This year Klasse 2 has celebrated Easter with a twist. While bunny ears and chickens might be cute, we went all out with some over-the-top shiny Fabergé eggs. Students used colourful paper, spray paint and foil to make their own delicate creation, inspired by the iconic treasure from Russia.
With Easter around the corner, we took the Penguins back to the Preschool for some Easter crafting fun! Many of the children started reminiscing about the time they were in the Preschool – hello to Herr. Probst and our old friends!
Each penguin was buddied-up with a Preschooler, and helped their new friend with our crafting activity. The activity involved a bit of magic – something the children were sure they could do! Each child got a sketching piece of paper, and traced out the shape of a large Easter egg. After that, they used ‘magic’ (light) colour crayons to make their own Easter egg designs. Once their ‘invisible’ designs were drawn, they painted over them using watercolour paint – Ta Da! – Magic Easter eggs. Both the Class 1 and Preschool children had loads of fun and enjoyed this fun change. We hope that you all have a happy Easter.
Why is an apple juicy? Why is an apple sour?
Class 2 were helped in seeking answers to these questions by Class 7 under the guidance of Dr. Kmiecik. They prepared various experiments for Class 2 as part of their own chemistry class. For the first time in the history of the school’s laboratory, Class 2 was familiarized with the rules in the laboratory. The Pirates first had to pound the apple pieces with a mortar to extract the apple juice. After the work was done, the pirates were able to see why the apple is juicy and sour with the help of Ph test strips and copper sulfate.
“I enjoyed the experiments. It was great to see how the apple juice suddenly turned red. The red color clearly showed that apples have acidity ”, Jade (Class 2) explained in conclusion.
This week the German Department started with the annual, exciting, full-day event of the DSD I oral exams (A2/B1 CEFR). For the fourth year in a row, students who qualified for the 2021 official language diploma of the German Education Authorities and the Foreign Office (Germany) showed the certified examiners that their speaking skills are a B1 level or above.
The oral exam is divided into two parts and takes about 15 minutes in total. After several minutes of guided conversation, the students present a topic of their choosing that has been previously agreed upon with their examiner in January. Subsequently, students show their knowledge of the topic by answering questions on the presented topic.
Congratulations! All participants passed the oral exam. We are proud of your accomplishments.
We are looking forward to receiving the results of the listening and reading comprehension, as well as the writing task from Germany. They are usually released in June.
To round off our current fashion design project students were challenged to create a ‘high concept’ fashion piece inspired by the winning 2019 Miss Universe costume designed by Hoàng Thùy. Students were asked to create a quick costume that would represent an aspect of Vietnamese culture – made entirely of paper! We were impressed by a catwalk full of noodles, fans, menus and street food – bravo gang, we’ll see you in Paris!
On reading Roald Dahl’s novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, students are usually taken to a chocolate factory to experience how chocolate is made. There is a growing trend to create artisanal chocolate in Vietnam at the moment and the factory, Belvie Chocolate, is a particularly good example. It is run by the charismatic Marc Vanborren, a Belgian chocolatier. The children felt drawn by his charisma and, consequently, they enjoyed their experience.
What follows is an account of the trip written by one of the students.
The Great Trip
On Wednesday I went to the chocolate factory with my class. We learn something about the cocoa tree. The factory owner, Marc, gave us the cocoa beans to taste. They were delicious, but very bitter. We learned how the cocoa beans are roasted and how the cocoa becomes liquid.
Then we went to the refrigerator room. I was in heaven because it was nice and cold and there was chocolate everywhere. Four students made their own dark chocolate, the others made white chocolate. That was a great trip. (Hanuel, Grade 5, first year of learning German)
Clowning Around
As part of the IGS Circus project, the group of clowns got to experience an actual clown at work. A local Saigon clown called Nam visited the group and taught them how to make balloon animals and other shapes. The clowns learned a thing or two (with many a burst balloon during the process) and had a good deal to show for their efforts at the end.
Hopefully the children will start producing their own balloon animals now that they have learned a few techniques.
