St. George's School Cologne Newsletter - St. Georges School

E-mail: info@stgeorgesschoolcologne.de
EVERY SECOND FRIDAY NEXT ISSUE 26TH SEPTEMBER
Friday 12th September 2008
Volume 06 Issue 01
St. George’s School Cologne Newsletter
ST: GEORGE’S PUPIL IN TOP TEN GCSE RESULTS WORLDWIDE !
Madonna Raveenthiran was given this accolade for her GCSE Art
examination pieces. This is an extraordinary feat to achieve for
Madonna, together with Miss Boothby and the Art Department of
St. George’s. We wish Madonna and the GCSE pupils our many
congratulations for their impressive 90% A-C pass rate that easily
surpassed the British National pass rate of 65%.
GCSE
St. George’s is a top academic performer. Whilst our pupils
come from a range of academic backgrounds, their examination
performance is far from average and they have achieved grades
that many selective schools would be pleased to publicise. This
is due to the united teaching team who have successfully guided
our pupils and worked as one towards our common goals.
In 2008 St. George’s has once again surpassed the National British
Average GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Examination Results.
Congratulations to the leavers of 2008: who have once again
made us proud to be part of this successful international school.
A Level
Our A level results have once again surpassed all our expectations.
93% of St. George’s pupils achieved the three ‘A’ level
grades needed to qualify for global University Entrance. Our top
three performers have left St. George’s with four ‘A’ level grades
each and have headed off to Aachen University , Imperial College
London (ranked 3 rd in the world 2007) and Royal Holloway
London. Their achievement was spread across the curriculum
from Mathematics and Science, to English and History.
IB
Our first pupils to graduate from the International Baccalaureate
have exceeded the World Average. With a 100% pass rate, our
pupils’ results ranged from 25 to 41 points. This achievement for
the pupils and staff of St. George’s is no mean feat. We are extremely
proud of achieving this level of success with our first
wave of IB pupils. Our top pupil secured a place at McGill University
in Canada, ranked 12 th in the Times World University
Rankings 2007.
Examination successes seem to have been our constant compan-
%
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
School For Life
St. George's GCSE Results Compared w ith UK 2008
A* A B C D E F G U
Grades
St. George's A-Level Results Compared w ith UK 2008
A B C D E U
Grades
SGSC
UK
SGSC
ion across all levels in the Upper School. This certainly demonstrates
that with our values, which include a disciplined approach
to studies, pupils have the opportunity to work to their potential. It
is nonetheless important that pupils play to their strengths and
skills. Success is not a foregone conclusion. The education ladder is
one that allows pupils the opportunity to hone their skills and play
to their strengths.
Pupils enter the Upper School having chosen nine examination subjects,
giving them the opportunity to surpass the English national
average of seven. Their strengths can then be identified by the
level they are working towards and their final achievement. Higher
level subject passes at GCSE, and high level passes, provide them
with choices for further study and helps them to identify the career
paths open to them. This system has allowed our Alumni to follow
courses at a University level in areas as diverse as Medicine, Law,
International Relations and even Education!
Our pupils have not been restricted by International Borders, as the
right choice of subjects allows them to study not only in Germany
and Britain or North America, but in fact, anywhere in the world.
Dear Parent‘s, Friends, Staff and Pupils of St. George‘s, the news of our outstanding examination results was important enough to
merit the entire front page of our newsletter. You will find all the usual features—Calendar, List of School Letters, My own letter,
news of Rondorf—on the back page of this issue
Mr. Hollow, School Director St. George‘s The English International School Cologne
UK

“The End”… – Will it be what you expected?
