Observer 03/2012 - Leipzig International School

Content
LIS
OBSERVER
Newsletter of the Leipzig International School e. V. · IB World School
March 2012
2 From the Headmaster
ICT department
3 Message from the Board
LIS – Training Weekend
4 Swimming Competition
Holiday on Ice
5 Indian Cooking Night
Winter Holiday Hort
6 Parent Involvement
8 International Family Breakfast
False alarm on 29 February
9 LIS Zeitgeist
10 World Aids Day
MUN 2012
11 CNN Freedom Project
Ulrike Draesner zu Gast in der LIS
12 Living in Leipzig
Welcome to LIS
Mrs. Sarah Brannon, has been appointed to
position of Primary School Principal from 1
August 2012 onwards. She comes to LIS with
23 years experience in international schools in
total. She is currently in her 4th year as Head
of Primary at Bangkok International
Preparatory and Secondary School in Thailand.
Prior to that she served as Head of Primary
School at the Al Ain English Speaking School in
the United Arab Emirates for 5 years and as
Vice Principal for 1 year. She holds an MA in
Educational Leadership and Management from
the University of London and has the National
Professional Qualification for Headship in the
UK. Mr. Pola-Rivera has already met with Mrs.
Brannon to ensure a smooth transition this
coming summer.
We are pleased to welcome Ulrike Meier-
Mahlo as new lab technician. Ulrike has a
master's degree in chemistry and has worked
Welcome to LIS!
Dear parents,
This issue focuses on the importance of parent involvement at LIS.
Anybody who wants can find reams of educational research verifying that
parent involvement is a critical factor in a child's educational success.
A positive home-school relationship benefits the
children and their families. Support from home
translates into rested kids, help dealing with
behavioural or academic concerns, and
completed homework and projects. Helping your
child realise the value of education is extremely
important. Your presence at school is one way to
in the chemical industry for many years. Apart
from preparing practicals and assisting in the
classroom she will manage the science
equipment and chemicals. She is also the mum
of students Jan and Nils Meier, and is teaching
swimming in grade 2.
Welcome on board Sarah and Ulrike!
show your love and encouragement. Our school's
mission is to create and provide an educational
environment in which students are given the
opportunity to reach their full potential, and the
academic, social, and developmental needs of
each student are met. We are looking for
volunteers to help us with that awesome task.
Parent volunteers in school are important for a wide variety of valuable activities, including:
• reading with small groups or individual students • helping with special art projects or student talent shows
• tutoring in science, languages or IT
• organising sports events (have parents, students,
• assisting children with homework
• helping with activity preparations
and teachers compete against each other, or mix up
teams)
• organising events (e.g. family fun festival, summer
• publishing and putting together student books fair, International day, dads club, family sports day)
But the list of activities a parent volunteer can do – with specific, helpful instructions – is almost limitless.
Our students invite you to come to school to
volunteer your time and talents. We will value
you as a volunteer, and appreciate your
dedication to the children as a supportive aide,
role model, and mentor. We know your time is at
a premium, but we hope this invitation will
empower you to come in and volunteer. Please
feel free to contact us with a time to volunteer
that is convenient for you. Thank you for
volunteering your time and talents! Together, we
can make a difference in the lives of our children.
Liane Lindenlaub,
Parent Community Coordinator
Sarah Brandon
www .intschool-leipzig.com LIS OBSERVER 1
Ulrike Meier-Mahlo

LIS ObServer LIS ObServer
From the Headmaster
As I write this we have just been witness to the
Secondary School drama production “Les
Liaisons Dangereuses”, a French novel from
1782 reworked into an English theatre play in
1988. This play is about seduction and malice,
not the most common theme for a school play.
Students under 13 were not admitted to the
performance! Director Tom Bailey, now in his
fourth LIS production, has a preference for
picking ‘difficult’ plays and a talent for bringing
students to a level that is not usually reached in
school drama. In two words: controversial and
fascinating.
In November I wrote in this column that a
group of us was reading up on the IB Learner
Profile and this work has lead us to invite a
special guest speaker who will
be at LIS on Wednesday 14
March: Robert Thorn, Head of
the International Section at the
European School of Tbilisi,
Georgia. Robert is a specialist
on combining character values
with learning skills. He will
spend the day working with
staff on how the IB Learner Profile can guide
our daily practice and he will be speaking for
parents in the evening. I warmly recommend his
lecture (19 pm, Auditorium) for anybody with
an interest in larger educational questions.
By now I am sure you have heard the news of
the school’s accreditation from the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges
(NEASC) and the Council of International
Schools (CIS). We could not have wished for a
better start in this year of our 20th anniversary!
The Final Report from the Visiting Team makes
several commendations, most notably to:
The Pre-School educators for providing a
positive, stimulating learning environment
for their students, their flexibility in working
hours and their dedication to child-centred,
developmentally appropriate practice.
The Primary teaching staff for implementing
and using a range of approaches and
teaching strategies that recognize diverse
learning styles of the students in their
classes.
The Secondary teaching staff for their
enthusiasm, proficiency and creativity in the
classroom.
The Board for its commitment to long-range
planning (Strategic Plan 2012-2016) and to
the Headmaster for making the planning
process more open and collaborative.
The school's commitment to expanding
Mother Tongue support.
The integration of Student Council into the
life of LIS and its decision-making.
