Munich International School - Volume 25 - Issue 2 - Summer 2018
C O N TA C T
THE MAGAZINE OF MUNICH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Contents Head of School’s Introduction
01
Message from the Board of Directors
02
Feature: A paradigm shift in education: ATL
03
Academic News
06
Community News
15
PTV
16
Athletics
18
ASA & Co-curricular Arts
19
Alumni & Friends
20
Important Calendar events
21
03 11
Munich International School Advancement Director of Advancement Amanda Crawley Email: acrawley@mis-munich.de Admissions Susanne Hemke Denise Hitchen Elisabeth Turnwald
Phone: 08151 366 120/121 Email: admissions@mis-munich.de
Communications Andrew Almarza
Phone: 08151 366 125 Email: publications@mis-munich.de
Marketing Helena Stephan
Phone: 08151 366 156 Email: marketing@mis-munich.de
Development Debbie Caudera
Phone: 08151 366 127 Email: development@mis-munich.de Fax: 08151 366 129
Photography Andrew Almarza Graeme Fordham Photography Charlotte Starup-Hansen
Design Paul Rea
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Head of School’s Introduction
Happy students are learning students “What is special about MIS?”
T
his is probably the most frequent question that I hear as the Head of School. My answer is invariably about how happy students are to come to school.
I have worked at four other schools, and I have never witnessed a school where students arrive in the morning so glad to be at school. And it is not only the primary school aged children who walk onto campus with a smile each morning. Even MIS Middle and Senior School students seem genuinely happy to be at school.
Timothy Thomas, Head of School
That answer may seem superficial. It may surprise some that my answer isn’t more “academic” in its tenor. However, I know from experience how important students’ emotional state is for their success at school.
independently curious and pursuing knowledge and understanding arising from their own sense of wonder. This approach values students as thinkers and adds significantly to their motivation to engage in durable, meaningful learning.
Happy students learn better. Motivation for learning is highly correlated with better grades, persistence in the face of academic challenges, higher quality school work, and higher achievement on standardised tests (Eldridge).
Concepts
This happiness, this motivation to come to school and to learn, does not happen by accident. Teachers and administrators at MIS engage in a range of strategies intended specifically to promote student well-being and increase their motivation for learning. There are numerous aspects of our approach that lead to these positive outcomes.
Care Students are motivated to learn when they believe that their teachers genuinely care about them. This is one important reason that we place so much emphasis on recruiting teachers who prioritise taking the time to get to know their students. When teachers know their students, including knowing about their interests, their backgrounds and their individual challenges, they can better tailor their instruction to appeal to their needs. Classes with no more than a maximum of 24 students help ensure that teachers have the time, energy and attention to develop caring relationships with their students. Care is one of MIS’ four core values (Care, Respect, Integrity and Trust). Our Mission, our values and our policy on teaching and learning all emphasise the crucial role that relationships between students and teachers play in helping students develop motivation that facilitates learning. We are so fortunate at MIS to have so many educators who invest generously of their time and energy to demonstrate an exceptional level of care for their students. This investment pays dividends in student learning.
Choice A prominent element of our strategic plan is Student Choice and Student Voice. Students are more motivated to learn when they are given some control over their learning (Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching). MIS has long offered a wide variety of IB Diploma courses to students in Grades 11 and 12, allowing students to customise their profile of classes to suit their interests. Beginning this school year, we implemented a new time table structure in Grades 9 and 10 that allows students to take more classes in areas of personal interest. Additionally, new, contemporary courses have been added to Grades 9 and 10, including Coding and Computing, Integrated Humanities and (beginning in August 2018) Unsere Welt in unserer Zeit. Another important dimension of student choice is our inquiry-based approach to learning. Students are empowered and encouraged to ask questions and construct their own lines of inquiry to seek answers to those questions. Already in Early Childhood classes MIS teachers support students in being
In traditional curricula, students might often ask, “Why do I need to know this?” The standard way of teaching facts requires students to learn information that is locked into a specific time, place or situation. If a student is not interested in that situation, the learning can seem senseless and irrelevant. Teachers at MIS, however, strive to embed student learning within high-level conceptual contexts, which engage students’ intellectual and emotional capacities. A conceptual framework for learning focuses on understanding big, timeless concepts. A few examples include: equilibrium, conflict, interdependence, perspective, power, oppression, allegory, and prejudice. These concepts form part of the underlying structure of human knowledge and are relevant to the thinking of all people (H. Lynn Erickson Synergistic Thinking). Specific facts are still very important, as they provide the illustrative examples that give life to these concepts. However, by focusing first on the “why”, by focusing on the conceptual understanding, teachers are helping students engage in learning that is deeper, more personally meaningful, and much more likely to be retained. And, very importantly, students are being challenged to engage in learning that is motivating.
Happy Students Care, Choice and Concepts are just a few of the attributes of the MIS educational experience that contribute to motivated, happy students. I could mention several further components, like the balance of academic learning with social, emotional and physical learning; our belief that every student can succeed (growth mindset); and our aim to provide students with learning experiences that form an appropriate level of challenge. Taken together, these many intentional strategies combine to create a school and a programme of learning that promotes student happiness and leads to successful learning.
Timothy Thomas, Head of School Sources: Eldridge, Gordon. How Can We Increase Student Motivation? The International Educator, Vol. 32 No. 4 April 2018, page 17. H. Lynn Erickson. Synergistic Thinking and Conceptual Understanding in the IB Programmes. IB Global Conference, October 2011, The Hague, Netherlands. Keynote Address. Motivating Students. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/ . Accessed 6 June 2018.