This autumn will see a few of some favourite
series coming to a closure. Stephenie Meyer’s
bestselling “Twilight” saga got the ball rolling
with its final instalment “Breaking Dawn” published
in August. Eagerly awaited, it split the
huge fan base clean down the middle. A veritable
war raged on blogs and websites, discussing
storylines and much unexpected twists and
turns as well as writing style. Let’s say, it was
definitely NOT what most readers expected. If
you’d like to find out what all the fuss is about,
the book is available from the Stuart House Library,
but comes with a recommended reading
age (which was endorsed, both by the author herself as well as her
publisher) of 15+. The next in line is Christopher Paolini’s third and
final volume in his “Inheritance Cycle”,
“Brisinger”: Following the colossal battle
against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning
Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have
narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is
more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as
Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of
promises he may not be able to keep. Eragon
must make choices— choices that take him
across the Empire and beyond, choices that
may lead to unimagined sacrifice. Eragon is the
greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can
this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel
forces and defeat the king? – Find out, as the book will be available
at the Stuart House Library right after its publication
on September 20 th . (Age 12+) Already
published in its German original, “Inkdeath”,
last volume in the “Inkheart Trilogy” , will be
released on October 6 th : Ever since the extraordinary
events of Inkspell, when the story of Inkheart
magically drew Meggie, Mo and Dustfinger
back into its pages, life in the Inkworld has
been far from easy. With Dustfinger dead, and
the evil Adderhead now in control, the story in
which they are all caught has taken an unhappy
turn. Even Elinor, left alone in the real world, believes her family to
be lost between the covers of a book. As winter turns to spring,
there is reason to hope but only if Meggie and
her father, and their loyal band of followers,
are ready to make a dangerous deal with
death. (Age 12+) – This book will be available
from the Stuart House Library from October.
Not final ones, but more exciting instalments of
the following series will be available soon:
Cherub No.7, “The Fall”: When an MI5 operation
goes disastrously wrong, James Adams
needs all of his skills to get out of Russia alive.
Meanwhile, his sister Lauren is on her first solo
mission, trying to uncover a brutal human trafficking
operation.... Cherub No.8, “Mad
Dogs”: The British underworld is controlled by gangs. When two of
them start a turf war, violence explodes on to the streets. The police
need information fast, and they turn to the teenage
agents at Cherub in an effort to infiltrate
and dissipate the gangs. (both age 11+)
Jimmy Coates: Survival – The Fifth title and a
stunning new look for Jimmy Coates - part boy,
part weapon, totally deadly! Can Jimmy save
his family AND prevent a war? The choice is
simple. The decision is deadly. Jimmy Coates:
Power - Jimmy's country is under attack. His
body is poisoned. With time running out, he
discovers what some people will do for power -
and what he must do to stop them... (both age
11+)
Library Link
One to watch! – “Lost in Austen” is a brilliant
new series from ITV
Amanda Price simply loves Jane
Austen and her novels - especially
Pride and Prejudice. Imagine
her surprise, when one day
she finds Elizabeth Bennet standing
in her bathroom – in London-
Hampstead – in the year 2008….
How did she get there? And if
Elizabeth managed to get here,
well, can’t Amanda go…there?
Meet the Bennets, the Bingleys
and – of course! – Mr. Darcy himself?
Amanda decides to take the
plunge and steps through a secret
doorway hidden in the wall
that Elizabeth shows her. To her
delight, she finds herself inside
her beloved story – but soon
things start to develop quite differently
than she had imagined!
While Elizabeth is happy to live in Amanda's world, Amanda
struggles to make sure that events of the book unfold as they are
supposed to, but her presence causes ripples through the Bennet
household – and “Pride and Prejudice” may never be the same
again…
Follow Amanda’s hilarious story on ITV, Wednesdays at 10:00 pm
local time. Episode 3 is coming up on September 17 th .
More donations for the German Foreign Language
Section
Mrs. Mäder and her Team from the “M&W”
bookshop have come up trumps again and
donated a boxful of recently published
books for teen readers to the St. George’s
School Library. This included, among others
titles, Eon Colfer’s “Fletcher Moon – Privatdetektiv”,
Peter Münch “Der Duft des Lindenbaums”
(hailed as the “Anne Frank’s
Diary for our times”), “Das schwarze Buch
der Geheimnisse” by F.E. Higgins and the
acclaimed “Mein kleines, grosses Leben”
by Holly-Jane Rahlens, a vivid account of
being a teenager in America in the 60ies,
first love and how the assassination of J.F.