Although the Visiting Team
clearly viewed the school
positively, it made a number of
recommendations. The four most
urgent recommendations are
listed below, with some first
comments as to how we will be
addressing these:
The development and completion of a
comprehensive Pre-School to Grade 12
curriculum document which is horizontally
and vertically integrated.
Curriculum work is ongoing and will become
ever more important over the coming years. We
are considering the introduction of software
tools to help structure this task. More
importantly, we will be looking at all of our
curriculum choices.
The development of a more formal and
comprehensive Policy Manual that
fully addresses personnel issues.
A new appraisal policy for staff will be submitted
to the Board for approval in April 2012.
ICT department – Online application launched
Since January 2012 parents of prospective
students are given the opportunity to use
LISOnA the new online application platform.
This online admissions process is unique
amongst International Schools in Germany
and replaces the former paper-based
application form.
Parents start off with registering themselves.
The following step is to add data records
2 LIS OBSERVER www .intschool-leipzig.com
according to the number of children they wish
to send to LIS.
The system is linked with the student
information system of LIS: Once the parent
submitted the application form the data will
be imported automatically. LIS is now a step
closer to heading for an integration of its
versatile ICT platforms. The next goal is to
extend the options of our parent intranet.
The adequate provision of English
Language and Learning Support
Services as the school expands.
Since this Final Report was written, our second
Learning Support teacher, Marlene Heitland,
has arrived (see elsewhere) and we will increase
the number of Primary ESL teachers from 2 to 3
next school year.
The review of the role and duties of
middle management as the school
expands.
The Board has approved a staffing plan for
2012–13 that will allow us to increase the
release time for Heads of Department and
other middle management positions, thus
allowing us to create more meaningful roles
and duties for middle management as the
school expands.
Other than our
daily work, which
as you know
is thoroughly
enjoyable, there is
more to look
forward to in
March: the Leipzig
Book Fair, our
annual Staff
Musical, the next
Board Open Forum with presentation of the
new Early Childhood Centre, storyteller Niall de
Burca to deliver us into the Easter holidays and
after that, the 20th anniversary on 21 April
2012.
Enjoy the approach of spring!
Roel Scheepens, Headmaster
Message from the Board
Not only is your school now accredited to the Council of International Schools and the New England
Association of Schools & Colleges, but it has been accredited with flying colours. The accreditation
letters arrived within two months of the accreditation team’s visit, and was not linked to any prior terms
and conditions.
This is much more than we expected and our
thanks (yours and ours) go to all the staff, but
especially to Roel and Matthew, and to the
many parents and students who put in such a
lot of hard work in preparation.
Fortunately, accreditation does not mean that
we can now sit back and relax. Quite the
opposite. Accreditation imposes an obligation
to continuously improve quality. It is clear to
us, and it was also clear to the accreditation
team, that there remains much to be done to
perfect the standard of the education we are
able to offer our children. Accreditation was
granted precisely because the team recognized
our commitment to continuous improvement.
The major task now confronting us is the
structuring of the curriculum throughout the
whole school so that each class in each grade
covers the same ground, and each grade starts
where the previous grade ended. And that the
last grade finishes with each student acquiring
the qualification best suited to his or her
abilities. Amongst many other things,
horizontal and vertical integration of the
curriculum – that is the technical designation
LIS – Student-Leadership-Training Weekend
On Friday, 13 January, 30 of the
secondary school's student
leaders spent the evening, night
and following morning together
to take part in the first LIS-
Student-Leadership-Training
weekend.
The students who took part were the Student-
Council Representatives (SC), Junior House-
Captains and Senior-House-Captains (HC). The
weekend was organised in partnership by
Susanne Schleif (SC-Teacher) and the House-
Teachers Donovan Shaw, Geraldine Bludau,
Reingart Böhmer and Gary Bell as well as by
Susan McCullough, Luise Kirchhof (who took
part in a summer leadership seminar on
Vancouver Island) and Matthew Raggett.
The students started with a workshop, lead by
the Windwerker human performance factory
– will occupy us for the next 3 to 4 years. Our
Headmaster mentions a few other priorities in
his own column.
By the time you read this, plans for the new
Early Childhood Centre will have advanced to a
state in which they can be put out for comment
and discussion. We are also planning for
additional classroom space on-site in
Könneritzstrasse in order to cater for growing
space needs in the Secondary School. Nobody
can pretend that the solutions are ideal, but
they are – we are convinced – the best
solutions available. The Board has been
searching for additional space since 2006. Not
least because the success of the school has led
to adjacent land and buildings being snapped
up by property developers, our options have
been severely limited. That having been said,
the siting of the new Early Childhood Centre
will allow us to erect a much more appropriate
and attractive building for our youngest
children.
Around the time of reading this, you will be
receiving a letter outlining our proposals for
the level of school fees over the next few years.
e.V. to develop their ability to work in a team
and to improve their communication skills.
After a tasty Lebanese dinner Luise informed
the students about the training she took during
last summer in
Canada and initiated
the “singing tree”
activity and
challenge for both
SC and the houseteam
(they have a
target for June).
The next day SC
and HC had
separate meetings
to work out their
plans and activities for the
rest of the school-year. The SC-team took also
the initiative to start writing a LIS-SC-handbook.
Two seminars about complaining vs. active
participation (Mr. Raggett) and peer-mediation
(Ms. McCullough) followed. At 14.30 every
At least for the next three years, we expect fees
to rise slightly faster than the cost of living.
This is a direct consequence of accreditation
and the increased staffing needs resulting from
our commitment to improving the educational
quality of the school’s offering. Of course, we
are well aware that our fees are significantly
lower than those of all other International
Schools in Germany.
