les plus fortes au monde,
       Elle est allée d’être mécanicienne pendant la seconde guerre mondiale
       A travailler avec la croix rouge en Ethiopie,
       Elle était mère de deux filles Iraniennes adoptées,
       Et les a traités comme les siennes.
       Elle a était une des meilleures grands-mères à deux petis enfants,
       Elle est devenue sourde d'une oreille mais cela ne l'a pas arrêté.
       Elle a marié un homme de classe plus basse mais cela ne l'affectait pas non plus.
       Elle a vécu jusqu’à l'âge de 93 ans,
       Elle n’a jamais baissé les bras,
       Elle ne s'est jamais laissée faire,
       Elle a toujours été généreuse avec les gens, riches ou pauvres.
       Wendy Tozer était la grand-mère la plus forte au monde.

Grade 9 and 10 Physical Education

The COVID-19 pandemic and the effects have negatively impacted many people’s mental health and well-being.
Unfortunately, this also includes our school community.

To counter some of those effects, our Grade 9 and 10 PE students worked on and produced some mindfulness and
aerobics videos for our community's students and staff.

For mindfulness, students created yoga and radio taiso sessions leading interested students (and teachers) to relax
and help maintain focus by paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment on their intellectual, mental
and spiritual wellness.

For aerobics, the videos' goals support our community to release some energy, stress and frustrations by exercising
at a good intensity while having fun and improving physical and mental wellness.

We, as teachers, would like to leave a note of gratitude and appreciation for our students’ effort, their great sense of
empathy (caring about others), open-mindedness (to take this new challenge and try out something new), creativity
and input in order to create these videos for our school.

Mr Alex Avles
PE Teacher

Mr Uwe Sauer
PE Teaching Assistant