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Message from the Board of Directors
It’s been an honour to serve A
fter six years on the Board, including four as Chair, I am stepping down. I’ve learnt a lot, worked hard, interacted with some fantastic people in the MIS community, and seen visible progress at the School. I recently compiled a scorecard of my experience and this is how it looks:
What I’m especially proud of: 1. Helping recruit Tim Thomas as Head of School three years ago. Tim knew MIS as our Deputy Head but had no prior record in leading a large school, whilst more seasoned external candidates might have brought best practice from other schools. We made the right decision, and MIS is very fortunate to have Tim as our Head. He understands and thinks deeply about education, and how it needs to adapt to external change. He cares for people and leads by example. He is an effective communicator, speaks German and can navigate the German operating environment. Principals and teachers who have worked in many schools tell me that he is the best Head they have ever worked with by far, and he inspires them. Tim was rapidly elected onto the board of the Association of German International Schools, and I’ve had a highly experienced school head tell me, unsolicited, that MIS made a great hire. Tim has grown MIS’ reputation in Germany and in Europe as a high performing international school, which enables us to attract high quality teachers. I am grateful to have been able to learn from and work with such a talented Head of School. I wish that he will stay at MIS for as long as it takes to execute fully on his vision for the School. 2. MIS has improved significantly in recent years. The campus looks better, our academic results are stronger and enrolment is up. But beyond these visible improvements, much behind the scenes work has gone into fundamentally making us a better School. There used to be a time of low morale and being content with maintaining the status quo. This has now been transformed into a positive culture and pride in making MIS better every day. Proper appraisal and feedback systems, and regular classroom observations, have been established, which is crucial for a people driven organization. More resources have been set aside for professional development and teacher innovation grants. There is a multi-year roll-out of Approaches to Learning across the School, because it is more important to explicitly teach transferable skills than content alone. There is a new master plan for highly able students, the School is working on making learning support more consistent across the grades, improving university counselling and enabling greater student choice and voice. All these initiatives come on top of the daily work of teaching and learning. The School is a lean organization, so much of the responsibility of execution falls on the shoulders of the senior leadership and middle level leaders. They deserve our heartfelt thanks for their commitment and hard work. 3. We are a mission-driven School with a vision for the future of education. My eyes frequently glaze over when I see the words ‘mission’ and ‘vision’, and in many companies they are little beyond marketing slogans. As a not-for-profit school the mission is paramount – it describes what we aim to achieve with our students, and guides all decisions on how we organize our educational programmes in order to deliver on the Mission. Our Mission describes behaviour for our educators (nurture, challenge, 02 | CONTACT | SUMMER 2018
inspire), it is holistic in terms of student development (academic, ethical, well-balanced, globally-minded) and it sets high expectations about how an MIS graduate should interact with the world (make a positive impact). MIS also has a vision for how education should adapt and evolve in a rapidly changing world, in order to prepare students well for their future lives. We have to teach them to be life-long learners and expose them to relevant issues like understanding technology, environmental unsustainability and the fragility of political structures. We have to help them develop skills which cannot easily be replicated by machines, like creativity, entrepreneurship and cultural sensitivity. The Maker’s Lab and Innovation Hub are integral parts of MIS’ vision for the future of education. The former promotes student-driven, experiential and collaborative learning, and will start operations from August. The Innovation Hub is in planning, will house modern libraries, digital and media tools, provide flexible learning spaces, further facilitate transdisciplinary learning and increase connections to the real world.
Wanching Ang, Chair of the Board
What I have found frustrating: 1. We receive government subsidies but face significant operating challenges because of an inappropriate status within the Bavarian education system. The School has to comply with rules and regulations are ill-suited to an international school, and the application of these regulations sometimes arbitrarily changes depending on bureaucratic zeal. The hardest to endure long term is the cap on school fee increases at historic local inflation rates, whereas our operating costs are determined by international competition for teachers and the need to invest in order to ensure that our education is future ready. We are actively lobbying for a change in our status, but politics is an uncertain process. 2. Encountering difficult people. Change is discomforting, and in any organisation there will be people who prefer maintaining the status quo. Everyone has the capacity to continue learning and improving, but if they prefer not to then MIS may not be the right fit for them. Similarly, when I hear some parents complain at length, I wonder why they continue to keep their children in School. MIS is not perfect, and we take feedback seriously in order to improve. But feedback should be balanced, our children are not angels all the time and our language should be respectful with professionals who are entrusted with their care. It is inappropriate to send threats through lawyers on the slightest disagreement. All of us, including me, could be less quick to pass judgment based on partial facts and hearsay.
What I have learnt: 1. I thought I knew about education when I joined the Board. I grew up in Singapore, top of the PISA education charts. Over time I’ve discarded many beliefs I had about schooling and come to appreciate the benefits of our inquiry-based and interdisciplinary approach, rooted in real world situations, focused on skills rather than content acquisition and emphasising the holistic development of the child. The challenge of how to evolve an already strong programme into one which prepares students well for a world with disruptive technology is immense. We cannot chase every innovative fad in education and any innovation we adopt has to be carefully evaluated, planned, rolled out, evaluated and refined. Innovation also implies that we will sometimes fail.