But we also know that there are limits to the
affordability even of our relatively low fees,
limits which we are very anxious not to
transgress, not only because a loss of potential
students would defeat the purpose, but more
importantly because it is a central feature of
our school that our students come from a wide
variety of social backgrounds. To the largest
extent possible we strive to ensure that this
feature is safeguarded, at the same time as
aiming to provide an excellent education. We
will not always manage to completely square
the circle. But we do our very best!
Christopher Smith, Dr. Nikolaus Petersen,
Jana Näther, Dr. Skadi Beblo
student was awarded a LIS-Leadership-
Certificate.
The students' feedback was very positive; both
teams needed the time for defining their roles
at school, building-up
strong groups and
setting goals and
projects. This time
is just not
available during
an ordinary week
of school. That is
why it is strongly
hoped that this
first LIS-studentleadership-training
will usher in a new
tradition of vital student work and commitment
at LIS including a lot more overnight-events like
this one.
Susanne Schleif
www .intschool-leipzig.com LIS OBSERVER 3

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International Swimming Competition!
On 21 & 22 February Sophia Grundmann (4EC),
Helen Standfuss (4BG), Yannick Noak (3TC) and
Richard Staudy (3CH) took part in an
international swimming competition in Kometa
Club, Brno, Czech Republic. The little troop
stayed on a horse farm, close by the venue.
They swam 50 meters backstroke, crawl and
breaststroke age wise in competition with 28
Holiday on Ice
4 LIS OBSERVER www .intschool-leipzig.com
swim teams out of Hungary, Slovakia and of
course a lot of Czech Republic.
The Leipzig team was the only German swim
team from SC DHfK Leipzig. It was a vivid
atmosphere, everyone was cheering for their
teammates and it was a fair competition. Sadly
for the children and parents the announcements
were only in Czech language so it was hard to
follow. All attending SC DHfK swimmers
improved their personal best times. The fastest
swimmers came from the Czech teams.
The SC DHfK team is trained by Mr. Reuter.
Their training is on Tuesdays, Wednesday and
Fridays, an hour each. On Wednesdays, a
Bachelor of Sport student takes over for him
but still Mr. Reuters comes and helps her a
little. They do hard training especially for
competitions but it really works out.
If you want to come and cheer for us, please
join in for the “18. Leipzig Spring swimming
competition” which takes place on 18 March,
10am at the “Unischwimmhalle”, Mainzer Str. 4.
It would be very nice to see you there!
Helen Victoria Standfuß, 4BG
Winter needs ice we thought – and like every year Primary Holiday
Hort did its most popular winter activity – ice-skating!
No matter whether or not children or staff had
done it before – everybody joined in! The start
was rather funny and shaky for the beginners –
but with the help of the so called
“Lauflernhilfen” (a frame to hold on with skis
on it) they learned how to stand and move on
the slippery ice very quickly.
A hot chocolate helped us to bridge the waiting
time when the ice was prepared again, and
after the break it was even more fun!
We also spent a day in the Zoo walking back
and forth between the snowy petting zoo and
the hot and humid jungle of Gondwanaland,
where we did a fantastic boat trip.
The mornings were used to create lovely
Valentine's presents for the people we love and
lots of other little works of art. Once we did a
taste test to find out if we could guess the kind
of food we are eating – with closed eyes!
Everybody, kids and staff, enjoyed the Winter
break at LIS very much. Easter is coming soon!
Miss Janka
Get Involved!
The LIS Summer Fair Organising
Committee needs You.
For those who enjoy organising and running
events, there is the chance to join the LIS
Summer Fair organising committee. This year’s
Summer Fair takes place on 16 June.
Without a dynamic and enthusiastic committee,
the LIS Summer Fair cannot succeed. Please get
in touch with me if you want to help and get
involved. You don’t need to have any
experience! The organising Summer Fair
Committee needs to be formed and therefore is
looking for volunteer helpers to support this
great day for the school. This is a wonderful
opportunity to participate alongside your
children in a school activity.
So help us to bring the LIS community closer
and volunteer. Please step forward and contact
the Parent Community Coordinator Liane (
).
Liane Lindenlaub
LIS Playground Buddies
The Playground Buddies
proudly present their
new sashes and they
can't wait for spring to
play with Primary
students.
Winter Holiday Hort in Reception
This year's Reception Winter
Holiday Hort started with a
full-packed arts and crafts day.
To be well-prepared for Valentine’s Day we
made butterfly lollipops and a paper heart
wreath. But we were not only interested in
human needs: We dedicated one day to
animals and learned that they do many
different, amazing things to get through the
winter. Some of them "migrate". This means
they travel to other places where the weather is
warmer or they can find food. Several animals
sleep all wintertime. It is a very deep sleep
called hibernation. Other animals stay active
such as rabbits and squirrels. That's why we
went to the Clara Park to identify tracks in the
snow to prove that many animals are still here
and active. A field trip to the Umweltgarten is
always a Holiday Hort highlight: At first we
made our own felt soft toy such as polar bears
and afterwards we enjoyed the beautiful winter
wonderland outside. Poldi, the police dinosaur,
came to introduce himself and talk about the
police is doing. Reception Holiday Hort is
always fun and now we are looking forward to
the Easter break.
