Grade 5 students worked hard the last few weeks planning and organising the traditional Faschingsparty for all the PYP students. In the colourfully decorated MPR, the classes played various games, went on a parade through the school, danced and enjoyed this special morning. So many students put a lot of effort and time into creating wonderful costumes which made it very difficult to choose only two winners per class.
text: VZ, photos: AS
We are entering the final stages of preparation for the Human Rights Exhibition. Students across the MYP are working hard to produce high quality work for their exhibits. There will be poetry, factual posters, critical explorations of the Human Rights Declaration, film clips and even discussions about cloning. Doors open at 7 pm on Monday 11th March for the whole school community and the general public. We look forward to seeing you there!
Text: HP; photos: BK & KG
Grade 7 students went on a field trip about heritage, where they explored the different traces of heritage, like landmarks or memorials, that they can find in Heidelberg. Each student had a landmark to talk about, and they gave a brief history of the landmark and how it relates to Heidelberg.
They began on the Alte Brücke, where the Heidelberg Schloss and Philosophenweg were visible. 3 students then gave a brief presentation about their respective landmarks.
Somewhere along the trip, they stopped at the Heidelberg university, where presentations were given about the Witch Tower, the University, and the Heidelberg Disputation (Martin Luther).
They then made it to the Kurpfälzisches Museum, where they were given a talk about the Romans, how they relate to Germany, different bits and pieces of pottery, and how they buried the dead. There was even a recreation of what an underground cult base could have looked like in the past.
They eventually found themselves at Bismarckplatz, where a short presentation was given about Bismarck. The students then dispersed for a while to grab a snack.
After a fun time at a Spielplatz, they trekked through the mud and arrived at a WW1 and WW2 memorial, where they respectfully gave their regards to those whose lives were lost during the wars, young and old.
That concludes the field trip, it was really interesting taking a step back in the past, and seeing how people used to live.
text: Grade 7 student
On Thursday 21st February, the Grade 10 students presented their personal projects to the H.I.S. community. We would like to thank everyone who attended and hope that you enjoyed the evening and had a chance to see the presentations that covered a variety of topics.
The event celebrated the end of a journey for the Grade 10 students and was an opportunity for them to demonstrate their achievements. It was a great opportunity to see some of the products the students created as well as talk to the students individually about their projects. It also provided some ideas and inspiration for Grade 9 students who will start their introduction to the Personal Projects later on this year.
The projects included presentations on a wide variety of subjects including GERD, Autism, creation of business plans, advertising, the economics behind holding a FIFA world cup, expressing ourselves through facial expressions, healthy cooking, language learning, methodologies, how to make a successful cartoon, Artificial Intelligence and using a triptych to display three elements that are related and complement each other.
On the following day, Friday 22nd February, the Grade 10 students presented their projects to Grades 3 – 5 in the PYP as they were invited to come and see what the students had achieved. This again provided a little inspiration for the Grade 5’s as they have just started working on their exhibition.
text: SAB; photos: AS
Grade 6 students have been exploring stem cells and the hope they offer for new therapies. The students became aware of the benefits of the stem cells therapy but they noted that these innovations have been hotly debated.
The Grade 6 students bravely took the challenge to simplify the science behind the stem cell research and therapies and presented all the ethical and scientific challenges in treating diseases such as Leukemia or Alzheimer for example, to Grade 3 students. The collaboration turned out to be a real success and a joyful and productive experience.
text: MM
In January, H.I.S. introduced students to our most recent ManageBac integration, BridgeU, a total university and careers guidance platform for global schools.
Students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 began using the platform, with grades 11 and 12 looking for university matches and grades 9 and 10 assessing their strengths and interests to identify career possibilities.
Since the initial roll-out of BridgeU with William Ledbetter, Lance Fortner, and Homeroom teachers, students in grades 9 and 10 have had further guided sessions; grade 9 and 10 students have worked to identify career possibilities, and students in grade 10 have looked at country requirements for university placement with regard to the upcoming selection of their Diploma Programme courses.
Students in grades 11 and 12 continue to work asynchronously on university selection and applications, respectively. Our goal is to make a difference in our students’ progression toward post-secondary education.
text: WL
MYP students are busy preparing the Human Rights Exhibition (March 11). The official brochure of the “Internationales Zentrum Heidelberg” is online.
We are so fortunate to live in a multicultural environment and the International Diversity Club, a Friday Activity for MYP students, celebrates the cultural diversity by exchanging traditions and experiences.
Last Friday the students of the International Diversity Club enjoyed Argentinian, German and Bulgarian traditions by sharing traditional food like German Dampfnudeln, Bulgarian Sudzhuk and Argentinian Alfajores Havanna, while drinking Mate Rosamante tea in the traditional Argentinian way.
text & photos MM