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
STEM: GISW Students take a trip to Mars
On November 4, 2019, the scientists and robot FuF groups met with their teachers Dr. Ellenrieder and Mr. Thiemeyer, to take part in a project at the Challenger Center for Space Science Education (http://www1.pgcps.org/howardbowens/).
The school bus left after the third period to take us to the Challenger Center. After a short lunch break the program began. Sitting in a small auditorium we were introduced to the topic and our mission goals. In a short video followed by a presentation, we were told that NASA had built a station on the Mars moon, Phobos, so that astronauts could live there. Part of our mission was also to find water and possibly other life forms on planet Mars. We also got tips and hints on how to work with the computers we would use for that operation.
Next we were divided into two groups and assigned our positions. I became the "Mission Commander", others were weather experts, biologists, engineers or other personnel. Each group had a teacher and a supervisor for assistance.
The first assignment for my group was to fly in the rocket from the Phobos station back to Mars. So we went aboard the space shuttle through a dark revolving door. Inside the shuttle were different workplaces with computers and equipment for each of our positions. Everyone found their place quickly and started working. The tasks we had to do in order to land on Mars were shown on our monitors. With microphones and walkie-talkies, we were able to communicate with the group on Mars. Some of us had to observe the weather while others built a rover for landing. During our flight we had to solve several problems. For example, we had a sudden oxygen leak and had to deal with an asteroid that came right at us. But with some smart moves and a lot of team work we successfully managed the first part of the expedition.
After that, my group went to the station on the moon Phobos. From there we had to control the landing of the space shuttle on Mars, again. In addition, the asteroid's crater had to be explored and the astronauts who were on Mars also had to be helped, because the asteroid had caused damage. Luckily we were able to rescue the astronauts. We also found water in the asteroid crater and even discovered an alien.
At the end, both our groups were highly praised for our success in all our missions, which other groups had failed to achieve. Unfortunately, it was time to go back to school to work on our personal missions at the GISW.
This field trip was a fantastic experience.
Commander Sophie T. (8B)
