The new school year 2009/2010 I hope that you and your family have had an enjoyable summer. We have been busy at school getting ready for the start of the new school year. Apart from the normal cleaning and repairs that are typical summer activities, we have made a few welcome improvements that I am certain you will appreciate when you come back to school at the end of this month:

New Science Lab for Middle School: A major undertaking has been the complete restructuring of the Science Lab. This has involved structural improvements, like soundproofing the wall to the Music Room and adding a sink, as well as a significant investment in new furnishings and educational equipment. Our new Science lab will support the outstanding curriculum which GAIS offers at the Middle School Level. Our thanks to Dominic Leichti who has given this project his undivided attention, Tim Farris for excellent work and to Gabrielle Heilek of Roche for the significant donations in science materials.

New Internet Provider: Our internet service was briefly shut off this summer as we moved to a new provider. This will result in more reliable performance at a rate which is seven times faster.

New Colors for the Back Potables: In the process of unifying our campus color scheme, the back portables have taken on new colors.

Website Evolution: The part of our website reserved for the GAIS community will become operational after the Labor Day weekend when parents will be sent a log in code and instructions. On this part of the website will be important class information as well as the entire school curriculum per subject and grade level.

There have also been a few staff additions that have occurred during the summer months. Zeinab Mukhaiche, a preschool teacher from Stuttgart, will be joining our Hort program. Working in our Library on Monday and Thursday afternoons will be Uli Francis who was previously a GAIS parent.

Despite the difficult economic situation which has emerged over the last year, our enrollment for 2009-2010 will be almost identical to that of last year. Class lists for Preschool to Grade 4 will be sent out early next week. Grades 5 to 8 will have one section.

The staff and I look forward to meeting you on August 22 between 12:00 am to 3:00 pm when we hold our ‘start of the new school year’ Picnic. This is a great opportunity to meet your teacher, see the classroom and reconnect with old friends. Please bring a pot luck dish to share and your own utensils. During this afternoon we will hold two information sessions for new parents, at 1:00 pm for Preschools and at 2:00 pm for those in Grades VS-8.

Please note that the first day of school is on Monday, August 24th, however, Grade 1 will start one day later on Tuesday, August 25th as per tradition.

If you have not already done so, please return all the enrollment forms to the office before school starts. Your child will not be able to start school if these forms are not in.

I wish you an enjoyable last week of the summer vacation and look forward to seeing you soon. Please do not hesitate to email the school office if you have any questions.