Current

Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 2

If you are not yet familiar with ISR, you are invited to attend Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 2nd, from 11:00-15:00 hrs. For families looking for educational solutions in the Dusseldorf region, you are welcome to join us at this special school festival to get a feel for the ISR community. In the meantime, feel free to read what families say about ISR and watch the video below prior to your visit and checkout other info on our Facebook Fan Page.

If you cannot attend, if your needs are more immediate, or if you would already like an individual consultation, please call +49 2131 40388-14/-15 for an appointment. Everyone is welcome. 

Now is the time to register for Summer School!

IB and AP Art Exibition

Thanks to all who visited the ISR IB & AP Art Exhibition between 22nd April to 28th April at Museum Kunstraum in Neuss.

We appreciate the support from ISR families - we noticed parents from Kindergarten, Elementary and High School that enjoyed the unique art pieces exibited by Lara P., Christiane W. and Natsumi A. We are very proud of our young talents and are sure they will leave a great impression in the art scene.

If you are interested in joining the mailing list for Museum Kunstraum Neuss please send an email with your contact details to MUSEUM-KUNSTRAUM-NEUSS@t-online.de

 

 

 

We are proud of our sporty staff members!

 

Not one, not two, but three of our staff members lately had sportive sucess!

We are very proud of Mr McCullim who walked 26 miles from Hampden to Loch Lomond to raise money for sick and disadvantaged children. He thanked the ISR community this morning for helping him raise ca. 1500€! "This is how happy I looked at the finish line." The last 2 hours were in the rain. (You can find further information about the Kilt Walk here: http://www.thekiltwalk.co.uk/main/aboutkiltwalk.html)

Congratulations to Mr. Johnstone and Mr. Nistoroiu who ran a highly-successful Düsseldorf Marathon on 28 April 2012!
Mr. Johnstone ran it in 3h8m48s and finished 201th overall from 3011 runners. He was also 29th overall in age category and 2nd of all runners from the UK! Mr. Johnstone acan now apply for an entry place into many of the world's top marathons.

Mr Nistoroiu ran it in 3h16m52s and finished 309th overall from 3011 runners. He was also 56th in age category and 1st Romanian over the line! Fantastic achievement considering Mr Nistoroiu had fought with a hamstring injury almost from the very beginning of the race.

 

 

Grade 11 Class Trip to Budapest

From March 22^nd – 25^th Grade 11 students, together with chaperones Mr. Urban (SLO^®) and Ms. Henebry (Art) enjoyed a relaxed, cultural class trip to Budapest in Hungary. The sun was shining down as we explored former royal Buda and, across the river, the commercial and residential area of Pest! Friday started off with a road & river tour of Budapest in an amphibious bus with ‘magic moments’; followed by exploring Hungary’s three parliaments, with a guided tour around the eldest. On Saturday we explored the history of fascism and communism of Hungary in The House of Terror, and discovered what the secret underground torture and detention facilities looked like. After this we all needed time back in the sun along the river bank, and a bite to eat. Sunday we visited the amazing Szechenyi outdoor(!)Baths, where we lounged in the warm thermal baths, and had fun in the water snake.

 

 

Some ups, some downs at the Under 14 Basketball GISST Tournament

From Coach Johnstone

It gives me great pleasure to report back on the progress of our Under-14 Boys and Girls Basketball Squads in their respective GISST (German International School Sport Tournaments) in Erlangen and Hannover March 23-25, 2012.

Day 1
Boys: Unfortunately ISR lost marginally to the hosts Franconian I.S. 27:16, then again even more marginally to Hannover I.S. by 22:17, before picking themselves up to win against Berlin British School 33:26. This was enough to send our pupils through in 2nd place (from 4) in the group to the championship round, meaning a 6th place finish was the minimum we could achieve.

Girls: An early start for the girls at 08:30 saw them defeated 42:0 against Berlin Brandenburg I.S. This was a tough first match against the team who finished up eventual 3rd place. Next up saw our girls play Franconian I.S. and Berlin British School, however it wasn’t to be our day, and the girls lost both games 34:6 and 28:8. So the girls would play out day 2 for 7/8/9 place overall.

