1113 GLSW Post - German Language School Westwood

NOVEMBER 2013
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
DIE POST
The school year started in September with our traditional first day of school where
children decorate their own ‘Schultüte’ and take it home filled with goodies. At the GLSW not
only children who start school get the traditional ‘Schultüte’, but also our older students.
First Day of School / Erster Schultag
Das Schuljahr fing im September mit dem traditionellen ersten Schultag an, an dem die Schüler
ihre Schultüten dekorieren und sie anschließend gefüllt mit nach Hause nehmen dürfen. An der
GLSW bekommen nicht nur die Kinder die eingeschult werden, sondern auch alle anderen
Schüler eine Schultüte.
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DIE POST
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Students, Parents and Friends,
The school would like to extend a heartfelt
welcome to all new students as well as to
returning ones. Classes are in sessions and
many exciting activities are taking place now
and more will be taking place in the coming
months.
Oktoberfest
The GLSW celebrated its annual Oktoberfest
which was a great success. The owner of
“Café Katja” in New York brought delicious
food and donated his time and expertise to
cook for us. Many parents also brought delicious German dishes and cakes. A special
thanks goes to all volunteers.
Poster contest
Frau Kaefer’s class is planning a special
poster contest which is sponsored by the
German Government and their language
consultants. That event will take place on
November 23rd at 12:00 noon. If you would
like to attend please call us at 201-825-9770.
Summer
This past summer many of our students had
the opportunity to visit Germany and or
other German speaking countries with their
parents. Some were able to participate in
special programs or to attend camps without their parents.
Survey
A special thank you to all families who participated in the survey .The survey is important for the school administrators as well as
the teachers. It tells us what we did well and
what changes you like us to consider in the
future. Thanks again for taking the time to
participate in the survey.
(continued on page 3)
SAVE THE DATES! —— TERMINE ZUM MERKEN!
Saturday, November 9, 2013
No classes—keine Schule
Saturday, Nobember 15, 2013
6:15 pm St. Martin’s Day Parade—18h15 St. Martin’s Umzrug
Saturday, November 30, 2013
No classes—keine Schule
Saturday, December 14, 2013
9:30 am Holiday Celebration—9h30 Weihnachtsfeier
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(continued from page 2)
Message from the Principal
St.Martinstag
Our lantern walk will take place on Friday,
November 15 at 6:30 pm at the Berkeley
School. The lanterns will be made in class or
finished at home. They will light the way on
that night and everyone will sing, as is the
custom in Germany. Refreshments will await
the walkers upon their return to the school.
Join us for this lovely event that is a favorite
of our younger students as well as our not
so young participants.
Writing competition
This is the 3rd year in a row that the GLSW
has participated in the writing competition
sponsored by the German Government.
Each time we have won a prize and placed
high enough to be included in the publication of winning entries. This past year’s winning entry was by Brian Camillieri in Frau
Konrads level 7 class. Congratulations to all
participants.
Testing
December 7 is the date for the AATG
(American Association of High School Teachers) National High School test for our students. Individual students will take the level
3 (3rd year High School) test.
Three of our students in level 9/10 will take
the DSD2 Sprachdiplom test this fall. Upon
passing this test a student would be allowed
to study at a University in Germany. It is important to remember that studying at a German university is practically free. Only room
and board fees are needed .
Warmest regards,
Your Principal
Barbara Lester
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DIE POST
“Ich bin ein Berliner”
I believe „Ich bin ein Berliner“ is a phrase that still carries as much weight in the modern world as it did when it was originally said. Though our governments may make
bad decisions, as individuals we still stand on the front lines speaking out against the
injustices and making changes in the world because we are all Berliners. We are all
Berliners in the sense that we all have a drive for freedom and a deep passion to right
the wrongs we are so often faced with.
As the proud Berliners we are, it is our duty as citizens of the world to keep
those in power in constant check. Only with the spirit of a Berliner may we achieve a
righteous and peaceful resolution to the foreign and domestic conflicts which we are
besieged by.
To be a “world citizen” today is to acknowledge the world around us and to identify with non-domestic conflicts as our own. To be a world citizen is to say that you
care about the troubles of others and that you are willing to help when the time for
need is beckoned.
World citizenship today is still very much a real topic; an example of world citizenship
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GERMAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL WESTWOOD
in the modern world is the U. N., a world organization specifically designed to have
countries of the world come together to find a common understanding on equal
ground.
It is amazing to be able to say how connected we are internationally in our time.
World citizenship has expanded beyond the border of speaking to other countries by
means of only government. Since the dawn of technology such as computers or cell
phones, people as individuals can speak to others globally. This concept takes upon
the individual the ability to develop a sense of international community and on a more
personal level know about the world outside their borders. Having this sense of connection to the outside world only strengthens our understanding of it, allowing us to
make educated decisions when world conflicts arise.
The overall point that I’m trying to make is that the modern world is a complicated place. Therefore, we need to work together as a community when a conflict
arises. Even when the conflict arises elsewhere, we must realize that those people
are our brothers and sisters. No matter what the situation may bring it is our obligation
as world citizens to aid and assist those in need, no matter where they may be. Even
though when we ourselves are in our times of conflict we can’t expect others to help
us, we must make sure to help them when they need our help so we may set an example to the rest of the world what it means to be a world citizen. Together and only
together may we establish and strengthen the community of the world because at the
end of the day, we are all Berliners.