2. A not-for-profit school is very different from a for-profit business. Earlier on I described the importance of the MIS Mission, in lieu of a profit motive. It is hard to measure performance against the Mission, beyond academic scores and university placements, because we are dealing with qualitative soft factors, child development and impact beyond the time at school. Instead of shareholders there are a large number of stakeholders to deal with, including students, teachers and staff, parents, alumni, government, companies and the local community. Patience is required to effect change, because we are dealing with people, the academic school year is short and intense, and stewardship of change rests with a small group of leaders. German labour law increases the challenge of driving change, because of job protection, involvement of the works council and trade union collective bargaining. It is important to remain focused on consistent medium to long term goals, rather than create a new set of changing priorities each year, overload the leadership team and risk achieving little. It is essential to put our students’ interests at the core of everything that we do. I’ve been asked many times if I will miss being on the Board. I don’t believe so, and in any case I am staying on as Chair of the Capital Campaign Committee, a new role I took on this year. I am helping to develop a culture of giving at MIS and solicit donations from the community, because with no control over fee setting the School cannot generate sufficient surpluses to finance the investments required for the strategic plan. I do not enjoy asking for money, but through this process I have met many exceptional parents and alumni who believe in the Mission of MIS, have a strong attachment to the School, and several have given generously to support our most important projects. While these people recognise that the School continues to have areas in which it can and should improve, they also appreciate its strengths and are committed to helping make it the best School it can be. I am motivated and inspired by their willingness to be leaders in philanthropy at MIS. So no, you haven’t seen the last of me around MIS. My youngest child has only just completed fifth grade, so I have a vested interest in following the progress of the school closely. I have tried to the best of my abilities to contribute to achieving the Mission and make a positive impact. It is a joy to see students learn, develop and flourish at MIS.
Wanching Ang, Chair, MIS Board of Directors
Feature
A paradigm shift in education: ATL Everyone knows that school is about learning. But did you know that a core goal of MIS is to support students in learning about learning?
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Not the School You Attended
Self-Management Skills
“Approaches to learning” or “ATL” may sound to some like new-age educational jargon. It certainly was not a part of what most of us adults experienced in our schooling. My schooling experience at several different schools (my family moved frequently during my childhood) focused on subject content: maths, English, history, biology, civics, etc. I earned good grades if I memorised dates, definitions, formulae and processes, and reproduced them accurately on tests. But what did those good grades mean? They meant that I had dutifully memorised information and reproduced it upon demand. They meant, honestly, that I was compliant in the system and that I had learned to become a good test-taker.
Evidence abounds that young adults who succeed at university and at their first jobs benefit from strong self-management skills. At MIS we have a purposeful plan for developing students’ capacity to understand and manage their own minds, bodies and attitudes. Among the skills in focus are goalsetting, plan-making, and employing both digital and non-digital organizational tools.
At MIS, we believe that students need life-worthy skills that will empower them to be successful and happy in their future lives. We do not believe that inculcating compliance and demanding memorisation are the best ways to prepare our students for a rapidly changing future. Among other skills, we believe that Approaches to Learning skills (ATL) will position our students to tackle complex challenges and thrive in a world in which the pace of change is accelerating. We know that our parents are our partners in developing ATL skills in students, and we are currently working to make ATL a more explicit part of our conversations with students and their families. ATL is already featuring prominently in our parent-teacher conferences. And we are revising our current grade reports to contain more information about students’ mastery of these critical skills. We believe that setting ATL goals with students, and including parents in the plans for improvement, will enable students to become more purposeful and more skillful 21st century learners.
So What Are Approaches to Learning? The world of work is demanding that professionals continue to learn and acquire new skills throughout their careers. Approaches to Learning is all about understanding one’s own learning processes and intentionally shaping one’s approach to learning in order to make it effective and efficient. At the end of this article, you will find a partial list of concrete ATL skills. The five skill clusters are as follows:
Thinking Skills We explicitly teach students to make use of diverse lenses for understanding problems and finding solutions. We teach students how to make their own thinking visible, and how to employ models to better understand and analyse information.
Research Skills Understanding the world around us is increasingly accomplished through the analysis of large amounts of information and data. Unsurprisingly, the demand for research skills in all kinds of fields is increasing – the job that many think-tanks predict will grow fastest in the next twenty years is Data Analyst. At MIS we teach both information and media literacy, and we support students in collecting, verifying and applying data and in evaluating the quality of data based on the strength of its source. 04 | CONTACT | SUMMER 2018
Social Skills In a connected world, the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse individuals and communities of people is becoming increasingly important. The many forms of social and collaboration skills we teach include active listening, building consensus, and helping others to succeed.
Communication Skills A final skills cluster that contributes to students’ preparedness for 21st century success is communication skills. We support students to develop skills in representing their own ideas and arguments, negotiating ideas and arguments (also within digital environments), and reading and consuming media through a critical and informed lens. There is a full spectrum of specific skills contained within the Approaches to Learning curriculum. ATL is not a class or a discipline of its own. The important skills mentioned above are integrated into each of the subject classes and the Units of Inquiry. We believe that all teachers at MIS must become well versed in these skills, must consider them a core element of their lessons, and must explicitly coach students to understand their current level of attainment and how to further develop the skills.