KrisTina Stellmach/Hort
Indian Cooking Night
At the start of this school year, the fireflies
parents had a nice get together in form of a
picnic in the nearby park. Here we planned for
further social events and gatherings of this
kind. We also discussed food from different
nationalities and desired to learn more about
Indian Cooking. I would like to say a big thank
you to Mamata Das (mother of Somananda),
who offered immediately to lead such an Indian
Cooking night together with her husband.
Fortunately, LIS provided the hort kitchen for
this event, showing again the openness and
willingness to work hand-in-hand with the
parents. Thank you LIS!
Finally, Friday, 3 February came and we all
met in the kitchen, and started with the
preparations for the dishes: Fried Rice (Pulao),
Alu-gobhi curry, Tamato Chutney, Raita,
Papad and Mango Cream. While the parents
were cutting, enjoying the aroma of different
spices and looking over Mamata’s shoulders
to admire her way of cooking, the kids played
hide and seek, and other parlour games. As
the kitchen smelled more and more like an
Indian restaurant, our mouths began
watering. Dora Efunshile who just moved
recently from Nigeria to Leipzig was asked,
with a cheeky smile, “Dora, can you cook?”
Not that we are hinting, but hopefully we will
be able to add some Nigerian dishes to our
repertoire soon.
What should I say; the way to people’s heart is
through their stomachs. It was a fantastic night
and I am looking forward to all the other
upcoming cooking nights and picnics.
Antje Niven, room-parent fireflies
www.intschool-leipzig.com LIS OBSERVER 5

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From your Parent Representatives: One Hour for LIS
When we arrived in Leipzig, the school was temporarily located in an
old school building in Schönefeld.
On one of the mornings I saw a small note on the parents
notice board: “If you would like to help us sort stamps for the
“stamps mosaic” – you are mostly welcome to come to the art
room on Tuesday 13:00 – 14:30”. I thought to myself: “Here is
an opportunity to do something for the school and to meet
some new people ...
On the next Tuesday I came excited to the school. After a long
walk through the corridors I managed to find the art room, but
it was empty ... – I went home disappointed.
Since then a lot has changed
We've got a parents community coordinator
We've got an active website (with a newcomers corner)
We've got lots of familys events
We've got coffee mornings – and the list is much longer.
All these things makes the life for our newcomers much
easier and gives us all a warm feeling of community.
To get to this point and to keep maintain and develop this we all
need to give a hand from time to time to share our thoughts and
ideas, to give some of our time and some of our energy – I am sure
we would all keep on and benefit!!!
Attend the
Board Open Forum
Children from diverse
cultural backgrounds
tend to do better
when parents and
professionals work
together to bridge
the gap between the
culture at home and
the culture in school.
Coping with stress…
Volunteer!
There is evidence that people
who help others though
activities such as volunteering
or community work become
more resilient. Volunteering can
help put your own personal
problems into perspective and
lower your stress. Volunteering
does not have to be a strictly
regular commitment, however
from time to time going with
your child's class on a field trip,
coming in to read or help in the
class, or giving a couple of
hours after work or on
weekends to help organize
school special events, will make
your child and other children
happy, it does not cost you
much and you will feel good
about it!
One of the ingredients of the special LIS spirit
is the great involvement and commitment
among staff, students and parents. Our
children are educated to become responsible
and active citizens. We have highly motivated
teachers who are not only inspiring inside the
classrooms but who also organise many
projects and events with and for their students
outside the classroom. We also always had
committed parents supporting the school. The
only problem here is: it’s always the same
people helping. In the growing school this
group of helping parents is not big enough
and also it is rather embarrassing to ask the
same people again and again.
It would be a nice change if we could welcome
some new helpers from time to time. Organising
(www.education.com)Lead by example
events would be so much easier if those who
are in charge did not have to beg for help but
could count on support. There are many
occasions to which you can contribute … if
everybody volunteered only once a school-year
all volunteer shifts would be covered. It would
be a nice start to answer the e-mails that ask
for help - even if you can't help at the occasion,
you could still offer for something else and let
your room parent know that you can never
make it on Tuesdays but will be pleased to help
on a Thursday.
Reserving at least one hour each year for LIS
volunteer work should be possible for
everyone … and it will set a good example for
our children, if we as parents get involved as
well.
By taking time to keep school a high priority in your family’s life, you show how
much you value your child’s education. When your children see you helping out,
it sets an example for them to follow and will inspire them to also help others.
Volunteering
benefits YOU too!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
16 March: Leipzig liest at LIS
Author T. A. Barron visits LIS, Auditorium
23 March, 7 pm & 24 March,
2 and 7 pm: Auditorium,
Staff Musical “Joseph and the amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat”
28 March, 7 pm: Auditorium,
Open Forum hosted by the
Board of Governors
29 March, 10 am–4.30 pm:
Cafeteria, Book Fair presented by the
Book Team: English books for all ages for
sale
29 & 30 March: Primary Student Led
Conferences (Portfolio)
29 & 30 March: Auditorium,
Storyteller Niall de Burca at LIS
05 April: Easter Egg Run in Pre-School
About room parents
Be actively informed
02–15 April: Easter Break
What are room parents? A
communication bridge between
the class teachers and the class
parents. Most of the time room
parents have a job outside the
school; they just volunteered to
get the communication going
and help out the teacher.
What room parents are not:
secretaries, portable wallets,
email spam writers, personal
staff nor systematic do-gooders.
