Fafe and his father Roberto visited H.I.S. today. Fafe was in Grade 1 last school year. His former classmates welcomed him enthusiastically.
Here is a message from Fafe for his friends at H.I.S.:
I will miss you!
Come and visit me in Spain.
I am happy in the new school.
I am proud of myself in class.
I am happy I could visit you today.
Fafe
Fafe moved to Spain with his family. We wish him and his family all the very best – come and visit us again, Fafe!
photos: AS
December 6th is St. Nicolas Day in Germany. In remembrance of Saint Nicolas children in Germany get little gifts on that day hidden in their boots.
When the PYP students arrived this morning at school they found their self-made Nikolaus boot with a little surprise in it.
Who was walking through the hallway with his dirty boots? We might have an idea who the red piece of fabric belongs to, you too?
text & photos SST, VZ
Many thanks to all the mothers and fathers who attended our Child Protection Workshop and participated in the round table discussions. It was great to share information with so many members of the H.I.S. community.
We covered what German law requires of schools in Germany and the options and training the Student Support Team members have had to address student disclosures. Furthermore we spent time on defining and discussing child safety.
The new Child Protection Handbook is available on the school website. A great deal of work went into creating this handbook, which also ensures we comply with the German State laws and with the requirements of the those organisations that accredit us as an International IB World School.
Feel free to address any questions you have to Lance Fortner or Atashi Mukherjee and the Learning Support Team.
On Tuesday the 20th of November an expert from the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung came to visit the excited grade 9/10 German Language and Literature class. He was doing his “Volontariat” for the RNZ, which is a type of payed training to become a full-time “Redakteur” or editorial journalist.
He spoke to us for more than an hour, and explained, in depth, how the life of a journalist working for a newspaper is like. Describing the exciting experiences as well as the challenges and difficulties of taking that career path. Afterwards he told us a little about how writing articles for the newspaper is done best and gave us a few insider tips and tricks. After answering the many questions that the class had prepared beforehand he gave us some personal advice for our own projects.
A few weeks ago we have started a so called “Schüler machen Zeitung Projekt” which entails daily RNZ subscription and a newspaper article writing competition where every student is to write an article about something that fascinates the and the best ones will be printed and published in the newspaper! There is also a money- prize for the best three articles from all students taking part in this project.
We were very happy to get such a behind the scenes and in depth overview of journalism and writing articles so a great thanks to Herr Jonas Labrenz.
text: Ishikaa
On the 13th of November, we visited the Waldpiraten Camp in Boxberg. If you recall, earlier this school year we had a Waldpiraten run, in which the whole school was involved.
We, students and teachers, ran under the hot sun for a few hours and donated money for each lap. Turns out, we collected 2805.38 Euros , the largest sum ever raised by the H.I.S community. The money was donated to the Waldpiraten Camp as H.I.S. has done so for years.
Sonja Müller, the leader of the camp, also gave us a tour of the camp and was astounded by the amount of contributions and was curious to know more about our yearly run to support their organization.
The Waldpiraten Camp is a place where children who are diagnosed with cancer or have disabilities can come together, share their experiences, and have a good time. A certain number of children join the nine day camps throughout the year, however mainly during summer months. They also have the chance to bring their relatives on specific weekends. The whole camp operates on government subsidies and donations similar to the one our school gave. The money we donated, according to Sonja Mueller (one of the social education workers at the camp), can pay the full stay for two children at the camp.
Along with giving our collections of donations, we also got a tour of the camp. Here are a few insights of the camp. The camp has a variety of facilities including:
The organization emphasizes that all children taking part in the camp will be able to share the same experiences, as the different activities they provide have been adjusted to all conditions. For example, at the camp they have an adventure park in the trees where all the children can take part and climb along the obstacles. Certain obstacles that attach to platforms are constructed in a way that children in a wheelchair can also have the chance to participate and experience being high up in the trees. Sonja Müller, told us that there are also other exercises they perform on a rock climbing section, where the children that can see have to cover their eyes with a blindfold and then try to climb up the wall. It is important for some of those in the camp that are not blind to understand how difficult it is to do certain activities and also have the chance to experience it for themselves. By the end of their camp, the children end their exciting nine days with a disco party, which they all love to take part in.
The camp, organization, and facility is truly another home for the children, that allows them to feel comfortable and at the same time, develop new skills through a variety of activities.
Thank you, H.I.S. community, for being “dedicated to making a difference” over the years by supporting the Waldpiraten organization and giving opportunities for children to go to the camp.
text: Kyra & Pritha
One hundred years ago, the Great War ended on 11th November 1918. This year also marks the centenary of the November Revolution in Germany. On the Thursday, 15th November, members of the school community gathered for the H.I.S. World War One evening. 
As part of a major collaborative unit in I&S, Science, English and the Arts, students explored the First World War from various different aspects and parents and students had a chance to experience the work of the grade nine and ten classes during the evening.
Student work in Grade ten showcased major personalities of the Great War, including politicians, writers and scientists such as Ted Hughes, Bertrand Russell and Marie Curie, as well as work on scientific inventions made at the time and their latter developments. There was a beautiful display of student art work that related to the theme of the evening. The drawings made in art class related to the effects of the First World War.
Periodically during the evening, Grade 10 students read out war poetry and Grade 9 students their short stories. Their creative writing work was also on display. While many of the poems were written by the students themselves, among the better-known pieces of classic war poetry read out loud during the evening was Wilfred Owen´s Dulce et Decorum Est. 
Special thanks to the PTG for providing the snacks for the evening and also to the Grade 12 students who helped produce the advertising posters and who organized the catering during the evening.
As the sky turned blue and then almost black, students, parents and staff members lit candles for a minute of silence for peace and remembrance. This quiet peace demonstration was one of the enduring memories of the evening. 
Text by KG and SAB.
This week Students from the Grade 7 Science class had the pleasure to receive answers to their questions about the human heart and heart conditions from an expert:
Dr. Chirojit Mukherjee, chairman at the Heart Center Karlsruhe, was their distinguished guest speaker.
Grade 7 students had the chance to increase their knowledge of cardiology and to prepare for the task ahead.
The students plan to create a book suitable to inform Primary School students about the processes in the heart and heart diseases.
Many thanks to Dr. Mukherjee for his visit to H.I.S.
photo: KM
Grade 7 students have been learning about the Respiratory system in Science lessons. As part of this unit they have completed some First Aid training to supplement their knowledge and understanding. 
Specifically, students have learned the procedure and techniques on how to perform CPR and resuscitate people. This is a really important skill that more people should have. The students of Grade 7 will repeat the training later in the school year. They were very motivated and keen to learn during the session. Well Done!
text & photos JK