How Outdoor Leadership Camps are shaping our leaders of tomorrow In conversation with Barry Dequanne: Special interview with the new School Director at International School of Zug & Luzern Volunteering abroad: Building strength, stability and self-reliance Get-out and be adventurous with your children this spring!
SPRING 2018
Welcome to the Spring 2018 edition of International School Parent Magazine! In contrast to last year, this season has been positively packed with snowsports opportunities. After an achingly painful season last year across Switzerland, and Europe, this year has been amazing. I have been following the school ski teams with interest, and recently watched some of the SGIS Skiing in Morgins. Well done to all those who took part! One of the beauties of Switzerland during spring is that we have the luxury of being able to combine the excellent winter sports the Alps have to offer with the warmer climes in the south of the country. I would highly recommend visiting Ticino – by far the most spectacular Swiss canton, and fabulous in the Spring with a stunning scenery, great food, and (often) clear blue skies. Even for those of you further away, it’s worth the trip. We are proud to work with a number of hotels in the canton of Ticino and have some wonderful accommodation and activity ideas advertised in this magazine. Spring also presents a perfect opportunity to do some city visiting before they fill up with the Summer tourists. The capital, Bern is an excellent option, steeped in history, it’s old town being a UNESCO Heritage site. Within easy reach from most large Swiss cities, it is an interesting option for a day trip. A particularly hot topic for many parents right now will be how to keep their children gainfully entertained in the Easter, Summer, and Winter Holidays. Get-out and be adventurous with your Children this spring, by reading Miki Adderley’s article packed full of great ideas. We have our Summer Camps Extravaganza included with some excellent opportunities for children this summer. Lastly, we speak to Volker Schweinbenz from OLCS about their incredible leadership camp opportunities in the Swiss Alps. As usual, we have some great articles from educational experts with subjects ranging from Exams Tips from real examiners, to interviews with inspiring head teachers, business people, and experts. I would like to extend our invitation to teachers, parents, and practitioners in all fields of education to contact us about writing and interview opportunities. We would love to discuss with you the opportunity to be featured in the magazine and on our new website at www.internationalschoolparent.com
We remain committed to the task of helping parents and children make the most of the fantastic opportunities an education at an international school in Switzerland provides. All that remains to be said is that I hope you have a wonderful start to the academic year. Work hard and be the best! Best wishes Nick Gilbert Editor & Publishing Director International School Parent Magazine Tel: +41 787 10 80 91 Email: nick@internationalschoolparent.com Visit: internationalschoolparent.com Facebook: facebook.com/internationalschoolparent
WHICH SCHOOL IS RIGHT FOR YOU? Choose from our 5 schools to study undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in hospitality management combined with:
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Contents 04 Creating family traditions: an expat view 08 Exam tips from examiners 12 Get-out and be adventurous with your children this spring! 18 Did you know? Behind the scenes… 20 Working mothers in Switzerland – something has to give 24 International School Parent Magazine: Interview with David Albion 30 In conversation with Barry Dequanne 34 The benefits of righting writing 37 Financial Columns 42 In conversation with Dr. Maja Coradi Vellacott 46 Building strength, stability and self-reliance: Volunteering abroad with Habitat for Humanity 51 Our pick of the best summer camps for 2018 56 Atishoo! It’s hay fever time... 58 In conversation with Volker Schweinbenz 63 How can my child get back on track with Maths? 66 Working across cultures to professionally empower women – The communications consultancy giving women a voice
International School Parent Spring 2018
Creating family traditions: an expat view “Family traditions old and new, what works for me may not work for you. The important thing is we work together, to make memories that will last forever.� 6 |
Stacy Coles
BY TAMMY FUREY FUREY COACHING
internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
itual and traditions can also connect us back to our homelands; to act as reminder of where we came from and what is important to us. This may be a small activity, such as cooking the meals our parents cooked, or big, such as a spiritual festival.
R
A review of 50 years’ of research published in the Journal of Family Psychology* suggests that routines and rituals may contribute to the health and well-being of families. Family rituals and traditions give structure to what it means to be a family — no matter where you are in the world. This structure creates a feeling of love, safety and security for our loved ones (and indeed ourselves). It also creates fond memories for our children to carry forward into their own families when they have grown.
“Ritual is important to us as human beings. It ties us to our traditions and our histories.” – Miller Williams –
The new traditions and rituals we have created are centred around fun and creativity. Celebrations for the spring holidays include the annual “Hauling back from the Forest of the Spring Tree” (which is then ‘planted’ on the balcony and draped with tiny wooden eggs); the “Painting of the Eggs” (creating a smeary mess that is held aloft with pride); and of course “The Stuffing of Chocolate Bunnies into Mouths”. We have found that this element of creativity helps us to bond as a family; being guided by what makes us smile, not by what makes us feel like slaves to the traditions of our homeland. Injecting fun into family time ensures that you create lasting memories which can become the basis for happy, long-lasting family traditions. For example, my colleague used to create hugely elaborate and long-winded chocolate egg hunts for the whole family. I heard such tales of giggles, mud and chocolate; so much so that I thought we could try it as a new tradition within my own family. For our last spring holiday, we travelled to Spain to visit the grandparents. Unfortunately - forgetting that Spain is hot - many of the eggs were found in puddles of their former chocolatey goodness. Not a raving success, but it has guaranteed that we have created a unique family memory!
“The human soul can always use a new tradition. Sometimes we require them.”
In my family, we do not celebrate winter or spring holidays in the same way that I did when I was a child. However, I do not feel a sense of loss from this change; some rituals and traditions can become, when followed with obligation and lack of appreciation, a hollow affair. We have treated moving to a new country as an opportunity to create our own, unique set of family traditions to celebrate holidays. We have the freedom to adopt new ways and change the old, creating a beautiful balance of a little tradition from our homeland and a little from our new land. One of the reasons for creating our own traditions is that our family is made up of different cultures to begin with. With understanding and respect, we negotiate how we can create a blend of all the traditions that make our family special. It need not become a source of conflict or tension, as long as everyone is heard and understood, and one aspect of the blend is not overly emphasised at the expense of another (know as ‘skewed ritualisation’). This blend of rituals and traditions can help to forge a family’s unique identity.
“We all need such places of ritual safekeeping. And I do believe that if your culture or tradition doesn’t have the specific ritual you are craving, then you are absolutely permitted to make up a ceremony of your own devising...”
– Pat Conroy – The Lords of Discipline | 7
However, rituals are not simply for seasonal holidays. They can be scattered throughout the year to mark those occasions, transitions and events where time needs to be slowed, marked and savoured. They create a sense of who we are and what bonds us. Rituals can be as big as old branches pretending to be a Spring Holiday Tree or as small as a bath-time puppet that blows bubbles. On one of the expat mum groups on Facebook, we recently had a wonderful discussion about the everyday rituals that expat mums have developed to cope with lone parenting whilst their partners travel. These rituals have helped to turn this challenging and exhausting time into something special; a positive rather than a negative experience. We discovered that a common ritual among expats is to watch movies that would make our partners roll their eyes, often in our PJs with chocolate, wine, or both. My daughter and I have a ritual of hiring a movie, snuggling down together on beanbags and scoffing popcorn. It’s how we turn our sadness about Daddy being away into a time where we appreciate each other.
“Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world.”
– Elizabeth Gilbert – Eat, Pray, Love – Susan Leiberman – New Traditions
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International School Parent Spring 2018
As expats, family rituals can help our children when they are experiencing unsettling circumstances such as moving or changing schools. Rituals and traditions supply the ‘constant’ when everything else is in flux. There may be a ritual of waving from the window as your child goes to school, or a special meal on certain days of the week. These are the rhythms that give structure in their lives when all structure seems to have gone. They are even more important when the family is in upheaval. As a parent, it may seem like the last thing you want to do (yet another thing to do on the To-Do list) but the payoff is worth it. Family rituals can be the stability and glue that holds the family together. Your family is completely unique; what rituals do you have? What rituals would you like to develop to celebrate life and the passage of time? What would you like to borrow from Switzerland and what would you like to keep from your homeland?
Rituals could be common interests within your family that you enjoy together, for example: • Do you have your own special words in your family that no one else understands? Little insider jokes that you share? • Songs that you sing or invent the words to? • Stories that you always read or make up together? • What do you do at birthdays that is always the same? Are there decorations you always use? Songs or activities you always do? • What cultural or religious festivals do you celebrate? How are these a blend of family traditions? • Do you have family games you always play?
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“ Ritual is important to us as human beings. It ties us to our traditions and our histories”
• Meals that you always cook together? If you look at the habits of your family, you will spot the rituals and traditions that have organically arisen over time. The question is how to add to these, and attach a significance to these times in a way that your children will remember for years to come
Website www.fureycoaching.com Twitter http://twitter.com/fureycoaching LinkedIn http://ch.linkedin.com/in/tamarafurey Facebook http://www.facebook.com/tammyfurey Pinterest http://pinterest.com/fureycoaching
REFERENCES *Fiese B, Tomcho T, Douglas M, et al. “A Review of 50 Years of Research on Naturally-Occurring Family Routines and Rituals: Cause for Celebration?” Journal of Family Psychology. 2000;16:381–390.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
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International School Parent Spring 2018
EXAM TIPS
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FROM EXAMINERS BY SANDRA STEIGER
“Examiners know how the candidate feels and do their absolute utmost … to award credit wherever possible – they seek to be able to give marks”. John internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
he countdown is on. Only a few months to go! Revision is the order of the day. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what’s on the Examiners’ minds right now? Luckily for you, we have IBDP and GCSE Examiners who want nothing more than for students to achieve their best! Below you’ll learn what examiners are looking for in students’ responses and their top tips for making the most out of these final few months.
WHAT ARE EXAMINERS LOOKING FOR? 1
RELEVANT ANSWERS
First and foremost, examiners are looking for relevant, contextual and reflective answers. Philip, IBDP History examiner, warns that a demonstration of a mass of factual information will not be considered as highly as questions answered in a relevant manner. Hanan, IBDP Economics examiner, agrees that, “It’s not enough for the student to just know the material. It’s very important that they can relate it to real-life and work under exam pressure”.
KNOW WHAT’S EXPECTED AND USE 1 PRACTICE PAPERS… A LOT OF THEM! Practising with past papers was the number one common response from all our Examiner tutors. Philip (History) says it’s really important for students to make sure that their teacher/tutor has provided them with a thorough understanding of the format of the exam paper(s). However, there are certain techniques to getting the most out of past paper practice. Firstly, don’t be tempted to consult any supplied answers to help you get unstuck. John (Maths), advises that this, “should be avoided at all costs as little is really learned in this manner. They should only be consulted to check the solution, which should be sought by any other means possible - reading, talking, thinking, waiting, weeping!” Anna (English) and Hanan (Economics) both highly recommend practising past exams under timed conditions – handwritten and with a timer. Afterwards, turn off the timer, and take time to make corrections and improvements, checking answers against the required criteria or the mark scheme. It can be helpful to ask a classmate, parent, a teacher or a tutor to help with this. Anna describes this process as like proofreading - but at a higher level – giving students a clear idea of how they could improve. She believes, “Improving their own work will inform their future writing practice – ‘This is how I should have done it and this what I will do next time.’ If the students master this skill, they will get the top marks”.
2
QUALITY OF RESPONSE UNDER 2 TIME-PRESSURE It can be incredibly frustrating to be limited to only a few hours to demonstrate all the learning that has happened in the past few years. Surely, we’ve all walked out of an exam wailing, ‘But if only they had asked THIS’. Examiners understand - but this is simply the nature of exams. Hanan (IBDP Economics) emphasises that this is exactly what examiners are looking for: a student’s ability to combine their skills with content-knowledge to develop logical answers to the questions in the time allocated. 3
WHAT TIPS DO EXAMINERS HAVE FOR THE FINAL STAGES OF PREPARATION?
MEETING THE CRITERIA
Anna, GCSE English examiner, highlights that the marking scheme is your best indication of what the examiners are looking for. She says that, “Examiners are looking for evidence in students’ work that allows them to “tick off” the criteria that are required for each level”. So, fully understanding the marking scheme should be your first priority before entering your final stages of revision.
