PSGNEWSLETTER

PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
PSGNEWSLETTER
IS THERE LIFE AFTER DP?
Graduation Day
- Liberal Arts
and Sciences,
University
College
Maastricht
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GRONINGEN
Is there life after DP? This will seem like a valid
question to many students when considering the
demands the Diploma Programme places on
them. Former ISG student, Ileen Kok tells us
about life after DP and why University College
Maastricht was the place for her to study Liberal
Arts and Sciences.
In our aim to share valuable information and
experiences with parents and students we would
like to invite other former ISG students to tell
their stories. All students will at some point face
the decision what to do after MYP or DP.
Therefore experiences related to both Further
Education and Higher Education that can benefit
our international community are most welcome.
Contact details are to be found on the last page of
the newsletter and on the ISG website.
For the first time the ISG celebrated International
Day. We report on the event, why it is important
and include a delicious Indonesian recipe that
1
proved to be very popular during the International
Day buffet. We also include instructions to
various German dice games as featured in one of
the workshops.
The PSG working committee would like to wish
all parents, teachers and students a great summer
holiday.
PSG Working Commi!ee
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
FACT FILE
Full Name
Ileen Ellis Kok
Born
15 Nov 1992
Hobbies
Cooking, travelling,
reading, dancing and skiing
Wisdom
Don’t worry be happy
Dream
Running a B&B in Tuscany
Next
phase
Starting Master Management,
Economics and Consumer
Studies in Wageningen
Liberal Arts and Sciences
University College Maastricht
By Ileen Kok
2
When I graduated from IBDP at the International School
Groningen I chose to go to the University College in
Maastricht for several reasons. Firstly I really appreciated the
open and comfortable atmosphere when I first visited the
college, both students and professors mingle in a very relaxed
way and are very interested in one another. Secondly UCM
provides students with a very critical insight into current
issues from the fields of philosophy and history, economics
and psychology, to mathematics and biology. Due to this,
many interesting discussions and encounters take place; both
in class as well as during extra-curricular activities that
include debating competitions and open-mic nights. All the
above matches the learning curve of IS students very well so I
felt really at ease at UCM.
which I think is one of the key benefits of going to UC
Maastricht, and not another UC. Thus as a new student you
can get the full student life experience, as well as maintain a
high level of critical and academic education. If more
convincing is necessary, all that rests to be said is that it was
voted as the best University College in the Netherlands, ánd
the second best bachelor studies in all of the Netherlands in
2013 by the Keuzegids.
Next to this the city of Maastricht provides students with
many possibilities. For travelling abroad is very easy and the
town hosts many cultural events that students can participate
in. At UCM students are not obliged to live on campus, so it
is very easy to mingle with students form other faculties,
All in all my experience was fantastic, and I recommend any
student with many interests and a bit of adventure in them to
apply for UCM. If you do I have two tips: (1) don’t be afraid
to ask questions, (2) choose your courses wisely. Good luck!
!
After finishing UCM applying for a Masters Degree is highly
recommended, and the possibilities are endless with a degree
in Liberal Arts and Sciences. Within the University of
Maastricht UCM students are regarded as very capable and
usually get into their next degree with ease.
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
International Day @ ISG
28 May 2014
By Cornelia Brugman
Sharing our cultural diversity enriches our lives
and broadens our horizons. Celebrating this
diversity at an International Day is a great
opportunity for students and indeed the whole
school community to make the most of what we
have and to reflect on our own national and
cultural identity and lear n about other
nationalities and cultures.
sign up for a workshop and get hands-on
experience of unique traditional crafts, learn
German dice games, test their music knowledge or
learn about ice hockey, the national winter sport of
Canada.
All students really seemed to enjoy the experience
and were engaged in their chosen activities.
Furthermore, International Day complements the The International Buffet was another highlight
I B m i s s i o n i n p ro m o t i n g i n t e rc u l t u r a l giving us an opportunity to sample food from the
understanding and respect.
many countries represented in our community.
