ISF - News Archive 2005

18 graduates received their diplomas on Friday, June 30th , four students with honors. The student speakers, Linda Zhang and Benjamin Reinke, used a life-sized marionette, played by the Grade 8 student Harrison Bowers, to describe the importance of the four strings - challenges, family, friends and education - needed to enable the marionette to move confidently and securely. The students now “feel ready to be successful in the play they chose for their lives because they have the ability to be the directors of their own strings.”

Mr. Timothy Ward, father of the graduate Malcolm Ward, gave the parent greetings, followed by the Commencement Address given by Mrs. Ulrike Gehring, Deputy Director of the Hessen IHK. Kenny Waddell on trumpet and Fraser Bowers on piano delighted the audience with a Duke Ellington musical interlude. The beautiful summer evening ended with an ISF Reception in the Courtyard and a dinner at Schloss Höchst.

Charlie, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Schröder and the gang delighted the ISF Theatre audience on June 12th and 13th with their songs and scenes from Charles’ Schulz’s comic strip “Peanuts.” Feisty Lucy played by Jordan Bunn could not convince musician Schröder, by Zachary Seagraves, to listen to her romantic thoughts. And Konstantin Sietzy as Charlie Brown suffered the unrequited love of the Cute Little Red-Haired Girl, Maria Tobias.

The music, the humour, the animal characters Woodstock and Faron the Cat brought back memories of this charming comic series. Congratulations to the Cast, Director Regan Oakley, Musical Director Wolfram Schröder and thank you for an enchanting evening!

On June 9th and 10th, ISF hosted the GISST Track & Field Championship in Frankfurt at Sportanlage Hahnstraße on a 6- to 8-lane tartan track. The weather was excellent, and students from seven German international schools performed with a high level of commitment.

The ISF community rallied to host this event with parents housing anywhere from 2 to 6 athletes and ISF's Sodexho team feeding the athletes, coaches and helpers. Kings School also offered their gymnasium for a sleep-over.

Tamara Franklin of Dresden International School said, "I congratulate you on a successful track meet! The people who organized the meet did a wonderful job. My athletes said, 'this was the best sporting activity/event they have attended.'"

1. KINGS SCHOOL Gütersloh
2. BAVARIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
3. BERLIN BRANDENBURG INT. SCHOOL

1. KINGS SCHOOL Gütersloh
2. BONN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
3. ISF FRANKFURT-RHEIN-MAIN

1. KINGS SCHOOL Gütersloh
2. BERLIN BRITISH SCHOOL
3. BONN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

1. ISF FRANKFURT RHEIN-MAIN
2. BERLIN BRANDENBURG INT. SCHOOL
3. BONN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

All ISF athletes did a great job and look forward to the GISST championship next year in Bonn!

The 2005-2006 ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt Yearbook is on sale. This year it boasts its first-ever hard cover, and there are 100 pages of glorious color. Orders can be placed at Reception. This piece of nostalgia can be pre-ordered for 12 €. Starting 12 June, the yearbook can be purchased for 17 € .

For the third year, students from Grades 3 to 12 have contributed stories, poems, essays, photos and artwork to put together the 2005-2006 Inkwell. Under the editorship of Fenton Hughes (pictured), Grade 11, with Associate Editors Chris Jison and Anthony Jison, this year’s literary magazine contains prize-winning short stories, photos, student portraits, and space adventures contributed by our third graders. Inkwell will go on sale for 6€ or two for 10€ at the Sommerfest, May 20. It will also be available for purchase at Reception.

In the 2006 ECIS (European Council of International Schools) Math League report, ISF is ranked second worldwide. Out of 40 ISF students who participated in the ECIS Math League, 22 received an award.

The aim of the ECIS Math League is to enhance student’s problem-solving skills by presenting them with a series of interesting questions to be solved. There are four leagues in which students may compete: Aristotles (Primary, ages 10-12); Archimedes (Novice, ages 13-14); Bernoullis (Junior, ages 15-16); and, Fourier (Senior, ages 17-18 or the last two years of school).

Each league consists of three tests. Every test lasts 40 minutes and contains 6 questions. The tests must be administered under strict examination conditions. ECIS pins and diplomas were awarded to the students with the best total scores (usually 12 points or more).