Day 2
Boys: Following the good news, spirits were high and the boys were confident, however Stuttgart I.S. were just too strong on the day and came out 33:17 winners. This meant a rematch against Berlin British School to compete for a 5th/6th finish overall. After leading most of the game, our pupils tired and in the dying 30 seconds, B.B.S. scored 3 points to win 24:22. Heartbreaking! So a 6th place finish from 9 teams for our boys.

Girls: After a short wait, the girls faced up against our sister SABIS school from Frankfurt, losing 26:12, and then playing Berlin British School for a second time, losing so marginally 12:4. So overall a 9th place finish. It should be said that our squad were considerably younger and less experienced so in all honesty the number of losses are irrelevant as these girls will benefit from this experience and learn for the future, and as the boys have done, make small steps to improvement as each year goes by.

Final Standings:

Boys: 1-Berlin IS, 2-Bavaria IS, 3-Stuttgart IS, 4-Hannover IS, 5-Berlin British School, 6-ISR Neuss, 7-IS Frankfurt, 8-Berlin Brandenburg IS, 9-Franconian IS.

Girls: 1-Hannover IS, 2-Stuttgart IS, 3-Berlin Brandenburg, 4-Bavarian IS, 5-Franconian IS, 6-Berlin IS, 7-IS Frankfurt, 8-Berlin British School, 9-ISR Neuss.

The following pupils were in attendance:

Boys: Julien F. (G8), Tim H. (G8), Florian E. (G8), Leonard S. (G8), Leon S. (G7), Kelvin S. (G6), Justus S. (G6), Jonas F. (G6).

Girls: Helin B. (G7), Addison B. (G7), Vivian K. (G6), Pia H. (G6), Franziska K. (G6), Janna L. (G6), Franca L. (G6), Kira O. (G6).

Please pass on your congratulations and praise them for their efforts while away representing ISR. The boys are extremely proud not to finish last, and although 5th was within our grasp, a 6th place had it been on offer at the beginning, we would have taken it. Likewise, the girls should in no way feel bad for their placing, rather for their overall attitude and behaviour while away as it is clear they have done an excellent job in representing our school. With regular training, our squads will become more experienced and will become a better team in years to come.

Thank you very much to Ms. Nistoroiu for leading and to Ms. Baker for chaperoning the girls group. Please, if anyone is interested in chaperoning our pupils in the future, when the opportunity arises come forward and let us know in the P.E. Department. The trips are a great chance for the pupils to mix and bond with pupils from other year groups, and it is a nice opportunity for staff to get to know the pupils outside the classroom and watch them playing an activity they love to do. It becomes very clear how well behaved and well mannered our pupils are here at ISR when you witness them outside the classroom in unfamiliar territory. Host families at the other schools have nothing but positive things to say about our pupils, which gives you an enormous sense of pride in our pupils.

Grade 12 student finishes 2D mural outside of ISR artroom

Currently working towards Advanced Placement Studio Art-2D exam, G12 Student Natsumi A. just completed an ambitious mural outside the art room on the first floor of ISR school building. The painting features an optical illusion, wherein Natsumi herself is leaning out of a framed painting and reading a book titled ‘What My Mother Doesn’t Know’. The building in the background is taken from a photograph of Grade 10, 11 and 12 students outside the British Museum on this years’ London Art Trip.

Natsumi’s main concentration in AP art is the effect of technology on humans. She intends to study art in Japan. Her work, and the work of IB art students Christiane W. and Lara P. may be viewed during ISR’s first external art exhibition at Kunstraum Neuss in April this year.

 

 

 

 

ISR Students at the MUN Conference at International School of Stuttgart

ISR students participated in the Model United Nation organized by the International School of Stuttgart from 01-04 March.  A delegation of Grade 11 students accompanied by Mrs. Dickson and Mr. Michaud attendied this event. ISR students represented the countries of Guatemala and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Our students were very professional in their portrayal of delegates from those countries. The ambassador speeches given by Alexander M. and Shun Y. were among the BEST! We received many compliments from students, staff and organizers on their skill at debate, public speaking and their level of preparation.