DON’T SKIP ANY PART OF THE SYLLABUS
John (Maths) wants students to remember that the exam is assessing knowledge of and familiarity with the syllabus content, with questions also structured to contain elements allowing extra insight for abstraction and analytic thinking - “It is quite common to come across candidates who demonstrate great potential by showing themselves extremely capable in some respects and who then spoil everything by seeming completely unknowledgeable in other areas – a real shame!”
3
PRACTISE BEING LEGIBLE
While candidates are not marked down for poor handwriting or presentation, it makes the examiners job a lot more difficult and increases the chance of marking errors. In the case of Maths, where perhaps a question has been abandoned and then re-started again a few pages later on your working sheet, John advises to help the examiner out by clearly indicating which question is being worked on. He cautions that the ability to present answers as clearly as possible “cannot be learned overnight and is rather something to cultivate throughout their course”.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
4
DON’T CRAM AT THE LAST MINUTE
In the history of exam advice, this is probably the one that all parents and teachers from time immemorial have repeated over and over again. So, we’ll end on this too! Students should schedule plenty of time to revise all they’ve learnt. And make sure to plan in time to socialise, get exercise and eat well too. Heading into the final stages of exam preparation, Anna (English) advises students to, “revise what you have already learnt and do not clutter your mind by studying something new at the last minute – it is counterproductive”.
Anna TutorsPlus tutor & GCSE English Examiner
John TutorsPlus tutor & IBDP Maths Examiner
As a fully qualified English teacher, born in Russia and living in England for over a decade, I have a first-hand ability to
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John has been a Maths
connect to and understand the individual
teacher for over 25 years,
needs of children of diverse backgrounds. I am passionate about
most recently at College
teaching and always strive to improve my own knowledge and
de Leman in Geneva. As a
development. With over 10 years of experience in the education
qualified teacher, John is
sector I have taught English across
also an IBDP Examiner for Maths Higher Level. He
a range of age groups and abilities, from KS3 to IGCSE and IB.
is experienced in teaching all levels of secondary
In addition, I have experience of working with primary school
Maths across IGCSE, IB, A Level as well as an
children and adult learners. At Durham University, I enjoyed
authorized teacher of AP Statistics, Physics, Calculus
mentoring both UK and international students, supporting them
and the SAT. John is a full member of the Liverpool
in their studies. Currently, I am a GCSE English Examiner for AQA
Mathematical Society and an avid fan of ‘Family Guy’.
and a mother to my 4 year old girl. I enjoy yoga, skiing, biking and... reading (most Teachers of English do)!
Philip Hanan TutorsPlus tutor & IBDP History Examiner
TutorPlus tutor & IBDP Economics Examiner
Philip has been a History I have been teaching for 7 years.
teacher for over 40 years,
During this time, I finished a Masters
teaching across A Level,
Degree in Secondary Education and
GCSE, Matu and IB. As
became qualified as an IBDP Economics
head of Humanities at
examiner. I have been teaching IBDP Economics for three years
Ecolint La Chataignerie, Philip prepared teachers and
as a classroom teacher and supervised the internal assessments
students across History, Business, Economics, Theory
for my cohort as well as the Extended Essays. I have also finished
of Knowledge and Geography. Philip is also a History
category 1 and 2 of the IBDP Economics trainings and category
examiner and Extended Essay supervisor.
3 of the TOK for subject teachers. Prior to that, I taught Business Management for IGCSE for 2 years and English for Middle and High School for 2 years when I first started teaching. Teaching is my passion and I love the spirit of the classroom and the spirit of getting my students engaged in their learning.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
All of us at TutorsPlus wish students the very, very best with their final exams. If you need extra support with revision, we’d be delighted to help. You can reach us at 022 731 8148 or info@tutorsplus.com If you aren’t already following our TutorsPlus “Examiner’s Tips for Revision” series, visit our Facebook page or the International School Parent website for more tips such as:
REVISION COURSES TutorsPlus also offers 2-day IB revision courses in Geneva, 10am - 5pm, between 26th March to 8th April 2018, at 550 CHF per course. Book 2 or more courses and receive 50 CHF discount on each course booked. 26th & 27th March – Maths SL
• Planning Ahead
28th & 29th March – Maths HL or Maths Studies
• How best to study
30th & 31st March – Economics HL
• Always attempt an answer
1st & 2nd April – Economics SL
• The importance of punctuation – and other writing skills advice
3rd & 4th April – Biology SL OR Physics SL 5th & 6th April – Biology HL OR Physics HL 7th & 8th April – Chemistry SL OR Chemistry HL
“ revise what you have already learnt and do not clutter your mind by studying something new at the last minute – it is counterproductive”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sandra Steiger Academic Support Manager Sandra Steiger has over 10 years’ experience teaching English at various schools in Switzerland. During her 6 years at the International School of Geneva, she was also the Service Learning programme Coordinator, International Award Supervisor, a Homeroom Mentor and Head of Year 8.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Get-out and be adventurous with your children this spring! 14 |
BY MIKI ADDERLEY
Over the years, our little family has become familiar with many different corners of Switzerland for a variety of reasons, though often not necessarily due to the need to find activities to fill in the holiday weeks. However, we’ve selected a mixed taster of just a few adventures that took us out of the house, all of which were available within spring, spanning from some common to some much less usual activities that may surprise you to hear were done together with children. internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
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International School Parent Spring 2018
1
BÄRLAUCH PICKING
Very early in the spring season, there’s Bärlauch picking. Bärlauch is a leafy green wild garlic plant that grows in abundance throughout the forests floors in Switzerland immediately at the end of the winter snow. It fills the forests with a light but highly distinct garlic aroma. It’s ideal to find some untrodden areas just along the Waldwege (forest hiking trails) to pick the freshly sprouted green Bärlauch leaves collecting enough to take home to cook up in a delicious creamy soup or even fresh pesto. It is important to wash or cook the Bärlauch after picking it.
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HUSKY DOG SLEDGING
You may have thought sledging was only for winter, but not so. The seasons for Husky Dog Sledging are winter and also spring. Some years ago it was possible to book husky dog sledging rides which took place on the outskirts of Zürich. Though when we went, there was no snow, we were nevertheless indeed pulled through the forest by a full team of husky dogs that were trained for sledging, albeit we were riding in a “wheeled-dogsled.” Enjoy the experience of seeing a team of dogs working in harmony and find respect in how much each of the dogs plays a defined role in the pack.
Suggested link: www.zuerich.com/de/besuchen/baerlauch-saison
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RÖDELBAHN (TOBOGGAN RUN)
These are loads of fun regardless of whether you’re a speed demon type or prefer to go down with more cautious speeds, as you have control of your toboggan brake you can choose as much adrenaline as you dare. Since the best toboggan runs are some of the longest ones (in our opinion), it means that you’ll be likely to take a scenic chairlift or cable car ride up a mountain to have a long winding exhilarating ride down the mountainside. 16 |
The Rodelbahn at Pilatus has a particularly nifty return hauling system in which riders are towed backwards up the hill which grants them a particularly scenic ground-level ride at a leisurely pace conveniently back up to the start point.
3
Even if you’ve never spent time riding scooters before, it’s an incredibly pleasant cruise to ride downhill on long slow winding paved roads on a scooter bike. With no pedals to worry about, there’s no exertion required, and you are in control of your speed with the brake. Downhill bike-scootering is a splendid panoramic alternative to taking the gondola down the mountain, and it’s suitable for anyone with basic biking skills including smaller children who can ride standing in tandem with adults. Suggested link: www.titlis.ch/en/activities/summer-activities/scooter-bike
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Suggested link: www.rodelbahn.ch
GLEITSCHIRMFLIEGEN SCHNUPPERKURS
(Paragliding Taster Course) - Ordinarily paragliding would be for just the grown-ups, but at 11 years old we were in the St Gallen region where our daughter was allowed to join the action. We spent the day getting a taste of what it’s like being fully geared up and running down a practice slope solo at full pelt pulling a para-glider aloft to become airborne, though it was nothing much higher than safely skimming a several few metres above our heads parallel to the grassy incline surface. The instructors assured us that the fabric of the old mini para-glider that my daughter was pulling was so porous that there was no realistic chance of her becoming airborne enough to soar up into the sky. In an introductory course, typically the first day is spent on a gentle grass incline, there are no actual cliffs or heights involved.
DOWNHILL GRAVITY SCOOTER TOUR
ST. BEATUS HÖHLEN (CAVES)
Many caves in Switzerland are open to the public for visiting, with St. Beatus being just one of them which is reachable from Thun by ferry or bus. If you happen to choose to go there on a beautiful day, the bus ride has such stunning views of the Thunersee (lake) that you may be tempted to hop off the bus early and come back on a more dreary day for the caves. However, you would miss out on a beautiful view from the up on the side of the mountain where the cave visiting centre & cafe is perched. For those with buggies, be warned that there is a steep winding walk to reach the entrance from the road including several steps, so this is not recommended for the fainthearted. There is also no wheelchair nor stroller access for touring the caves, so everyone needs to be prepared to either walk or be carried throughout the cave tour as there are steps and steep stairways throughout the caves. It is also cold inside the caves being a constant 8-9ºC all year round, so it’s important to bring something warm to wear. Suggested link: www.beatushoehlen.swiss
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International School Parent Spring 2018
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CERN
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This is the European Organisation for Nuclear Research just outside of Geneva where the largest particle accelerator in the world exists, in fact, it is so large that it crosses the border into France. CERN is the biggest physics laboratory in the world where thousands of scientists from around the globe are busy working together researching questions about the origins of matter and the universe. It is possible to take a free tour of CERN that includes descending 100 metres beneath the ground where the 27km long accelerator ring resides. In our amusement, my teenage daughter and I watched the Ron Howard film “Angels & Demons” that featured a heavily dramatised antimatter creation scene which we delighted in comparing to the real-life environment at CERN. In comparison to the film, we found ourselves standing in a remote computer room where there was not a single white lab coat seen, rather instead we met some casually dressed friendly-looking scientists who were happy to answer any questions we could think up. Also curiously, at random intervals, a sound bite of Queen’s “Another one bites the dust” played aloud which signified whenever another collision particle was momentarily detected, which barely raised an eyebrow of the scientist anymore. CERN is also famous for being the birthplace of the World Wide Web. Suggested link: https://visit.cern
8
SEILPARK (ROPES PARK)
Although heights are not for everyone, there’s a range of rope parks across Switzerland that cater for a wide variety of participants. Seilparks are adventure parks that have high-rope obstacle course which can include climbing, balancing elements, rope and cable bridges, high-lines, zip-lines, rope swings, and even sometimes free-fall jumping off platforms from the top of the tree canopies. They give visitors a chance to experience many different courses and creative challenges, at varying heights and skill levels, without needing any prior specialised climbing experience. Some Seilparks offer low-level (and even some ground-based) obstacle courses ideal for small children, while others range up to the most challenging courses suitable for adventurous adrenaline junkies. Safety is always paramount, and every Seilpark that we visited ensured that the safety equipment and instructions are clearly understood. Most Seilparks are situated outdoors amongst nature, so even if you are only accompanying your family or friend without joining the action, you’re likely to find yourself in an attractive place for a picnic.
BODYFLYING
Also known as indoor skydiving, bodyflying is where skydivers hover on a cushion of air in a vertical wind tunnel. Up until recent years, there was an original open-air Bodyflying wind tunnel in Rümlang, just outside of Zürich, but nowadays the newer wind tunnels for indoor skydiving are all enclosed in plexiglass. You don’t need to be athletic to enjoy your first experience in bodyflying because first-timers are all accompanied by trained instructors who are skilful in doing all the balancework so that you can truly enjoy the feeling of flying in the air with nothing more than a jumpsuit and crash helmet. Surprisingly, the most challenging thing you may face is allowing your body to remain relaxed and pliable while in a flying position, however, the instructors help guide you with this in your flight so long as you can follow quite simple instructions. Bodyflying is undoubtedly an unforgettable and thrilling experience, and it’s open to children as young as five years old and upward. Suggested link: www.bodyflying.ch
10 GEOCACHING Hidden throughout all of Switzerland are over thirty thousand discreet treasure caches, better known as geocaches, which are locatable by using either a GPS or mobile device. The real joy in hunting for geocaches comes in heading outdoors to find new places and to solve clues to reveal where each cache has been placed. In fact, around the globe, there are millions of geocaches, secretly hidden in almost every country, and you may be surprised to find out how many are located near you, no matter where you live. Geocaches come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and can often be custom designed to fit snugly camouflaged in plain sight which means you’re not likely to encounter them unless you are looking for one. Every cache is unique, and with varying degrees of difficulty to find them, some are very easy to find while others may challenge you to your absolute limits. All caches contain a logbook so that finders can log their visit, and depending on the size it may also hold some non-perishable goodies inside that can be traded. If you’re looking for an activity that can be enjoyed together with the whole family that inspires a sense of natural adventure, geocaching is highly recommended and full of surprises. Suggested link: www.geocaching.com
Suggested link: www.seilpark-rigi.ch www.pilatus.ch/en/discover/pilatus-rope-park
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International School Parent Spring 2018
SOME OTHER SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES IN SPRING, ALSO POSSIBLE WITH CHILDREN, INCLUDE:
• Planetenweg (Planet trail) www.aargautourismus.ch/erleben/themenwege/ aargauer-planetenweg www.zuerich.com/en/visit/sport/planet-trail • Thermal baths www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/thermal-baths.
