At a recent parent coffee morning, considerable and enthusiastic discussion occurred between the parents attending, Dominic Liechti, our Director of Academic Programs, and myself about the GAIS Middle School's plans for embarking on the MYP program next year. Although the formal application will occur during the course of the next school year, the main components of the MYP structure will be put in place starting in August. The Middle School faculty has already been working on gaining a good understanding the components of the MYP and will begin workshop attendance in the upcoming school year.
While the start of the MYP will be the biggest change in our Middle School program next year, there will be a number of other innovations as a result of our constant discussion with the various components of the community. A new Music program will be introduced in the Middle School with an emphasis on instrumental music. The program will involve teaching the keyboard, integrated with other instruments which the students may already be studying. We will also begin a supplemental program to coach students wishing to take the ISEE test for admissions to private High Schools.
Our Middle School students came back from their restful Winter Break to sit the AATG tests which evaluate German language proficiency. In March our MS students will sit the test for the Deutsches Sprachdiplom (DSD). This is a new program sponsored by the German authorities and will give our students a diploma that is legally recognized in Germany for admission to secondary education programs. Our Grade 6 & 7 students will take the A2 level whereas out 8th Graders will sit for the B1 level. The DSD is based on the European Language Reference and will be a useful tool for evaluating the German language program at GAIS.
