Upcoming Events January February March - Deutsche Schule London

dslive
DEUTSCHE SCHULE LONDON January/February 2009 www.dslondon.org.uk
DSL’s Young Musician Competition Participants
The DSL is constantly striving for
excellence – from academic achievement
to social development. This issue will
highlight some of our musical strengths,
academic achievements and community
involvement.
On Saturday January 17 th the DSL hosted
the Young Musicians Competition in which
18 DSL students competed for the chance to
continue on to the next round, to be held at
the Deutsche Schule Stockholm in April. A
total of 800 students abroad partake in these
competitions. All are vying for the chance to
ultimately compete in the finals in Essen,
Germany, at the end of the school year. Each
student made a grand effort as they were
judged by an outside panel of five experts in
the music field. Certificates were given to all
for their participation and dedication. Four
were awarded the chance to advance to the
next round. Well done to all of our young
musicians!
Congratulation to the four students who will be
representing DSL in the next round of this
competition. They are: Benedict Pfender, Year
11 (Guitar); Caroline Meinhardt, Year 9,
(“Musical” category – singing, dancing,
speaking); Maria-Luisa Cremer, Year 5
(“Musical” category); and Caroline Wagner,
Year 11 (Pop Singing).
The Wise Guys Rocked the DSL! The
Friends of Douglas House once again brought
a fabulous show to the DSL. The German “acapella”
group performed another first-rate
show to an eager audience Sunday, January
18 th . Their clever music, filled with humour
and beautiful harmonies, was sung in front of
a packed house. The five Wise Guys said it
was a fun show for them as well, and they
hope to return next year. “It has been great!
The children here are really mature, and it
makes it very enjoyable for us,” said the
newest member of the group, Nils.
Excellence in English: 12 DSL Secondary II
Pupils Took the Cambridge Proficiency in
English Examination. This exam is a
prestigious, internationally recognized and
challenging examination. It is done in 5
parts: Reading, Writing, Use of English,
Listening and Speaking and is roughly the
equivalent of A - AS level English.
Congratulations to the following pupils who
took the examination in December: Louisa
Morrison (10), Carlotta Kutsch (11), Anton
Michel (11), Benedict Pfender (11), Klara
Waterman (11), Sebastian Weinmann (11),
Julia Broer (12), Oliver Christiansen (12),
Anna-Lisa Kutsch (12), Nele Luttmann (12),
Marula Richter (12) and Patrick Rutimann
(12).
In their Own Words: DSL student Lara
Clauss tells of a musical journey to
Latvia. “In the summer of 2008 four
students from the DSL went to Latvia, the
home country of Mrs. Graudina, who is a
violin teacher at the school. Every four years,
a mass of Latvians come together to have a
big festival, where Latvian music is sung,
played and watched by all. One cannot
describe the utter energy in the air, heavy
with more than 18,000 voices. It was such
an enjoyment – playing with an orchestra,
seeing Latvia and meeting other young
violinists. It was worth every second!”
DSL’s Music Programme Shines. DSL has
a strong musical bent, says Sebastian Matz,
Head of the DSL Music Program. “We are
lucky to have the luxury of two hours of
music lessons per week beginning in the
Primary School dedicated to music.” This
emphasis has served the school well, as we
consistently have students who place in
musical competitions and successfully
complete grading for their musical
instruments’. Additionally, Matz says, “There
are so many opportunities to perform – we
average about one concert here each
month.” Jan Kraft, Primary School
Choirmaster and Music Teacher, lead the
Primary School Choir through no less then
four performances in just over two weeks,
including the opening of the Richmond
Christmas Market and DSL Christmas Fair,
the DSL Christmas Concert and the Primary
School Assembly.
The Christmas Bazaar was a resounding success! Your support of this event will help to finance many
projects for the school. Thank you to all the helpers, staff and students! As in previous years, the Friends
of Douglas House will organize a fun Easter arts & crafts event for the children. Details will be publicized
on DSL notice boards as well as by e-mail.