• Lenzburg Castle www.schloss-lenzburg.ch/en • Chocolate Factory tour www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/ chocolate-factories.html • Rheinfall (Rhine Falls) www.rheinfall.ch
• Tierpark (Animal Park) www.tierpark.ch • Bouldering www.bouldering-world.com/boulderingin-switzerland • Klettersteig www.myswitzerland.com/de-ch/ klettersteige.html
• Connyland www.connyland.ch • Augusta Raurica www.augustaraurica.ch • Alpamare www.alpamare.ch
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Downhill gravity scooter tour
This article was written in partnership with Newly Swissed. www.newlyswissed.com Newly Swissed is the online magazine about Switzerland, founded in 2010. We are experts at making brands and stories come alive through content marketing. We cover the latest trends in Swiss culture, design, events, oddities and tourism, as well as tips on how to settle in Switzerland.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Miki grew up in Australia, but after pursuing her engineering career and doing business in several different countries, she ended up landing herself in Switzerland where she continues finding the life of Swiss bliss still so irresistible. Miki credits her eldest daughter for getting her involved in performing aerial silks and youngest baby daughter for melting hearts. She is a co-founder of Zurich Salon and former founder / organiser of Ignite Zürich.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
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3 nights in one of the Benvenuti hotels| 19 with breakfast buffet Welcome to three remarkable, personally managed 4 star hotels in Ticino.
CHF 25.00 voucher per person, ½ day Fiat 500 and Ticino Ticket.
The Benvenuti Hotels offer a stylish setting for relaxation, enjoyment and special experiences in Ticino. They captivate with charm and southern ambience and convince with their living hospitality and quality. All of them are located in a privileged location in the holiday region of Ascona/Locarno.
From CHF 387.00 per person in a double room, CHF 195.00 supplement for single occupancy in a double room; excl. visitor's tax (6.10 p.p.) Weekend supplement (Friday and/or Saturday night): CHF 10.00 per person and night.
La Rocca
Book online: Or per phone: Booking code:
Casa Berno
internationalschoolparent.com www.benvenuti.ch
www.benvenuti.ch 041 368 09 90 BEN18-03
Remorino
International School Parent Spring 2018
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Did you know? Behind the scenes…
BY CHRISTINE KNIGHT HEAD OF ADMINISTRATION – HAUT-LAC INTERNATIONAL BILINGUAL SCHOOL, 1806 ST-LÉGIER internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
any of us love watching documentaries that take a look behind the scenes at a hospital, airport or police station and are amazed at the scale and intricacies of the infrastructure that keeps these facilities operational. To what extent do we appreciate that the education our children receive, at whatever school they may attend, is dependent on a huge workforce of dedicated support staff? Without them, a school simply could not function and the teachers could not fulfill their professional mandate. Here just a brief overview to give you a new perspective on the microcosm that is your child’s school. Parents regularly come into contact with the front of house administrative staff. The admissions team and school secretaries are renowned for being the source of a wealth of information, always courteous and helpful, and never further than a phone call away. These are the people who meet just about everybody and know virtually everything there is to know about a school. However, there are many more administrators busy in the back offices, ranging from accounts to HR, keeping the school and its staff ticking over. Working very much hands-on are the managers of such services as transport and catering. Whether the fleet of buses is schoolowned or contracted-out, it has to be ensured that they are safe and well-maintained, that the drivers are appropriately qualified and that the routes are planned in such a way to efficiently transport students from A to B. The caterers, too, have to meet the students’ (and parents’) expectations, by providing high quality and nutritionally balanced options that are freshly prepared, attractively presented and reasonably priced. Often, a host of additional supervisors oversee mealtimes and the midday recreation periods, as well as providing out-of-hours care. The handling of communications, both internal and external, is an extensive domain that requires several specialties. Writing clearly and concisely, sometimes for different language groups, as well as disseminating information in a timely fashion, necessitates an in depth-knowledge of the different segments of the school community, the academic curriculum, the events programme and, above all, keen attention to detail. Invariably there are members of the team who concentrate on publications, whilst others are responsible for the school’s web and social media presence. They all need editing, design and photography skills to do their job well.
hours to clear everything away, readying the premises to welcome the students back on their next regular school day. The constant and ongoing exertions of the housekeeping team are essential in creating welcoming and well-maintained surroundings for students and staff alike. In larger schools there are hundreds of metres of corridors to sweep, several staircases to mop, and countless toilets and changing rooms to clean, in addition to the many classrooms. The multi-tasking maintenance crew is kept busy all day (and sometimes at the weekends), from changing lightbulbs to clearing the entrances of snow in winter. They put up display boards, move furniture in and out of storage, tend the garden and respond to anyone and everyone’s calls for help, cheerfully completing yet another job. In this day and age it is essential to have a knowledgeable, and above all approachable, IT team in-house. The regular stream of students, teachers and parents seeking advice from the help-desk, on-line or in person, is testament to the importance of this department. Every school assembly, PTA event and visiting speaker is dependent on professional IT and AV back-up. The different platforms used for communication, time-tabling, reporting and data management have to be regularly updated and the teachers and administrators who use them on a daily basis trained appropriately. The contributions of the numerous individuals working discreetly behind the scenes are difficult to quantify, but it is certain that their value is inestimable in creating the reassuring and friendly atmosphere that families encounter in a school. They make up a considerable proportion of the establishment’s employees and have their part to play in sustaining the stable framework within which students of all ages can feel happy, safe and secure, and teachers can dedicate themselves to providing the best education possible. It is the synergy between the non-academic and academic staff, each keeping the interests of the students at heart, which creates an optimally productive learning environment in preparation for the achievement of future professional and personal success. Haut-Lac International Bilingual School is a private school located in Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz, Switzerland. It was founded in 1993. www.haut-lac.ch
It is the synergy between the nonacademic and academic staff...
Organisational talents of various kinds are also called for in a school context. Planning an event can be a huge exercise in choreography, from deciding on the programme to delegating tasks to those who will make it happen. Preparing a school hall for a show, for example, needs a whole army of helpers to set up the stage, put in place the chairs for the audience, arrange for refreshments to be served and so on. Then it takes several more
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Working mothers in Switzerland – something has to give BY CLARE O’DEA AUTHOR OF THE NAKED SWISS
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Switzerland manages to successfully project two flattering but contradictory images side-by-side. On the one hand, it is a rural mountain idyll populated by wholesome country folk, and dotted with chalets, ski resorts and pretty medieval towns. On the other hand, it is a sophisticated economic hub powered by a productive and innovative workforce. internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
t is nice balance if you can spend your working hours in business Switzerland and your free time in bucolic Switzerland. But for women, it is certainly not easy if you are expected to raise a family in the traditional model while facing all the challenges of the modern workplace. Something has to give. The majority of mothers in Switzerland try to tick both boxes by working part-time. Although this choice may appear to offer the best of both worlds, combined with other obstacles, it often spells the end of any career progress.
Many schools and communes have yet to introduce any infrastructure for this childcare gap, and they are under no obligation to do so. But the approach is changing, especially in urban areas. Beginning in 2016, Zurich converted six schools to the full-day timetable with a hot meal provided on site, with a view to making this model compulsory from 2018. A study by Basel city’s education department found that one in four primary school children were being provided with a meal and supervision during the lunch-time break, the availability of places having increased fourfold over 10 years.
Even when children start school, there are still large parts of the country where there is no system in place to cover the childcare gap at lunchtime.
The 2017 Schilling Report on gender balance in Swiss companies shows how dramatically women disappear from the so-called leaky pipeline that leads to top management. Women in the companies surveyed made up 37 per cent of the workforce. At middle management level this dropped to 21 per cent, senior management 14 per cent, with only 9 per cent of the board or leading positions occupied by women. At 1.5 children per woman, the fertility rate in Switzerland is low, though pretty close to the EU average. Lack of affordable childcare is often singled out as an obstacle to having children in Switzerland. While it’s true there are not enough day-care places to meet the demand, day care is not the preferred choice for many Swiss parents.
Handing your children over to the care of strangers – “fremdgeben” – still has a stigma attached to it in Swiss society. It is not that long ago that single parents and poor families were forced to hand over their children into an inadequate care system.
Many women I know who wanted to increase their working hours were only prepared to do so if the grandparents could step in or their partner could reduce his hours to cover. Currently, just 12 per cent of fathers of children under six work part-time. When children attend day care, mothers are quick to emphasise that their child is only in there a certain number of days or halfdays per week. It is as if anything that fall shorts of the ideal of family care at home is problematic. Today, around a quarter of mothers of children under six are not in paid employment. Even when children start school, there are still large parts of the country where there is no system in place to cover the childcare gap at lunchtime.
It is a sweet sight in Swiss towns and villages at around 11.30 in the morning when the children are let out of school. You see them getting onto the public buses or walking home, the smallest ones wearing their regulation reflective triangles – another day in paradise. School is closed for the next two hours, and the children can eat a hot meal at home and relax before going out again, replenished, for the second half of their school day from 1.30pm to 3.30pm, in most cases. What you don’t see are the (mostly) women in the kitchens, frantically putting away shopping while chopping and stirring, doing their bit to live up to the Swiss ideal of the family eating together in the middle of the day.
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International School Parent Spring 2018 Photocredit
While researching her book, The Naked Swiss: A Nation Behind 10 Myths, Clare O’Dea met Marthe Gosteli (1917-2017), one of the last surviving Swiss suffragettes.
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Is it any wonder the vast majority of working mothers of schoolage children work part-time? In fact, the apron strings are so tight in Switzerland that the overwhelming majority of women with children under 25 work part-time at most. Fewer than one in five mothers living with a partner whose children are aged between 15 and 24 work full-time (18.8% to be exact), 17% don’t have a paid job and a quarter work 50% or less. For parents who have genuinely chosen to stay at home to be the primary carers of their children, Switzerland provides something of a safe haven. Their presence at home is accepted, rather than questioned as it might be in other advanced economies, and is to a large extent indispensable. There are many parents who cherish the fact that their children can come home for lunch, and children who enjoy the respite and home cooking too. But this model carries the risk of creating a gilded cage where stay-athome mothers can’t see a way out. Their children may be away for 20 or 30 hours a week but the hours are broken up in such a way that it becomes devilishly complicated to think of taking on another commitment, paid or not.
impossible to keep a child born “out of wedlock”. Until 1988, women lost control of their assets on marriage. Until 1992, a woman lost her citizenship on marrying a foreigner and could be raped by her husband without having recourse to the law. Swiss women saw their first female president in 1999, Ruth Dreifuss. Mothers had to wait until 2005 to receive a legal guarantee of maternity pay. Equal pay was enshrined in the Constitution in 1980, and if not fully achieved, is at least enforceable. Until the 1990s, military service secured huge networking advantages for men; officer rank was virtually a must for anyone with managerial ambitions. But even this seemingly impermeable rock of privilege has dissolved in the multicultural and open economy of today. This steady morphing of women into the legal equivalent of male Swiss citizens has been hard won and is to be celebrated. The old separation between Männersache (men’s affairs) and Frauensache (women’s affairs) has worn thin, making it possible for women and men to expand their horizons in more fulfilling ways.
