UPDATE: Earlier Release
<Please scroll down for English version>
Liebe Eltern und Erziehungsberechtigte,
aufgrund der aktuellen Wetterwarnung in unserer Region und im Interesse der Sicherheit aller Schülerinnen und Schüler sowie Mitarbeitenden beenden wir den Unterricht und das Kindergartenprogramm heute vorzeitig um 12:55 Uhr. Die Schulbusse werden das Schulgelände um 13:05 Uhr verlassen.
Um eine ungefähre Ankunftszeit an Ihrer Haltestelle zu ermitteln, bitten wir Sie, sich an den Zeiten der regulären Busroute zu orientieren.
Wenn Ihr Kind nicht mit dem Bus fährt, holen Sie es bitte um 12:55 Uhr ab.
Sollte sich die Wettersituation so entwickeln, dass es erforderlich ist, werden wir selbstverständlich alle Schülerinnen und Schüler sicher in den Gebäuden behalten und Schutz im Gebäude gewährleisten, bis eine sichere Situation gegeben ist.
Falls Sie aufgrund von Verkehr oder Wetter nicht genau um 12:55 Uhr zur Abholung eintreffen können, werden wir die Kinder weiterhin in den jeweiligen Gebäuden – Preschool, Elementary School und im Hauptgebäude – betreuen und im Gebäude lassen, bis Sie sicher an der Schule angekommen sind, um Ihr Kind abzuholen.
Bitte fahren Sie vorsichtig, versuchen Sie jedoch so zeitnah wie möglich zur Schule zu kommen, da wir bemüht sind, die Gebäude für die Sicherheit aller Beteiligten so bald wie möglich nach 12:55 Uhr zu leeren.
Sollte es zu Verzögerungen bei der Abfahrt der Schulbusse kommen, werden wir Sie selbstverständlich umgehend mit einem weiteren Update informieren.
Wir danken Ihnen für Ihr Verständnis und wünschen Ihnen und Ihrer Familie, dass Sie gut und sicher durch das heutige Wetter kommen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Die Schulleitung
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Dear Parents and Guardians,
Due to the severe weather alert in our region, and in the interest of the safety of all students and staff, classes and the preschool program will end early today at 12:55 pm. School buses will depart campus at 1:05 pm.
To estimate the approximate arrival time at your bus stop, please refer to the times listed on the regular bus route schedule.
If your child does not ride the bus please pick them up at 12:55pm.
If the situation warrants it, we will certainly keep all students safely sheltered inside the buildings and ensure everyone remains safe until conditions allow otherwise.
If you happen to be delayed in traffic or by the weather and cannot arrive exactly at 12:55 pm for pickup, students will remain inside their respective buildings - Preschool, Elementary School, and the Main Building - and will be supervised until you arrive safely to pick up your child.
Please drive carefully and do your best to be on time, as we are for everyone’s safety hoping to have the buildings cleared as soon as possible after 12:55 pm.
If bus departures are delayed, we will certainly provide another update promptly.
Thank you for your understanding. We wish everyone a safe afternoon and hope you stay safe during the weather.
Kind regards,
School Leadership
From Cesspools to Sewage Systems
On Wednesday, January 16 Wolfgang Schäfer visited the German International School and delivered an address to the 10th, 11th and 12th grade students about one of Europe’s most severe health crises, the Cholera Epidemic of the mid-19th century.
As personal context for his presentation on the history of public sanitation, Mr. Schäfer mentioned that in 1905 his grandfather had bought a company, A. AIRD, which built the sewage system of London.
Due to large increases in low wage employment created by the industrial revolution, the population of London grew to 24 million people. In August 1854, people in London, especially in the poorer parts of the city, lived under terrible conditions where there was very little hygiene. There was a dreadful stench created by cesspool trenches throughout the city, and many people began to suffer from explosive diarrhea and profuse vomiting. Soon their faces would turn blue as their blood pressure dropped and their heartbeat became irregular. After 10 days 500 people died. People tried to find a cause for the disease and came to the conclusion that it was being spread by the miasma (foul and unhealthy air).
Years later a doctor, John Snow, looked at the information available about the outbreak of cholera, and realized that the theory about the disease being transferred by bad air was incorrect, because people that worked on the sewage system didn’t get sick as often as others. Dr. Snow also thought about why the cholera wasn’t affecting people’s lungs. He was criticized for his theory, but eventually he was proved correct. The deaths caused by the cholera outbreak triggered the development of the field of epidemiological research. The improvements achieved in London made its system a model for sewage systems throughout the world. That progress over the years contributed to great improvement in public health.
Mr. Schäfer’s presentation was very stimulating, and the students learned a lot about Cholera and how it is spread.
by Anika N. 10a