On Friday, March 19 2021, IGS invited Diploma Programme language acquisition teachers of the regional IB network Vietnam/Laos/Myanmar/Cambodia (VLMC) to participate in a “jobalike” event. Jobalikes give teachers of the same subject group the opportunity to connect and share expertise to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, improve moderation of student work, and exchange resources.
Language B and ab initio teachers from 19 IB schools took part in a blended event joining either in person or via Zoom. In break-out sessions according to the languages English, French, German, Mandarin, and Spanish teachers discussed challenging topics, planned collaboratively as well as standardising assessment.
Additionally, many new professional relationships were formed which will benefit teachers long after the jobalike is over.
The feedback of the delegates about the event was very positive and many agreed that, in times of limited travel for professional development, more opportunities to collaborate across schools are needed.
Franziska Barnickel
IB Coordinator
At the IGS, March 18, 2021 was all about mathematics for students in grades 3 to 11. Framed by a musical program presented by the Senior Choir, consisting of students from grades 4 and 5 under the direction of Mr. Armes and Mr. Vale as well as a piano solo by Kevin from class 7. The special importance of mathematics in our society was recognized on this day.
Four of the 42 participants in the IGS Fractal Competition were honored for their particularly successful visualizations of mathematical structures in our everyday lives.
Afterwards, all students had the opportunity to take part in the Kangaroo competition. In this competition, over 6 million participants from more than 80 countries try to solve logic puzzles and math problems. You can find out whether our students performed as successfully this year as they did last year on this website, as soon as the worldwide evaluation has been completed.
This week the usual “Coffee with us” meeting took place in the U6 section. The topic was “Nutrition”. In addition to general information on nutrition in early childhood, the principles for putting together a balanced diet at the IGS were explained.
The highlight, however, was clearly the creative competition at the end of the event, where parents could show how healthy food can be prepared in an appealing and fun way for and with children.
As part of the DaF lessons, the students in class 2 wrote their own picture stories about their class mascot, Coco. Here is a story by student Ha Vy (Grade 2):
“Coco has a Backache”
On Sunday, Coco goes to Ms. Quynh Anh. He has severe back pain. Ms. Quynh Anh has an idea. He needs to go to the doctor. The doctor examines Coco. Coco needs an operation. First, Coco is given an injection. Then he falls asleep. While he’s sleeping, the doctor sews Coco’s back together. Finally, Coco is given a plaster. Now Coco’s back no longer hurts.
The International Junior Science Olympiad is a competition for students under the age of 15 who are studying Biology, Chemistry and Physics (Natural Sciences). First carried out in Jakarta in 2004, the IJSO now promotes the development of scientific skills across borders and countries. As an encounter school, IGS supports the idea of an international exchange between the currently 48 member states as it plays an important role in the development of the school. In addition to theoretical expertise, the focus of the competition is on experimentation.
In keeping with this year’s motif, “Oh Schreck, ein Fleck”, the NaWi student council, under the direction of Ms. Mai, organized four stations on November 23, 2020 and November 24, 2020, at which the young researchers tracked down ‘the devil’ by using the ingredients of different cleaning agents and observed their effect on the stains.
We are very proud to announce that the following students have qualified for the 2nd round:
Tran Thuong Van, Class 6 / Vo Ha My, Class 8 / Koeppinger, Lisa Nhat Vy, Class 8 / Nguyen Nhat Huy, Class 8 / Vo Thanh Tien, Class6 / Nguyen Hoang Nam Viet, Class 7 / Na Na Mayerhofer, Class 6 / Ngo Khanh Trinh, Class 6 /
Vo Dang Minh Anh, Class 6 / Tran Viet Ha Mi, Class 7.
This 2nd round is a quiz round consisting of tricky tasks covering all three sciences and will take place on March 24th, 2021. We will keep our fingers crossed for our student participants.
The IGS Natural Sciences team
Since last December, the candidates who qualified for the DSD I, the Deutsche Sprachdiplom Stufe 1 (Engl.: German Language Certificate of the Education Ministers Conference Level 1) had been preparing for one important day! On Wednesday, the time had finally come to prove their German skills. Students from grades 7-10 sat for three papers: listening comprehension, reading comprehension as well as writing in a 4-hour-long exam with intermittent breaks.