More than once emails from
room parents have been added
to spam. Some classes forget
golden rules
of parent
involvement …
Get to know your class teacher and
other parents of your class
Share your talents and volunteer
Set an example, make school a priority
Respect diversity
Take advantage of the
wonderful community
of people at LIS. Get
to know other parents
and expand your
circle of friends. Learn
about diverse cultures,
commiserate about
life in a foreign
country, learn from
each other and
support your children
together!
Learn or develop a
new skill
Be part of your
20 April: Cross Country Run Grade 2–5
21 April: LIS' 20th anniversary
27 April, 9 am–5 pm:
Auditorium, Viahsakhi (Punjabi New Year)
26 April: Primary Parent-Student-
Teacher Conferences
30 April: Governors Day – school is
closed
1 May: National Holiday – school is
that some people did volunteer
community
closed
to look for and pay for a
Motivation and
teacher’s gift, so do not let
these persons pay from their
own pocket.
Every one has something to
Research proves it
sense of
achievement
New experiences/
1–31 May: Pre-School Parent-Student-
Teacher Conferences
And please do show some
respect: someone actually took
some of her/his personal time
contribute – start small:
read to your child’s class
There are hundreds of research
studies which all show that
Get to know
your child’s world
new interests and
hobbies
Meeting a diverse
3–5 May: GISST Boys and Girls Tennis
Tournament
to keep you informed about
what is going on at school or in
help with a field trip or class
party
when parents get involved,
children do better in school.
Volunteering your time
sends a strong message
range of people
17 & 18 May: Ascension und
class, so at least at the tell the class about: your job,
MUCH better.
that you are interested in what goes on in your
Governor's Day. Whole school closed.
beginning of the year make your hobby, your country and
better grades
child’s daily life. Also, the way your child behaves at
yourself known to the room
parents and show your
appreciation.
cultural events, your family
history, your musical talents
higher test scores
better attendance
better social skills
improved behavior
home may be very different than in social situations.
You can learn more about your son or daughter’s
total personality when you observe them at school.
And by getting to know their teacher and their
The next issue will be published in May
2012. Please send your articles and pictures
by 16 April by e-mail:
more positive attitudes
classmates, you’ll be able to relate and
toward school
communicate with your child on a new level.
6 Your LIS School OBSERVER Section Representatives: www .intschool-leipzig.com Satpaal Mavro Michaelis, Stephanie Wiedemann, Iris Katz-Jean, Anna Fahrenkamp, Astrid Pietrus, Nicola Rossius
Your Elected Parent Representatives: Fabrizia Curti, Alya Pender, Wolf-Dieter Meier, Michael Hartwig
higher self-esteem
www.intschool-leipzig.com LIS OBSERVER 7
Several times a year the School
Board of Governors holds an open
forum. It is the best opportunity for
you, as parents, to learn about the
school future plans, to voice your
concerns, to submit your ideas and
get the answers you need on any
topic. Participation of parents is
essential; it guarantees a flow of
communication on the one hand
and that the board will take notice
of parents and children needs on
the other. Those open forums are
always advertised ahead of time in
the Ticker and LIS Observer, so save
the dates and be present.
Unlike traditional schools here in Germany, and elsewhere
in Europe, at Leipzig International School parents can come
in, talk to the teachers, and meet other parents, exchange
views, etc … as often as they like. What we should keep in mind
though is that as parents we are also welcome to contribute in
the class, to field trips, but also to participate in organising some
school events. There are quite a number of them along the years,
in every section of the school, parents must be involved and quite
often the same group of parents is volunteering. One of the
reasons for volunteering is that these parents see the school as
a place of exchange of cultures and ideas, where they can
help other families and children to settle in a new
environment; and the benefit is always mutual:
making new friends and opening new horizons

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LIS International Family Breakfast
This year’s International Family Breakfast held at Club International was a great success and very well
attended. With about 100 participants, this LIS potluck event was the perfect kick-off to the New Year!
The International Family Breakfast provided
another great opportunity for families and
friends to get together and getting to know more
about each other while munching on potluck
breakfast goodies. The idea for a family breakfast
was suggested by LIS parents already a year ago.
So we started with this last year and by now it
has become a kind of tradition for the New Year.
So there was a huge variety of food, just
everything that belongs to a great breakfast.
The tables were packed and all enjoyed the
8 LIS OBSERVER www .intschool-leipzig.com
wonderful food, topped off with gourmet
desserts. Also the children enjoyed it, and had
a great time playing games.
A special thank you goes to our 11 Graders who
supervised the younger children and who kept
them busy. We would also thank the Club
International for the great cooperation.
Thank you to all families for the fantastic
participation!
Liane Lindenlaub
LIS Thoughtfully Responds after False Alarm of 29 February
On Wednesday, 29 February, a lockdown alarm
went off at our school causing the day to end in
chaos for many and fright for some. All were
relieved to know in the end that it was a false
alarm. Our lockdown procedure was executed
properly by all who were in the building; their
behaviour was exemplary and safety was ensured.
It is our hope, that you, the students, parents, and
teachers of the LIS community can work through
your experiences, for this is essential in returning
to the daily rhythm of school life. For this reason,
we began the school day on Thursday, 1 March,
with an adjusted timetable, allowing pupils and
teachers the opportunity to begin by discussing
the events of the day the false alarm went off.
Additionally, classes from pre-school through
grade 6 were visited by teams comprising of a
police officer and a school member of staff.
Students, parents, and teachers alike are also
welcome to approach members of the school
management team to discuss any concerns they
may have.