Why is This Approach Future-Ready? We know that our current students will face an adult world in which change is rapid and sophisticated learning skills will help them to cope and to thrive. Both completely new jobs and traditional jobs that are being transformed through AI, digitalisation and big data are requiring professionals to engage in continuous and rapid learning. Our students need to be equipped with knowledge and skills that they can leverage in order to obtain new, in-demand understandings and abilities and apply them to their advantage both in the workplace and beyond. The old divide between the literate and the illiterate has nearly vanished. The more recent “digital divide” is also quickly subsiding. According to Marina Gorbis, the Executive Director of the Institute for the Future, the new divide that separates those who can thrive and succeed in a world where information, data and tools abound and those who cannot is “the motivational divide”. The future belongs, she believes, to those who have developed the “soft skills” and the confidence and attitudes that allow them to take advantage of all the free and cheap tools and resources becoming available through a wide variety of platforms and sources. 1 These so-called “soft skills” include exactly the skills identified in this
Feature
article as Approaches to Learning skills. They are intended to create MIS graduates who are courageous, knowledgeable, curious, resilient and reflective. At MIS, we are constantly thinking about the changing landscape of the world of work and exploring how we can ensure that we are preparing our students to be independent, successful and empowered in that world. In addition to the important subject expertise that we work hard to cultivate in partnership with our students, we believe that developing competence as life-long learners is also a crucial goal of an MIS education. As we continue to pioneer 21st century schooling, Approaches to Learning will increasingly play a prominent role in our curricula and in your children’s experience at our School. And we think it is incredibly important that you be our partner in driving this development and in supporting your children to master these useful and relevant competencies. Timothy Thomas, Head of School
Partial List of ATL Skills 1) Thinking Skills Examples of critical thinking skills include: a) observing and defining the nature of problems, b) gathering and organising evidence, c) recognising assumption and biases in one’s thinking, d) interpreting data, e) using models and simulations to explore complex propositions, etc. Examples of creative thinking skills include: a) using visual diagrams to generate new ideas, b) considering unexpected connections between ideas and objects, c) using existing ideas and works to create new solutions, d) flexible thinking – developing multiple opposing, contradictory or complementary arguments, e) practising visible thinking strategies, etc. 2) Research Skills Information literacy skills a) collecting, recording and verifying data, b) evaluating sources of data, c) presenting information and data in a variety of formats and platforms, d) processing data and reporting results, e) understanding and using technological tools to manage and understand data, etc. Media literacy skills a) locating, organising and analysing information from a range of media sources, b) demonstrating awareness of media bias and perspectives, c) communicating a message effectively to diverse audiences, d) comparing, contrasting and drawing connections among information drawn from multiple sources of media, e) making informed choices about the consumption of media, etc.
3) Self-Management Skills Organisational skills a) making short and long-term plans to complete projects and achieve goals, b) setting goals that are challenging and realistic, c) creating an organised and logical system for managing information and files, d) selecting and using organisational and technical tools to manage productivity, e) employing appropriate strategies for organising complex information, etc. Managing one’s state-of-mind (affect) a) exercising focus and concentration, b) practicing strategies for overcoming distractions, c) employing strategies to reduce anxiety and develop appropriate confidence, d) understanding and reacting productively to failure, e) learning to “bounce back” after adversity, mistakes and failures, etc.
4) Social Skills Collaboration skills a) using social media and other platforms for effective collaboration, b) delegating and sharing responsibility for decision-making, c) helping others to succeed, d) building consensus, e) listening actively and responding constructively to others’ opinions and ideas, etc.
5) Communication Skills Interaction skills a) giving and receiving meaningful feedback and critique, b) using appropriate forms of writing for different purposes and audiences, c) negotiating ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers, d) collaborating with peers and experts using digital environments, e) participating in and contributing to social media networks, etc. Language skills a) reading critically and for comprehension, b) making inferences and drawing conclusions from texts, c) paraphrasing and making effective notes from texts, d) organising and depicting information logically, e) structuring information in essays, summaries and reports, etc. 1 Friedman, Thomas L. Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations. First edition. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016.
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Junior School Sports Day! Cheering and laughter were heard from MIS’ Track and Field complex in June, where Junior School students were participating in their annual Sports Days. During two, 2-day sessions, the PE Department, teachers, parents and students came together in mixed teams to show their spirit and to demonstrate their athletic and cooperative skills. Friendly competitions were organised and supported by the entire community, bringing the whole-school community together under sunny skies. Parachute games and scaling an obstacle course bouncy house were some of the activities that students participated and completed. With an enthusiastic crowd of parents, teachers along with Middle and Senior School students, cheers and chants were voiced to help with student encouragement.
Double Drums workshop Percussionists Alexander Glöggler, Philipp Jungk with Double Drums returned to Munich International School to work with Junior School’s Grade 2 students. During the morning, students played together and learned new percussion instruments with the purpose of not only understanding how to use them, but also with the goal of performing for Junior School. Alex and Philipp’s teaching then culminated during the afternoon, as two Grade 2 classes were combined to form one large ensemble and as a group played two pieces.
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Academic News
Expressing ourselves –
Junior School’s PYP Exhibition The Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition represents a significant event in the life of a PYP school and student, synthesising the essential elements of the PYP and sharing them with the MIS community. Students are required to engage in an in-depth collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. Leading up to the month of May, Junior School students were busy creating work that displayed their beliefs and passions, their inspiration and creativity, and their learning and action. This year’s themes included pollution and plastic, deforestation, technology and the environment, being healthy and healthy eating, the benefits of nature and much more. Students were mentored and nurtured in developing their lines of inquiry, and guiding their questions leading up to the PYP Exhibition. They analysed data, sorted out information, and found interesting and creative ways to share their understanding. This celebration of learning represented the journey they have been on since they arrived at MIS.
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Fasching Celebrations Traditionally known as a time of celebration before the beginning of Lent, Fasching Dienstag is also more popularly known as a time to scare away the “winter blues.” Early in the School Year, Junior School students and teachers took-up this annual German tradition and wore a variety of fun and entertaining costumes to celebrate Fasching. Children dressed in costume, and excitingly played games and created artwork with each other in the Junior School Auditorium.
