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
XSTEM Event in Northern Virginia on Wednesday, Oct 26th
X-STEM NOVA (Northern Virginia) is an annual event, organized by the USA Science & Engineering Festival, aimed to stimulate and sustain the interest of students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The 2022 X-STEM was the first such event hosted after the covid outbreak.
Twenty GISW students from 5th through 11th grade got the opportunity to attend the “X-STEM NOVA” conference on Wednesday, Oct 26th at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly.
Students attended presentations from leading STEM role models, participated in Q&A sessions, experienced hands-on workshops, and had fun while learning about exciting career opportunities in STEM. With the participation of organizations such as NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Airbus, U.S. Air Force, Amazon Web Services, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS), and the U.S. Space Force, there was plenty excitement for all.
The students’ highlight for this year’s X-STEM NOVA was the presentation of Dr. Thomas Statler, a NASA planetary scientist, who described his work on the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission — humanity’s first attempt to change the motion of a natural celestial body in space and the first full-scale test of an asteroid deflection technology. As anticipated, the students found his presentation most intriguing, as demonstrated by the abundance of their questions following the presentation. A thoughtful question from Zoran L. (6b, GISW – pictured) drew an engaging and brilliant response from Dr. Statler.
Another well received talk on Environmental Engineering was presented by Dr. Tracy Fanara, a highly regarded engineer and research scientist. For the past 6 years, Dr. Fanara has been managing the Environmental Health research program at Mote Marine Laboratory where she designed and developed models, tools and programs to protect wildlife and water quality. Here are some impressions of her work voiced by GISW students who attended the event:
“Of the many presentations of this field trip, I found the one presented by Dr. Tracy Fanara to be the most fascinating. She is an accomplished environmental scientist and NOAA researcher with a Ph.D. in Hydrology. Throughout her presentation she explained how water is both adaptable and persistent, gentle yet powerful, how it has changed landmarks, and how it is essential for our lives, the ecosystem – our planet.
Dr. Fanara has done important research involving algae blooms. She used species like shrimp, oysters, and snails to purify water from toxins. One point I found especially interesting was that the earth works the way our bodies do: water transports nutrients across the world just like blood does across the body. Her presentation was inspiring, and I learned much from it.” Isabella H. (7a)
“Dr. Fanara explained how the toxic waste we dump into our oceans is not good for the animals and the environment. (…) NOAA uses mussels, clams and other animals to filter the toxic water.” by Sophie W. (7a)
After the presentations ended and before the workshops began, students had the opportunity to engage with STEM speakers and workshop presenters. Pictured above is Dr. Tracy Fanara, center, surrounded by GISW students.
Students were also able to meet Airbus’s robotic firefighting “dog”, Snowball, during a live presentation aimed at demonstrating how robots are used, who builds them, and how we can join this exciting and innovative field.
During lunch break a group of students met Prof. Kelly Knight, a forensic scientist with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from The George Washington University, and a Master of Forensic Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, while Annabel G. took the opportunity for a selfie with the professor. Prof. Knight talked to students about the “real CSI” and explained how science is used to fight crime. Prof. Knight is both an expert in forensic serology and forensic DNA analysis and has been an expert witness in several criminal trials. In addition to her forensic casework, she has many years of experience in research which has included laser microdissection and low copy number (LCN) DNA methods.
After lunch, students participated in the workshop “Spark-E's Last Minute Flight”.
Lucas C. (11a) describes the event:
“We were introduced to a scenario and received an assignment: There is an harmful algae in the waters around the Palmyra's islands.
The objective is to deliver the solution to the island by aircraft as silently and safely as possible, so as not to disrupt the animals on the island. Our job was to design a plane that can meet these requirements.
However, there is a plot twist: the algae has spread more widely than researchers had previously anticipated. Therefore, the new objective is to mass produce the planes we previously designed.
This exercise taught us the basics of manufacturing: problem solving, careful thinking, testing and modifying.”
Overall, the event surpassed students’ and teachers’ expectations in highlighting and celebrating the wonders of STEM. Students were excited to learn and interact with leading role models in multiple STEM fields and are eager to attend the next STEM event.
Nicole Bankert („Schüex“ Program Director) und Steffi Colopy (MINT-Coordinator)