We are uncertain as to whether we will ever know
exactly what caused the false alarm. Police are
conducting thorough investigations and
examining every possibility. Should conclusive
information be attained, it will be made available
to you.
We have learned that we have excellent
procedures in place and know how to react in
case of emergency. We express our gratitude for
your understanding, your trust, and your
assistance as we move forward after the events of
29 February.
Rosetta Stone Language Learning Software
Dear Parents,
Leipzig International School has been trialling a set of 25 online Rosetta
Stone licenses. This software is an excellent tool for language
learning and has been mainly used with new ESL and GSL students as
well as some secondary students learning French or Spanish and limited
use for staff to practice German.
Starting in August 2012, LIS will have access to 1000 online licenses,
which means language learning will be available to the entire school. The
Rosetta Stone programme offers several popular languages, including
options that are not offered here on site. The software is appropriate
for all ages, but best for ages seven and older. If you are
interested in learning more about this software, please contact the
Head of Mother Tongue:
Andrea Ouimette at .
www.intschool-leipzig.com LIS OBSERVER 8
Counsellor Corner
I would like to introduce Craig Goodwin, my
intern for school counselling. Actually, Craig
needs no introduction to the LIS community.
He has been working in Hort and assisting
in Learning Support for the last couple of
years while working on his Masters in
Counselling. He is at the stage in his
programme where he is required to do an
internship; I have the pleasure of being his
supervisor for these. Craig has a great deal
of experience working with youth in a
number of different settings, such as schools
and adventure camps and brings a unique
perspective and experience to his internship
here. I am looking forward to working with
him.
I am looking for a few parent volunteers
from both primary and secondary to serve on
an Advisory Council for the School
Counselling programme. There would only
be 3–4 meetings per school year. The
purpose of the advisory council is to review
counselling programme results and to make
recommendations. Students, parents,
teachers, school counsellors, and
administration should be represented on the
council.
Susan McCullough, School Counsellor
LIS Observer Collaborates with Leipzig Zeitgeist, Leipzig's International Voice
LIS Observer Collaborates with Leipzig
Zeitgeist, Leipzig's International Voice The
Leipzig Zeitgeist is Leipzig’s English
language magazine and, like the LIS
Observer, appears six times per year. LIS
students will be given the opportunity to
LIS ObServer
contribute to Leipzig Zeitgeist. Each edition
of the Observer will contain a reprint of an
article from Leipzig Zeitgeist, giving us all
an insight into our home city. Leipzig
Zeitgeist is available for sale at the LIS
reception desk.
The following article was first published on the LZ blog: blog.leipzig-zeitgeist.de
Les Liaisons Tres Dangereuses
The last High School production I saw was
„Aladdin“ so you can imagine my intrigue
upon hearing the news that Leipzig
International School was doing „Les Liaisons
Dangereuses“. I had seen clips from the movie
and knew it was a bit … shall we say…risqué.
Wow! Repect, but could they really pull off
such adult themes as sex, lies, jealousy and
betrayal? Wait. Doesn’t that sound like Skins or
Pretty Little Liars?
I must say I was impressed. Early on, the sheer
volume of lines was astounding, but that soon
gave way to how well they were delivered and I
found myself lost in the characters themselves.
Even the bedroom scenes were believable. I
think Valmont, played by Rokas Garmasukis,
kissed every girl in the cast and Merteuil, played
by Ly Thien Co Friedrich, put him up to much of
it. Her performance as the devilish diva was
remarkably good for someone so young and
small in stature. She was always in power.
Directed by Tom Bailey, the whole piece was
very well blocked. The 1985 play by Christopher
Hampton was based on a four volume novel
written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos first
published in 1782. I thought the choice to set it
in the roaring 20’s worked very well. Tom said
he couldn’t take all the credit for that decision.
Costume designer Marisa de Teresa had
suggested it. Tom agreed that there was a
parallel in the amount of decadency post WWI
and that this was the last time this type of
upper class society existed on such a high level.
Marisa definitely knew what she was doing
with the wardrobe, right down to the rhinestone
studded cougar Merteuil sported in the second
half. And the period music played between the
scenes set the mood perfectly.
This is the fourth play
Tom’s directed for LIS
and, as usual, he has
done a great job. He
was directing
professionally before
he left the UK four
years ago. I was even
more impressed after
speaking to him
about the process.
There is no drama
department at LIS.
That means all the
work was done
outside school hours.
There were
surprisingly also no
auditions. Anyone
who wants to be
involved can be. He
assigns the parts,
giving the leads to
those with seniority.
He decides on the
material based on
who he is working
with and gives them
approval. He knew Les
Liaisons Dangereuses would be a challenge, but
thought his cast could do it if they really
applied themselves. He was right.
Tom is disappointed in the German school
system curriculum for only offering fine art. He
feels everyone should be able to participate in
music and drama as well. After the performance
I asked the cast what they had learned from the
experience and they said they had learned the
responsibility one holds as a member of a team
Rokas Garmasukis and LyThein Co Friedrich in the LIS Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
Photo: Tommy Clarke.
and the importance of correctly reacting to
one’s environment. Even if we don’t see these
guys on TV or in the movies in the next 10
years, they have learned some important
lessons. As Tom puts it, “They will be able to go
into the workplace having learned the skills
they need to be part of a project and to engage
in a meeting. They will be able to read others
and anticipate their reactions.”