On Saturday, May 20, 2006, ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt will host its annual ISF Sommerfest. ISF Sommerfest is a culmination of four long-standing ISF events – Taste of the World, Kenya Project Day, Talent Show and Sports Day. With food, entertainment, and activities scheduled from 10:30-15:00, ISF Sommerfest features something for everyone in the family.

On 10th May, ISF had its first Classical Music Concert. Almost 30 individual performers, a choir and two ensembles enthralled and enchanted the audience with classical pieces as well as music from India and Spain. It was a wonderful evening that reminded the ISF community not only how rich its international musical heritage is, but also how very talented the students at ISF are. It is an event that ISF now hopes to repeat each year. A big thank you to all of the performers and to Music Teacher, Susan Sargent, who worked so hard to arrange and stage the concert.

On Wednesday, May 3rd, ISF celebrated an important milestone: the advent of its 900th pupil, Alex Walters, who joined Grade 1. He and his brother, Jack (number 899), recently enrolled at ISF and were welcomed with cake, a copy each of Dr. Seuss’s “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!” signed by various members of ISF staff, and their first ISF polo shirt.

The continued expansion and success of ISF is a great tribute to the SABIS® system, the support and satisfaction of our parent body and the hard work and dedication of the entire ISF staff.

Chris Jison, Grade 11 B, is a candidate to enter the 2007 National Merit® Scholarship Program. Based on the PSAT exam taken in October 2005, he scored in the top 3% of the 1.4 million students who took this exam worldwide. Chris is interested in studying Business Administration and Law. He plans to apply to USC, Penn and UC Berkeley next year. Evaluations and final selection of scholars will occur throughout 2006 and 2007. Congratulations and good luck, Chris!

ISF students will have the opportunity to take the PSAT at our school in October 2006. Registration will take place at the end of this term.

Last year’s Grade 12 student Renata Gheller, who is currently auditioning for drama studies in the UK, plays in this delightful student production at the English Theatre Frankfurt. This play within a play follows a schoolgirl in her attempts to break into the inner circle of performers to portray the powerful, ambitious Lady Macbeth in her school’s annual stage production.

As our Grade 9, 10, 11 and 12 students have all studied Shakespeare’s Macbeth in English this year, it might be fun to see this fascinating performance running May 1, 8, 15 and 22 at 7:30 in the evening.

ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main recently played host to a delegation of sixty school directors from Brazil. Having been selected as one of eleven schools to welcome the delegation, ISF welcomed the group on April 6th, 2006. After a presentation by ISF Director, Mr. Angus Slesser, the delegation enjoyed tours of the facility and had the chance to meet other administrators and ISF students.

On the following day, the Education Minister of North Rhein-Westphalia, Dr. Barbara Sommer, and Mr. Jürgen Büssow, Governor of the Düsseldorf Prefecture, also paid ISF a visit. The Minister and governor learned about ISF through ISR Internationale Schule am Rhein in Neuss and wanted to see the K-12 school in operation.

Mr. Slesser presented the school and shared information about all facets of the SABIS® Educational System. Sommer and Büssow, who engaged Mr. Slesser and others in a discussion about top performing national education programs, left the school with a better understanding of the effectiveness and benefits of the SABIS® System.

40 secondary students from Grades 7 to 12 participated in this year's ECIS Mathematics League Competition on April 1st. Congratulations to the following winners:

Over 100 certificates were presented at the Term 2 Awards Assembly on March 30th to those students who achieved excellent academic results during Term 2. Students were encouraged to keep the momentum going with a strong finish in Term 3. Congratulations to all awards winners. We look forward to distributing year-end awards on the last day of school in June.

Congratulations to our HS Basketball Boys’ team. They went to Bonn March 24-25 for tournament and competed with 7 other schools. The team had a great time and gained a respectable 4th place. A big thank you goes to the coaches Andreas Bob and Kelly Lang for their excellent coaching.

On March 31 and April 1, ISF hosted the GISST MS Girls Basketball tournament. The girls and Mary Wenstrom were fighting for the third place and they did a wonderful job. Here are the results:

1. Bonn International School
2. Berlin International School
3. Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main
4. Berlin Brandenburg International School
5. Bavarian International School
6. Berlin British School
7. Dresden International School
8. Kings School Gütersloh

A big thank you to all families who housed the visiting students and donated food, as well as helped with the catering on both days. Thank you to all HS Basketball players and Jon Treon who did the scoring, to the coach Mary Wenstrom and to Judith Smeets who organised the housing and catering.

