SISS Primary - Schuldorf Bergstraße

Food Service

Lunch

A catering company provides warm lunch to those children who have been registered in the lunch programme and have ordered food for that day. You will receive a lunch registration package when your child is admitted into SISS.

For those opting for the warm lunch service, once your online registration is completed and funds transferred, parents are responsible to order their child’s lunch (the school has no means to place orders). Typically orders may be placed up to a month in advance. If necessary (i.e. illness), cancellations for that day’s lunch may be placed until 7:45 a.m. the same morning of the absence. The online registration form for lunch can be found in the

Download section of our homepage (see “SISS Primary Students Lunch registration”).

Children receiving hot lunch will receive dessert without prerequisite.

Parents may of course choose to provide a packed lunch for their children. In accordance with the Schuldorf “Healthy School” policy parents are encouraged to provide a healthy lunch and beverage for their children.

The Schuldorf-Bergstraße and the State International School

In 1949 Kenneth A. Batemann submitted a plan for the Schuldorf to Georg Wink who was the District councillor at that time. Batemann was the cultural and educational advisor of the highest US occupation forces. The set-up of a school village like the Schuldorf Bergstraße was meant to put an end to the notorious lack of room at schools in rural areas such as Seeheim, Jugenheim, Alsbach, Bickenbach and Balkhausen. Another reason was to bring all the different school branches together on one campus in order to create links within all the different members of the community.

In 1952 the foundations of the Schuldorf Bergstraße were laid and 2 years later official lessons started at kindergarden, boarding school, primary school, special school, middle school, secondary modern school and grammar school. It should be mentioned at this point that the Schuldorf Bergstraße is the oldest Comprehensive School in Germany.

In 2000 the Schuldorf was given Europaschule status by the new Federal State Government of Hessen. At present almost 2000 pupils attend the Schuldorf. Pupils do not only come from Seeheim-Jugenheim, but also from all the other surrounding villages. Due to its unique architecture some parts of the Schuldorf are protected under the listed buildings act.

In 2003 the International preschool opened its doors at the Schuldorf Campus - the first step towards creating an international section within the school.

In 2005 the construction of a new school building for the primary school was started as a project and already in summer about 50 children from 12 nations started their education there. In 2006 the school celebrated the inauguration of the newly built international preschool next to the primary school building.

The Local Authority of Darmstadt-Dieburg is in charge of the school, the HKM (local ministry of education) in Wiesbaden is responsible for the employment of teachers.

Mission statement

This statement is valued by all members of the Schuldorf whether pupils, teachers or parents. It is a powerful statement that forms the basis of all school practice and affects the way we live, work and plan together as integral members of the wider school community:

“We regard ourselves as a community of people with different cultural and social backgrounds and points of view, with a broad variety of opinions and interests. Mutual respect, tolerance, fairness and solidarity are the foundations of human and democratic society. These are the guidelines for communal life at our school.

We want to create an atmosphere that encourages and supports academic progress and promotes social and personal skills to make our students self-confident, independent and responsible members of our society.

We offer a broad and complex choice of educational opportunities and qualifications according to the individual achievement of our students.

We expect our students to participate in decisions on our daily life with a special emphasis on environmental education, intercultural relations and the cooperation with external partners.”

In all our work with the children at SISS we also expect them to participate in decision making within a community that specifically values ecological and multicultural ventures. We strive for learning to be fun, varied and often based on direct experience and group interaction. Within this context we aim for children to gain a depth of knowledge in English that enables them to be effective communicators across the curriculum.

Increasingly we consider ourselves to be part of the wider Schuldorf community with all the benefits that it offers in terms of facilities, human resources and a shared teaching and learning ethos. Our unique location, surrounded by pine forests, provides an ideal setting in which to forge a common identity conducive to exciting, open-minded, life-long learning. We respect and actively seek to engage the culture and interests of our very ‘global’ local community.

Parents A–Z

Absences due to illness
Please be sure to contact the school office (06257/970350) by 8:30 a.m. should your child need to stay home due to illness. To ensure a healthy learning environment for all students, faculty and staff, please be sure to keep a child home a minimum of 24 hours after the end of a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting. Absences due to normal illnesses, lasting no longer than four days, do not require a written medical excuse. You may either contact the office each morning to report your child's absence, or simply provide an estimated return date.

Medical excuses are required in cases of a contagious disease or infection/health condition (i.e., chicken box, scarlet fever, head lice). In such instances, the school office should be notified immediately so that a message stating the exposure to such illnesses can be issued to the families of the affected class, or the entire Primary. A medical release from the doctor must also be submitted upon the child's return to school in such cases.