Winning essay by Steven Kempton (student in Frau Kaefer’s level 8 class) for the German Information Center USA 8th Annual Essay Contest in April 2013. The essay contest is in English. Congratulations Steven on your prize, and a job well done!
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DIE POST
Homestay program in Germany
Sommerprogramm in Deutschland
This summer we went on a trip that turned
out to be life changing experience. We went on the
German American Partnership Program (GAPP) exchange to Ingelheim, Germany. It was an amazing
experience, we enhanced our knowledge of the
German language, we learned what life and school
was like for children our age over there, made
amazing new friends, and memories that we will
remember forever.
Letzten Sommer haben wir eine Reise unternommen, die zu einer lebensverändernden Erfahrung wurde. Wir sind mit dem “German American
Partnership Program (GAPP)” nach Ingelheim,
Deutschland, gereist. Es war ein unglaubliches Erlebnnis: Wir haben unsere Deutschkenntnisse erweitert, wir haben das Leben und den Schulalltag
gleichaltriger deutscher Kinder kennengelernt, wir
haben wunderbare Freunde gefunden, und wir haben viele Erinnerungen, die wir niemals vergessen
werden.
We had so much fun living with a German
family for two weeks and noticing their lifestyle and
how it differs from ours. We went to numerous cities and toured historical sites. The picture below is
us in Cologne, outside of the famous Kölner Dom.
We were in Germany for three weeks. The
first two weeks we were staying with a family and
going to school with their child, and the third week
we went to Stuttgart with the American group.
Every day we went on a new adventure. We explored so much of the Stuttgart area and went to
some amazing museums and historical sites.
It was sad leaving the families that we
stayed with, because we had become a part of
them. We both still keep in touch with our German
partners and friends through social media. We had
such an amazing time over there and we have
memories that will last us a lifetime.
Caroline Grueneis, Nastasja Radovic
Caroline and Nastasja are students
in Frau Kaefer’s level 8.
Wir hatten sehr viel Spass in den zwei
Wochen, in denen wir bei deutschen Familien gewohnt haben und dabei ihre Art und Weise zu leben kennengelernt haben - mitsamt all den Unterschieden zu unserer Lebensweise. Wir haben zahlreiche Städte besucht und historische Stätten besichtigt. Auf dem Foto sind wir in Köln zu sehen, vor
dem berühmten Kölner Dom.
Wir waren insgesamt drei Wochen in
Deutschland. Die ersten zwei Wochen haben wir
bei deutschen Familien gewohnt und sind mit deren
Kindern zur Schule gegangen. In der dritten Woche
waren alle amerikanischen Reiseteilnehmer in
Stuttgart. Jeder Tag war ein neues Abenteuer. Wir
haben vieles in der Stuttgarter Gegend erkundet
und einige hervorragende Museen und historische
Stätten besichtigt.
Es war traurig, unsere Gastfamilien zu verlassen, weil wir ein Teil von ihnen geworden waren.
Mit Hilfe sozialer Medien haben wir beide nach wie
vor Kontakt zu unseren deutschen Gastfamilien und
Freunden. Wir hatten eine fantastische Zeit in
Deutschland und so viele Erinnerungen, dass sie für
ein Leben lang reichen.
Caroline Grueneis, Nastasja Radovic
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GERMAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL WESTWOOD
Nastasja and Caroline in Germany / Nastasja und Caroline in Deutschland
About the program:
GAPP - German American Partnership Program
The German American Partnership Program (GAPP) is a non-profit high school exchange program between
schools in Germany and the United States, sponsored by the German Foreign Office and by the US Department of State. If you are interested in this program contact Frau Lester (GLSW Principal) or check the website
of the German Language School Conference: http://www.germanschools.org/Programs/Children.htm
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DIE POST
MOMMY & ME CLASS — FRAU NOVAK / FRAU MEDART
First Day of School
The children made Schultueten
Erster Schultag
Die Kinder machten Schultüten
German American Day
The children made German
flags
Deutsch-Amerikanischer
Tag
Die Kinder bastelten Fahnen
GLSW Oktoberfest
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DIE POST
SCHÜLERBEITRÄGE — KINDERGARTEN — FRAU AWAD / FRAU VEHMAS
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GERMAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL WESTWOOD
SCHÜLERBEITRÄGE — KINDERGARTEN — FRAU AWAD / FRAU VEHMAS
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DIE POST
Copyright: german-world.com Fall 2013
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GERMAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL WESTWOOD
Copyright: german-world.com Fall 2013
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GERMAN LANGUAGE SCHOOL WESTWOOD
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WESTWOOD
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Impressum / Editorial
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Copyright © 2013
German Language School
Westwood, New Jersey
All rights reserved.
The German Language School Westwood (GLSW) is a
non-profit organization. The school is dedicated to providing
the highest quality language instruction and cross-cultural experience for both children and adults.
The school is self-sufficient through tuition, corporate
and private donations, and receives some financial aid from
the German government. All charitable contributions made to
the school are welcome and are tax-deductible.