To volunteer please contact us at: friends@dslondon.org.uk
Martina Lessing, Chairman, Friends of Douglas House
Upcoming Events
January
26.1-12.2 Medical Examinations
29 New Cafeteria passes distributed
30 Zeugnisausgabe (Grades
distributed): Classes 3 – 12, no
afternoon lessons or AGs,
Cafeteria as normal, Buses leave
at 2.10 pm
February
1 Richmond Orchestra Children's
Concert 3pm, in Forum.
2 No School today –
Parent-Teacher Talks
2-9 Abitur Examinations
3 Second Term begins (incl. AGs)
10 Class 4 Parents Evening
2 nd 16-20 Good Behaviour Week
16 Class 1 Parents Evening
16-20 Class 10 Internship Week
17 Class 2 Parents Evening
18 AGM of The German School
Assn. 8 pm All welcome!
19 Class 3 Parents Evening
23-27 Half Term Holidays
March
5 Parent Association (Elternbeirat)
Meeting
5 Richmond Borough Swimming
Qualifications
9 Basketball AG Tournament at
DSL (Cl. 3-6) 4-5:30pm
12-14 ISSA Boys Basketball
Tournament in Ankara, Turkey
12-14 ISSA Girls Basketball
Tournament in Aberdeen,
Scotland
14 DSL Orchestra and Jazz Band
Performance for “One World
Concert” charity event at St.
Richard’s Church in Ham 7pm
18 Richmond Borough Swimming
Finals
19 Kanguru Maths Competition –
Classes 5-10
27-28 Climate Change Conference Cl.9
30 Lecture on Professions 8pm
30 Onatti Theater (French Play)
31 Primary School Easter Service
31.3-3.4 Professions Conference
Classes 9 - 12

Brand New PC Laptop Trolley Enables Mobile
Computer Classroom The Friends of Douglas House
have generously donated a highly sophisticated
computer trolley containing 15 brand new laptops. This
mobile unit allows centrally charging and programming
of all 15 computers. It has wireless capabilities and is
alarmed and secure. Best of all, it can be wheeled from
room to room, creating a mobile computer classroom.
It greatly expands the DSL computing capabilities,
allowing more computer access to the pupils and
greater flexibility for the teachers.
Thank you, Friends of Douglas House!
New Building Update: Coordination work is
Underway.Things are getting challenging now as the
construction drawings are nearly complete. A lot of
coordination between German Planners, English
Engineers, authorities and school representatives is to
be done. Amongst these tasks are retrieving planning
consent due to amendments, developing a draft of
necessary provisional and permanent landscape
changes, negotiating a Tree Protection Plan and
legalising the existing parking area. This has to be
arranged before starting the tender process and
discussing provisional measures for the building site
with parents and pupils. More information will be
available after the half term break.
Information regarding the planning stages as well as a
“Frequently Asked Questions” section can be found on
the school’s website, under the section
“Schulentwicklung/Erweiterungsbau/FAQ” on
www.dslondon.org.uk.
“Yes We Can - Be Good!” – Students Shine During
Good Behaviour Week. For one week in December,
the DSL highlighted good behaviour with the “Wir Sind
Gut” campaign, emphasizing consideration to others
and caring for shared surroundings. Headmistress Frau
Balkenhol said, “Most classes showed great
consideration and polite behaviour during this week,
and have been doing so ever since.” Frau Roth-
Junkermann, Primary School Director, said, “Everybody
tried to accept the rules, and respect one another. We
are very proud of everyone!” Classes 2b and 4b were
rewarded for Best Behaviour and each class received a
set of watercolours per pupil. Secondary classes were
rewarded with DSL memory sticks. Another chance to
be recognized for good behaviour is in February.
Spotlight: DSL Library – Refreshed! The DSL
Library located in the heart of the main building, has
enjoyed some new changes, refreshing and
modernizing it. New floor cushions have been added
and a new carpet lines the floor. A new computer,
scanner and printer have been purchased so that all
volumes can be put on a database. “This will make the
lending process much faster.” Says Barbara Sands,
Voluntary Library Coordinator. The DSL Library is run
by 10 volunteer mothers and lends German books to
DSL Primary School pupils each Wednesday. Year 5 to
7 pupils also have the opportunity to use the library
during their second daily break. The library is also open
every day during the lunch period for the Primary
School students who are looking for a quiet corner.