Accidents
Teachers & Staff will offer plasters/Band-Aids to children if the child indicates that they are allowed to have one. (PR Mtg., Nov. 9, 2009). School paramedics will be called in case of other injuries.

In case of all head injuries, even minor ones, the staff will try to contact the parents by phone who will decide whether the child should stay at school or needs to be collected. In emergencies the ambulance and the parents will be called immediately. For this reason please always update your contact details with the office.

If parents seek doctor's advice for their child as a result of a school accident, the school needs to be informed as soon as possible to initiate the insurance claim. This is also applicable for accidents on the way to or from school.

No medicines will be given to the children. If a child's health constitution requires medicine the child should stay at home.

Allergy Issues
Please inform your class teacher about allergies. All class teachers should provide subject teachers (eg PE teacher and supervision should be informed about asthma/bee sting allergies/ hay fever and LUNCH supervision (eg nut allergy...).
Food Swapping: Food swapping for Flex children is not allowed. From Year 3 the children are old enough to be able to decide for themselves and know about any allergies they have.

Assessments/Tests
In Literacy, Maths, and German the number of 45min assessments is three per semester in upper primary.Teachers give at least one week of written notice (date and contents - main objectives/ key points - in the child's diary) before each assessment.

In Year 3/4 all assessments are sent home for parent review and signature. (Handbook)
In Flex, assessments are not sent home unless requested. Instead, a matrix showing the child's score vs class & grade is sent home. (PR Mtg., June 9, 2010)
All Assessment results include the class average and the grade distribution on the Assessment. (PR Mtg, Nov 4, 2008)
Grading at SISS is based on the German system. (Pr Mtg. Nov. 4, 2008)Behaviour
If a child is in conflict or becoming socially isolated/ emotionally stressed, the teacher/TA will:

Ensure that children are aware of the effect of excluding others.Help children to assert their own viewpoints in respectful ways, by resolving conflict through constructive dialogue.Remind children of group rules and responsibilities.Discuss concerns with the school's social pedagogue, Fr. Lehn. Her priority are Flex classes, if possible she will be available for year 3 and 4, too.Talk to Astrid Koniarski (supervision) if the child joins SV in the afternoon.

The school will decide when to inform parents. This decision will depend on the individual issue.In instances of unacceptable behaviour that disturb teaching and learning or unsettle other children we will:

Refer the child to agreed class/supervision rulesGive warnings and if the problem persists, refer to the 'steps' that are outlined in the Hessian guidelines for managing challenging behaviour.Inform parents of actions taken.

Classrooms
Classrooms will be locked by the teachers/TAs after the last session. This can be the session before lunch break in case of PE lessons in the afternoon.

Dining hall rules
Our aim is to keep noise levels down to reasonable levels (so that we can talk to others at the table). The children calm down and line up before moving quietly to the serving area. Dining hall rules will be discussed in each class at the beginning of the year. Year groups have to agree on the rules according to their needs.

Dismissal
In Flex Years all children will be brought down to the playground by their class teacher or TA (or subject teacher, as applicable) at the end of the school day. (Handbook) Flex Teachers/TAs are responsible for placing unclaimed Flex children into Supervision. Supervision starts at 3:05pm. (PR Mtg. Jan 27, 2009)In Year 3, the same rules apply until a point during 2nd term. After this point, Year 3 children will be dismissed from class (i.e., sent down from the classroom alone). (Handbook)
Year 3 teachers will remind parents of this change, in writing, prior to its implementation. (PR Mtg., Jan 27, 2009))Year 4 and up can be dismissed from their last class in the afternoon (i.e., sent down alone/ back to school alone.)Year 3 & up children are responsible for going to Supervision themselves if their parent or guardian is late.

Children may not stay on the playground after school unless they are signed-in to Supervision.

Extended non-medical absences
Should your family decide to take an extended vacation, a written request must be filed as follows. Unlike Kindergarten which is has voluntary attendance, school attendance is mandatory and regulated by the State of Hessen. Therefore, special leave absences are given as an exception, only. Please be sure to submit a request (not a letter stating your already planned vacation) to the following parties as outlined below:

Extended long weekends or vacations tied to an official school holiday
Primary Head Teacher: The request should be submitted no later than four (4) weeks before your planned trip. To avoid any unnecessary complications, it is advised not to book the trip until you have received a written approval for the extended vacation. (Please note: airport authorities are legally allowed to request such a letter when checking in).