Clearly something needs to be done to make it easier for mothers to “lean in”. It doesn’t help that job applicants are required to include their marital status and the dates of birth of their children on their CV. This information is much more likely to work against female job seekers.
The unfinished business is this thorny issue of reconciling work and family life. The battle starts on the home front. Once the arrival of children into the picture is seen as solely the mother’s logistical problem, it is very difficult to change that unwritten rule, and the burden will never truly be shared. Maybe employers would be more inclined to listen if men added their voices to the call for family friendly policies.
The story of women in Switzerland in living memory is a story of enormous change and progress. Women got the right to vote in federal elections and referendums in 1971. Without family support a woman in those days would find it practically
The Swiss are innovative in so many other ways. It is high time that innovative spirit was used to create inspiring solutions to gender inequality and to finally solve the conundrum about how best to reconcile the needs of the country’s families and its economy.
internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
Ticino: sunshine 2 hours away from home! ticino.ch Discover the south of Switzerland
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Located conveniently opposite the main railway station, only a short distance from the historic city centre and the 3 UNESCO World Heritage castles. 71 rooms completely renovated with sound-proof windows and anti-allergic bedding. The reception is open 24 hours a day. The Restaurant offers delicate dishes and Ticino proposals as the wine list has exclusively local and Italian products. Characterized by the antiques arches, the Wellness-Center covers an area of 250 m 2. The 3 modular conference rooms of 40 m 2 each have natural light and all technical equipment.
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info@hotel-internazionale.ch www.hotel-internazionale.ch Viale Stazione 35, CH – 6500 Bellinzona Tel. +41 (0)91 825 43 33 Fax. +41 (0)91 825 46 46
International School Parent Spring 2018
International School Parent Magazine: Interview with David Albon DAVID ALBON - PORTFOLIO MANAGER INTERNATIONAL CURRICULUM PEARSON QUALIFICATIONS INTERNATIONAL
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“ The learning outcomes are broadly based on those of the latest English National Curriculum (2014), but with a number of key changes for the international school context.”
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Photograph: Christof Van Der Walt
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International School Parent Spring 2018
YOU ARE LAUNCHING AN ENTIRELY NEW CURRICULUM, EXCITING! CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PEARSON EDEXCEL IPRIMARY & ILOWERSECONDARY? It is exciting! In fact, Pearson Edexcel iPrimary and iLowerSecondary are not just new curricula, but complete one-stop international programmes for children aged 5-11 (iPrimary) and 11-14 (iLowerSecondary). As well as the learning outcomes in the curriculum itself, we also provide a wealth of additional support in the form of lesson plans, progress tests, professional development, and teaching resources.
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WHAT ARE THE MAIN PRINCIPLES AND PHILOSOPHIES BEHIND PEARSON EDEXCEL IPRIMARY & ILOWERSECONDARY? We know that the most popular curriculum type in International schools worldwide is a ‘British style Curriculum’ – but there is actually very little support for an international school that wants to teach this way, short of downloading the curriculum documents form the UK Government website! So our guiding principle was to develop programmes that help to bridge this gap. We provide an internationalised version of the English National Curriculum that is particularly suitable for nonnative speakers of English (both teachers and students), while explicitly preparing students for success at International GCSE and beyond. This is achieved by providing not just a curriculum and formative assessment, but having the whole support package in place.
WHO IS THE CURRICULUM FOR? The programme is for any international school, anywhere in the world! We believe it provides a well-rounded foundation for upper secondary education, be that a local curriculum, the English curriculum, or an international programme such as the International Baccalaureate.
CAN YOU GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW FOR PARENTS OF WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAMME, AND THE LEARNING OUTCOMES? The programme covers a complete set of learning outcomes for English, Mathematics and Science across nine grades – in UK terminology that’s Key Stages 1-3. The learning outcomes are broadly based on those of the latest English National Curriculum (2014), but with a number of key changes for the international school context. Parents can be confident that, by providing an internationalised version of the English National Curriculum that is particularly suitable for non-native speakers of English while preparing students for further study, the programme really does offer a comprehensive international education. Additionally, the assessments at the end of year six and year nine are benchmarked against international standards to provide further reassurance in the programme.
DOES THIS CURRICULUM EMPHASISE THE IMPORTANCE OF FACTS, WITH MORE KNOWLEDGE AS THE GOAL, OR DOES IT LEAN TOWARD TRANSFERRING OF INFORMATION FOR APPLICATION? It’s a great question – and one we grappled with in the development of the programmes. We know that in many areas of any curriculum, content is important not only in and of itself but also to provide engaging stimulus material that really encourages students to learn. So we have to be mindful that learning facts and figures absolutely has its place in a rounded curriculum, and it’s hard to meaningfully teach skills without content. On the other hand, in this rapidly changing world in which many of our children will be employed in jobs that we don’t know even exist yet… it’s undeniable that equipping them with the transferable skills they need to enquire and the means to apply them is of vital importance.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Photograph: Patrice Jones
So, the short answer is – it’s an even balance! This balance manifests itself across the different subjects in different ways. In Science, there is a ‘Scientific Enquiry’ strand that is woven throughout the curriculum so skills are taught both in the context of specific content and also more broadly; it is vital our future scientists and engineers develop the skills to approach problems scientifically. In Maths, problem solving develops at age appropriate levels to give students a tool kit of methods to use to approach different problems, rather than learning a particular trick or ‘short cut’. In English, through the use of speaking, feedback, drama and role play, students are introduced to ‘soft’ skills such as adaptability and empathy.
WHAT ABOUT FOR TEACHERS? HOW WILL THE PROGRAMME HELP THEM TEACH TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY? We believe that teachers are going to really love the amount of support they get from the Pearson Edexcel iPrimary and iLowerSecondary programmes. In addition to lots of support resources – full, exemplified Schemes of Work, Units of Work and lesson plans for every year, subject specific Teacher’s Guides, and a wealth of Progress Tests – the programme also comes with a lot of Professional Development opportunities included.
This CPD comes in two forms – face-to-face training locally and ongoing webinar support for teachers throughout the year. Additionally, we encourage schools to appoint a co-ordinator who receives extra support to guide teachers through in-school CPD sessions as follow-ups to our webinars and other teacher training. Finally, all Pearson Edexcel iPrimary and iLowerSecondary teachers have access to our dedicated forum, where they can share ideas with the rest of the community as well as ask for help from Pearson staff directly.
ARE THERE OPTIONS FOR PERSONALISED LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE CURRICULUM? There certainly are – in fact, we like to think that the programme offers support and structure where schools want it, and flexibility when they don’t. Our unit and lesson plans for teachers all include suggestions for differentiating lessons by student needs, as well as ideas for extension work for those that need stretching and challenging. In the English curriculum, we have some suggested reading texts but we certainly encourage schools to use a wide variety of materials, and as much as possible these should be from a local context to remove any barriers to access for students. Similarly, in our Science curriculum the use of local contexts are very actively encouraged, and examples are truly global rather than British.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Photograph: Patrice Jones
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...students are introduced to ‘soft’ skills such as adaptability and empathy. internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE WHOLE PROGRAMME & FINISHED LOWER SECONDARY? After finishing Pearson Edexcel iLowerSecondary we’d expect most students to move on to study for International (or UK) GCSEs, as that is what the programme is intended to build towards with the majority of schools following a British style curriculum. However, the combination of internationally benchmarked content and a skills-based curriculum mean that it wouldn’t pose a problem to move or transfer to another programme such as the IB Middle Years Programme.
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT MAKE THIS CURRICULUM SUITABLE FOR NONNATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS? We’ve taken a lot of care over our English curriculum.
HOW IS IT ASSESSED, INTERNALLY OR EXTERNALLY? There are internationally benchmarked external examinations at the end of each programme, in year six and year nine, in all three subjects. Additionally, we also provide progress tests for each topic, in each subject, for each grade – as well as full ‘end of year’ progress tests. These are marked internally but we do provide updated tests and marks schemes each year so they are excellent for tracking progress and providing summative assessment.
ARE THERE ANY PLANS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT? Absolutely – we intend the programme to continue to evolve. For first teaching in 2019, we are adding a Computing / ICT curriculum for all nine grades, and future developments include Early Years Foundation Stage content for pre-school/ Kindergarten levels – plus other plans we can’t reveal just yet… For more information about Pearson and their Qualifications visit: qualifications.pearson.com
The level of English required to access the English National Curriculum objectives is, understandably, rather high for a non-native speaker. Conversely, some international programmes require that students follow an ‘English as a First Language’ or ‘English as a Second Language’ pathway right from the start of primary school at the age of five. Our approach is intentionally something of a middle ground. The English curriculum has lots of scaffolding for non-native speakers, and develops at a different pace to a traditional ‘first language’ curriculum – but also encourages the use of authentic native speaker texts from the outset. A prime example would be poetry. In order to get the most out of the study of poetry, it’s vital that some of the nuances of language are understood; this is rather inaccessible for the average non-native speaker at the age of seven. So, while not removing it completely from earlier grades, we move the deeper study of poetry later in the programme to enable students to really get to grips with the content and be able to enjoy it, rather than struggle through. By the end of Pearson Edexcel iLowerSecondary, a student will be prepared to begin an International GCSE in English as a First or Second Language – whichever is most appropriate for them – but the route they have taken to get there is different to a ‘pure’ E1L or EAL pathway.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
In conversation with
Barry Dequanne School Director, International School of Zug & Luzern (ISZL) BY TIM GILBERT – INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AND GUEST WRITER
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With more than 20 years of experience in the international education sector under his belt, Canadian-born Barry Dequanne was a natural choice for leading the ambitious future plans at The International School of Zug and Luzern (ISZL). The school’s pedigree is born from a history of commitment, adaptation and growth, responding to changes in the needs of international families since its founding in the 1950s to provide
high-quality education for American expats. Since then, the school has seen continuous expansion, with current plans for developing an educational model that equips the next generation for a rapidly-changing world already underway. International School Parent Magazine speaks to Barry Dequanne to hear about his vision for the school’s next chapter, and what the future looks like for international students.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN EDUCATION? Like many educators, I didn’t necessarily decide at a young age that I was going to go into education. I had no intention of working in leadership either; both evolved naturally over time as I followed my passions and interests. I have always loved sciences and mathematics, which I studied at the University of Waterloo in Canada. The Mathematics and Computer Science programme there was unique, in that it allowed students to alternate studying with working every four months, which meant that I graduated with two years’ work experience as an actuary for Prudential Assurance already under my belt. I found that, while I enjoyed the theory of the course, I didn’t necessarily enjoy the working environment, so I began to look for other opportunities. It was while I was working as a programmer for Xerox that something inside me told me to pursue a dream I had always had of volunteering overseas. The Canadian government had a programme similar to the US Peace Corp at the time, which I signed up for and was sent to Swaziland to teach local school children. It was a profound experience on so many levels: I discovered my passion for education and I found a career that fed my soul. I returned to Canada to study to become a teacher, but I missed being abroad. As soon as I finished my teaching degree and practicum, I went to a job fair and found my first qualified teaching role at a school in South America.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE TEACHING AROUND THE WORLD – WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM WORKING IN SO MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES? For me, it’s always been about the people. The country and culture might be vastly different, but there are always parallels between organisations – and one of these is that any school is only as good as it’s people. When I decided to look at overseas placements, I had a set of priorities for the professional and personal atmosphere I was looking for. Top of the list for me has always been a school that values community and personal relationships. I also value an environment where people are pushing themselves and each other to excellence. The transition from my previous school, the American School of Brasilia in Brazil, to ISZL has been relatively smooth, as both have these qualities.
I have found that as a director, the key is to identify what makes the school special, and then to develop this. It’s about having a sense of humility and really listening to understand the school, its needs, and the next steps in its evolution. It’s then about working with the community towards implementation. I have found that this is something that can be applied successfully to most schools across the world.
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES ISZL SO SPECIAL? What makes the school special is that it has come from small beginnings, growing rapidly over its 50-year history while retaining that sense of intimacy and high quality of teaching. It has kept this feel through a unique combination of the people here and the influence of the local environment. Usually, larger schools are in larger city centres, but at ISZL we can take advantage of the comfort and closeness of a smaller community, and the opportunities it provides for a more balanced, outdoor education. The other aspect is the tremendous academic results that our students achieve at ISZL, which are outstanding on every measurable account. At the same time, an implicit culture of academic rigour does not stifle our students’ creativity or personalities. We get to know the children and their families, to identify what their personal learning styles are as well as their passions, adjusting our teaching to meet those needs. The natural outcome is that our students are completely committed to their learning, and we see that reflected in the results year on year.