A large cast of secondary students and a number of teachers presented the Italian comedy, "The Love of Three Oranges." Theo Potgieter as Tartaglio, the Prince of Hearts, gave his usual outstanding performance supported by Harrison Bowers as Truffaldino, a famous comedian who also had the audience in fits of laughter. Renee Blomkvist as Celia the Good Wizard. wearing a beautiful cream suit, did a wonderful job narrating the story. Congratulations to the cast, crew and the director, Regan Oakley, for a fine performance.

Mrs. Maria Brawand, In-Country Representative for University of the Arts, London, visited ISF on March 21 to inform interested students from Grades 9 to 12 about programs at the five colleges:

After presentation of the curricula at the different colleges, Mrs. Brawand spent the afternoon reviewing students’ art portfolios and making recommendations for portfolio preparation. She will return to our school in the fall to review our students’ progress and discuss the application process for the Class of 2007. Mr. Rodney Richards, Art Department Head, was delighted at our students’ enthusiastic response to Mrs. Brawand’s visit.

The famous author and movie director Joachim Masannek visited ISF on March 20th to talk to our primary students about his books and movie series, Die Wilden Kerle. Students from Grades 2 - 5 had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Masannek talk about the importance of fantasy, creativity and new ideas. He described the wild soccer teams in his thirteen volumes and their motto: “Everything is OK as long as you are wild!” His newest movie will show in the Frankfurt area in March. ISF students will find a large selection of Mr. Masannek’s books in our library.

These masterpieces are just some of the Secondary artwork on display in the school building. Grade 9 – 11 students completed these drawings in preparation for IGCSE, AP and A-Level Art exams. On Tuesday, March 21st students will have the opportunity to meet with Ms. Maria Brawand from the University of Arts, London to discuss entrance requirements and preparation of a portfolio for application to this prestigious art school.

ISF Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main is pleased to host the G.I.S.S.T. Middle School Boys Basketball tournament on Friday, March 17th (14:00-20:00 at ISF) and Saturday, March 18th (08:00-16:00 at the big gymnasium of the J.W.Goethe University, Ginnheimer Landstraße 39 in Frankfurt). Bonn International School, Berlin Brandenburg School, Bavarian International School, International School of Hannover Region, Berlin British School, Kings School Gütersloh and Dresden International School are coming with 70 players and their coaches to play against our Middle School team.

We wish all teams to have a great time and give a special thank you to all volunteers (especially those families who are housing 4 visiting athletes).

From sea captain to Sherherazade, ISF kindergarteners, ages 3 – 6, dressed in festive costumes for this year’s Fasching celebration. Mothers helped the kindergarten staff make this year’s party special with piñatas, face painting, a bubble machine and a pleasant sit-down snack. Carrington Lundquist, Lower Primary Coordinator, thanked everyone for their time and effort to ensure a wonderful time for the kindergarten children.

Forty-four ISF students with 11 coaches and chaperones flew to Berlin, partially sponsored by Lufthansa, for the German International School championship at the Berlin Olympic Center. After a weekend with fieldtrips to the Jewish Museum and Holocaust Memorial, an early morning run and a visit to the Berlin Zoo, the swimmers won nearly all relays and fought hard to win the first place trophy. Next year ISF will apply to host the tournament with big swim teams from seven German international schools. Mrs. Groh: “Thank you to all parents who supported us financially as well as with manpower.”

The College Board has identified ISF as having the strongest AP German course in the world among schools in our size range of less than 300 students in grades 10 through 12. The number of students who scored 3 or higher on the AP German exam is compared to the total high school enrollment. No other school had a greater proportion of its student body succeed in AP German last year.

Regional Director Mr. Salah Ayche congratulated Mr. Gunther Ludwig, All-School German Coordinator and his team Britta Ganze, Leonore Flacke, Ulrike Schaum and Sonja Habben on this high quality AP program. “The effort of staff in development of this program since 1995 and our students’ achievement have led to this outstanding recognition.”

