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
..........................................
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
STEM: A Competition about Brain Science
Approximately how many photoreceptors does a human eye have? Which part of the brain produces memories of facts and is shaped like a seahorse?, Which process boosts the brain’s efficiency by increasing the speed in which a signal travels?
Students had to answer similar questions during the Second Annual GISW Brain Bee Challenge on Tuesday, January 8th. The winners will attend the Regional Brain Bee Competition in Washington DC in February.
Have you heard of the “Brain Bee”?
No, it’s nothing dangerous, but something very challenging and infectious going on at the GISW.
On Tuesday just after Christmas Break 8 brave competitors met in the science building for the GISW’s Second Annual Brain Bee Challenge.
Still don’t know what that is?
The International Brain Bee was launched in 1999 and is a world-wide neuroscience competition for high school students. The Brain Bee motivates students to learn about the brain, it captures their imaginations and inspires them to pursue careers in neuroscience helping to find cures for neurological and psychological disorders.
There are currently approximately 175 local chapter Brain Bee coordinators in more than 50 countries across 6 continents who conduct competitions annually. The winner of each local competition is invited to attend their respective regional Brain Bee competition, and the winner of each regional Brain Bee is invited to compete in the International Brain Bee World Championship. The Championship takes place in a different country each year and this year will be held in Daegu, South Korea, in conjunction with the 10th IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience in September 2019. (www.ibro2019.org)
Brain Bees test one's knowledge of the human brain and include such topics as intelligence, emotions, memory, sleep, vision, hearing, sensations, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression, addictions and brain research. The local competitions use a question-and-answer format, based on material from the Brain Facts book available at no cost online. The championship competitions may also involve a neuroanatomy laboratory session with human brain tissue, as well as neuro-histology with microscopes, brain imaging identification and patient diagnosis with patient actors.
So, who are the GISW’s top Brain Bee competitors?
The final question in our school competition was: what is the term used to describe the ability of the human brain to remodel and constantly change itself? For the answer, ask one of these competitors:
First Place Winner: Zoe McC., 9th grade
Second Place: Bianca B.,9th grade
Third Place: Cilian F., 9th grade
Zoe and Bianca won a tutoring day with a group of neuroscientists from Howard University and will represent our school at the D.C. Brain Bee in February.
Congratulations to them and Good Luck!
Do you want to know more?
Our GISW Brain Bee group (9th – 12th grade) meets every Tuesday from 3:15 – 4:45pm in the multipurpose room of the science building with Ms. Colopy.
Steffi Colopy
(STEM-Coordinator)