Congratulations to all our students on an EXCELLENT JOB!  Students who might be interested in learning more about debate or MUN please see any of the students listed below or speak to Mr. Michaud and Ms. Dickson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

University Fair at ISR

On Friday 02 March, ISR hosted a University Fair which was attended by students from Grades 9-12. Fourteen European Universities set up information stands in the cafeteria and answered the numerous questions our students had. We heard some very enthusiastic comments from Grade 12 and Grade 11 students who seem to have found their dream universities. For Grade 9 students, this was a first introduction into the world of university fairs and a good exercise in learning how to present yourself at career and university fairs!

We had unanimously-positive feedback from the university and college representatives. Everyone commended us on our polite students who were well prepared and asked intelligent questions! It seems the College Fair was a success for students and the Admission officers alike. We look forward to future university fairs at ISR.

 These were the participating institutes:
• Jacobs University Bremen, Germany
• Carl Benz School, KIT, Germany
• Webster Leiden, NL or Vienna, Austria
• Tilburg University, NL
• Modul University Vienna, Austria
• Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland
• Vesalius College, Brussels
• Hult International Business School, London UK
• American Intercontinental University,
• IE University, Spain
• Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus, Spain
• Università Bocconi, Italy
• American University Paris, France
• Franklin College Switzerland

Dance recital at ISR

On February 15th there was a little performance by students attending the Pre-Ballet, Ballet and Jazz dance activities which showcased what they have accomplished this schoolyear.

Thank you to the instructors, Mrs. Vossel and Ms. Frassmann for organizing this nice event and to our graceful dancers!  Well done!

 

U12 Basketball ISR vs. Anette-von-Droste-Hülshoff Gymnasium

On Thursday March 1st, 2012, the ISR U12 Basketball Squad was in action for their 3rd game in the GLORIA GIANTS Basketball League. Facing them that day was the opponents from Anette-von-Droste-Hülshoff-Gymnasium, Düsseldorf. Considering that both teams had qualified 1st place in their respective groups, this was sure to be an exciting game, and it didn’t disappoint! After the opposition had arrived, and had been given their tour of our school, both teams proceeded to warm-up and prepare for the impending tip-off at 16:30.

The boys from ISR, fresh from a one-week holiday, were slow to get going and the AVDH Gymnasium raced in to a 10-point lead. However, the ISR team showed great determination to fight their way back into the game over the course of the next 2 Periods of play. A nail-biting finish ensued as with only 30 seconds on the clock, with ISR leading by 2 points, the AVDH Gymnasium leveled the scoring at 26-26! It really was end-to-end and both sides experienced Periods of time in the lead. Coach Johnstone attempted to mastermind his squad to victory with several tactical decisions. However, in the end, a tied game was probably a fair result, neither team having done enough to win the game. Each of the 8 boys representing ISR played their part and are as of yet undefeated in the GLORIA GIANTS Basketball League! A fantastic achievement! Well done players Max, Moritz, Kelvin, Mahmoud, Malik, Jonas, Justus, and Mostafa and Coach Johnstone!

Ski Trip 2012 – Mölltaler Gletscher

On Friday February 17th, 2012, 16 students from ISR, accompanied by Ms. Schneider, Ms. Henebry, Mr. Johnstone and Mr. Saballek, boarded a bus to embark on an 8-day ski trip deep in the heart of the  Austrian Alps. The exact destination was Mallnitz, which you may not know, lies very close to the all-year-round ski area, being the Mölltaler Gletscher. Some students skied, while others snowboarded, but regardless of ability, each student and teacher was able to receive expert instruction from the ski school located directly on the slopes.

The ski region in which we were in, offered students the chance to ski or snowboard on a wide variety of blue, red and – for the more advanced students – black slopes. Not that you would miss the ISR students however, as each one was wearing their purple hooded pullover, complete with ‘ISR Ski and Snowboard Camp 2012’ print directly across the back, as well as ‘ISR’ down the arm. A fantastic idea by Ms. Schneider, which all of the students were unaware of before the trip, only to be handed this upon arrival at the Hotel. Each student took great pride in showing this off, both on and off the ski slopes, and some have even been spotted wearing this on their return to school, way to go guys.