Sailors for Sustainability arrive at MIS The Service as Action group project has taken a new and special form in Grade 6. Students across all six homerooms have pulled together in one collaborative project: Six for Sustainability. The inspiration for this project came from two Dutch sailors, Floris Van Hees and Ivar Smits, or better known as the Sailors for Sustainability. They sail around the world, looking for and documenting, and spreading awareness of sustainable solutions for our planet. Since September, they have regaled Middle School with exciting sailing stories, educated students about ecological problems and sustainable solutions, and have set challenges to adapt our lifestyles to become more sustainable, all via video messaging. Middle School’s own Six for Sustainability project involved a variety of sustainable activities, centred around the three pillars of Service as Action: advocacy, direct action and indirect action. Students were engaged in five different workshops: one group painted reusable shopping bags and sold these to the Middle School community as a fundraiser to support our sailors, another group built two incredible bug hotels on campus, another organized a toy and book swap, while yet another ‘upcycled’ old t-shirts into jewellery. A cafeteria committee worked closely with Il Cielo to find ways to reduce plastic and food waste at MIS. On 23 March, students finally met their two eco-heroes in person. They told us all about their global awareness project and made us think of our own solutions for renewable energy, on the local, national and global levels. Meeting these enthusiastic activists in person was a truly inspiring event.
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Academic News
Grade 6 Rothenburg Trip Grade 6 students visited Rothenburg ob der Tauber from 25-27 April for their unit on the Middle Ages in Individuals & Societies. In Rothenburg, students took a walking tour of the city and learned about how towns developed in medieval times. This was then followed-up with a visit to the Kriminal Museum where students learned about medieval instruments of the criminal system, as well as the school system. Students were able to see how people lived in their homes, in their towns and in this period of time. For the final part of their trip, students then followed the Nightwatchman on his tour of the city – a most amusing and informative hour!
Middle School Maths Competition On Friday, 4 May, six Middle School students and two Maths teachers flew to Amsterdam to take part in the ISMTF Middle School Maths Competition at the International School of Amsterdam. With a massive 64 team competition, the room was intense as the students battled over ten rounds. In addition to the main competition, MIS students had the opportunity to mix with students from all participating schools during activities ranging from a breakout room to Pi reciting competition. Facing stiff competition, Zorka Palfalvia from MIS came 1st in the Sudoko Challenge.
Sunday morning saw all the schools gathering in the grounds in front of the Rijks Museum ready for the next challenge. With the sun shining, the mixed teams ran between stations to be the first to solve the problems scattered throughout the area.
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MIS Design students visit BMW World To conclude the Design programme in the Middle School, two-day trips to BMW World in Munich for Grade 8 students were organised. Students had four different activities arranged for them during this visit: Junior Campus, BMW Welt tour, a BMW Museum visit and a full Factory Tour. Following the visit, students worked in groups of five in different design disciplines to collaborate as teams and work on what is essentially a transdisciplinary unit. On 20 June, teams will then present their proposals to a panel of judges in the Middle School Auditorium. Here they will demonstrate not only their design knowledge for the units delivered in Grades 6-8, but transfer skills from other areas of the curriculum as well as a host of ATL skills.
Model United Nations
The 50th Anniversary of The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) began with an official opening from King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands. From 28 January to 2 February, selected students from the Grade 11 Model United Nations travelled to The Hague for a Model United Nations conference, in which more than 2500 students participated. Students came from schools around the world, some as close as right in The Hague, whereas others travelled from places as far away as India or Uruguay. The theme of this year’s conference was “Building Civil Society through Education”, which was recurring in many of the sub-committee topics.
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As a delegation, MIS represented Georgia in a variety of different committees. For example, several of the committees in the General Assembly worked on strengthening disarmament education or expanding education for children in more isolated areas. However, the experience did not end when the day of debating was over. Several times during the week MIS students were given free time to explore the beautiful city that is The Hague, and oftentimes ended the productive days with group dinners together with the entire delegation. Overall, expectations were definitely exceeded. Students met many great people, took part in a lot of fascinating debates, and had the opportunity to experience an entirely new culture.
Academic News
An annual MIS graduating class tradition –
Prank Day
After studying countless hours and preparing for their IB Examinations, the Class of 2018 said goodbye in what better way than exercising their prank day rights in saying farewell. On a Friday morning in April, Grade 12 students took advantage of the sunny weather and welcomed faculty and staff, parents and students through the School’s entrance tunnel with water balloons and water pistols. Prank Day surprises also continued throughout most of the morning in the Senior School. Classes and entrances were decorated to reflect their farewell, demonstrating how much significant planning went into it while still creating a positive experience for everyone. MIS wishes the Class of 2018 a fond farewell and success in their future endeavours.
Junior & Senior Mathematics Competition This year’s ISMTF Senior Mathematics competition was hosted by Warsaw International School. MIS took six competitors; Angela Cheng, Lukas Herwig, Giulio, Siddesh Natarajan, Alexander Mittendorfer and Yusuke Kibakura. Students arrived in historic Warsaw on Wednesday mid-day and had a brief windy city tour on route to their accommodation. The main competition, individual and teams, were held during the Saturday. MIS students competed against 242 others from all over Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa! On Sunday there was a chase, which involved the students from various schools getting mixed together into different teams and racing around the building to solve problems. This was a great opportunity for the students to connect and make friends with students from other schools.
The weather and location were extraordinary for the ISMTF Junior Mathematics competition this year. The competition took place in St. Stephen’s School, which is situated near the colosseum in the heart of Rome. Six students, accompanied by two teachers, participated in rigorous individual and team competitions. They competed against 140 other students from 44 international schools from Europe and Asia. Made possible by the Science Inspiration Fund, MIS students enjoyed their experiences and shared their impressions below:
The ISMTF competition, funded by the MIS Science Inspiration Fund, was an amazing experience that allowed me to better develop my interests for Mathematics and explore the beautiful fundamental boundaries governing the world of numbers. I am really grateful for this wonderful opportunity where I got to meet many like-minded people and hone my problem- solving skills. (Yutian Yu, Grade 9).