Maeshelle West-Davis, so social club
www.intschool-leipzig.com LIS OBSERVER 9

LIS ObServer
This letter was sent by the
director of OEAS to thank Lena
and Alex and all students for
the donation they made
during World Aids Day:
Model United Nations
A delegation of six students from grades 10 to 11 accompanied by Mr. Osthof and Ms. Hogan,
representing the United Arab Emirates travelled to Basel to take part in the Model United Nations
conference at the beginning of February.
Model United Nations (MUN) is a student lead
discussion in which you simulate the UN. There
is a strict dress-code and certain terminology
one has to follow. Students from LIS took part in
MUN for the first time and “learned-by doing”
how to write a clause and how to address the
chair. The first rule we had to follow was: no not
speak in first person, instead we had to say “the
delegate/delegation of the UAE believes
that….” and that “laughing is not an order “. We
were part of different committees such as
Human rights, EcoSoc, Special conference,
10 LIS OBSERVER www .intschool-leipzig.com
disarmament, environment and political. In our
committees we discussed two topics, for which
we had to write resolutions that represented the
UAE´s point of view. We had prepared ourselves
very well and knew our country, but quickly
realized that representing an opinion that you
do share is rather difficult.
The discussions went on for two days and on the
last day we went into general assembly. There
all the delegates from UAE sat together at one
table. There was so called “crisis” which the UN
had to respond to. The scenario was that there
Lena Huck, Sarah Thenbergh, Anna-Katrin Lindner , Nynke de Vette, Vinh Nguyen, Albert Grafe.
Dear Lena and Alex,
Mr. Ottmar Osthof has told me of your great
work in helping us here in Zimbabwe. The children at
Orphans Education and Agriculture Support thank you
for helping them to have better lives with a chance for education.
I want you to know that as Director of this work, I have a
wonderful staff of six Zimbabweans who help their own people.
They have to be paid and the children need help with their health,
cleanliness, planting seeds for vegetables and corn, raising rabbits for
meat, and being tutored in english and maths. This takes time and
it is expensive. The 200 euros (usd260) was collected at the bank
on friday. The children will have soap and notebooks for their
school work. I will make sure that they get some vegetable seeds
for planting, and some Christmas sweets.
Your gift has gone a long way. Please convey this message to the
students. I am thinking of you and of them.
Do treasure a teacher who cares about you and others.
Sincerely, Sr. Mary Frances Kobets
was a coup d’état in China and that the
revolutionaries were now in power. Our country
was not affected by this significantly, but we
were against the new government since they
were against our biggest trading partner the
USA. We were able to see lively and entertaining
debates, as well as experiencing how quickly
war can be declared. The general assembly
escalate a bit and at the end everybody declared
war on everybody, but otherwise the debated
were focused.
MUN enabled us to visit Switzerland (even if we
did not have time to look at Basel) and meet
many students from other international schools.
In the social event, we were able to chat with
them and friendships formed. This MUN maybe
not have been as professional as others, since it
was organised by students of Basel International
School, but for our first time it was suitable. We
learned a lot and felt comfortable enough to
stand in front of other delegates talking in the
interest of the UAE. On the train ride back home
to Leipzig, we all realised once again what hard
work a democracy is and we now know that
being a politician is not that easy.
We would like to thank Mr. Osthof and Ms.
Hogan for enabling this wonderful experience,
as well as supporting us in every way.
Additionally, we would like to thank the school
for taking over some of the costs for this trip.
Lena Huck, 11JS
CNN Freedom Project
At the beginning of February, Miss Hogan’s eighth grade geography class,
8MS, took part at the CNN Fair Trade Chocolate Challenge. The aim was
to bake a good with fair trade chocolate or cocoa to support Fair Trade
farmers.
Fair Trade helps farmers and communities in developing countries
improve the conditions of their village as they are paid a fair price for
their products and their hard work. It was important for the class to learn
about the origin of their food and the consequences that come with the
variations in prices for products.
Our class decided to make ‘Kalter Hund’, a traditional German dish made
from mainly chocolate and biscuits. After some difficulty in finding fair
trade cocoa in Leipzig, we were able to prepare the cake in the hort kitchen
and even try it after
about five hours of
cooling.
The iReport video
can be seen on the
CNN Freedom
Project website at
http://ireport.cnn.
com/docs/DOC-
744660.
LIS ObServer
anlässlich der Barocklyrik-Reihe in der Klasse 12, Deutschkurs Literatur
Höhepunkt der Unterrichtsreihe „Barocklyrik“ in
der Klasse 12 war die Lesung von Ulrike Draesner.
Sie ist sowohl eine promovierte und erfahrene
Literaturwissenschaftlerin als auch eine
„der besten deutschsprachigen Schriftstellerinnen“
– nach Aussage der Pressespiegel. Ein
Glücksfall für die 11. und 12. Klassen der LIS.
Ulrike Draesner studierte Jura, Anglistik, Germanistik
und Philosophie in München und Oxford.
1992 promovierte sie in Mediävistik und
war einige Jahre an der Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität
in München als Dozentin tätig. Seit
1994 lebt Ulrike Draesner nach längeren Aufenthalten
in England als freie Autorin in Berlin.
Inzwischen ist ihre Expertise auch in Bildung
und Politik begehrt: So berät sie Frau Schavan
in Bildungsfragen und einen Tag vor ihrem Besuch
bei uns hielt sie in Berlin eine Rede vor
Stadtplanern und Architekten zum Thema „Normalität
in der Großstadt“.
Die Liste ihrer Veröffentlichungen ist beeindruckend
lang, ebenso die der vielen Stipendien
und Preise, zuletzt erhielt sie 2010 den Solothurner
Literaturpreis.