Eight Korean students won top honors in the Sixth Annual International English Test for elementary, middle and high school students developed by George Washington University and Daewon Foreign Language High School, supported by The Korea Times and Joong Ang Ilbo. To be congratulated are:

Twenty-four students, grades 7-12, traveled by bus to Amade, Austria for two days of skiing. Saturday, January 21st was sunny with pristine snow conditions, perfect for racing. After 20 centimeters of new snow Saturday night, Sunday featured deep snow skiing with an occasional spill. Accompanied by Buddy Tobias and Susi Maigatter, the students returned home in good spirits and ready for the next ski trip to Austria in February during the Ski Week.

Along with best wishes for the new year to all ISF families, Director Angus Slesser announced in the first Weekly Update of 2006 that ISF students exceeded the world averages for A* -C in 100% of the subjects in which they were examined. Congratulations to ISF students and their teachers!

ISF vs. World IGCSE Results Spring 2005
	A*-C	A*-C
IGCSE Subject	ISF	World
Art and Design	100%	66%
Biology	75%	68%
Chemistry	100%	72%
Computer Studies	100%	69%
Economics	85%	66%
English First Language	92%	71%
English Literature	75%	74%
English Second Language	100%	61%
French Foreign Language	100%	86%
Geography	100%	64%
German First Language	93%	83%
German Foreign Language	100%	90%
History	100%	61%
Information Technology	100%	71%
Math (without coursework)	94%	67%
Physical Education	83%	74%
Physics	100%	75%
Spanish Foreign Language	100%	91%

Students from Grades 10, 11 and 12 appeared in their finest on Saturday, December 17th for the Senior Formal Dance. Carmen Rademacher, Marie Baratta, Matthias Hirsch, Philipp Eversfield and SLO Coordinator Mr. Stephan Michaud spent Satuday morning transforming the glass mall area into a shimmering ballroom with silver, white and light blue draped material, balloons, candles and sofas. Student guests entered the ballroom under a decorated canopy at the front entrance.

A professional DJ provided a mix of music from hip-hop to house for dancing, which went on until midnight. Students prepared delicious hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks in the Sodexho kitchen. Student comments: “It was amazing, awesome!” Mr. Michaud: “It was such a positive experience for everyone, students and teachers alike.”

From “O Tannenbaum” and “Let it Snow” to “Holiday Hip Hop”, students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 entertained family and friends in this year’s winter music series. On three separate dates, December 12th – December 14th, the children delighted the audience with everything from a beginner strings group in Grades 1 and 2 to Sophie Rehberg’s solo “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. On the final evening the Concert Band rocked the audience with lively selections from Queen.

Mr. Kenny Waddell, Music Year Group Leader, thanked Ms. Sargent for the vocal music, Mr. Morrissey for the brass and woodwind instruction, Ms. Atanassova for the string work, Ms. Maigatter for her work with Grade 3, Ms. White for piano instruction and the lovely backdrop for this year’s concerts, and Mr. Gossard for percussion instruction. He also thanked all the class teachers who helped to make this winter musical highlight such a success.

The Big Book painted by our students Grades 3 through 8 as advertisement for the Frankfurt Book Fair may be admired on the ISF campus now. During fall our yearbook was positioned on the Zeil along with other Big Book projects from other schools. It has returned and can be viewed at the entrance to the campus.

The Vernissage of ISF student artwork selected for this year’s show was held on December 13th at the LHB Internationale Handelsbank AG, Grosse Gallusstrasse 16. Mrs. Polona Bevc, Executive Vice President of Treasury and International Operations at LHB, welcomed the visitors to the show and expressed the interest of the LHB Bank in supporting and sponsoring student artists. ISF student violinists Min Kyung Lee, Grade 6, and Min Kyu Lee, Grade 7, entertained the audience of art lovers viewing the more than 40 drawings and paintings.

ISF Director Angus Slesser thanked the LHB Board for their generous sponsorship of this year’s art exhibit and reception and explained that money from the sale of paintings will be donated to the school ISF supports in Kenya. Eight of the paintings on display were sold by the end of the evening.

The exhibit will run until February 28th, 2006 and may be visited from Monday to Friday between 9:00 – 18:00.

