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
USA Science & Engineering Festival 2018
USA-SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FESTIVAL 2018 – SEE WHERE STEM CAN TAKE YOU
The German International School Washington D.C. was Among Featured Exhibitors and Presenters at USA Science & Engineering Festival 2018
On April 7th and 8th, 2018 the nation’s biggest science festival opened its gates for the 5th time. (This was the GISW’s 3rd year of participation). More than 350,000 visitors were drawn to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. for the grand finale of the festival’s year-long science celebration. Taking over the entire convention center, the Festival Expo featured over 3,000 hands-on activities showcasing how STEM can take you into the deep blue, into cyberspace, inside the human body, into nature, into outer space and beyond!
The festival featured science celebrities, explorers, astronauts, physicists, inventors, and experts in fields like oceanography, climatology, robotics, medical research, neuroscience, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and more.
“Our … future relies on encouraging more kids to go into STEM careers….We are hoping to capture their imaginations by introducing them to science rock stars and engaging them in real science projects.” explained Marc Schulman, Festival executive director.
That message is consistent with the GISW’s commitment to STEM and MINT. Although the faculty and students were on school break at that time, they did not miss the opportunity to participate in the festival and to showcase our STEM-program.
“How many water droplets fit on a penny?” “Can a paper clip float?” Visitors to our booth figured it out – with hands-on experiments and lively explanations by our motivated students and their teachers, in both German and in English – BILINGUAL!
A big attraction for many kids at the expo was “Georgie” our gecko, who showed off her remarkable skills of clinging to surfaces at unreal angles.
In this way the GISW attracted interest not only to our STEM-program, but also to the German Language School Washington; and new contacts with science institutions in our area were formed.
The GISW is proud to be a recognized part of the Washington science community and the school thanks Ms. Bankert, Ms. Colopy, Dr. Ellenrieder, Ms. Fricke and Mr. Torst for their enormous effort to make our participation in the Science Festival a success once again. But foremost we appreciate the dedication of our students and their parents who were directly involved, answered visitors’ questions and represented our school in a very engaging and effective manner.
Beate Torst, Ann-July E.