WHAT IS THE VISION THAT YOU CAME TO ISZL WITH AND THAT YOU ARE HOPING TO IMPLEMENT? My vision is one of empowerment; of supporting and challenging a strong team to continue to move the school forward, without losing the strengths that make ISZL so special. We already have a tapestry of nationalities here, which is a great strength that we can draw on to create an inspiring and diverse environment for learning. We need to make sure that the school has a structure that welcomes all of those voices, but is also clear in expressing our own identity. It’s important for me to make sure we are all going in the same direction, providing the support and resources that everyone needs to succeed. My overarching belief is that every day we need to focus on getting a little better. It doesn’t matter how good we are today, we need to improve a bit more tomorrow and continue to drive that process. Incremental growth in the long term will make a compounded and significant difference to how we serve our students.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
YOU RECENTLY INVESTED IN A NEW BUILDING FOR THE SCHOOL; WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR THIS? Enrolment has surged in recent years, so we are trying to increase our capacity and provide the best environment for learning for our students. The spaces that we have on both campuses are fantastic, and we are developing the school’s facility to fulfil our vision for the future. The next step is to have our visioning architect work with parents, students, teachers and the local community to understand what our needs are and how we can stay true to our vision and philosophy. We want to create more collaborative structures and integrate technology to provide areas where students can engage and learn, and to build a sense of community not just for the students but for teachers, parents and the external community. This will be a project that will ultimately stand the test of time, able to adapt to the changing educational needs of the future.
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WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ISZL STUDENTS TO HAVE ACHIEVED BY THE TIME THEY LEAVE SCHOOL? There are several things that we are trying to achieve here. On the one hand, we have a responsibility to ensure that our academic programmes provide them with the skills, resources and knowledge to function in a future that’s changing quickly. It’s important that we do this by helping our students realise their potential and how they can adapt their skills. The other aspect is the importance of focusing on the child as a whole, providing a more holistic education and giving students the opportunity to explore new areas of learning. It could be sports, it could be the arts, it could be community service, leadership or public speaking – whatever inspires passion. When students enter the school with a broad set of skills, we need to help them develop these and broaden their options going forward. This is something that I think we do very well at ISZL. Beyond this, I believe that all schools have a responsibility to work with families to ensure that the next generation go out into the world as good people and contribute in a positive way.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS MOST IMPORTANT IN HELPING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES SETTLE IN WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVE? We understand how overwhelming and difficult it can be for a family to relocate to a new country and set up a new life, so we do all we can to support them before they move and to integrate easily into school life once they arrive. There is a reason why a family chooses ISZL, and our responsibility is to be open and honest about who we are and what we can offer them. People choose schools not necessarily because one school is better than the other, but because there is a strong match between values and their needs. I posted a piece on my blog recently (LINK) about the nature of transitions. There is a difference between change and transition; where change deals with a more immediate event and how we react to that event, while transitions are longer-term, internal processes that involve emotional and psychological effects. When we think about our parents and students, we have to understand that it’s a deep, meaningful transition which will change them as a family, and to support them accordingly. When a family arrives, we check in with them with regular meetings throughout the year. For the student, our priority is to connect them into the school environment as quickly and smoothly as possible, while also creating a safe setting where they feel able to share any concerns. One of the ways we do this is to operate a buddy system, so that they know that there is someone in the school that is dedicated to building their confidence within the school.
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE IN YOUR METHOD OF WORKING CLOSELY WITH INTERNATIONAL FAMILIES? Unpacking the specifics of where parents feel their children should be academically is a significant challenge. With families coming from so many nationalities and backgrounds, it’s understandably difficult for parents not to draw comparisons with schooling in their home countries. Ultimately, I believe that the discussion around educational direction is one that parents should be an integral part of. It would be a mistake to exclude parents in decision-making processes as we need to hear what their fears and concerns are as we learn so much from them. At the same time, we also need to ensure that we’re communicating with them about the decisions we are making and why they are important.
internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT A GOOD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SHOULD INTERACT WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY? I think for any school in a host country we have a responsibility to engage with the local community; in its history, culture and at events. It’s an easy mistake to stay in this little bubble of our international school communities, when there is so much to experience around us. This is even more important here in Zug, as we are a big school in a smaller town, so we need to set an example for our students to interact with the community in a positive way. We’re closely connected with international corporations and families, and one of my priorities is to further integrate our school into the local area to provide more opportunities both to our students and local families.
AND MORE GENERALLY, WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES FACING EDUCATION IN THE FUTURE? I believe that this ties into challenges facing society more generally, looking at the connection between the future needs of the workforce and how we educate our children from primary through to university level. Looking at the World Economic Forum’s literature on changing global skills requirements, there has been a significant shift to focus on a need for overarching, interrelated qualities, such as creativity, innovation, leadership, relationship building, empathy, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence. So, for the education sector, a critical challenge is in relation to how we prepare our students for the future and this more diverse skillset requirement. The key challenge will be to transition from our current, rigid model of education, which has been ingrained for over a hundred years, to something that is more reactive to changes in access to technology, information, and approaches to learning and working. The model needs to change, and we need to assess how we can ensure relevancy and meaning in learning, and drive this change collaboratively. This is an idea which is gaining momentum within the field of education, and we have begun to think about how this future model might look in our vision for ISZL’s own future.
The International School of Zug and Luzern is an independent co-educational, non-profit day school, from Pre-School to Grade 12 serving the international community of Central Switzerland. Website www.iszl.ch Phone +41 41 768 29 00
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The benefits of righting writing
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“No one has found a way to put a dollar sign on writing skills, and I doubt anyone ever will. But everyone who possesses it — no matter how or when it was acquired — knows that it is a rare and precious inheritance.” 1
BY URSULA DURAND DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES – SCIENTIA EDUCATION internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
ood writing involves more than just grammar and spelling. It requires mastering tone, style, rhetoric and a range of analytic skills. Together, these give students the ability to organize information, communicate ideas, and engage an audience. They also put students at an advantage at university and beyond. Written communication is a necessity regardless of what profession one chooses to follow. From blog posts and websites to grant proposals and job applications, how you present your message matters. Students in secondary school have an opportunity to practice and improve their writing skills early on. Still, the Literacy Programme of the Carnegie Corporation claims that “American students today are not meeting even basic writing standards,”2 and this seems true of their global counterparts. There is a need, explains Cambridge University professor David Abulafia, “to recover an art that has been lost and has to be instilled in first-year undergraduates even at Oxford and Cambridge: the ability to write continuous prose, clearly, elegantly, concisely, setting out an argument.”3 Even amongst the most prestigious universities, weak writing skills stand out from first-year students to those at the graduate level. As Verlyn Klinkenbord, author and lecturer in English at Yale, recalls:
In the past few years, I’ve taught nonfiction writing to undergraduates and graduate students at Harvard, Yale, Bard, Pomona, Sarah Lawrence and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. Each semester I hope, and fear, that I will have nothing to teach my students because they already know how to write. And each semester I discover, again, that they don’t. 4 Of course, some students will be strong writers by the time they reach university. International schools in particular place a strong emphasis on developing students’ interdisciplinary toolkit, and universities rightly value their skillset. Nevertheless, even international school students can feel challenged by the steep increase in writing demands that they face in higher education. As a private educator of university and university-bound students, I regularly come across students requesting academic support. The distribution of my students’ overall requests is telling. Amongst secondary school students, roughly 80% request tutoring for course content in precise subjects such as maths, sciences, or languages. The other 20% request support for writing tasks, from research essays to English or history assignments.
Amongst university students, the figures are reversed: 80% request support for essays and dissertations, while only 20% request tutoring for coursework in subjects such as economics and physics. And amongst post-graduate university students, the requests are exclusively for writing support. What this reveals is that there is a mismatch in the skills that students choose to focus on in school compared to the ones that they would most benefit from at university. Hesitant writing hinders students in expressing the depth of their thoughts—while university should be the place where their thoughts are freed to delve deeper than ever. When I ask my university students if they had considered getting writing support in secondary school, typical answers include: • “ There is no specific examination for writing so I didn’t prioritize it” • “I didn’t think my course would require so many essays” • “ I wrote an extended essay for my IB and I thought that would be enough practice” The latter quote comes from a student whose first assignment at university was a manageable 1,500-word essay. She wrote the essay without support and did well, though not as well as she had expected. Her second assignment was a 4,000-word essay– a more daunting task that prompted her to seek assistance. At our introductory meeting, one of the first things she said was: “My IB extended essay was 4,000 words, but it took me weeks to do the research and more weeks to write it. This essay is 4,000 words and we’ve only been given 10 days to do the readings and write the essay!” This particular student now regularly writes 2,000 to 4,000 word essays. She has learned how to manage and annotate reading lists, write thesis statements, outline essay structures, write focused, analytic paragraphs and synthesize conclusions—all while sticking to a precise timeline. With these core skills now ingrained, our lessons focus either on the refinements of editing for grammar, or on techniques for delving deeper into her essays’ analysis. By the end of this academic year, she’ll be “flying solo” with solid results, allowing her to allocate more time on engaging with her course. And therein lies our message: academic writing is a learnable skill, and one that helps students get more out of their university experience. There is no such thing as a good or bad writer; every student can reach a level that will help them to communicate the full scope of their ideas. Naturally, mastery requires structured and consistent practice. Secondary education with its broad mix of subjects and assignments offers the perfect opportunity for students to start their training. A deliberate decision to invest time in improving written communication will have short-term and long-term benefits. Soliciting guidance from school teachers with academic experience can be one of many steps towards transforming writing from a burden into an asset that facilitates the expression of complex thoughts. So my top tip to students is this: start practicing now, do so regularly, seek feedback from your teachers, push your boundaries, and the art of writing will be yours.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
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So my top tip to students is this: start practicing now, do so regularly, seek feedback from your teachers, push your boundaries, and the art of writing will be yours. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
REFERENCES
Ursula Durand is Director of Academic Programmes at Scientia Education. She holds a B.A. in Economics and Government from Cornell University, an M.Phil. from the University of Oxford, and Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. Ursula is a professional writing instructor, academic advisor and SAT and ACT tutor. She has taught a range of courses at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the London School of Economics. She has worked as managing editor at a renowned London international relations think tank, has researched and written for the World Bank and Oxfam and helped establish and develop Peru’s first undergraduate political science department.
1
Klinkenbord, Verlyn (2013). “The decline and fall of the English major.” 22 June 2013. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/opinion/sunday/ the-decline-and-fall-of-the-english-major.html?_r=3 Graham, S. and Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools –A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, D.C.: Alliance for Excellent Education.
2
Michael Skapinker (2013) “Does it matter if students can’t write?” 26 June 2013. Financial Times. https://www. ft.com/content/670a5802-d9b7-11e2-98fa-00144feab7de
3
4
Klinkenbord, Verlyn (2013).
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International School Parent Spring 2018
How to avoid falling into tax, insurance and pension traps in Switzerland BY BRYAN HUNG – MYPROJECT
It’s your responsibility to discover relevant information about tax, insurance and pensions in the Swiss Social System, to ensure your compliance with the law. Reaching out to appropriate financial institutions and seeking personalised advice from a neutral, independent provider can be a good place to start. Having arrived in Switzerland, ensuring compliance with compulsory paperwork and insurance affiliation is not easy – and nor is understanding the Swiss tax system and how it affects each individual. You will be confronted with the unique situation that insurance, pensions and mortgages are all linked to your tax planning - which makes the Swiss system complex and not easy to comprehend.
Conditions vary not just across cantons, but between financial institutions - which offer differing services depending on where you live. This variation reflects the various tax deductions on the wide range of pension solutions offered across banking institutions and cantons. If you’re ‘frontalier’ (cross-border) and/or have family, assets, or property in another country, this does not make your situation any easier. Your situation will include tax at the source, ordinary tax, wealth tax, tax optimization, tax reduction and tax input ‘frontalier‘ – which can be difficult to make sense of. So if you need help navigating the complex Swiss tax, pension and insurance landscape, you can find helpful support and expert advice by contacting Bryan Hung.