Our very first International Day was held on 28
May 2014. The event was organised by the
Parents' Support Group, and with help and
support from the ISG became a successful event.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all
t h o s e wh o h e l p e d w i t h o rg a n i s i n g t h e
International Day, students and parents who
brought in food for the International Buffet and
parents who helped with decorating and setting up
Those coming from larger international schools the buffet. A special thanks to Ms Eschweiler for
are likely to be familiar with the International Day her support, and those who organised and ran the
concept and how it is celebrated. Those who are workshops:
new to the concept and did not have a chance to
come on May 28th should get an idea from the Julie and Paul Hunt - Ice Hockey - Canada
pictures in this newsletter (and on the ISG
website).
Aksana Hartman - Kazakh Nomadic Design
The day started off with an International Inna Sergeeva - Russian Patterns and Painting
Assembly with speeches from Mike Weston, Head on Wood
of ISG, and Tamar Muntslag (DP1) followed by
country introductions.
Kathi Weber - German Dice Games
International Passports filled in by MYP students Anna Marie Reidy - Music Quiz
were on display. The variety of countries where
our students had previously lived was quite And finally, a big thank you to our International
impressive.
Day committee members Aigul Azerbayeva and
Riëtte Riemslag.
The second part of the programme was filled with
workshops. MYP students had the opportunity to
Tamar Muntslag
(DP1) addressed
the ISG during
the International
Day assembly.
Her speech was
followed by the
country
introductions.
3
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
Top rows: Kazakh Nomadic Designs
workshop
Below left: Russian Patterns and Painting on
Wood workshop
Below right: Ice Hockey (Canada) workshop
International Day 2014
Workshops
4
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
The Importance of
International Day
By Aigul Azerbayeva
International Day is a wonderful opportunity for a
school community to celebrate its diversity. The
idea of an international day is to help children to
learn to accept and to respect other cultures.
Netherlands. We celebrate Nauryz - Kazakh New
Year, British Bonfire night, Dutch King's Dag and
many others. At this point we don't know what our
children will decide to do with their lives. To settle
down in one place or follow our steps and explore
At ISG we have students of 38 nationalities. the world. We only hope that wherever they live,
Another point of an international day is to show having experience of living in international
students that they ARE different but it doesn't community will help them feel at home
stand in the way of friendship.
everywhere in the world.
Many expat parents know how difficult is to keep
children close to their roots. With every year spend
away from home they need more and more
encouragement to speak their mother tongue or to
celebrate national holidays. It is unavoidable that
kids soak in and start loving things they come
across in a new country. Which is great, this is how
we raise citizens of the World. An international
event is an opportunity for our children to remind
themselves and show their fellow students who
they are and where they come from. It is
important for them to have an identity. Sense of
belonging, perhaps.
Our family is from Kazakhstan. We lived in
Russia, Scotland and now we are in The
ISG students
telling about their
country at
International
Day . A number
of students wore
beautiful national
costumes.
5
Tip:
If you are planning to visit your home
country over the holidays, consider bringing
your national costume (if you have one)
back to the Netherlands for next year’s
International Day.
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
International Day @ ISG
German Dice Games or “Knobeln”
By Kathi Weber
How it all began: 5000 years of dice games
Dice games have been around for thousands of
years all over the world, with the oldest known die
discovered at an archeological site in Iran as part
of a 5000-year-old backgammon set. During some
epochs playing the dice was an upper class
amusement, while at other times it was considered
working class entertainment. Some cultures tried
to ban dice gambling entirely, though apparently
not too successful, as the dice always found their
way back into society. Soldiers in war often tossed
the dice over cigarettes or a night watch or simply
to pass the time, and with them game variants
spread further across borders.