One German lesson a week had been dedicated to giving feedback on their progress and reviewing their work. In addition, a special Google Classroom with materials that introduce participants to the exam format had provided them with ample tasks to practice for the exam.
Currently, the DSD I candidates have two weeks to get ready for the speaking exam which will take place on Monday, March 29, 2021. In order to know what to expect from this official exam setting, IGS hosted demonstration exams on Friday. At this event, students of grades 7 and 8, as well as the older candidates, were able to get acquainted with the sequence and the expectations of the exam format by watching two of their brave classmates being examined. A great variety of topics were presented by the students. They ranged from the chess move Queen’s Gambit to the popular phenomenon of K-Pop to the sustainability of Fast Fashion; questions by the examiners were often answered to satisfaction.
With a DSD I certificate, German language skills at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) are certified. It is accepted as proof of the German language skills required for access to a Studienkolleg (Preparatory College) in Germany.
The DSD I certificate is a prerequisite to be registered for the DSD II exam that IGS holds in grade 11 and satisfies language requirements of tertiary institutions, e.g. universities in Germany.
The German Language Diploma is currently taken in over 70 countries by more than 80,000 candidates per year who sit the exam on the same date worldwide.
It was a great success when, on February 28, 1909, the first, then national, Women’s Day was launched in the USA. Inspired by this idea, Clara Zetkin suggested the introduction of an international women’s day at the second International Socialist Women’s Conference in 1910. While at first one of the main demands was the right to vote for women, actions against war later also came to the fore.
Nowadays, the demands which are made differ from the original simple demands, depending on the cultural context. However, the focus on the role of men and women and the demand for equality within the scope of this distinction is largely the same.
The modern semantics of diversity, and traditional notions of gender roles more or less coexist. If the terms “gender” and “sex” are introduced into the discussion, the distinction between what make a man a man, or a woman a woman, is no longer so clear, neither is the question of whom or what we actually celebrate on Women’s Day. Is it an idea, a social construct? Somehow the meaning of this day oscillates between the bouquet of flowers for the woman with cliché connotations, and the effort to deconstruct precisely these questions.
How wonderful it is when you can increasingly determine, change and develop your own identity (s) in our world – far from polarizing discourse about black or white, man or woman – and without stopping at the merely superficial interchanging of traditional roles.How nice it is to live within cultures in which diversity is recognized as added value and self-defined identities can be celebrated.
In this sense, International Women’s Day is a great occasion to honor diversity and self-determination as well as the breaking of disadvantageous patterns and reflexes.It is a reason to celebrate and reflect for everyone – not just for those who see themselves as women and are valued as such, or men who value their feminine side.
Cheers to those whom we love.
Grades 9/10 are currently attempting to break fitness records – as a whole group. Who else could do 725 pull-ups in one hour? There are 10 existing records to break. Why shouldn’t the IGS staff be able to master this challenge as well! Let’s go!
The results will be announced at a later date.
Class 2 learned about day and night and learned more about our sun, moon and earth in their General Science class.
At the end they tracked their learning experiences of the day in art presentations.
The last day of school before the Vietnamese New Year celebrations is usually also the day of the mid-term graduation ceremony at the IGS. This year it took place via igs_online. The ceremony was opened with a piano piece performed by the IGS student Xu Ziyuan. This was followed by the headmaster’s speech and a review of the last few months together with the class teachers, where, among other things, goals for the coming half-year were formulated.
At the end, all students said goodbye to the First Term with the traditional lion dance. Actually, the lion dance had been rehearsed again this year by the students who are now, unfortunately currently doing distance learning at home. It didn’t take long before our teachers stepped in. See for yourself how gracefully our little lions move to the percussion.
The water buffalo is said to be hard-working, well-organized and resilient, and he places a special focus on education. So, this augurs well for the New Year.
We wish you and your family a healthy, successful, new Year of the Water Buffalo.