When it comes to mortgages, Switzerland is perhaps the only country where you will be taxed on an estimated ‘rent value’ - so it can be difficult to strike the right balance between amortization and tax level.
Mr. Bryan Hung Telephone +41 78 722 41 88 Email bryan.hung@myproject.pro Website www.myproject.pro
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How a Trust can help reduce wealth tax for international families in Switzerland BY GUILLAUME GRISEL – BONNARD LAWSON
Despite Switzerland’s reputation as a tax haven, families arriving are often surprised to discover that wealth tax does exist in the country – and tax planning tools to mitigate it are scarce. However, there are legitimate ways to reduce your Swiss wealth tax burden. Using trusts is one of them, although we’d recommend a ‘non-aggressive’ option for international families who haven’t settled, or for families expecting to receive gifts or bequests from parents or relatives living abroad. We recommend that aggressive tax avoidance schemes are best avoided. It’s also important to remember that using trusts without expert guidance could turn into a tax disaster.
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Trusts involve an owner of assets (the settlor) transferring them to a third party (the trustee), who - typically acting in a professional capacity - becomes the owner of these assets, yet has a duty to manage them in the best interest of so-called ‘beneficiaries’ (typically the settlor’s children). A trust structure is widely regarded as facilitating a smooth, flexible transfer of family assets to a family’s next generation, while providing a range of benefits – including protection against creditors and reduction of exposure to wealth or estate tax.
First example: A foreign family (parents and children) plans to move to Switzerland. Before moving, they transfer - let’s say - 20% of their wealth to an irrevocable trust. The Swiss tax authorities will recognize that the wealth in this trust fund no longer forms part of their taxable wealth, so will allow the family to reduce its taxable wealth by 20%. The key condition is that this family cannot directly benefit from the trust fund. However, more remote relatives, future generations, and charities can benefit from it. Second example: An elderly lady living abroad intends to bequeath her wealth to her son, who happens to live in Switzerland. Her son will inevitably pay Swiss wealth tax on whatever he will directly inherit. However, if she instead creates a discretionary trust for the benefit of her son, the assets could remain outside of his taxable wealth - while still benefiting him.
Any activities intended to mitigate wealth tax – including these two examples – require proper and careful structuring. Badly drafted or poorly organized trusts can lead to administrative nightmares and dramatic tax consequences - particular regarding gift and inheritance taxes. You should always seek expert legal guidance ahead of committing to any actions intended to reduce your tax burden.
It could be said that Switzerland’s relationship with trusts is a paradox. As a world-leading wealth management center, it should be no surprise that the country boasts a flourishing trust industry. Indeed, many Swiss resident families already use trusts to hold all or part of their wealth. Curiously though, the Swiss Civil Code does not contain a single provision on trusts. The reason is that Switzerland isn’t a common law country. Its legal system doesn’t follow the English law tradition, but rather the Roman law tradition – in which trusts are unknown. Guillaume Grisel However, Switzerland applies the Hague Convention on the recognition of trusts and therefore recognizes trusts organized under foreign law. This allows for a satisfactory legal framework for the use of trusts in Switzerland, in terms of legal certainty and predictability. It even allows trustees to manage trusts from Switzerland. Switzerland also has a tax system which is favorable to beneficiaries of trusts, at least in some specific contexts - which is illustrated in these two examples:
Guillaume Grisel is a partner with Bonnard Lawson – International Law Firm in Geneva and Lausanne, where he advises international families in the field of crossborder tax and estate planning. Guillaume holds a Ph.D in international law and an LL.M. from Cambridge University. He is the chairman of STEP* Lausanne and the secretary of STEP* Switzerland (* the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners). www.ilf.ch / gg@ilf.ch
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Is your child protected with comprehensive insurance while they study in Switzerland? BY RUBÉN CARRASCO – ADVISORY SERVICES NETWORK AG
IF SO, DOES THEIR POLICY INCLUDE THESE FEATURES? • • • • • • •
Guaranteed lifelong renewals Out-patient treatment No upfront payment for hospitalisation A high benefit limit for evacuation and repatriation Reimbursement for medications and therapies Access to a 24-hour medical help-line, staffed in six languages Claims reimbursed within 10 days
If you have any concerns about your children’s level of insurance coverage, call us at ASN Advisory Services Network AG. We’re based in Switzerland and have more than 25 years experience helping expats to find insurance. Our specialists are multi-lingual and extremely knowledgeable about the complex world of international health insurances. It can be challenging to find an insurance solution that is flexible, matches your needs and includes coverage in a range of countries and circumstances. • Local Swiss insurance products often provide reasonable coverage, but aren’t always the best choice for expatriates and their families. • Insurance is complex. Products can include various benefits levels and a list of optional add-ons. It’s also important to secure the guarantee of lifelong renewals.
CALL SOMEONE WHO SPECIALISES IN FINDING INSURANCE FOR EXPATS For foreign students studying in Switzerland, ASN offers the perfect insurance solution – and it’s a package which will remain valid for the entire duration of school, college or university. • Our insurance product includes global coverage following Swiss standards - and the list of features above. • As our insurance solution is equivalent to Switzerland’s public health insurance, no medical history form has to be completed. • Your child will be covered for one full year and the plan can be renewed annually. • Premiums start at only CHF 75 per month – representing an excellent price to service ratio. Cover is also available for postgraduate students (EG. PhD candidates), guest researchers and scientists, exchange students, interns, trainees, and au-pairs. Our package is in full compliance with Switzerland’s healthcare act (KVG – LaMal), which is compulsory for every resident in the country and is authorised and licensed by FINMA, the Swiss federal financial market authority. We can provide your children with a high level of security and you with a strong sense of well-being. That’s why we’re the preferred choice for students enrolled at all major universities across Switzerland. Please call us, it will be a pleasure to advise you.
Rubén Carrasco Telephone +41 22 321 89 89 Email ruben.carrasco@asn.ch Website www.asn.ch With the kind collaboration of Finn Toennessen of Myproject finn.toennessen@myproject.pro
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International School Parent Spring 2018
How do Trump’s tax reforms affect US expats? BY JASON GYAMERAH – US TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES
Each new year presents an opportunity for US expatriates to review their financial planning. Income tax always has a significant impact on family finances – and especially for US expats (including Green Card holders), who are exposed to income and estate/gift tax burdens to the United States, regardless of where they live. Here’s an overview of the US government’s recent ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 2017’ and the ways in which it affects US expats.
INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX PROVISIONS
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• TAX RATES New income tax brackets of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37% were introduced effective for the 2018 tax year onwards. These new rates replace the previous seven tax brackets and apply to increased income thresholds. As in the past, the rates depend on the marital status and taxable income for the year. For example, for 2018 the top rate of 37% (down from 39.6%) applies to married couples with combined income in excess of $600,000 (in contrast to the 2017 threshold of $470,700). Note: The increase in tax bracket thresholds means that the highest tax rates for qualified dividend and long-term capital gains income apply at these increased thresholds, resulting in further tax savings for high-income taxpayers. • DEDUCTIONS The standard deduction has been increased to $12,000 ($24,000 for married couples). However, the following itemized deductions have been repealed or limited:
• ALIMONY Alimony is no longer taxable on the recipient, nor deductible by the payor for divorces effective after 2017. • NET INVESTMENT INCOME TAX (NIIT) Although it was put forward for repeal, the 3.8% NIIT remains on investment income. This effectively means that those affected continue to suffer this “surcharge tax”. • ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES The estate and gift tax exclusion threshold are doubled to $11 million (individuals) and $22 million (couples). If you live in a country that has inheritance tax exposure then you should consider taking advantage of the increased estate and gift tax exclusion amount, by looking at potential planning opportunities to protect your estate from future inheritance tax exposure through gifting, or other means. Some expatriates may benefit from these new provisions. However, this overview is a non-exhaustive look at the Trump tax reforms, focusing on the changes that are most relevant to expats. As always, you should seek professional advice regarding any US tax queries, as President Trump’s “Great, big, beautiful, Christmas-present tax cut” may not be as beneficial as advertised - depending on individual circumstances. For a more detailed analysis of the 2017 US tax reforms and general US tax issues please visit our blog at www.ustaxfs.com blog or contact us.
—— State, local, and property taxes (now limited to $10,000) —— Home equity loan interest —— A new mortgage interest limit on amounts exceeding $750,000 for mortgages taken out after 2017 Also, miscellaneous itemized deductions such as unreimbursed employee expenses, legal fees, investment management fees etc. that were previously limited to 2% Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) are no longer deductible from 2018 onwards. • EXEMPTIONS The personal exemption deduction has been repealed (including the exemption(s) for dependants). However, the child tax credit has been increased to $2,000 ($1,400 of which is possibly refundable), but is subject to a phase out.
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Jason Gyamerah Jason Gyamerah is a Senior Tax Manager in the Zurich office of US Tax & Financial Services, specializing as a dual handler in US and UK tax compliance and consultancy.
International School Parent Spring 2018
Risk Takers BY STEPHEN LANGTON – BLACKDEN FINANCIAL
Taking risks is essential for anyone who wants to enjoy financial rewards. But developing an understanding of risk and its relationship with human behaviour is essential, in order to take risks in an intelligent manner.
LET’S LOOK AT FOUR IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF RISK Risk – to expose something of value to danger or loss Reward – a thing given in recognition of service, effort or achievement Fear – a n unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm Greed – intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power or food
downfall. Bitcoin is a hot-topic in finance – so let’s look at two recent bitcoin-related BBC headlines. • ‘Bitcoin price soars to new record high of $10,000’, BBC News, 28th November • ‘Bitcoin plunges to $10,000, half its record value’, BBC News, 17th January Just eight weeks apart and with the same price, yet the BBC use wildly different headlines – demonstrating the conundrum of fear and greed. I don’t own bitcoin. I wish I’d bought some five years ago. I am really glad I didn’t buy some last month. I might well wish I had bought some last month, in five years - but on the other hand, I might be relieved I didn’t!
INVESTORS OFTEN DISCUSS THESE \ FOUR IN PAIRS • Risk and reward • Fear and greed
THE LEVEL OF RISK SOMEONE IS PREPARED TO TAKE SHOULD BE CALCULABLE AND BASED ON • Available capital (current and future) • Income available now • Income and capital requirements in the future But it isn’t. We are human beings and our behaviour is not always rational. We are subjected to emotions - both as individuals and as a collective - such as fear and greed. Fear can stop us investing in a great opportunity, while greed can lead us to invest in questionable schemes. But fear and greed are both natural and necessary for us to survive as a species.
Everyone wants to know the outcome of their investment decisions in advance. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible. So, my advice is always to take risks that you need and can afford to take. And try to remove emotion from the process and trust in your decision-making abilities – whether you’re in tough or opulent times. Only take risks that you need to. So, if you have enough money, invest in a way that will provide the income you need and arrange your affairs in a manner that ensures your assets are protected and given to the people you care about most, when you are gone. Whereas if you don’t have enough money, evaluate what you need now and what you might need at a later date. It’s likely that the effort of economising will reward you later. Rarely in life are we rewarded for nothing - so why should investing be any different?
These two emotions arguably led us to the modern world we live in today. After all, without the greed for power and wealth, would we have had the industrial revolution, or the massive leaps in technology driven by the arms race?