“Bankrupt” or Dice Roll of Fortune
1 die, score sheet; any number of throws per turn
In this simple game, the number 1 represents
“bankrupt” and all the other numbers equal their
face value in points. A player may roll the die as
many times as he likes, as long as he does not roll a
1. The points from each roll are added, and after
each roll he can decide either to stop now and
transfer the gained points to his total score, or to
go on. But if a 1 is thrown, all points from that
round are lost. Each players’ points are recorded
and added up, and whoever is first to reach 66
In Germany dice games - the general German points (or any before determined number) wins.
term for this is "Knobeln" – are quite popular. Can also be played with 2 or more dice to make it
They are often played in pubs, usually to more challenging.
determine who has to pay the next round of
drinks. But you would do it also for fun when Piggy in the den
hanging out with friends. In the German region of 3 dice, 5-9 chips for each player; one throw per
“East Frisia” (Ostfriesland = the area around Leer, turn
Emden, Papenburg etc.), where tossing the dice is
still a common pastime, a round of “Knobeln” Each player has 5 chips (or any other before
after a hunt might even determine who gets the determined amount). In each turn, a player rolls
biggest share. And in the town of Nordhorn they the dice once. For every 1 he has got he passes one
even have a traditional “Nikolaus-Knobeln" chip to the player at his right, for every 2 he passes
around St. Nicholas’ Day: On that particular day one chip to the player at his left, for every 6 one
local shops offer a kind of lottery with prices such chip goes into the pot in the middle.
as a Christmas duck, a cake, a festive food basket
etc. And though this is officially gambling, the A player who has lost all the chips has to miss his
town has a special permission to pursue this turn until he receives a chip from another active
player. Then he can continue. The person who
annual tradition.
puts the last chip of the game into the pot, wins
the pot.
LEFT: Dice
players at
International Day
RIGHT:
PAINTING: Dice
players in a pub
in the Black
Forest, by Max
Kaltenmoser
(1842 - 1887)
6
Learn to play some (German) dice games
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
International Day @ ISG
German Dice Games Continued
By Kathi Weber
Learn to play some more (German) dice games
If a player claims to have “Mäxchen” (2 + 1), the
next player will start a new round. If he challenges
2 dice, cup + bottom (coaster), score sheet; one the predecessors claim and is right, the liar will get
throw per turn
2 minus point. If he did not lie, the challenger will
Highest throw: 2 + 1 = “Mäxchen” // followed get 2 minus points. Whoever gets the penalty
points will start the next round.
by 66, 55, 44, 33, 22, 11 = „Pasch“
“Mäxchen” or Liar's Dice
Others according to rank 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 54, The game ends when one player has a certain
number of minus points (say 10)
53, 52, 51, 43, 42, 41, 32, 31.
Using a coaster as a bottom lid for the upsidedown cup, player 1 mixes the 2 dice, then lifts the
cup a little so that only he can see the outcome.
He puts the cup back carefully as not to shake the
dice and then says the number he has - or claims
to have, say 43. With that he passes the concealed
dice clockwise on to the next player. Player 2 can
now either believe or challenge his predecessor:
German Dice
Games workshop
at International
Day
Farkle or 10.000
6 dice, score sheet, any number of throws
At the beginning of each turn, the player throws
all of the dice at once from a cup. After each
throw, one or more scoring dice must be set aside
(see sections on scoring below). If nothing scoring
Believe: If player 2 believes his predecessor, he comes up in that throw, not even a single 5, the
himself has to get more than 43 now. If with his player has "farkled" and all points for that turn are
go he doesn’t manage, he would have to lie and lost.
just state any higher number when passing on the Once he has reached a minimum of 300 points,
the player may either end his turn and bank the
closed cup to the next player.
points accumulated so far, or continue to throw
Challenge: He may instead challenge his the remaining dice. However, if he has only used
predecessor and carefully lift the cup. If it was three dice so far, he has to give it another go with
indeed 4 + 3, player 2 will get 1 penalty point and the remaining three. And again, if nothing comes
will start a new round. But if player 1 has indeed up in that throw, the player will lose all points for
lied, then he gets the penalty point and will start a that turn.
new round.