Chúc mừng năm mới
Speech by the IGS student representative
Võ Hà My (Hanna), grade 8 and the Deputy Student Representative Võ Đặng Kỳ Anh (Katie), grade 11 for the Vietnamese New Year celebrations.
“Schools in Ho Chi Minh City will be closed until the Tet vacation.”
It was exactly one year ago that the IGS went online as one of the first schools in the Network of German Schools to do so, back then after the TET holidays.
When, on Monday, 1 February, 2021, the Vietnamese authorities announced that the schools would be closed again on the following day, we were able to rely on experienced colleagues with broad knowledge, and students with digital expertise. Our parents also already knew what was important and provided the right learning conditions for the online lessons.
Our little ones in particular approached this experience with a lot of motivation. As a result of an extensive evaluation, the U6 area is now expanding its offer: in addition to a digital morning circle and reading hours, a large part of the programme focuses on language training. Thanks to the broad participation of the very little ones and their parents, another chapter of the language course has actually been completed in the last few days in the various KG groups. Thus, the children can start the next level in the next week.
In order to gradually get the young learners used to the new format again in the early phase of igs_online 2.0, the elementary school teaches students in classes 1-3 in small groups or in breakout rooms.
The experienced students in grades 4-11 follow their (almost) regular schedule, online.
We are happy with the calm transition and thank the parents for their valuable support in front of and behind the cameras.
The lecture series for grades 7 to 11 took place for the first time at the IGS on January 28, 2021. Experts from various subject areas lectured on their special expertise.
With Mr. Reisdorf, the students immersed themselves in the fantastic world of mathematics; with Mr. Kehm they got to know about gravitation as a primal force in the universe; with Dr. Kmiecik they learned about the diverse methods of communication between plants.
The older students also had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Thormann’s lecture on the importance of language for human development. The guest speaker, Dr. Klein from the Vietnamese German University, was at the IGS and gave a lecture on control engineering. The students had the opportunity to build a control system for a lighting system with the help of a minicomputer (Adruino). They had a lot of fun.
The aim of the lecture series is to give the students a taste of university lectures.
As already mentioned last week, the little ones have been preparing intensively for the upcoming Tet celebration. The elementary school choir is rehearsing traditional Tet songs under the direction of Douglas Vale and Jonathan Armes. In addition, they are actively supported by Ms. Quynh Anh.
For the students of grade 6, slight feelings of stage fright are gradually rising. The students are rehearsing a play on the legend of Mai and the origins of the yellow flowers which can be seen all over the school campus.
We look forward to a colorful programme!
This week the students are busy crafting and decorating for our upcoming Tết celebrations. Grade 1 have created city-scape banners showing Saigon on New Year’s Eve, while Grade 4 are preparing papier mache sculptures for the library. Chúc mừng năm mới everyone!
If anyone was walking across campus this week they would have been able to see lions dancing on the sports field to the beats of boisterous drum rolls by the pupils of grade 7 and 8. They are rehearsing the traditional lion dance for this year’s Tet Festival under the direction of Matthias Mayr. Besides that, “Tết Tết Tết Đến Rồi” is pervading the air and we are already looking forward to being able to tell you about more surprises for the Tet Festival next week.
But this much can already be revealed – even with the little ones and the grade sixes, the preparations are in full swing.
Dear friends of the IGS, dear colleagues,
Over the past few months, teachers around the world have taught and tried to maintain standards at schools under challenging conditions.
Schools have shared the special pressure of adapting to the situation under which many institutions and companies suffer.
What sets schools apart is that they have a lasting impact on future generations.
Many of us will spend the Christmas season far from home, sometimes separated from our families, or at least with limited travel options.
Instead of a Christmas card this year, we would like to share a piece of home with you – a Christmas concert from within the library of the German School in Saigon.
Wherever you are in the world, you are welcome to join the Christmas concert with the Saigon String Quartet with just one click.
We thank you for your unstinting support of the International German School HCMC this year, and wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and good entertainment with the Saigon String Quartet.