Stephen Langton Blackden Financial offers Financial Advice providing information on your personal financial planning in Switzerland. Telephone +41 22 755 08 00 Email info@blackdenfinancial.com Website http://blackdenfinancial.com
However, when it comes to investment, fear and greed can be our biggest
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International School Parent Spring 2018
In conversation with
Dr. Maja Coradi Vellacott Co-founder of Cantaleum Zurich, Educational Sociologist, School Evaluator 44 |
BY NICK GILBERT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT MAGAZINE
One of the draws of an international school education for parents is the focus on innovation to provide a well-rounded academic experience. Cantaleum in Zurich is one of Switzerland’s most recent establishments, which aims to put into practice years of research into the need for the school curriculum to equip children with the skills for facing future challenges. The school opened in August 2017, offering high-quality, age-appropriate academic and musical education to students. Currently, students between the ages of four to twelve are
accepted, with plans to accept thirteen to sixteen-year old students in two years. What makes the school truly unique is the focus on music as an outlet for children, emphasising the positive effects of music on learning motivation and success. International School Parent Magazine talks to co-founder, Dr. Maja Coradi Vellacott about her vision for the new school, and why innovation is needed now more than ever in the sector to ensure children are heading for a bright future.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING: TELL US ABOUT WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START THE CANTALEUM? Establishing the Cantaleum was a natural result of many years of research and experience in both the academic and musical world by myself and my co-director, Konrad von Aarburg. My background is in the theory behind education, with a PhD in Educational Sociology and several years in the field of academic research. Part of this was focussed on the effects that music and singing can have on children; on how they learn and how it can help cope with stress. It was this knowledge, coupled with a period working in management for the Department of Education for the Canton of Zurich, specifically in a unit for school evaluation, where I assessed learning environments, that really inspired the idea of the Cantaleum. What I saw again and again was a shocking increase in the number of children experiencing burnout from the intense pressure they were under to achieve high academic goals. I believe that, given the right environment, children can achieve without so much stress, and music is integral to that. This is where Konrad came in, who has a huge amount of experience working with children to develop their musical abilities. We decided together to start a school which really supports children to learn and achieve through combining the academic and practical side of schooling with the emotional benefits of music.
NOW THAT THE SCHOOL IS UP AND RUNNING, HOW DOES THE DAY-TODAY REALITY MEASURE UP TO HOW YOU ENVISIONED IT WOULD BE?
model. Here, they are able to round out their musical education and practice daily, which also brings much joy to these students. It’s also been interesting to work closely with parents, and ensure that they understand our mission while also feeling like they are part of the process. We had our first parents’ evening a few weeks ago, which was a great experience as we discussed all elements of the research that we have put into practice so far. Then of course there are the things that have been more unexpected and that have developed naturally as we went. One of these has been the creation of our school assemblies every Friday morning, which are sessions that I lead. We use these as an opportunity to get the children together as a whole group and discuss topics varying from what community we collectively want to create at the school, to broader ideas like democracy.
WHAT SORT OF FAMILIES ARE DRAWN TO THE SCHOOL, AND DO YOU GENERALLY FIND THAT THEY ARE ALIGNED WITH YOUR VISION? For children that come to Cantaleum, music and art are a source of strength and enjoyment. This forms the basis of our educational experience, where children achieve academically because they are fulfilled creatively. Generally, parents feel like we are a good fit for their child because of that unique mix we have of a high-quality education, musical excellence and the important bilingual element. The fact that we teach in German and English immersively is very appealing to many parents.
It has been fantastic. We are working so hard to realise our vision, but it’s been a wonderful experience so far. There are so many moments that make it all worthwhile, like when we take the children for a trip to the forest and everyone starts singing aloud, enjoying the outdoors and the sound of the music. We have seen already that the students are beginning to trust in their own voices, and that when they sing or play an instrument, they relax. This is not just through the enjoyment of creating something; we have also seen that it can be a source of comfort. When children are upset, they often use singing as a way of calming and relieving those tensions. We also offer children who already play instruments or sing at an advanced level a good musical learning environment through our day school
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International School Parent Spring 2018
AND HOW DOES THAT ALL INFORM THE TEACHING APPROACH? LEAVING ASIDE THE MUSIC FOR A MINUTE, HOW ARE YOU INSURING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE? Our teaching approach is centred in having a well-organised schedule and engaging learning environment. We experimented with elements of this initially, particularly with how firm we were with enforcing things like homework. After a period of adjustment, we have fostered an environment that encourages quiet, reflective, individual learning.
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During lessons, children work to tailored, two-week plans due to the fact that classes include a mixture of age groups. Teachers create the plans with the children, so that they feel comfortable with the learning objectives outlined. The plans are part of a wider set of competencies that students are required to achieve each term. The short time periods that we set for them are important; it means that children can focus on achieving a manageable goal and put their full effort into doing their best towards it. We start this approach gradually from a young age, and that as children get older, we encourage them to start setting their own goals and take ownership of the process. This creates a concentrated, academic atmosphere, which means that the musical element and outdoor activities are so crucial. It provides an outlet for the students, so our approach is really a holistic one that focuses on the student as a whole.
HOW DO YOU INCORPORATE THE MULTICULTURAL ASPECTS INTO YOUR TEACHING TO FOSTER AN INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK? Firstly, we do this through music. We believe in using the international perspective of music to broaden children’s outlook, using teachers who have studied and taught internationally. We invite musicians from around the world to perform here bi-monthly, and the music we teach is from a range of cultures. Then there’s the culture that we encourage in the school, which is based on a very democratic approach. The advantage of starting as a smaller school is that we can use our weekly school assemblies as a way of talking together about international issues, something which we will move to class discussions as we grow.
LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THE FUTURE WILL HOLD AND WHAT SORT OF CHARACTERISTICS OR VALUES ARE YOU HOPING TO INSTIL IN YOUR STUDENTS? Our main mission is to ensure that our students trust their own voices in every sense of the notion. We are aiming to provide each child with a passion for learning, a high quality musical ability and a multi-cultural education. What makes the Cantaleum so special is this unique combination of all three elements, with the musical profile at its core. We also see the school’s bilingual aspect as an important part of our identity. Migration and globalisation are huge challenges, and it’s important that we look for ways that we can provide a premium education on an international stage. It ties in with global changes like the progress of technology, which are driving us to think creatively about how we educate the next generation for future jobs that don’t yet currently exist. Children leaving Cantaleum will have enjoyed more of a holistic education, so that they can think creatively about problem solving and have a broader set of competencies to be able to overcome future challenges. Hopefully, they have a life-long love of music, two languages which enable them to communicate widely and give them a global reach, and a creative approach.
WHAT KIND OF THINGS ARE YOU DOING, OR PLANNING TO DO, WHICH TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT SWITZERLAND ITSELF HAS TO OFFER? We are already firmly rooted in Swiss culture and the schooling traditions of Zurich in particular. Myand Konrad’s backgrounds are in the education sector here, the school is located in the Haus Sonnenberg, which is a city-owned building, and we also have connections with two local educational organisations to host choir practices and other events at Cantaleum. In the future we are also planning on taking advantage of our beautiful location by offering holiday singing courses and personal development weeks here. It’s very much part of the Swiss culture to go out and enjoy the mountains, so we would like to incorporate this more into our curriculum.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
YOU’VE BEEN IN THE SECTOR FOR TWO DECADES NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION AND WHAT DO YOU THINK WE CAN DO TO SHAPE IT?
WHAT MAKES CANTALEUM SO SPECIAL? It’s a unique combination of the academic encouragement, musical focus and international outlook through its bilingual teaching, while remaining deeply rooted in the Swiss educational heritage. And it’s based on rigorous academic research, and using an innovative and personalised approach.
It’s linked to the wider challenges ahead of society in general, like migration, artificial intelligence or information overload. The beauty of an international school is that we are not bound by the constraints of public schools, we have the freedom to innovate and try new things to find solutions to these challenges. Within the sector, the uncertain future is widely recognised and there is a debate around what the curriculum should emphasize to combat these challenges, whether it’s traditional knowledge or broader skills. Many schools like ours are trying to teach children a wider set of competencies and to be more self-reliant. At the Cantaleum, we believe it’s important to teach students the skill of self-reliance; to know their own strengths and weaknesses and how to cope with them, with traditional knowledge as a fundamental basis. I believe that a holistic, cultural education can shape the way children are able to deal with the strains and recognise the opportunities of the future.
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Why choose ISBerne? • O ur ISA test scores place ISBerne in the top tier of schools around the world. • Happy students – 96% of our students enjoy school. • H appy parents – our families appreciate and contribute to a strong, supportive parent community. • A new purpose-built campus. • E asy access by train, car or tram. Bussing can be made available for groups in Fribourg, Neuchâtel, or Solothurn. For more information visit our website at www.isberne.ch. For questions, please call us at +41(0)31 951 25 58. internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
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Building strength, stability and self-reliance: Volunteering abroad with Habitat for Humanity BY SOPHIA NEWHOFF HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
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internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
magine not having a decent place to live was something that our privileged children did not grow up with: Not having a solid roof over their heads and four walls to hold them safe when storm, rain or heat approach, is an experience that our children fortunately don’t have to face. Maybe we don’t even know anyone who actually does. It is not always just when disasters strike or during armed conflicts that families lose solid ground and their place called home. Around the world, one in four people live in unacceptable housing conditions – and a lot of them are closer to us than we might assume!
EVERYONE DESERVES A DECENT PLACE TO LIVE! 50 |
A safe and affordable shelter plays a critical role in helping families to create a healthier and better life filled with possibilities, progress and hope. A decent place to live empowers and fosters the skills and confidence of the people to invest in themselves, their children and their communities. They are empowered to overcome the barriers that so often stand between their families and better, healthier, more financially stable lives. A home is the solid foundation for all of this. This is why we, the international non-governmental organization (NGO) Habitat for Humanity, focus on shelter as a core competence. We at Habitat build! Thus we mobilize volunteers from all parts of the world dedicated with their hearts and energy to fight poverty housing. Since our founding in 1976, we have helped more than 13.2 million people on all continents to obtain a safer place to live. In 2017, we supported nearly 3.5 million people to improve their living conditions. More than 2.1 million volunteers annually are mobilized to build, advocate and raise awareness about the global need for shelter. Let your child be one of them! At its core, Habitat is also about giving meaning to volunteers and supporters. Imagine a 3-year-old who is so excited about having a bathroom in her home that she gets up every morning to clean the sink. Imagine feeling like you have no purpose in life until volunteering alongside other families to help them create a simple place to live changes your outlook. Imagine moving into a healthy environment after raising children in what had been labelled a “lead death-trap”. And imagine being a young woman who was able to finish law school because of the stability provided by living in a safe, permanent home. We also know that
housing is just as important to the health of a community as to the health of individuals. Investing in sustainable, affordable housing attracts new businesses, creates jobs and often makes communities safer.
“Habitat for Humanity is building more than just houses. We are building communities and hope. We give strength to those in need. Instead of talking about the willingness to help and charity, we put faith into action.” – Jimmy Carter – Ambassador of Habitat for Humanity
THE GLOBAL VILLAGE PROGRAMME With our volunteer programme called “Global Village”, your kids don’t just take a look from the outside, but they dive right in. This is an opportunity that everybody should experience at least once in their lives. We partner with international and IB world schools offering students the chance to get involved in building projects at the time they combine CAS activities with inter-cultural experience. Teams of students can travel to our projects and work at the construction site helping to build homes alongside the future homeowners. Global Village offers international volunteers the opportunity to take part in the “hands on” construction or renovation of houses in more than 30 countries around the world. The teams travel to their chosen host country to build in partnership with the local people, learn about the housing need and become a part of the community. No prior construction experience is necessary and the students assist with unskilled work such as lifting, carrying and mixing, as well as hammering, sawing and laying blocks – depending on their conditions and abilities. All teams work with the future homeowners, local volunteers and skilled construction workers, and receive construction supervision. Such a Global Village trip consists of mostly building activities, but it also gives a chance for participants to get to know the culture, the local people, Habitat for Humanity’s work at the grassroots level and to have unique hands-on experience. By helping to build homes, students expand their world view and change the lives of families in housing need. This experience also helps them to get prepared for their role as decision-makers in their future professional life. A Global Village trip offers students the opportunity to get involved and benefit from an inter-cultural experience at the time they serve and learn. The leadership skills gained by the students and other benefits are innumerable.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
How do we organize a Global Village trip? We require our volunteer teams to have a teacher as a team leader who would be responsible for the administration of the team, organizing the logistics, paperwork and finances in the name of the team as well as being the contact person between the students and Habitat for Humanity. The required chaperonestudent-ratio is 1:5. The time of the hosting changes according to the location of the country. It is typical in Europe and Central Asia that Global Village teams are hosted from March to November, whereas project locations in Asia, Africa and Middle East might be hosting throughout the year.