The ISF Players presented Arthur Miller’s dark, disturbing drama about the Salem witch trials in 1692. James Murray, a 2005 ISF graduate, returned to ISF in a dual role as the play’s producer and to star as the grim, fire and brimstone preacher Reverend Samuel Parris. Theo Potgieter and Jane Cutler played the lead roles of Mr. and Mrs. John Proctor with Sophie Hoffman and Elena Sanchez-Bellot as two of the young Salem women accused. Hazel Ward and Fraser Bowers, ISF students themselves, directed the twenty-one cast from grades 6 – 12 plus student stage crew, makeup, music and technical support. The students did an outstanding job of portraying the dangers a society faces when distrust and authoritarian rule prevail.

After the Opening Ceremony with the flag presentation of all 51 flags of countries represented in the ISF student body, students picked up their passports and free ISF wristbands to begin their journeys to the Focus Country classrooms of Germany, Korea, Scandinavia, China, UK, Russia and Spain. Visitors then moved on to the Sports Hall for Sports Spass to enter at least three typical sports activities set up by the Focus Countries to receive three more passport stamps. With completed passports children could enter the Tombola with over 200 donated prizes – gift certificates, t-shirts, jewelry, scarves, toys, free admission entranc. Jane Cutler was the lucky winner of the top prize, a trip for two to Finland with Finnair to see Santa Claus!

The Kids’ Craft Corner, the International Marketplace with over 30 vendors, and the coffee and cakes offered in the cafeteria added to the day’s festivities.

The event, supported by the ISF Parent Network, SV ISF Sindlingen, and the ISF Marketing Department, was a great success and deserves a word of praise and gratitude to all of the organizers.

The Second Annual Swim Cup of the Sportverein ISF Sindlingen took place on November 5th and 6th, 2005 at ISF. Nine clubs from surrounding towns including Offenbach, Kelkheim, Neu-Isenburg, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Heusenstamm, Rödermark and the Rheingau participated in the two-day event. Competitions took place in 37 different categories from 200m freestyle for women to the 50m butterfly for men. At the end of the day, the SV ISF Sindlingen team proudly hoisted the Championship Team Cup. Congratulations to the participants and the organizers of this special event.

ISF students, parents, and staff celebrated two traditional holidays at the end of October. On Friday, October 28th Halloween witches, ghost, and goblins haunted the ISF hallways and classrooms. Primary students carved scary pumpkins to celebrate one of children’s favorite fall events in the United States, which includes Trick or Treat on October 31st, Halloween. On November 1st Indian parents decorated the mall and cafeteria area with candles and flowers for the beautiful Diwali Festival of India. Diwali or the Festival of Light welcomes the light with many decorative lamps and candles as the beginning of the new year. Samosas, special sweets, handmade crafts and jewelry were on sale to benefit the victims of the recent earthquake in India and Pakistan.

It was a week of colorful decorations and interesting customs for our students and their families to see and enjoy! Thank you to all who participated in both events.

The ISF theatre season opens this year with the Upper Primary Production of Lady Precious Stream this Friday and Saturday, November 18th and 19th at 19:00. An adaptation of a Bejing Opera production, it is the story of the daughter of the Prime Minister of China, who defies her father to marry the gardener. The cast includes students from Grades 4 through 6, who have used Tae Kwon Do to help suggest the formal movements Chinese Opera masters would use. Tickets for 5€ may be purchased at Reception or at the door.

The following weekend, November 25th and 26th, the scene changes to Salem, Massachusetts for the ISF Student Players’ production of The Crucible, directed by Hazel Ward and Frazer Bowers. Set in 1692 during the witch hunts, Arthur Miller’s play deals with one man’s crusade for justice. Tickets for 5€ and 6€ are available at Reception or at the door for the Friday production at 18:00 and Saturday at 17:30.

Perfect running conditions were present for the fourteen ISF students who participated in the Eurocity Mini Marathon on October 30th, 2005 in Frankfurt. With a record number of entries for the event – over 17,000, young runners from each team were organized into groups of 5. All the ISF runners, aged 10 to 15, finished the race that wound through downtown Frankfurt and are enthusiastically looking forward to improving their times in next year’s event.

Mrs. Uli Groh, Professional Sports Manager of SV ISF-Sindlingen shares the students’ satisfaction with the race. She commented: “In comparison to last year’s race when some of our runners had to run an extra distance due to an event organizational glitch, I am not only pleased with our team’s results, but also that all our runners made it smoothly from start to finish.”

The 'big book' created by ISF students as advertisement for the Frankfurt Book Fair is currently displayed in front of the Strauss shop at Konstablerwache in downtown Frankfurt.

