Welcome and Welcome Back, GISC Community!

Welcome and Welcome Back! We are so pleased to welcome 180 students to GISC, including 26 students new to our school community.

Having attended school as a student for some 19 years in addition to having worked at schools for 35 years, the first day of school for me is New Year’s Day and the week prior is New Year’s Eve. In that spirit, allow me to guide you into the New Year – all of our remaining plans to ring in and kick off the 2024/25 school year.

Here are some of the most important events and dates to keep in mind:

1:30 p.m. New Families Advance Reception

2:00 p.m. - 4 p.m. All families – new and returning – are invited to visit their child’s classroom, meet the homeroom teacher as well as specialist teachers, and explore the building and grounds. The event is an Open House – come by when it fits your schedule. Homeroom teachers have transformed the classrooms into welcoming spaces. This is a great time especially for younger students to get to know their teachers and peers in a non-structured and relaxed environment. It is especially helpful for new students to meet new classmates and teachers.You are encouraged to bring school supplies to drop off at the classroom – homeroom teachers will have designated spots for students’ belongings. We look forward to seeing you, and I thank you for attending and the faculty and staff for their efforts to welcome you on a Sunday afternoon.

You are cordially invited to enter our school at the main entrance and accompany your child to the classroom. You have a chance to have your photo taken with your child outside the school. For Preschool families, please note that we also offer a period of “Eingewöhnung,” a designated period of time during which parents may be in the classroom during the initial days of school – please let your Preschool teacher know if you are interested. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., you are cordially invited to ring in the new school year. We will meet outside our gym on the sports court/outdoor lunch area. I will offer a few words of “Welcome,” and look forward to catching up with everyone during our social time until 9:30 a.m. All grade levels will enjoy a special schedule on the first day, designed to get to know each other and begin laying the foundation for a mutually respectful classroom environment.

Please allow me to summarize our preparation efforts for this new school year:

We are pleased to introduce our faculty and staff in this slide presentation, showing faculty and staff per department. Additionally, please see this overview of faculty and staff on our website, featuring short bios on all faculty and staff. The faculty and staff have met this entire week, focusing on meetings (including all-day IB workshops) and individual classroom preparations. We are pleased to welcome eight new faculty members in addition to our new Director of Marketing and Communications, Dirk Vogel. Shortly after the start of the school year, we will also have in a part-time function Laura Meyerhofer, who as Recess Supervisor will be present at all meal and recess times.

For those with an account: Log in to your account and check out your lunch calendar! The team at Yay designed a custom menu just for us. With so many delicious options (and plenty of daily specials), there’s something for every student.

Not yet registered:  It’s simple! Visit yaylunch.com, select our school and fill out your name and student info. You can add a credit card so you’re ready to order, but it’s not required.

Guten Appetit!! If you have questions about the ordering process or Yay in

general, check out the Yay FAQs or email info@theyaycompany.com. 

During the summer, we completed a re-roofing and brick-tuckpointing project. We are pleased to report that both projects were completed on time and within budget.

Furthermore, we began work on the first phase of playground improvements. As we had previously reported, the final work on the first phase will consist of the installation of two adventure centers, one geared toward younger students (PreK to 2nd), and the other for older students (3rd to 8th grades). These play structures are constructed of Black Locust tree wood, offering a natural look and feel. We expect this installation to occur in November and be completed in December. Incorporating safety has been a tremendous focus as is evident by removal of asphalt surfaces and adding playground certified wood chips to prepare for the two new adventure structures. This project has been made possible due to the generosity of donors giving at our school gala in May. Thank you for this support and thank you to Director of Building Operations, Stephen Waguespack, for his hands-on oversight of these two major projects.

I invite you to learn more about the process of designing and building our playground by checking out a recent Q&A we did with our building partner GRG Playscapes. 

Our new Director of Marketing & Communications Dirk Vogel has refreshed our online GISC spirit wear shops which you may access here. Additionally, you may find other wonderful GISC items at our Spirit store at the main entrance. Dirk will soon communicate in a special mailing how you may purchase these items. 

We also have performed a refresh of the GISC logo in an effort to re-produce this logo in a  variety of materials, including the GISC merchandise. The refresh incorporates our traditional colors and fonts, and underneath the Chicago skyline, you may now recognize Lake Michigan.

Please expect weekly on Fridays the school newsletter – the Elternbrief. Every Tuesday, you will receive a brief Tuesday Round-up email. K-8 teachers will be sending their version of the Elternbrief once a month, and Preschool teachers will send a weekly Elternbrief. Additionally, please note that our school portal features a resource page, where you can find important documents such as the Parent-Student Handbook. The school calendar is maintained on our school website – if desired, you can import the detailed calendar into your own online calendar.

While written communication is great and important, we understand, of course, that you may have individual questions and concerns – those are best addressed to the person most closely associated to the issue. Should any such conversation not lead to an answer or resolution, please contact Director of Teaching & Learning Inka Kirchenbuechler. Should that not lead to a satisfactory outcome, please contact me.

GISC has now installed a state-of-the-art intercom (public address) system in each classroom, the hallways, the gym, and the outside areas. Each classroom is now equipped with a handset, offering immediate communication. This intercom system is an important component of our safety and security measures – we will practice fire, inclement weather, and lockdown drills, which we will – as per Illinois law – communicate in advance. Please also know that all school doors will be locked during the school day with the Front Office being the only access during the day along with identification and a visitor sign-in sheet.

GISC is so much more than a dual-language school. With our commitment to the International Baccalaureate, we have created a student-centered school, in which students have the opportunity to apply their learning in meaningful projects and hands-on learning. Most importantly, GISC strives to cherish each student, ensuring they are in classrooms where they know that they belong and matter. I wish our faculty, staff, and students a most special year.

With high hopes for a wonderful New Year,

Ben Hebebrand