From visiting the Colosseum to finding new friends from different countries, this trip has been most beneficial to not only my Mathematics interests, however also to explore the rich culture of the country and of those of the competitors. The few days in Rome were worth waiting for and I would advise all Mathematicians in our school to try and join the club. (Charlotte Probstel, Grade 10)
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Senior School students travel the globe As part of the Language Acquisition Program, Senior School students learning Mandarin, French and Spanish have the opportunity to experience the language and culture they are studying by participating in an immersion trip during the Spring term. This year, 11 boys and 10 girls travelled with Mrs. Casado and Mr. Lemoigne to Monaco and the French Riviera. They attended French classes in the morning at the Centre Mediterranéen d’Etudes Françaises in Cap d’Ail. In the afternoon they visited a different city and had free time to discover the country and its people in an authentic way at their own pace. The highlights of the week included a guided tour of the international Museum of Parfum with the highlight of the trip being filmed by Canal plus (the official French TV) near the red carpet at the Festival of Cannes while Roberto Benigni was being interviewed.
Mrs. Alcántara, Mrs. Verhoeven, Mrs. O’Dea and Dr. Brenes flew with 33 students to Andalusia, southern Spain. The pupils from the beginners level class enjoyed a cultural trip visiting famous sites such as the Mosque and Jewish Quarter in Córdoba, the Alcázar, Cathedral and Giralda tower in Seville and the Caleta beach and Torre Tavira in Cádiz where they also interacted with the locals, sampled the traditional cuisine and experienced the culture and language in situ. Students enrolled in the intermediate level class attended a local High School, Instituto de Secundaria Atalaya in Conil, Cádiz, where they were encouraged to practice Spanish through a set of organized tasks with native speakers.
Mrs. Jennifer Chen-Metzger travelled to Beijing with seven students. MIS students attended classes at the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), the best recognized organization in China to learn Mandarin. During the afternoons, students had the opportunity to experience a variety of aspects of the Chinese culture such as martial arts, a variety of restaurants, Beijing opera, tea ceremony, a calligraphy workshop, Chinese musical instruments and aerobatic shows.
Reflect, Remember and Research IB History
The well-known song April in Paris written in the 1930s details the splendour and allure of that city to the senses, particularly in spring. April 2018 in Berlin was also a magical time and offered no less appeal, particularly for our 34 Grade 11 IB Historians and their teachers Mr. Joshi, Mr. McDermott and Mr. Riehl. Our intense programme throughout Berlin called on participating historians at various locations to reflect on the nature and significance of events that transpired at that exact spot. Moreover, Berlin is a city full of monuments and memorials so students were posed a number of questions on the importance of remembering. Lastly, as part of an IB historian’s required coursework research was undertaken at a range of museums and libraries allowing our students access to a diverse range of historical sources.
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Academic News
IB Film & Visual Arts Exhibition 2018 The IBDP Visual Arts Exhibition 2018 was an opportunity to view the best of Munich International School’s Diploma students’ artwork. The opening vernissage took place on Monday, 19 March 2018, from 17:00-19:00 in the Languages, Arts and Design Centre (LADC) Auditorium. During the evening, students, teacher and parents walked through the LADC auditorium, viewing a variety of art pieces from photography to sculptures, fashion designs and more. The exhibition continued during the following days in March and gave all MIS community members a chance to view outstanding artwork by our students.
MIS Congratulates the Class of 2018 On Thursday, 31 May, the Class of 2018 celebrated their graduation from Munich International School with friends, family and teachers at the Prinzregententheater in Munich.
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Academic News
MIS business students at the cutting edge of company investigations in Sri Lanka A group of twelve Grade 11 business and management students travelled with Mrs Quintanilla and Mr Glover from 20 April to 1 May on a unique venture to investigate Sri Lanka companies and to evaluate how these companies could increase their export volumes to Germany and the EU. The purpose of the visit was to give students hands on experience with companies facing a completely different business environment from the Western World and to provide the basis for their IB HL Business IA coursework. The IB Business curriculum is focused on how companies need to adapt to business conditions in a variety of different external environments worldwide. The curriculum focuses on a conceptual approach where students need to view business through change, culture, ethics, globalisation, innovation, and strategy. Each student participated in a three-day internship with a separate business organisation to which they were assigned. They were expected to make an analysis of the current challenges for each company and to make recommendations as to how issues could be overcome. The companies investigated were varied including, a brewery, an arrack producer, gem cutting, jewellery manufacture, tea marketing, rubber marketing, coir products, business co-worker hubs, a soccer academy and digital nomads. The program also included a visit by all students to MAS Kreeda, the main apparel manufacturer for Nike with 2,200 employees; a tea factory, and a visit to the German embassy. This was rounded off with a visit to a beach resort, the hill country and an elephant foundation. A social evening was organised with the German ambassador and the CEO´s and during the final evening each student presented their findings and commented on the Sri Lanka experience. We were amazed by the degree companies supported our investigations and are indebted to Michael and Jennifer Moonesinghe in Sri Lanka for providing the contacts and logistical support.
Included below are reflections on the experiences gained by MIS students: Sri Lanka was an incredible trip I was able to experience. Throughout our journey, I have learned so much about their culture, believes and traditions which lead me to appreciate my surroundings and the diversity of cultures even more. Even though we were first exhausted from the heat we constantly were moving and doing new things such as visiting temples and going on the local train rides as well as shopping at local markets. We were able to appreciate the beautiful nature on tee plantations and ride rescued elephants. When I was working with my company, Ceylon Fine Gems, I had the privilege of learning about the traditional fifth generation company and the whole process from beginning to end, visiting the mines, factories as well as trading markets where the gem stones were sold. The journey was fascinating, unforgettable and eye opening. I will always remember the first time I was in Sri Lanka!
