Sprachdiplom - German Language Learning beyond Grade 5

GSP students earn top scores on Sprachdiplom

 

Not only do our students study hard they also actually sit down and take the test; even if it is scheduled to take place on a Saturday or during Spring Break. The ladder goes especially for our alumni:  Agnes Rehr-Zimmermann and Annalise Helm (photo, l.) both took the DSDII test, the highest level of testing and the equivalent of a German Abitur-Prüfung in December and followed through by taking the oral part in early January. Meanwhile we have received word that both passed with very good results. 

Congratulations!! Their German language skills now allow them to apply for a course of studies in Germany. 

Our high school graduates were then followed by a group of teenagers who took their written DSDI-test during our Spring Break on Sat. March 22^nd and went on with the oral part on Fri. April 11. Among them were Nicole Krenz and Bettine Rehr-Zimmermann (photo), Keegan Kaas, Isabella Amann, Jakob Hollenbeck and Miles Hoeckel. All of them were joined by alumni Gracie Closson, Hannah Smith, Daniel Sutherland, Ella Ansteth and Annika Peters currently enrolled at Sophie Scholl Saturday School as well as Jule Bauer and Anya Bennett from Gilkey Middle School.

As every year, our 5^th grade students all routinely took the A2 level test in all four categories, listening, reading, writing and speaking skills, and passed, as usual, with flying colors.

Last, but not least our own 3rd grade students participated in the earliest qualifying level for the first time. All students received at least three out of four stars on their diploma. Great job!

Inquiry and observation in the classroom

If you had a chance to visit our first grade classroom lately you probably saw quite a bit of observations and inquiry in action.
First grade students are learning about the life cycle of butterflies and are taking care of their very own group of hungry caterpillars. While they know quite a bit about this topic, they also have a lot of questions! Frau Wester facilitates learning by guiding students through observation periods and documentation of what they see in a journal. For some students this might be still with a focus on drawings and fewer words, while other students are eager to expand their writing skills further.
By making connections to the students' life, learning becomes more meaningful and fun. While the butterfly topic is fairly easy to connect with, we will continue to challenge ourselves to make increasingly meaningful connections between everyday learning and our students' experience outside the classroom.
All classroom teachers are currently in the process to plan our first IB units for early in the 2014/15 school year. These are exciting changes to come our way and I feel honored to be part of this journey and to learn together with you!

International Children's Book Day

Good morning,
today is International Children's Book day and what better way to celebrate than with a trip to the library!
The Beaverton library is an amazing source of book treasures for you and your child. In addition, our very own GSP library offers a great selection of German books to enjoy.
Of course there are many studies out there that prove the importance of reading to and with your child.In addition it is just plain fun! Our students enjoy library time twice a week and I love to see them curled up, immersed in a good book or sharing with their friends what they are reading.
So, to celebrate International Children's Book Day I encourage you to find some time to read together today!
Happy reading!

Caring

As we learn more about the IB primary year program it becomes more and more evident how substantial components of the program are deeply rooted in our GSP community.

Bukesa, Uganda soccer field

The IB Learner profile describes learner attributes that are considered essential to develop into productive learners and well rounded citizens.
One of the learner profiles is "Caring: I care about people, plants, animals and the earth. I help others and care for people and the world."
While we will formally introduce the learner profiles to students and families over time, we are also looking for opportunities to make that connection now.
When I saw our students rally for the Bukesa orphanage this week I witnessed "caring in action". With short notice our 4th grade students were able to collect supplies for Frau West to take to the orphanage. So last week Frau West left with 2 extra bags of soccer balls, cleats, and jerseys.I am sure that children at the Bukesa orphanage will put them to good use!
I am so proud to be part of our GSP community and all the things we can accomplish together!!
Thank you,

How to Survive Science Fair Season

This is the time of the year where students and parents alike start their endeavor into the world of science. If you follow social media, you might have seen the following display. It sums up the sentiment that many of us had towards science fair projects - at least once. As a parent and teacher I still believe that this can be a wonderful learning experience for all involved if you take a few precautionary steps, but yes we have run out of printer ink and glue sticks the night before the project due date in my house, too!

• When helping students choose a good project, focus on their general interests and the scope of the potential project. Often smaller scale projects are a much better choice and allow students to be successful, especially if this is their first time. Safe those elaborate ideas for upper grades and middle school years (yes there will be more science fairs in your live!)
• Set expectations of which parts you want your child to do independently and where you are willing to support - this is not an easy task but can help manage frustrations along the way.
• Encourage students to find a question in their everyday life. A good starting point can be to browse Science buddies
• Help your child plan backwards: When does the project have to be done, how long will each step realistically take, how much time can I spend on the project on a weekend without loosing interest? We will have a check list available and attached to next week's Laternlein newsletter to get you started.
• Have fun while doing the research and putting the project together.
• Reflect on the experience, what did go well, what did your child learn from the process and how can this be used for other long term projects?
• Last but not least: Celebrate success and accomplishment!

Happy Exploring!

Oregon Battle of the Books

The mission of Oregon Battle of the Books is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students. 

For weeks our 4th and 5th grade students prepared for these battles. They read, they talked strategies and practiced answering questions. Many students met during recess to listen to books on tape together with Ms West. 
Today, the first 2 teams battled it out. In front of a captive audience, the "Hello Little Fella" and the "Soggy Chaos Biscuits" faced each other in the first round. Yes, silly team names are part of the tradition.Each team will battle at least twice and the overall winning team will represent GSP at the next level competition.

If you are interested in finding out more about the books the students read in preparation follow this link: Oregon Battle of the Books or come and visit us for one of the battles - sorry no cheering allowed during battles! A schedule with upcoming battles is posted downstairs in front of the English classroom. Thank you also to Hilary Uhlig for helping our students prepare! 
- to be continued...

Perseverance pays off….

GSP alumnae Agnes Rehr-Zimmermann (right) and Annalise Helm (middle) together with Nghia Ho (left), an avid learner of the German language  from the Sophie Scholl Saturday School, all took the last part of the DSDII Deutsches Sprachdiplom this past Saturday here at GSP.  While they had already taken the written parts of the test that included listening, reading and writing skills at the beginning of December this part of the testing was definitely the hardest on their nerves since it was happening right at the time when finals in High School took place as well.

Under the official supervision of Fachberaterin Natascha Milde and under the eyes of their (former) teacher(s) Heike Schütz-Malinowski, Christiane Seydel and Wibke Fretz three nervous candidates entered each individual session of 20-30 minutes of oral testing.  As part of the exam they had to present and discuss a theme they had just been given 20 minutes ago as well as give a prepared presentation and in-depth discussion of a topic they had chosen weeks ago. All candidates gave their very best on the exam and were relieved the pressure was off after this exam they had been preparing and studying since the beginning of the school year.  They were all smiles around noon and are now awaiting word (and a diploma!) from the KMK (Ministry of Education in Germany) to tell them that their language skills are at the level required for entering a college or a university in an German state. Congratulations to all of them for taking on this challenge and best of luck with their ongoing studies of German, possibly in Germany!