Kennedy changed everything, from personal lives to a whole nation.
– Holly-Jane Rahlens will be reading from her book on
October 23 rd at the Literaturhaus I Schönhauser Str. 8, Köln-
Bayenthal at 19:00 pm. Tickets cost between 3.- and 7.- EUR.
With many thanks to
Buchladen M W GmbH Venloer Str.
125 50259 Pulheim
Tel.:02238 57528

Boarding at St. George’s
After twenty three years of educating pupils from every corner of
the globe, St. George’s is extremely proud to open our doors to
boarding pupils. We feel that the addition of
a Boarding House to our facilities will certainly
compliment our existing programmes.
Currently our Boarding House is located in
Bornheim and opens with six pupils. The
‘House’ was formerly a convent and offers
spacious rooms with some wonderful architecture.
We aim to provide our Boarders
with a structured environment for learning, a
family atmosphere and offer them a home
from home. All boarders participate fully in
school life and will benefit St. George’s
greatly as we develop further.
At this point, a few words from one of our
Boarders:
“At first I was a
little skeptical
about boarding. I
did it mainly to get
used to living in a
dorm as I will in
university most
probably later on.
However I have
noticed there are a
lot of benefits in
this. Since the
boarders are a
Boarding not Boredom in
Bornheim!
small group (as of now) it was easy to get to know people and it is a
great atmosphere to live with others from my classes. The rules and
regulations scared me at first (regulated Prep.
Time, Sleep Time, etc.) But in the end I noticed
that it doesn’t affect one’s life that much. Of
course life feels more controlled, but one has
to be able to cope with that later in life anyways,
and it doesn’t feel like a prison after all.
In general I can say that I enjoy boarding more
than I ever enjoyed going to school from
home.”
Yannic Busbach (Year 12, IB Pupil)
The Boarder’s life is certainly not about living
and working in isolation; it develops team
spirit and one’s identity. Our first Boarders are
a thoroughly enjoyable
group and we wish
them a productive time
at St. George’s. If you
are interested in
boarding and would
like more information
about our facilities,
please do not hesitate
to contact us.
Mrs N. Hollow
Head of Boarding
St. George‘s School Rondorf with the new Boarding House on the right

ARTBOOTH by BOOTHBY

Lower School
The change from Early Years to Lower School can be a difficult and worrying time. There are new rules and routines, new classrooms
and books as well as lots of new faces and names to learn. The new pupils in Year Three have, however, coped fantastically well and
have taken all of the changes in their stride.
Alongside the tea parties that have been held this week where parents had the opportunity to discuss these changes we will be holding
an extra Year Three tea party on 30 th September giving further opportunity for the parents to talk to the teachers, Mrs McKay, Miss Russell,
Mr Molloy and Miss Webster.
The children completed some writing about coming to Lower School during the first week of the new academic year. Here are some excerpts
from their writing.
I enjoy playing with my
friends. I like having new
friends in Year 3. Luca (3Mo)
I have 18 new friends. Shihoko
(3Mo)
I like to play football with year
three and year four. Baris (3M)
Welcome to Lower School Year Three
I’m looking forward to doing
more Literacy and Numeracy.
Marie-Therese (3Mo)
I like Year Three because we
make new friends. Ariane (3R)
I like reading best in Year 3.
Kara (3R)
The harder work is new but I
really love working. Lilly
(3R)
In Literacy we write so much
until your hand falls off. Roy
(3W)
I would like to go on a trip.
Philip (3M)
I am really excited about the next
weeks. Franz (3W)
My favourite time of the day is
playtime. I like my new friends.