Vom ersten Moment ihrer Ausführungen hielt
Ulrike Draesner die Zuhörer in Bann mit einem
Eileen Nguyen, 8MS
Ulrike Draesner zu Gast
an der Leipzig International School
Thema, das sich nicht einfach erschließt: die Barockzeit.
Durch Erinnerungen an ihre eigene Schulzeit gelang
es ihr, den Schülern einen Zugang zu dieser
Zeit zu verschaffen. Sie skizzierte dieses Zeitalter
der Gegensätze, gekennzeichnet durch Gepränge
und Genuss auf der einen Seite und Zerstörungen
und Elend durch den 30-jährigen
Krieg auf der anderen Seite.
Wir untersuchten das Sonett des barocken
Dichters Christian Hofmann von
Hofmannswaldau (1616–1679 in
Breslau) mit dem Titel ‚Vergänglichkeit
der Schönheit – und verglichen
es mit drei zeitgenössischen
Gedichten zum gleichen Thema von
Tom Schulz („Vergänglichkeit der
Schönheit“, „Beschreibung vollkommener
Schönheit“) und Thomas
Kling („Gestokktes Bilt“).
Die letztgenannten
Song Contest at Confucius Institute Leipzig
On 27 January the LIS Chinese club participated in a song contest at
the Confucius Institute. The competition was quite tough but we
achieved a very respectable third place. We got familiar with the
Chinese music and learnt interesting things about the Chinese culture.
Our Chinese teacher says a big thank you to: Lili, Tessa, Zoe, Eva,
Rebecca, Anastasia, Emily, Marika and Janina.
Janina, 7AD
Gedichte lösten sehr unterschiedliche Reaktionen
bei den Zuhörern aus, aber Ulrike Draesner
gelang es, einen Weg zum Verständnis zu
eröffnen. Besonders im Gedicht „Gestokktes
Bilt“ konnten die Schüler und Schülerinnen die
Verbindung von barocken Zitaten und von Erkennen,
Fühlen und Sprechen ausmachen.
Diese lebhafte Begegnung mit Lyrik durch die
Autorin hat neugierig gemacht,
neugierig auch auf zeitgenössische
Lyrik!
Gisela Selbach,
German Department
www.intschool-leipzig.com LIS OBSERVER 11

LIS ObServer
Photos: www.spinnerei.de
Living in Leipzig
From Cotton to Culture – Leipziger BaumwollSPINNEREI
The Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei (Leipzig Cotton Mill) is an industrial site in Leipzig. Parts of this site in
the district of Lindenau are used today by art galleries, studios and restaurants.
12 LIS OBSERVER www .intschool-leipzig.com
More than 125 years ago, Leipziger
Baumwollspinnerei AG bought a plot of around
10 hectares on the western outskirts of Leipzig.
By 1907, it had become the biggest cottonspinning
mill in continental Europe. This
fascinating factory town, including workers'
homes, allotment gardens as well as the
factory kindergarten, has survived intact to this
day. In 1992 the then obsolete cotton-yarn
factory complex has opened for redevelopment
and it has witnessed continuous change ever
since.
It was mostly artists who acted as the pioneers of
revitalisation here, and as a consequence the
SPINNEREI has become home to more than 100
studios today. The first artists to set up in the
former factory building included some well
known international names, many belonging to
the so-called "New Leipzig School“ (including
Neo Rauch, Jim Whiting and Matthias Weischer).
In addition to the artists, it was possible to
attract musicians, dancers, craftspeople,
architects, traders, printers, designers and many
others to set up shops and studios in the
SPINNEREI.
By the end of 2004, the SPINNEREI had become
well known as a centre for artistic production and
it had succeeded in attracting the attention of
Leipzig's gallery scene. In 2005, six Leipzig
galleries opened new exhibitions in the
SPINNEREI, one of the trailblazers being EIGEN +
ART which opened a spectacular gallery in the
former steam engine hall. The growing
international interest in art from Leipzig acted as
an incentive for additional tenants so that today
the Spinnerei is home to14 galleries and
exhibitions, including Galería Hilario Galguera
from Mexico City. Galleries, resident artists and
the communal arts center Hall 14 have created a
“cosmos of art” which is without equal anywhere
in the world. There is hardly any other big,
commercially revitalised factory complex which
can boast so many art enthusiasts while
continuing to provide a sanctuary for many
artists and other creative freelancers. Today, the
Spinnerei is an authentic, historic factory complex
whose soul is its many creative inhabitants and
the contemporary content which they bring to it.
Due to extended opening hours during the
gallery tour you have the opportunity to explore
exciting new exhibitions and experience the
SPINNEREI in action.
Main opening hours of galleries and exhibition
areas: Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm.
Please feel invited
to the gallery tours in 2012:
Spring Gallery Tour:
Saturday, 28 April, 2012: 11am – 9pm
Sunday, 29 April, 2012: 11am – 6pm
Autumn Gallery Tour:
Saturday, 15 September 2012: 11am – 9pm
Sunday, 16 September 2012: 11am – 6pm
Imprint
Published by
Leipzig International School
Telephone: +49 (0)341 337 558-0
e-mail:
Internet:
Design by
Westend. Public Relations GmbH
Internet: www.westend-pr.de
Photos by
LIS, Tommy Clarke, Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
administration board parents hort
pre-school primary school secondary school
staff events
Color scheme – every colour reperesents
a section of our school.