Young Art Competition – DSL Registers a Record
Number of Entries this Year! The DSL students have
entered 357 works of art into the 2009 Royal College of
Art Competition, said Frau Harling. Results are
expected at the end of February. Good luck to all of our
wonderful and talented young artists!
Secondary Students Teach German to Russell
School Children. Seventeen DSL students in Years
10-12 teach German on Friday afternoons to eager
children, from Years 5 and 6, at the neighbouring
Russell School. Ms. Amy Zonderman, the DSL
coordinator of this exchange, said both sides
benefit from this.” The pupils at Russell learn basic
vocabulary and are exposed at a young age to the
sounds of the German language, as spoken by
native speakers, so that they can hopefully develop
good accents. And our DSL students teachers get to
instill in their pupils a positive image of Germans
and Germany, as well as an interest in the
language and culture. Our students really enjoy
participating in this program. They are highly
motivated, and a few have even expressed an
interest in eventually becoming teachers.”
DSL & Tiffin Boys’ in Kingston Participate in
Exchange Programs. DSL students from Year 11
are participating in a joint project with Tiffin Boys’
School in Kingston. As well as sitting in on lectures
at each other’s school. Tiffin pupils doing A-level in
German are joining forces with our Year 11’s to
create and host a German Fair at Tiffin Boys’ School
in March. Boys in Years 7 at Tiffin, who are in their
first year of German there, will attend the fair to
learn more from these older student guides about
German history, culture and language. A great deal
of effort is being put by students from both schools
into jointly preparing this exciting event. In another
exchange, younger DLS students and Tiffin boys in
their second and third year of German have shared
“Overnight Family Exchange”. In November, 8 DSL
students from year 7 were placed with the Tiffin
students and their family. They spend the evening,
slept over and then participated the following day.
In early December, this was repeated with the Tiffin
students staying with their German counterparts.
“This was the first time we have done this, and
overall, all of these kids seemed to enjoy the
experience.” Said Ms Zonderman, who also
coordinated this exchange.
Swiss Parents Association Fundraising
Dinner, Sponsored by SWISS SMILE Dental
Clinics. “On February 6th, 2009 at 7:30 at the
St. Moritz Restaurant, we are holding a fondue
fundraising dinner. There are still a few places
available! The last fundraiser sold out and raised
£3,675 in just one evening. This was kindly
donated to the IT department of the DSL. The
Swiss Smile Dental Clinics have generously
sponsored both evenings. Please join us for this
evening of fun and fabulous food in the heart of
London! To be a part of this, please send me an
email: Isabella.pivetta@btinternet.com”
The 30th Translation Competition will take
place at the DSL this Spring. The task is to
translate a text from the German Poet, Erich Hackl
into English. The text can be found on our Website:
www.dslondon.org.uk, where one can also see the
conditions for the competition. All pupils, students
and amateur translators are welcome to give a try
at this translation. Deadline for all translations is:
April 17th, 2009. Go on, give it a go, and good
luck!
Sports Results and Reminders
Results from the ISSA November tournaments:
• Boys Soccer: 6th Place;
• Boys Volleyball, 4th Place;
• Girls Volleyball, 4th Place.
Well done!! And good luck, girls and boys, at your
What inspires you to
do your best?
”Herr Ballauff…he’s my
Maths teacher and he makes
maths fun for me!”
- Tobias, Year 5
“Schoenschreibheft”…
because I love this and it’s
fun.”
- Edoardo, Year 1
“My brother, who just got
into Cambridge. He makes
me want to get good grades,
to get into a good
university.”
- Alexandra, Year 8
German School London • Douglas
House • Petersham Road •
Richmond • Surrey TW10 7AH •
T+44 (0)20 8940 2510 •
www.dslondon.org.uk
Headmistress: Marie-Luise Balkenhol
• Chair of Management Committee:
Bettina Mallet • Photos courtesy of
the DSL © 2008
March tournaments! DSLive Editorial staff: Loraine von
Moltke, Kathrin Burckhardt,
The Richmond Borough Swimming Finals will be
held March 5th and March 18th.
Please check DSL website for updates!
Michelle McGowan-Klein
Article ideas or submissions may be
sent to: dslive@dslondon.org.uk