Lucy (3W)
I am looking forward to the
trips when we can sleep there.
Melanie (3M)

Form 11 Formula 1
In recent years the Toyota Formula 1 team, based in Cologne,
has offered our pupils an opportunity to complete their work
experience placements in their factory. The pupils who have
participated in this program have not only gained experience of
the F1 world but also the working world outside of the classroom.
Herr Rommerskirchen from Toyota F1 oversees the work placement
within the company. Over the years he has been impressed
by the work ethic, commitment, enthusiasm and manners
of St George’s pupils.
As a result of this positive working relationship, Herr Rommerskirchen
has kindly donated the front nose cone, from Jarno
Trulli’s car, to the school.
It is very seldom, if ever, that Formula 1 car parts ever leave the
research lab, other than to go to the race track and back.
The nose cone will be used as a display item in our new school
building.
Mr Hollow, Vilem and Luke (from Year 12) are pictured with Herr
Rommerskirchen accepting this very generous gift.
Early Years
Upper School
Tigers in the Garden
The Tigers class in Year Two have been making
full use of the new Early Years garden. The pretty
plot of land in front of the Year Two classrooms
has provided an excellent recreational and learning
environment. Inspired by the fine weather, Mr
Clark decided to move his Science lesson outside,
and embark on the topic of ‘Forces’ with his class.
The Tigers learnt about push and pull, friction and
gravity. In pairs, his class experimented with a tug
of war, identifying the pulling force against their
partner. With small vehicles and ramps, pupils
discovered different types of friction on grass and
concrete, and discussed the effects of gravity. The
Tigers, and indeed all Early Years classes, are
thrilled have this open space at their disposal.
Windeck 0809
Our year 12s and new I.B. pupils embarked on the annual
weekend away to Windeck Jugendherberge on Friday 29 th August
which ensures our Year 12 pupils improve their team building and
mental agility skills.
After an early rise and breakfast on Saturday morning we drove
the short journey to the Hochseilgarten on Saturday morning,
where the pupils enjoyed a day of climbing activities. Nerves were
tested especially on the 30 foot high pole challenge; the first
challenge being the ascent to the top then the balance on a
platform only 20 centimetre wide. Finally, a respectable number of
adrenaline fuelled hardy souls made the jump to the rope and with
great relief back to “terra firma”. A great achievement of body,
mind and soul.An after-dinner series of quizzes and practice for the
Sunday morning’s presentation completed our Saturday.
Excitement and adrenaline still in our pupils’ veins, a later bedtime
and a relaxing group plenary wound us all down ready for lights
out.
Sunday morning appeared quickly and our final presentations got
under way. It must be said that all our pupils engaged in the
weekend with the enthusiastic and courageous attitude particular
to our youngsters; congratulations are due all round!

Upper School
Head To Head
We are extremely pleased to announce
the appointment of Antonia Luxem as
Head Girl and Louis Garratt as Head Boy
of St. George’s. They follow in the large
footsteps of Ann-Sophie Korb and
Gregory Strange. We have every
confidence that they will set a fine
example and be excellent ambassadors
for the school.
These pupls are particularly appropriate
for their role as they embody the true
international spirit of St. George‘s.
Antonia, is studying for her IB and Louis
is studying for his A-levels; Antonia is
French/German and an Australian
national, while louis is a United Kingdom
within himself with Scottish, Welsh, Irish
and English ancestry. Antonia is the
youngest sister of two of St. George‘s
proudest alumni; Loius is the oldest of
four aspitring and rising St. George‘s
stars.
In all Louis and Antonia have been elected to their position on their merits, but their backgrounds have prepared them for success not only
in our school but in their future career paths.
Please do stop and ask them for help, if you see them around the school. Many congratulations to them both.