The latest big book news: The ISF ' big book' will return to the school to be set up outside for all to see.

Saturday, November 12 will mark the celebration of International Day at ISF. Festivities and fun are planned from 14-17:00 and include:

7 Focus Countries: Students attending the International Day will each receive a passport with which to travel to the 7 focus countries: Germany, Korea, Russia, the Nordic Countries, China, UK and Spain. Students can turn in their fully-stamped passport (Focus Countries and Sports Spaß) and qualify for a drawing of fantastic prizes at the end of the day.

Kids’ Craft Corner: Visitors to the Kids’ Craft Corner will be able to try their hand at a variety of arts and craft activities including decorating candles, making necklaces, bracelets or cards, getting a henna tattoo, or face painting. These activities will take place in the Music Room.

Sports Spaß: Sponsored by the Sportverein ISF Sindlingen, the focus countries are offering typical sports from their countries in the sports hall. Try the different sports and get the stamps to complete your passport.

Music Performances: Taking place in the ISF Theatre, these performances will feature traditional entertainment from the focus countries.

International Marketplace: Over 25 different exhibitors will be featured selling a wide variety of items.

Coffee and Cakes: Sponsored by the ISF PN, visitors to International Day will be able to purchase tickets for delicious international taste treats.

Programs for the International Day will go home with all ISF students the week before the event, so watch for them.

The Big Book decorated by ISF students as part of a promotion of the Frankfurt Book Fair from October 19th-23rd will soon be appearing on the Zeil in downtown Frankfurt. Designed to depict the ISF Student Life Book, the ‘book’ was painted by ISF students in grades 3-8. The outside bears a colorful globe with flags of many nations on the front and back covers. The inside features a depiction of planes and balloons on their way to the Frankfurt Airport.

The first ISF Spirit Friday got off to a “funky” start with students and teachers donning everything from baseball caps to sombreros and old-fashioned bonnets. Organized by the Student Life Organization, students of all grades participated wearing highly original headgear. SLO also invited all teachers for an early morning breakfast in the cafeteria which was appreciated by all.

Everyone is already looking forward to the next SLO Spirit Friday event: Dress Up Spirit Day on October 28th.

In the 10 years since its founding, ISF has been committed to providing its students with a solid academic foundation. Since its first graduating class in the year 2000, a total of 81 ISF graduates have used this foundation to gain admission to top universities around the world.

As you know, in November 2002, the German KMK issued its decision to recognize the ISF High School Diploma and a combination of AP exams for qualification for admission to German universities. For general admission the KMK set the specific combination of five AP subjects, requiring AP English Literature and disallowing AP German for study at a German university.

Since learning of the criteria to accept ISF graduates to German university, ISF has sought to better understand the reasoning used to arrive at the criteria. We have also continued to nurture contacts in the government with the aim of affecting possible future change in the criteria. In parallel to these efforts, we have also followed developments in other international curricula which lead to general admission to German university. Ongoing efforts on both of these fronts, as well as careful consideration of parent feedback, led us to pursue a Board resolution to pursue application for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program.

In a meeting held on Tuesday, June 7th, the ISF Supervisory Board approved the resolution to pursue an application for the IB Diploma Program. The application process is 18 months in its entirety and will be initiated by ISF in August of 2005. Approval pending, the target date for the implementation of the IB at ISF has been set for the 2007-08* academic year. ISF students currently in the 8th grade would have the option of participating in the IB. I am confident that SABIS®, one of the initial contributors to the foundation of the IB in 1969, will successfully guide ISF through the application process and the ultimate implementation of the IB program.

During the 18-month application process as well as for a minimum of two years after implementation of the IB, ISF will remain committed to the Advanced Placement program as a means for our German students to gain admission to German university. We will continue our efforts to ease the criteria required for admission to German university with the AP. The AP remains a top-quality, college-preparatory program that is recognized at the top universities throughout the world.

For ISF students currently in grades 9-11, ISF will make every effort to support those German students who opt to pursue general admission to German university. A range of options and possible related costs are being explored and include, but are limited to: (1) An English “Booster” class designed to help improve students’ writing skills and make the AP English Literature more accessible. This class will be required in grades 10-12 for students with composition averages of 12 or below. Students with composition averages above 12 will have the option of attending the “Booster” class voluntarily; (2) Summer Reading and extended Accelerated Reader programs, both as requirements for all students in order to improve comprehension and literacy skills; and (3) Ongoing support in AP Math and AP Sciences.