Another particular highlight from the week was an activity that took place on the penultimate evening of the trip, where everyone went SNOW RAFTING. This proved to be an enthralling experience, being pulled and spun down a ski slope by three highly proficient skiers from the Ski School, moving over each bump on the hill with enough speed to actually lift you out of your seat on the boat. In addition, students were able to enjoy the local swimming pool facilities, as well as exploring the local village during the evenings.

Each student conducted themselves in an excellent manner at all times while on the trip and should be commended for acting as good ambassadors for ISR while away. It is hoped that this year’s Ski Trip will generate some more interest for the planned Ski Trip in 2013, possibly to a new and improved ski region. A big thank you to all the students who attended for making the Ski Trip the success that it was, and of course to all staff for giving up their time in order to allow such a fantastic trip to happen. We look forward to seeing many more happy faces on the ski slopes next year.

100th Day of School

Since the beginning of the academic year the children of Grade 2 have been busy counting down the days of school. All this counting was of course for a great reason reinforcing our understanding of place value. This Thursday 9th of February, the 100th Day finally arrived! The children began counting on their first day in Grade 2. Each school day, our 100th Day Calendar was shaded with an appropriate color and a popsicle stick was placed in our units bag.

Every ten days of school = one bundle of ten. On the 100th Day of school we reached our target: ten bundles of ten =100.  To mark this important date children from participated in a number of activities based on the concept of 100. They also brought their own collections of 100 to school. Here are some of their wonderful ideas: 100 Lego pieces, an abacus, 100 cola bottles, 100 hazelnuts, 100 matchsticks, 100 cent, 100 grains of rice, 100cm length of string, 100 bags of Haribo, a 100 piece jigsaw, 100 soccer cards and more.

ISR organizes Intramural Football Competition

On Thursday the 26th of January SLO^®´s first intramural took place. Grade 7, 8, and 9 competed against each other in an exciting football tournament. The games took place in Period 6 and 7 with 6 group games at first and then a final between the teams with the most points. In the end Grade 9 edged over Grade 8 followed by Grade 7. Therefore, the finalists turned out to be Grade 8 and Grade 9, with Grade 8 winning deservedly with 2-1. As a reward, all players of Grade 8 won a pizza party. A great thank you to everybody who participated or helped to set up the event.

 

 

 

 

 

Lock-In was loads of fun

On January the 27th the SLO® Event Department organized a school Lock-In. There were snacks, pizza and much more! The gym was used for a variety of fun games and activities and music in the cafeteria was played all night long! Students danced in the cafeteria to great music provided by our amazing DJ’s. Ms. Schneider opened the gym for all kids and they played sports like badminton, soccer, basketball and table tennis over several hours. In addition to this the students arranged a little pillow fight and also dodge ball tournament… fun fun fun! The pizza arrived at 11 o’clock. It was a hit! The students loved the movies and video games students brought in. Next morning all kids awaited a large and amazingly delicious breakfast provided by the Parent Network. Overall the whole School Lock-In revealed itself as a fantastic event.

Thank you to the parent network for providing the breakfast on Saturday morning and also thank you the teachers who helped organize the event and supervised.  Thank you to all who came and to all students who helped to set and clean up. We hope you enjoyed it and participate in the next ISR School Lock-In as well!

New IB Diploma Language B Option for International/Path to University Course Selection

The KMK recognition of the Language B High Level program for application to German university opens new opportunities for students whose strengths do not necessarily lie in the language area, for example, our “scientists”. It also opens opportunities for international students who may be strong in either German or English but who may not have a developed second language. This new decision will allow students to enter the IB Diploma Program with the option of studying at a German university who could not qualify before due to the two required and more difficult level A literature and language classes.

Thank you to all parents and students for attending Wednesday’s important meeting to begin course selection planning for next year. Our first course selection meetings with students in the UCC office have taken place, and the completed forms have gone home to the families for discussion.

We have encouraged students to look realistically at the performance in their current Grade 10 courses when making selections in order to maximize the final IB score to be obtained. It is also important to research possible university programs with the university office so that chosen courses are in line with programs offered.