Welcome to Upper School Form 12

General Notices
Work of the Week
Clara, Roy, Fiona, Theresa, Alicia, Kennedy, Lorenz,
Neela, Jack, Ellen, Anais, Jana
St. George’s
Families
seeking car pools
Year 5 boy traveltravelling from 50374
Erftstadt to Sulz
Family living in
Weiss. 1 girl in ReReception at Rader-
thalgürtel 1 girl in
Year 02 in Sülz,
Frances House
If you are inter- interinter- ested, contact the
school office!
Extended Day Activities Coming to St. George’s in January 2009
From January 2009 We will be offering St. George’s parents
and children a huge range of after school activities taking
place between 4:30 and 6:00pm in St. George’s School. We
will be sending you further details soon but here are some
of the exciting opportunities we have already signed up
exclusively for you and your children.
www.languageconnects.de www.businesskids.de
www.tai-chi-studio.com www.euro-dance-center.de

St. George's School Cologne Calendar Term 1.1 (All)
AUG./SEPT. SEPT./OCT.
Mon 25 Induction Week Existing Staff 29 5
Tue 26 30 MUSMA
LS: Yr3 Tea Party. / Kinderliga
Wed 27 Board: Pupils arrive 12:30
WS: Open Afternoon
1
Thur 28 0 2 Prep of Calendar 1.2 / LS: Sponsored Run
Rondorf Topping out Ceremony
Fri 29 IB/A Level Windeck 3 Day of German Unity
Sat 30 4
Sun 31 5 Schools Relay Marathon
Mon 1 Book Fair 1 6 6
GCE entries (Jan 09) to RP
Tue 2 Book Fair 7
Wed 3 8 Rec: Reading Meeting
Thur 4 9 MSUS: Drama Production 7pm, MH Sulz
Fri 5 Finalised CLub Schedule 10 Newsletter
Sat 6 11
Sun 7 12
Mon 8 2 13 7
Tue 9 FS: Tea Party 14
Wed 10 EY: Tea Party 15 P.Eve 1
Thur 11 LS: Yr3/4 Tea Party 16
Fri 12 Newsletter
LS: Yr5/6 Tea Party
17 Board: Half Term Exeat
Sat 13 18
Sun 14 19
Mon 15 3 20
Tue 16 21
Wed 17 RT: Coffee Morning 22
Thur 18 23
Fri 19 24
Sat 20 25
Sun 21 26
Mon 22 4 Reminders
EYLS: Jack and the Beanstalk
* Parents Eve
Tue 23
* MSMA/USMA
* GCE Entries
* Tea Parties
Wed 24
* Dux Board
* School Photos
Thur 25 Art Exhibition, Studio Du Mont until Oct 1st
* Coffee mornings
* Recption Reading Meeting
Fri 26 Newsletter
* Geo Field Trips
* Non Uniform Day
* Trips
Sat 27
* Open Days (nursery) (1 per half term)
Sun 28 Summer BBQ
080910SGSCTeachersGenEssential.xls

St. George’s Back Page
Director‘s Letter
Dear St. George’s,
Welcome to the new academic year. We hope
that you all enjoyed a relaxing summer break
and were able to enjoy some time with your
family.
This year will be arguably the busiest yet in St.
George’s twenty three year history. We start with our new school
day; 08:30 to 15:30 comprising the core school day and clubs
running from 15:30 to 16:30. We have arranged a plethora of
clubs for our pupils and offer a prep-hour for those who wish to
attend; please contact your Head of Department, or Form
Teachers for more details. We have introduced the new school
day in preparation for our move to Rondorf. With everyone at
St.George’s fully adjusted to the new school day we have one less
issue to concern ourselves with!
With the new school day arrives an old problem – car parking in
Sülz. We appreciate that the car parking situation around the
school site poses some difficulties. However, there is little excuse
for poor etiquette or dangerous driving. Many of us drive large
cars in the vicinity of little children; it is each and everyone’s
responsibility to ensure that the safety of all children in the area
is fully recognised. Please drive sensibly in the vicinity of our
school and offer the utmost respect to local residents.