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Community News
Month of Movement returns!
After successfully encouraging the MIS Community to live a healthy and active lifestyle in 2017, the PE Department returned again with their Month of Movement in April with even more activities and more encouragement. Homeroom teachers and students participated in challenges, while staff took the time to incorporate activities into their daily routine. Guided by a 30-Day Challenge card, which contained three levels of difficulty: Ninja, Jedi and Wildcat, the entire MIS Community was able to participate in a variety of exercises related to their fitness level, which made the Month of Movement a healthy success!
MIS thanks The MIS Foundation for its fantastic guest speakers Matt Smith Matt Smith visited MIS from 16-18 April 2018 and worked with students to build literacy skills through the medium of comics. His workshops were entertaining, full of learning possibilities, and allowed students to understand the theory behind reading and creating comics, which was then put into practice with them creating their own comics. Workshops were tailored to each grade level, focusing on topics such as: • Grade 5 classes concentrated on characterisation. Activities involved identifying character traits from comic figures and learning about the process comic artists go through to reveal these traits to the reader. • Grade 6 English and EAL classes learnt about why Matt draws and writes his stories in the comic book format, along with the processes involved in designing and constructing his texts. • A Grade 8 German class learnt about the processes involved in creating a graphic novel, along with the impact of different styles of illustration. • Grade 11 English L&L classes and the English B class focussed on graphic novel codes and conventions and their potential impact on the reader´s experience. Matt also visited the Middle School/Senior School Library at lunchtime for a drop-in session so that interested students could meet with him and discuss his working life. Students were interested in finding out about his life-long inspiration for his craft, along with getting some extra tips on how to create comics. Students also used this opportunity to show Matt comics, which they created themselves.
The Nassoons MIS was thrilled to have the Princeton University vocal group, The Princeton Nassoons, visit its campus for incredible acapella performances and workshops on Tuesday, 20 March 2018. The Nassoons then welcomed the MIS Choir and the rest of the MIS community to workshops in the evening. Using some of their own songs, they demonstrated to participants how to work with style in order to blend singing and stage presence together. 15 | CONTACT | SUMMER 2018
The PTV says “thank you” to all MIS faculty and staff The Parent Teacher Verein (PTV) once again outdid themselves in organising and providing a wonderful selection of international foods and baked goods for their Staff Appreciation Lunch. Now an annual tradition, this is an opportunity for the PTV to say “thank you” and with over 200 faculty and staff in attendance, it can only be viewed as another success. The School and its community are extremely grateful for having such an important group of parent volunteers support it in so many ways. Without the help of these volunteers, the School would not be able to function in its current capacity.
What a fantastic Frühlingsfest! Congratulations and thanks to our wonderful PTV for organising this annual event filled with fun, international food, live music, sports, games and much more. Parents, teachers and students contributed with their hard work and wonderful skills in all areas of the festivities and the weather seemed to reflect the warm and friendly atmosphere on the day. The newest attraction was the Flea Market at the Middle School Auditorium in which students were able to sell items and earn pocket money. Other events on the programme included an Alumni soccer game and group photograph, an amazing talent show in the Junior School Auditorium, a raffle and not to forget - our famous burgers served at the BBQ. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
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PTV News
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Athletics
Winter & Spring Season Highlights Winter Highlights of the Winter season for MIS Athletics included the Swim Team returning with four golds, two silvers and one bronze. MIS’ Ski Team completed their season with the traditional Heinrich Harrer Cup ski race hosted by MIS in Seefeld, Austria. MIS ski racers ranging from age 9-18 represented the School against six other international schools. On the first day of races, MIS Senior Athletes finished with 456 points to win the Senior Heinrich Harrer Cup – 11 points in front of arch rivals, the International School of Zug and Luzern. In the Junior category there was a place reversal with MIS finishing in second place. For the overall race results, MIS finished in a close second, 836pts to 899pts.
Spring The final Spring season of MIS Athletics finished in June with a variety of SCIS and ISST tournaments in various locations around Europe. This included, in particular, the largest ISST Track & Field event hosted at on campus at our Track and Field complex. The month of June also closed with the final Athletic Recognition evening of the year, where athletes and supporters as well as the ‘MIS Athlete of the year Awards’ were recognised. While MIS’Track & Field athletes were busy competing at home, three other ISST teams were away at their respective tournaments. The ISST Tennis team travelled with 16 players to London for the Division 1 championships hosted by ACS Cobham. The boys and girls team finished in 4th place overall, while Alyssa Richter won the girls’ singles section of the tournament. MIS’ Softball Girls’ Team competed in their ISST in Brussels, and returned home with the third-place trophy. MIS’ Golf Team competed in London at their ISST and also returned home with the third-place trophy. Congratulations goes to all MIS athletes who have represented the School and demonstrated a high level of competition and sportsmanship.