Dirk Thormann
Principal
This year’s IGS Christmas program ended today. There was an Advent plate with special Advent goodies in all school classes this morning. Then everyone met in the forum for the Christmas Concert. After a brief opening by our school principal, the program started with the very little ones who sang two traditional German Christmas carols, one of which was even sung in Turkish.
The teachers’ choir sang some Christmas carols á cappella in several voices which led to enthusiastic applause from the young audience. The choir lessons of the last few weeks also paid off, which the two school choirs certainly proved.
After the concert, various activities followed, such as decorating cookies, pouring candles, painting wooden reindeer figures and finally the Christmas cinema with a real popcorn stand.
The highlight was of course the annual ice skating trip to the ice rink, where pupils and teachers gave each other support..
Ganz herzlichen Dank an die Organisatoren Frau Schaffer und Frau Mai, an die Verantwortlichen des Musikprogramms, Jonathan Armes und Douglas Vale sowie die vielen Kolleginnen und Klasse 11, welche den letzten Schultag organisierten.
Eine wunderbare Vorweihnachtszeit mit Weihnachtsfeiern aller Klassen geht damit zu Ende. Wir wünschen Ihnen und Ihren Familien eine besinnliche Weihnachtszeit bzw. erholsame Ferien in dieser Saison.
“I didn’t even know that the teachers could sing so beautifully,” whispered a little penguin from the 1st grade as the teachers’ choir sang for the students as an Advent surprise. The Advent door in front of Villa B had wonderful surprises ready for the 2nd week of Advent. There were waffles for everyone, a carousel for the little ones (and one or two teachers who also secretly did a round 🙂 ) a visit from the glassblower and, on the penultimate day of school, the teachers’ band rocked Christmas. The Christmas celebrations of the classes went into the 2nd round this week and not only brought delicious sausages and fried potatoes, but also one or two versions of mulled wine, and many really seasonal conversations.
On Monday, December 14th, the 11th grade students faced the final part of the German Language Diploma, Level 2 (DSD II): the oral exam. The DSD II is an official language certificate from the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and is accepted in Germany as proof of language proficiency at levels B2 / C1 for university enrollment. Exciting topics such as “Lowering VAT as a solution for the inflation caused by COVID in Germany” or “Homelessness in Berlin” were presented in the examination and led to interesting discussions. All participants were overjoyed that they had reached this milestone. The examiners also had reason to be proud of the results of this, the first ever oral exam at the IGS.
This week, students of Grades 6 and 7 were involved in making hands-on Christmas trees out of cardboard as part of their scheduled activities for the season. The students learnt about mathematics, design and symmetry in creative ways. The students also took great pains to create unique designs.
For a week, students of class 3 worked enthusiastically with Legos in Sachunterricht (Science and Culture). The children first recreated simple snails, followed by fans and research probes, which were programmed afterward. In keeping with the Christmas season, the children then built and programmed Santa Claus with Rudolph the reindeer using fairly complex instructions. After some minor failures in the beginning, all groups finally managed to get Rudolph to pull the sleigh with Santa Claus behind him.
The class six students surprised the class twos with a magical time baking Christmas cookies and class 4 surprised class one. There was a lot of measuring, sifting, whisking and rolling out of dough. The little ones were in awe of their elder school mates, and wore wide smiles throughout. An IGS Bakery it sure was.
On Monday, 7 December the miraculous occurred – Nicholaus came to visit the IGS. Bearing bags of goodies and handing them out to all the good children, he wandered about the school campus looking for classes to visit.
He wore his famous red cloak over a white surcoat with gold trimmings. Around his waist he wore a gold belt. He wore snow-white gloves on his hands and he carried around his golden crozier. On his head (despite the intense heat) he wore his bishop’s mitre. All in all, he presented an imposing figure as he strode around on his quest to give presents to all the good children in the school.
Nicholaus had a wonderful time in the U6 section where he was regaled with music and, in turn, handed out packs of nutritious fruit and cookies. After visiting his last class, Class 5, he quietly disappeared as mysteriously as he arrived.
Let us hope that there are enough good children in the IGS next year to lure him back in 2021.