Absences not centered around an official school holiday and lasting no longer than 3 days
Class Teacher: In this case, a note in the Black Book (Flex students) or a separate letter for Year 3 and 4 students, stating the dates and reason for the absence should be submitted a few days prior to the planned absence.

Absences due to appointments/other personal situation
As we all know, sometimes appointments cannot be scheduled outside school hours, or perhaps your child is a member of a tournament team and needs to attend a training camp/competition. In these cases, a simple note to the teacher a day or two before the early dismissal request will suffice. Be sure to mention what time your child will have to leave and who will be picking him/her up from school.

Firedrill
SISS firedrills are linked with whole Schuldorf Bergstraße firedrills. By law schools are required to have two firedrills each year. The children will follow an agreed procedure on how to leave the building and walk to meeting points in cases of emergency.

Grading
German percentage/grade correspondence: (useful when grading assessments with points)

100 - 93% = 1
92 - 77% = 2
76 - 61% = 3
60 - 45% = 4
44 - 20% = 5
19 - 0% = 6

Handwriting
Children will begin to learn the Nelson style of pre-cursive handwriting in Flex 1st learning year and cursive handwriting in Flex 2nd learning year.
This will be reinforced in Year 3. During Year 4, use of joined-up/cursive handwriting will be required.

Teaching of handwriting skills happens regularly in years 1-3 and specific children or small groups are targeted to rectify identified problems before they become a habit. The principle of regular, short periods of handwriting practice is prominent in this part of the school.There is a gradual transfer to cursive, ('joined up') writing from the appropriate moment in Year 2. However, children develop physical pencil control at different rates and they are only introduced to the Nelson letter joins when confident with the previous step.Flex children usually have their own work book which guides letter formation in very visual and structured ways on the page, also permitting practice through 'overwriting'. From Year 3 children produce letter joins more independently from Nelson handwriting text books. The Nelson spelling course books also demonstrate letter joins within the context of common letter strings.In Y3 a fountain pen license will be given to the children after passing special handwriting exercises. During Year 4, the use of the fountain pen and cursive handwriting will be required.The German 'Schul-Ausgangsschrift' can be introduced in German to children from Year 3 and it offers a natural and logical extension to the 'Nelson' script by introducing the option of loops for descenders in letters like 'g' or 'y'. A few other specific differences are also introduced to children at this stage.

Hitzefrei
At the beginning of the school year all children will get the "Hitzefrei" form to be returned to the teacher as soon as possible. The parents will decide whether their child

is allowed to go home alone.will be picked up by parents or somebody who is specified on the form.will stay in school according to the usual arrangement (incl supervision).

In the event of early closure due to "Hitzefrei" there are no lessons in the afternoon due to heat. Teachers/TAs who are timetabled for afternoon session are responsible for supervising children who do not go home (Hitzefrei forms are available in the SISS office).Homework
Homework will be given:

To provide opportunities for practice of basic skills and learning of important facts that cannot be memorised entirely within the teaching session.To give young children the opportunity to consolidate a skill learnt in class.To offer older the opportunity of independent enquiry and gathering of information to be shared in class.To encourage children to establish routines and a degree of self-organisation and responsibility

Especially in the lower age groups the principle of 'a little often' should be applied. In the upper primary a significant amount of revision for tests will be an integral part of preceding lessons; where reading over of notes or practice exercises are required, these should be part of homework tasks.
All homework given to the children will be explained in class, so that parents' help should not be necessary. In instances where the child needs support or was unable to complete the task, a note should be written by the parent in the homework diary or on the homework sheet as feed back for the teacher.
There must be at least a day between setting and return of homework tasks.Recommended timing guidance:
Flex Years -> not more then 20-30 minutes per day to cover all tasks.
Year 3/4 -> max 45 minutes per day (all tasks)

Klassenkasse
Klassenkasse money is to be held by the Parent Rep or Deputy Parent Rep (not by the class teacher.) (PR Mtg., Mar 24, 2009)

Teacher can request the purchase of items thru the Klassenkasse (prior to actually purchasing); or the teacher can go directly to the parents with a request to purchase specific, topic-related materials (i.e., requesting parents send in 2 euro per child to purchase clay for a lesson on pottery.) (PR Mtg, June 30, 2009)

Learning Support
In case of ongoing/ severe learning difficulties in one or more subjects/ areas a learning support plan will be set up. The class teacher/subject teacher will meet the parents to discuss individual tasks for the child and to monitor and evaluate the child's progress in further meetings after a period of time. A close working relation ship between parents, child and school will help to improve the child's development.