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ASA and Co-curricular Arts
More activities than ever before Offering more activities than ever before, ASA has added new activities this school year and in particular for the Spring season in an effort to accommodate this year’s upswing in participation. This includes several new outdoor activities for Junior School students such as Into the Woods and Forest Explorers, which also highlights MIS’ campus facilities and its natural surroundings. In the Middle and Senior Schools, ASA added the extremely well received Improv Theatre Club, as well as A Play in May, which was a theatre initiative offered by two inspiring MIS Alumna. MIS’ student involvement in ASA Co-curricular Arts was just as exciting and included some of the following events and performances: AMIS Solo and Ensemble Festival, hosted by the American School of the Hague – 32 Students from World Choir, Anima Vocal Group and the Symphonic Orchestra participated and performed at this annual festival. Students brought home high scores and many blue ribbons from solos, duets, and ensembles. The music and adjudications were inspirational, but the opportunities of growth and bonding in the groups individually and collectively were the largest rewards. Festivals and trips in the the Co-curricular Arts this Winter and Spring season included: Music, Theatre, and Speech & Debate students attended several NESDA, AMIS and ISTA festivals throughout Europe. In addition, the Co-curricular Arts was eager to show off a few of its musical productions in the Winter and Spring seasons including MIS’ rendition of The Little Shop of Horrors in the beginning of the year that also featured a mechanically-assisted growing plant, as well as Disney’s The Jungle Book in June.
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Alumni & Friends
50 Years of Dedication to MIS: Mr. Dan Glover
Remembering Stan Brown In May, alumni and friends met on campus along with Ruth Brown and her son David to remember Stan Brown, former Junior School Principal and teacher. MIS presented Ruth with a plaque that is now mounted on campus and dedicated it to him as a fondly remembered former faculty member and former Principal. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to share so many fond memories of Stan Brown.
An amazing day with alumni and friends at Frühlingsfest 2018
Currently a teacher in the Senior School, but formerly Athletics Director and All-Round Educator-Extraordinaire for MIS, Dan Glover has been serving on the faculty of Munich International School for 50 years. In June 2018, Dan’s incredible tenure on the MIS faculty will transition into a new phase as he retires from his teaching post. MIS is thrilled that Dan wishes to remain involved in the MIS community in a number of ways, but it will certainly be a significant change for the School that he will no longer serve on our faculty. In celebrating Dan’s extraordinary dedication to the School, current faculty and staff, as well as alumni and friends came together in the only way that Dan preferred with an outdoor barbecue and recreational sports evening. Munich International School will sincerely miss Dan’s passion, enthusiasm for teaching and most importantly his record of service in our community.
MIS was excited to see so many MIS Alumni & Friends at Frühlingsfest. It was an amazing day with perfect weather, delicious international food, great company, wonderful music, brilliant alumni vs varsity soccer matches and so much more. For all alumni who have not yet signed up to the MIS Alumni & Friends portal, please go ahead and register today at https:// alumni.mis-munich.de/.
Alumni reunions
As part of the launch of the Alumni & Friends Portal, MIS has continued to reconnect with reunion events in 2018. It has been a pleasure to meet with so many of the School’s former students and friends at events such as the Heinrich Harrer Cup in Austria, at dinner in San Jose, California and in London, UK. A reunion was also organized as far as Australia where former Head of School, Lister Hannah, brought alumni and friends together. To stay in touch and to hear about upcoming reunion events, please register by visiting alumni.mis-munich.de.
Felix Finkbeiner’s continued success Pathways On Tuesday, 27 February 2018, Munich International School welcomed Alumni & Friends to campus to speak with Senior School students about their future university and career-related aspirations.
Congratulations to Felix Finkbeiner, MIS class of 2015, for being awarded with the Bundesverdienstkreuz on 22 May for his environmental achievements and commitment.
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MIS believes that Senior School students make better IB course and university selections when they are provided with information and resources from a variety of professionals within the MIS community. Throughout the day, students were able to discuss and interact with professionals and ask questions that relate to important career choices and how to achieve their goals.
Important Calendar Events More details can be found online by visiting www.mis-munich.de/calendar JANUARY MAY 8
Classes Resume
Grade 4 PYP Exhibition
8-9
Grade 4 Exhibition Evening
16
Ascension Day (School Closed)
10
Open Day at MIS
23
Junior School Parent Principal Forum
15
Early Release
26
17
Junior School Parent Principal Forum
30
Middle School Parent Principal Forum Parent Association Meeting
Early Release FEBRUARY Pentecost Monday (School Closed) Early Childhood Conferences 1-2 ISST Track & Field Ski Week 10-18 Frühlingsfest Open Day at MIS 20 Corpus Christi (School Closed) Junior School Parent Principal Forum 22 Graduation Ceremony Middle School Parent Principal Forum Pathways Day 27 JUNE
2
ASA Winter Season Ends Early Release
7-10
SCIS/ISST Weekend PTV Staff Appreciation Lunch “Little Shop of Horrors” performance
19-23
IB Art Exhibition opening Spring Break
13
24 March – 8 April
14
PTV End of Year Breakfast Grade 3 Celebration of Learning
21
Middle School Sports Day EC Summer Celebration
22
Grade 2 Celebration
27 28 29
Senior School Parent Principal Forum
11
Last Day of Classes
Early Release
13
Summer Break
Middle School Parent Principal Forum
19
JULY
Grade 12 IB Exams
30 April – 18 May
31
The Jungle Book performance
10
23-27
27
8
June Early Release
Junior School Parent Principal Forum
Grade 12 Study Leave
23-26
5-6
Junior School Sports Day
Grade 4 Celebration Grade 8 Moving Up Ceremony
APRIL
21
1
Bridge Day (No Classes)
MARCH
18
30 June – 19 August
Summer Break AUGUST Math & EAL testing for new Senior School and selected Middle School students
16
Orientation Day for New Families
17
First day of classes
20
How do I become a part of the Munich International School Community?
How do I stay in touch with Munich International School?
Student Admissions: admissions@mis-munich.de
Munich International School Alumni & Friends: alumni@mis-munich.de
Employment Opportunities: employment@mis-munich.de
Giving at Munich International School: giving@mis-munich.de
www.mis-munich.de