*Target date for implementation of the IB at ISF has been set internally by ISF and can be affected by external factors over which ISF does not exercise influence.

Twenty-two ISF students have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) Exams that were taken in May 2005. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on a student’s performance on AP exams:

Six students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by earning grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. These students are Johannes Bremer, Luane Guaer, Alina Kirgiannaki, Natalia Monsalve, Stella Schuck, and Hazel Ward.
Four students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Katarina Bevc, Andrea Papadia, Andreas Reimer, and Gerlinde Schaeffter.
Twelve students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Kyu-Sung Choi, Liam Fareel, William Jaegle, Franziska Lather, Michael Muehlbradt, James Murray, Andreas Preusche, Benedikt Riedel, Aljoscha Samkov, Claire Schulmerich, David Tschoerner, and Christine Weitbrecht.

Most of the colleges and universities in the United States award credit, advanced placement, or both, based upon successful performance on the AP exams. In addition, ISF students can use their AP qualifying scores to gain admission to British, German and other international university systems.

ISF students are busy painting and decorating a 1,6 x 1,16 x 1,22m ‘Big Book’ which will be placed on the streets of Frankfurt at the end of September as advertisement for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. They will turn the fiberglass book into an ISF Yearbook with portraits of students and activity pictures done in acrylic paint and collage. Thirty-five students from Grades 3 to 12 are working on this project under the direction of Art Department Head, Mr. Rodney Richard. When finished, the masterpiece will be covered with a special rain- and graffiti-proof lacquer before it is picked up again by truck for placement in the city. Look for the ISF Big Yearbook next time you visit Frankfurt!

On Wednesday, August 31st, 95 first graders arrived at ISF with their traditional German “Schultüten” for their first day of school. These young students from all over the world – Germany, Korea, Russia, Spain, Japan, the U.S., Sweden, Britain, the Netherlands – will be taught by ISF teachers from South Africa, Denmark, the U.S. and the Netherlands. Carrington Lundquist, ISF Lower Primary Coordinator, greeted the new students enthusiastically, “We can’t wait to start a great year with everyone!” Eight-hundred and seventy KG-12 students from 49 different countries started back-to-school at ISF on August 30th, 31st and September 1st.

Ninety-five ISF students sat 210 British International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams in Grades 7 through 12. Ninety-four percent of ISF students achieved scores of A* to C, another outstanding result. In comparison, approximately 70% of students sitting IGCSE exams in the same subjects worldwide earn marks of A* to C. Physics, Spanish, French, and German boast the most successful results with 100% of students earning scores of A* to C.

On A/AS-Level exams, 100% of ISF students earned scores of A to C. Seventeen students sat 20 A/AS Level exams in Grades 11 and 12, with German and Math scoring the highest number of A’s.

These external exam results are even more noteworthy considering that ISF, like other SABIS® schools, has a non-selective admissions process.

External exam results released in July and August 2005 show another year of improvement for ISF students. Forty-five ISF students in grades 9-12 sat 133 American Advanced Placement exams in the spring of 2005. The 2004-05 results were the best in the school’s history with 95% of this year’s examinees scored a 3, 4 or 5. AP exams are scored on a 1-5 marking scale in which the top score is 5, a score earned by 50% of ISF students sitting the exams in the spring of 2005.

German, Physics, and Calculus boast the most successful results with 100% of ISF students earning scores of 3-5.

The 5th annual Newcomers’ Festival will take place on Sunday, September 4th from 13:00 - 18:00. Held at Wiesbaden’s historic Kurhaus, the program consists of an extensive exhibition of services, clubs, and organizations available in Hesse. The Newcomers Festival is designed to be a fun and informative event that allows the international community to discover the attractiveness and diversity of the region. Parallel to the exhibition, seminars and workshops will present practical information about living in the region. In addition, there will be musical entertainment on the Hessischer Rundfunk stage, including performances from ISF students, as well as food and drink reflecting the local gastronomy. Admission to the event is free.

Come and visit the ISF Marketing Department who will be representing ISF. For more information about the Newcomers’ Festival, visit their website at www.welcome-to-hessen.de.