And a word to the wise: Grade 10 students need to complete 2 hours of study outside the classroom each day with a break on one day in the weekend. Studying for Periodic exams must begin one week before the exam with two revisions, one in the middle of the week and one the day before the exam. It is not enough to study the evening before to achieve a score of 75% and above, which is where students should be positioned at this point in the academic year.

 

 

Boys Basketball Scores Victory on Pro-Team Gloria Giants' Court

On Sunday 22 January, ten students from Grades 6 and 7 participated in a competitive basketball match as part of the schools league. After a tough battle and end-to-end action, the ISR students were victorious against Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium 35-28. This match was played at Castello in Düsseldorf, where professional players from the Gloria Giants play their home matches. The experience for our students to not only play in this facility, but to experience success while doing so, was fantastic and hopefully one they will never forget!

The following pupils should be congratulated on their efforts and for being part of a winning side: Max S.(7), Moritz H. (7), Mahmoud S. (6), Justus S. (6), Malik C. (6), Jonas F. (6), Vincent S. (6), Kelvin S. (6), Alexander T. (6) and Mostafa S. (4).

The next basketball game for our students is on Thursday 2nd February against Konrad-Heresbach-Gymnasium. Congratulations!

What’s new with CAS at ISR?

ISR is happy to announce that all students are participating with enthusiasm in their CAS Program.  As mentioned earlier, each student is responsible to create and maintain this program over most part of their IB program by participating in various individual and group activities and projects.

Many of these are taking place outside of school and some of them within the school walls. Here is an updated list of the various projects undertaken by ISR students:

• Regenbogenland Children's Hospice--various visits by students, funds raised and donated to organization.
• Model United Nations--training currently taking place, approx. 10 students will be representing ISR
  accompanied by Ms. Dickson in Stuttgart from March 1st- 4th. 
• Cambodia Hope Project--various fundraising events taking place throughout the year, in the planning for students to visit and support the orphanage this school year
• Kinder und Jugendhaus in Grevenbroich--first visit took place last weekend and was a great success! Some friendships have already started to develop! THANK YOU to the Parent Network for their unconditional support in this project! 
• ISR Student Newsletter--the ISR “Gravity” Newsletter Team, already published the 2nd edition before the holiday season. We are very proud of the effort and results of their initiatives.
• Brüder-Grimm Schule English Tutoring Project--five IB Year 1 students are supporting this project by volunteering weekly to teach English to children of various ages.
• SABIS Student Life Organization^® Prefects--many IB Year 1 students are directly coordinating, preparing and putting in place various SLO^® events and projects that we are seeing at ISR. 

The commitment of not only the IB students but all students involved in student life at ISR is making this school a better place for them, the community and the whole world.  Thank you for making a difference. We are proud of these great accomplishments!

ISR Alumni Reception held over the holidays

ISR held its first-ever Alumni Reception before the holiday break in December. School administrators, Grade 11 and 12 students and teachers were present to welcome back alumni from 2011. The alumni  spoke about life after ISR, and there was unanimous agreement that they were well prepared at ISR for their university courses. Ms. Wacker shared feedback and comments she received from alumni who could not attend the reception. The Alumni received a special ISR pen as a momento and signed the ISR Alumni book. Delicious finger food rounded off this special get-together. A tradition has begun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd Year for BEST IN GERMANY on IGCSE Exams!

ISR is proud to announce that two students, Johanna K. and Henri S., received the top score in all of Germany in their International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams in Foreign Language Spanish and English as a Second Language respectively. Both students, now in Grade 11, took the exams in June 2011.

Since 2008, ISR has been doing IGCSE exams. And, this is the THIRD time that ISR received the top scores in Germany! Congratulations to the students and their teachers. The exams are issued by the University of Cambridge.

ISR also congratulates its sister school, ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main, who is celebrating a tie for the top score in the world in First Language German.  In addition, ISF received the highest marks in Germany in Foreign Language German, Mathematics, First Language Korean, Physics, and Economics.

ISR and ISF are the only two SABIS^® schools in Germany and have, for two years in a row now, made quite a nice sweep of top scores in their host country.