If the player has scored all six dice, he has "hot
dice" and must continue his turn at least once
more with a new throw of all six dice. This time
he needs a minimum of one scoring die to be
allowed to stop and bank his points. But he might
as well keep going and even get a second "hot
dice". There is no limit to the number of "hot
dice" a player may roll in one turn, but if he
eventually "farkles" , all points for that turn are
lost.
Each rounds’ scores are added, and once a player
has achieved the winning total, each other player
has one last turn to score enough points to surpass
that high-score.
Scoring dice combination
5 = 50, 1 = 100
3 x 2,3,4,5 or 6 = 200, 300, 400 etc. // 3x 1 = 1000
4 x 2,3,4,5 or 6 = 2000, 3000, 4000 etc. // 4 x 1 = 10.000
Street from 1-6 = 1000 (even not thrown in one go with
1 and / or 5 put out already)
❒
Find more dice game rules on -> http://dice-play.com/GamesAZ.htm
7
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
Indonesian Bakwan
International Day Buffet Recipe
By Awalia Febriana
Bakwan is an Indonesian fried snack, commonly
found at Indonesian street fritter stalls, consisting
mainly of vegetables and flour. The vegetables are
usually bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, carrots
and corn, which are then deep fried in oil. There
is also another variation called “bakwan udang”,
which has shrimps added to the vegetables.
Originally, bakwan comes from Java in Indonesia.
There are many variations of the taste and
ingredients depending on the availability of
vegetables, as well as special requests from the
customers. Bakwan also looks a lot like the popular
Japanese vegetable tempura.
For the International School Groningen’s
International Day, I made some bakwan with
shredded carrots, corn and spring onions, and the
recipe is given on this page.
An easy to make
Indonesian fried snack,
originally from Java
in Indonesia
Awalia Febriana
sharing her
Bakwan recipe
with us at the
International Day
Buffet
8
Indonesian Bakwan
Ingredients
250g all-purpose flour
250g carrots, grated
1 can of corn
2 sprigs of spring onion, chopped
Water
Frying oil
Seasoning
2 tsp minced garlic
Salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp coriander
Instructions
1. Mix the grated carrots, corn and spring onion.
2. Sprinkle in all-purpose flour into the carrots &
corn and mix with some cold water until the
mixture is thick
3. Add all the seasonings and mix.
4. Take a pan, fill it with enough oil and put it on
the heat
5. Once the oil is hot enough, drop big spoonfuls of
the bakwan mixture into the oil.
6. Fry until golden brown on each side and drain
them.
7. Can be served by itself or with rice. Indonesian
people usually eat this bakwan with a bite of
hot chilly pepper or Indonesian “sambal”.
PARENTS’ SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2014
Joining the working committee
An excellent way to be involved in
school life
The PSG working committee is made up of a committee
of volunteer parents. The committee meets on a regular
basis, usually once a month.
We always welcome other parents to join the PSG
Working Committee.
Ideally we would like at least one parent of each MYP
and DP class at the working committee as class parent to
liaise with mentors.
If you would like to become more involved or maybe
only consider joining, then feel free to come to our next
meeting, which will be held in the new academic year.
Please email our secretary Kathi Weber for the agenda
and exact time and venue of our next meeting, or
contact Aletta Dessalegne Faber for any questions you
might have.
International
Passports on
display at
International Day
Many thanks to the families that supported the PSG by
paying a voluntary donation of €25 per family. Please note
that if school fees are paid by your employer directly, no
donation will have been paid with the school fees.
But don’t worry, it is still possible to donate. Contact
Charlotte for details.
PSG Working Commi!ee
Contact Details
Aletta Dessalegne
Chair
adessfaber@yahoo.com
Kathi Weber
Secretary
kats.weber@gmx.net
Paula Kipling
Treasurer
paulak1503@gmail.com
Cornelia Brugman
Newsletter/
Website
cbrugman@me.com