Library visits
All Flex primary classes go to the bilingual library once per week. (Handbook)
All Year 3 and Year 4 classes will go to the bilingual library at least once every other week.
All children will need a signed library permission form from their parents before being allowed to take books home from the library. (Forms are available at the library and in the office.) The children are allowed to take up to two books home; either one book in German and one book in English or two English books.
For more details about the library please see" library rules - world of books"

Lunch
All classes are given 25 minutes to eat their lunch in the cafeteria. (PR Mtg., Sept. 30, 2008)
Children receiving hot lunch will receive dessert without prerequisite (children will not be told to eat more of their entrée before receiving dessert.) (PR Mtg, Sept. 30, 2008)

Food Swapping for Flex children is not allowed. As of Year 3 the children are old enough to be able to decide for themselves and know about any allergies they have.

Morning line up
All students are expected to be in line by 8:40 a.m. to allow enough time for the children to go upstairs to their individual classrooms so that lessons can start by 8:45 a.m.

Other
On the first day of school, all class teachers will come and stand near their class line to allow children and parents an opportunity to say hello. (PR Mtg., June 30, 2009.)SISS 5th Year students will be issued school ID cards. (PR Mtg. June 9, 2010)

Parent evenings
The purpose of parent evenings is to inform parents about class routines, class trips, the curriculum, to plan social events for the class, etc. A minimum of one parent evening per semester is required.

The first parent evening has to take place within the first six weeks of term. In Flex classes and Year 3, elections of the parent representatives will take place on this evening (election forms available in the office). Dates for the first parent evenings will be agreed upon in the staff meeting, and a general invitation will be send to all parents from the office.

All following parent evenings have to be arranged by the parent rep of the class in agreement with the class teacher (coordination within the year group might be useful). The parent rep will invite both the parents and the class teacher/subject teachers. Invitations and agenda of the meeting should be sent to the parents and teachers at least ten days in advance.

Reading scheme (Literacy)
It is important that children have access to different types of reading material so that they do not become over dependent on one scheme. Texts therefore are taken from a wide range of popular core reading schemes and individual non-scheme titles. These texts are then placed in the appropriate 'colour band' alongside texts with similar characteristics and level of difficulty. This ensures that the children have access to a variety of books at the same level of difficulty.

Reports
Teachers discuss Reports with Year 3/4 children before sending the Reports home. (PR Mtg. May 12, 2009)
Flex classes will not get a half year report but they will have a parent teacher conference in February. They will get a written report before the summer break.
All other classes will get a half term and end of year report.

The overall grade in the report will take into account the Hessen percentage spread as follows:
Oral contribution = 50%
Assessments = 25%
Class work = 25%

Safety
Primary children are always escorted by a teacher (or TA) on campus when moving from SISS to other buildings/areas on campus.

Year 4 and up can be dismissed from their last class in the afternoon (i.e., sent down alone/ back to school alone.) (Handbook)The exception is Year 3 students travelling to and from (Catholic) Religion Class. (PR Mtg., Nov 9, 2009)

If a child is not in school at snacktime and there has been no prior communication about absence, the teacher /TA or secretary will call the parent to find out where the child is (using all parent emergency contact details.) (PR Mtg. Sept. 29, 2009;Implemented PR Mtg Nov. 9, 2009)Teachers & Staff will offer plasters/Band-Aids to children if the child indicates that they are allowed to have one. (PR Mtg., Nov. 9, 2009)

Snack Breaks
Whenever possible teachers will allow 15 minutes for snack. Children will be given a chance to remain behind to finish their snack when possible. Snacks cannot be taken to the playground as playing while eating represents a choking hazard.
Additionally, during warm weather periods, the presence of food increases the risk of bee/wasp stings. (PR Mtg, Nov. 4, 2008)
Children are allowed to drink during class and are encouraged to drink water or unsweetened tea whenever thirsty (the only exception is when a teacher is actively instructing the class.) (PR Mtg Sept. 30, 2008)

Tutoring
Teacher and TA cannot tutor children from the same year group they teach in. For similar reasons preschool children can not be privately tutored by Flex team members.External tutors cannot use the SISS facilities unless the tutor is a student from the Schuldorf.If somebody is looking for a student tutor, they can post a sign on the black board of the Gymnasium (building 8 and 9)

... Z