As we have stated previously, we will be introducing an updated
school uniform in the near future. At this point we are still
finalising some details and anticipate that the new uniform will
coincide with our move to Rondorf. However, we do not have a
fixed date at this time and ask parents to purchase uniform as
required using the current uniform guidelines. We will
naturally offer a generous transition period for the changeover.
Our examination results for GCSE, AS Level and A Level have
again proved to be most encouraging; please ensure that you read
the information in this newsletter. Praise must be extended to our
Staff for their dedication and hard work. Should you have any
queries regarding examination results, examinations available or
12/09/08
general school assessments, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new Staff to
St. George’s. They have travelled many miles to join us and we
wish them every success in their career at St. George’s; with such
attentive pupils and supportive parents, they are sure to enjoy their
first year at St. George’s.
Early Years have secured new accommodation for their Year 2
classes on the ground floor of Frances House, and Miss
Bickerstaffe is now responsible for the Reception in addition to
Years 1 and 2. Miss Cowell leads our Lower School into Rondorf ,
whilst Mr Burns and Mr Jaggard continue with Middle and Upper
School respectively. Mrs Hollow oversees our Little Dragons,
Nursery and takes up her appointment as Head of Boarding. These
are your Heads of Department; please take every opportunity to
communicate with them fully regarding any aspect of our school.
It is with regret that we have said goodbye to a long standing and
most valued colleague, our Office Manager Mrs Walker. Having
served our school admirably for many years, Mrs Walker has
retired and returned to Scotland. We would like to thank her for
such dedication and wish her a relaxing and well deserved break.
As we say au revoir to Mrs Walker we would like to welcome Miss
Bücker as our Office Manager We wish her every success as she
enters the ‘boiler room’ of St. George’s.
Having just enjoyed our annual department Tea Parties we are
looking forward to our first Round Table Coffee Morning of the
new year; Wednesday 17 th September in our Main Hall, Sülz.
Please join us. This is followed closely by our Autumn BBQ on
Sunday 28 th September from 12:30 to 16:00; we hope that you are
all able to join us for a fun packed afternoon.
Our open door policy remains a key feature of our school. Both Dr.
Wilford and I would like to ask that you use it and
communicate with our Staff at every opportunity.
Welcome to the new academic year, one and all.
Yours sincerely,
R. Hollow
School Director
C. Wilford
Assistant School Director
Rondorf watch 12th September 2008
As you will be aware from the letter to all parents sent out yesterday
from our Principal, Mrs. Horton, the new St. George‘s School
building in Rondorf has witnessed a very busy Summer. The
building as you can see has progressed at breakneck speed, and
although we may not witness the huge outward changes we have
seen since March 2008, rest assured that inside progress will be
continuing at the same pace. As Mrs. Horton announced, we will be
having a small ‚topping Out‘ (Richtfest) ceremony on October 2nd,
as is traditional, but this is largely for the workers and planners
who have pulled out all the stops to get the building to where it is.
We would not want to stop work for any longer than is necessary to
ensure that we can move in in January, when we can have a proper
welcoming ceremony for all of our parents.
As always, we will keep you up to date with our progress.
You should have received the following letters over the past two Thursdays:
28.08 - WS Book Fair; FS Bumblebee Form; FS Raderthal Safety; Nur Basic Information; EY Basic Information; EY Clubs; EY German SEN; EY Numeracy
Booklets; EY Parents Helpers; EY Tea Party; EY German Reading; EY German Curriculum; LS Information; LS Parent Helpers; LS Tea
Party; LS Clubs
04.09 - FSEY Dates & Info; EY Clubs; EY F02 Tigers Egg Allergy; LS Maths Booklets; MSUS Clubs 11.09 - WS Rondorf Topping Out ceremony; WS
Autumn BBQ; NurRec Sickness; Rec Blackbirds Park Visit;F01-LS Theatre Visit; LS Literacy Booklets; MSUS Spanish Club;