A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE Global Village projects last for between one and two weeks and offer a challenging yet deeply rewarding cultural experience for volunteers aged 16 and above. Individually tailored itineraries ensure that the team’s needs and interests are met, and that both the local community and the team have many chances to interact, share their stories with one another and build lasting relationships. The team will travel to one of our project countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America or Africa and help to build a house for a family living in circumstances that are hard to imagine for us: At least four or five people sharing one dark room without running water, electricity or a stable roof. Parents having to worry about the health and education of their kids due to the inappropriate living conditions. And this does not only happen in faraway countries like Malawi or India; situations like that can be found just around the corner in Romania, Poland, Macedonia or Armenia. A Global Village trip is an exceptional way of collaborative engagement while also providing a memorable experience! Hand in Hand with their classmates, teachers and, most importantly, the selected partner families, students help to build a house with their own hands that a family will soon call their home. This new home will keep them safe from diseases and help to break the circle of poverty. The partner families finally get the chance to gain strength, stability and self-reliance. And so do your kids: Reflecting their own life, learning to think outside of the box and experiencing that they can actually and sustainably help. Not only for the others, but along with them as a team. Brick by brick. Day by day. Coming home with a broadened view and an unforgettable experience might change their perspective at exactly the right time in their lives. The feedback is excellent. Many students describe their experience as transformational or eye-opening. They finish the volunteer programme with a deeper knowledge and understanding for other cultures, countries and the effects of housing poverty. “We came to give, but what we received was so much more.� Give your child the opportunity to also receive so much more!
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International School Parent Spring 2018
WHY VOLUNTEER? • As a volunteer you can actively contribute to a better understanding among different cultures and show solidarity with people in need • You will experience the community’s culture, language and social practices while working alongside homeowners and volunteers of all backgrounds, races and religions • With the help of volunteers, the construction costs are lower for the family
QUOTES FROM STUDENT VOLUNTEERS “I gained a lot from this trip. The skills of building are nice, but they don’t even stand near with the feeling of that you did a great thing not for yourself or some one of your friends, but for an unknown person who really needs it. That feeling made my day every time I thought about it!” “I have heard about the organization for years but now I got to experience what it actually is like. It helped me reflect on the impact that HFH actually has not only for individuals, but also on communities.” 52 |
“The trip to Romania was one of the biggest highlights of my life. I liked everything about it! One of the most important things that made this trip so amazing, was the amazing unity of our class. Romania put all of us to work together as one, and as known, friends can conquer mountains – building a house is even easier!”
REPORT OF VALERIA, A SURVAL MONTREUX STUDENT THAT PARTICIPATED IN A GLOBAL VILLAGE TRIP TO KENYA IN 2017 There were no buildings like those we are used to seeing; even having proper walls or a backyard seemed like a luxury that sadly no one could afford. Then, as we drove from the airport to our hotel, everything got worse – “houses” built from aluminium sheets or even mud; and so, when we reached our comparatively comfortable hotel, we found ourselves feeling guilty: This contrast was a bleak reminder of the stark difference in what we have that the people around us are not lucky enough to have. I don’t mean “things”, the material luxuries that lend our lives pizza – smart-phones and designer bags and expensive jewellery – but the essentials: shelter and electricity and running water. Most of all – a home. Many months ago, when we watched the Habitat for Humanity introduction video, one of those interviewed stated that: “A home is not just a house where you live; it’s a home where you get all the energy that you need in order to achieve in life everything that you can be.” This jarring visual was a reminder that not everyone in our world is fortunate enough to have a home environment that will enable them to fulfil their potential; this was the spark we needed to energize us for the journey ahead. I truly believe that this is an experience everyone should have at least once in a lifetime, because it is life changing – not only for the family you are helping, but for yourself as well.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
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Our pick of the best summer camps for 2018 internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
Camp Thabo Sefolosha
Established in July 2007, Camp Thabo
then Italy 1st div. league he was selected
Sefolosha in Blonay has since been
with the 13th pick of the 2006 NBA draft
available every summer.
by the Chicago Bulls. At the age of 22,
Thabo Sefolosha, in 1984 in Switzerland,
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realized that he was meant to play basketball
Thabo became the first Swiss player in history to join the prestigious NBA.
at the age of 11, so he got involved with the
Thabo, now in its 12th season in the NBA,
Blonay Basketball Junior teams. His passion
has played respectively for the Chicago
for basketball led him to great progress
Bulls (2006-09), the OKC Thunder (2009-
and, in 2006, after playing in the Swiss 1st
14), the Atlanta Hawks (2014-17) and is
div. league, then the French 1st div. league
now playing for the Utah Jazz.
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FIND OUT M ORE ABOU T THA BO
Websit e: www.th abosefo losha.co m
International School Parent Spring 2018
Camp Champittet
Organised together with the Swiss
etiquette workshop, will be introduced in
Leadership Academy and hosted at Collège
the basics of film and photography and
Champittet in Pully near Lausanne, this camp
have the opportunity to participate in first
offers students a great programme themed
aid workshops and learn how to work
around leadership.
more efficiently in teams. Participants will
Students will develop leadership skills through great challenges and outdoor activities. A must-attend camp with the
be coached by professionals and receive an evaluation and feedback at the end of each activity and at the end of camp.
opportunity for its participants to acquire
A camp not to be missed during which
communication skills, goal setting, time and
our participants are sure to have the
stress management techniques. Students
time of their life!
will also learn about “savoir vivre” through
Ages: 11-17
FIND OUT M ORE Websit es www.ch allenge camp.c h www.ch ampitte t.ch
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Rodolphe Töpffer Summer Camp
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During the summer, the Lycee Rodolphe Topffer International School summer camp offers a great opportunity to learn English, German, and French in a cosmopolitan environment. Campers enjoy language classes in the mornings and discover Geneva through sports and cultural activities in the afternoons. Upgrading mathematics and French courses are also available for francophone students.
Lycée Töpffer, 21 Avenue Eugène Pittard, 1206 Genève, Switzerland
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FIND OUT M ORE Websit e: http://ly cee-top ffer.ch/c ours-ete .htm Call: +41 22 703 51 20 Fax: +41 22 703 51 29 Email: info@ly cee-top ffer.ch
International School Parent Spring 2018
Ecolint Summer Camps
FIND OUT M ORE Email: ecolintcamps@ ecolint. ch Call: Natach a Bonvin Besson on +41 22 787 26 24 Websit e: www.ec olint-ca mps.ch
Outdoor adventure, West Ham United
ratio of highly qualified, bilingual coaches to
All our camps are run in line with the values
soccer school, sports, dance, theatre,
students, camp participants can also improve
and spirit of the International School of
cookery, technology: these are just some
their English and French while learning
Geneva, and include tolerance, respect
of the exciting activities we offer at Ecolint
valuable skills. Each camp is designed to the
and solidarity.
Camps. Open to children aged 3 to 16 years
highest standards, teaching skills through
old, we offer fun and action-packed week-
play and activity in a challenging and fun
long spring, summer and autumn camps.
atmosphere. Our exclusive partnership
We host camps at our three world class campuses in Geneva and Founex (VD). Our camps are 100% fun – and they’re also
with the West Ham United Foundation, the community arm of the English premier league football club, provides outstanding professional soccer coaching.
Details: Our Spring camps run from 3 to 6 April 2018. Our Summer camps run from beginning of July to middle of August. Our Autumn camps run from 22 to 26
100% instructive! Thanks to an excellent
October 2018.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
Atishoo! It’s hay fever time... BY DR MICHELLE WRIGHT HEALTH FIRST
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Bad news for hay fever sufferers - the pollen season is upon us. As trees and shrubs are coming into bud, grasses are growing and the days are getting warmer, for many people this time of year also brings a wealth of dreaded symptoms. Itchy, blocked, runny noses and watery, sore eyes with sneezing and a tickly throat. internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
ollen is the very fine powder that plants release into the air during their reproductive cycle. Some people’s immune system reacts to proteins in pollen. When the cells in the lining of their nose, throat and eyes come into contact with it, they release chemicals, notably histamines. It is this immune reaction that causes the inflammation, swelling and irritation of the nasal passages, eyes and throat, leading to hay fever symptoms. Hay fever is really an allergy to grass or hay pollens but it may also be used to describe allergy to other pollens including tree and weed pollens. Between 15-20% of the Swiss population have a pollen allergy and in about 70% of those, it is an allergy to grass pollens. Tree pollens are released and become air-borne during spring and grass pollens towards the end of spring and into early summer. Whereas weed pollens are released later in the year, during autumn. The pollen count provides a measure of the current amount of pollen circulating in the air. The higher the count for the particular pollen a person is allergic to, the more severe their hay fever symptoms will be on that day. A person usually starts to show hay fever symptoms during childhood and adolescence and is more likely to develop it if their mother or father are affected. It is possible to grow out of hay fever with age but it is also possible to develop pollen allergy at any time of life.
Some other practical things that may help hay fever sufferers are: • If at all possible, to stay inside and keep windows and doors shut when the pollen counts are high. • To avoid cutting the lawn and visiting large grassy places. • To shower and to wash hair after being outdoors. • When outside, to wear wrap-around sunglasses. • To apply a small amount of petroleum gel to the openings of the nasal passages to try to ‘trap’ pollen powder. • To keep car windows closed and fit a pollen filter to the air vents in the car. Medication and other measures may help to relieve symptoms but they need to be continued throughout the pollen season. If symptoms are particularly bad, an allergy specialist can arrange testing to see exactly which pollens a person is allergic to. They may suggest immunotherapy treatment (also known as desensitization). The idea behind immunotherapy is to allow the body to build up a resistance to the allergic effects of the pollen so that hay fever symptoms are reduced. It does not usually offer a complete cure. There are different ways to carry out immunotherapy treatment. The first (called subcutaneous immunotherapy) involves injecting a very small quantity of the allergy-inducing pollen under the skin. The second (called sublingual immunotherapy) involves placing a tablet containing the pollen under the tongue. However, immunotherapy treatment needs commitment as it usually continues for 3 to 5 years. If you are a hay fever sufferer, there is a Swiss website that might be of use to you: www.pollenundallergie.ch. It is available in French, German and Italian and contains information from both the Swiss Allergy Centre and the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss), including the current circulating pollen levels in the different regions of Switzerland. There is also information about various smartphone Apps for allergy sufferers including one called “Pollen-News” which could be worth a look.
The first port of call in terms of symptom relief for hay fever sufferers is usually to visit a pharmacy. There are a whole host of treatments available to buy over-the-counter in different forms including tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops. The main-stay of treatment is usually antihistamines, which block the histamine chemicals released during the immune reaction, or steroids, which help to counteract the inflammation caused. Antihistamines are best avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. And steroid nasal sprays can take a few weeks| to have full effect, so starting them before the hay fever season could be a good idea. A doctor can prescribe stronger treatments if those available over-the-counter don’t work.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Michelle Wright is a Britishtrained General Practitioner and Executive Director of HealthFirst, providing dynamic First Aid Training and Health Education in English throughout Switzerland (www.healthfirst.ch). She also has a regular radio show about health on World Radio Switzerland (www.worldradio.ch/healthmatters)
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International School Parent Spring 2018
In conversation with
Volker Schweinbenz Outdoor Leadership Camps Switzerland BY NICK GILBERT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT MAGAZINE
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Based in Gstaad, Outdoor Leadership Camps Switzerland (OLCS) is an organisation which believes in the transformational power of the outdoors to equip young people with valuable skills for life ahead. Through courses in rock-climbing, hiking, mountaineering, winter mountaineering, safety and avalanche, and other customised courses, participants learn skills such as technical climbing and mountaineering, leadership, risk management, as well as an appreciation of the environment. The courses are designed so participants learn to make sound decisions, use technical skills, exercise judgement and awareness to manage risks, as well as set realistic goals to be successful. International School Parent Magazine talks to Instructor, Volker Schweinbenz, about how Outdoor Leadership Camps contribute to shaping the leaders of tomorrow. internationalschoolparent.com
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International School Parent Spring 2018
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE IDEA OF THE OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP COURSES? Well firstly, I have a lot of personal experience in the outdoors. I’ve been climbing, mountaineering, and ski touring for more than 30 years all over the world, and I’ve personally felt the strong impact the outdoors can have on your personality and your learning. Perseverance, making tough judgement calls, effective communication: these are things you need in a working environment as well. Secondly, when I was at university, studying educational science, I got involved in a company doing outdoor experiences for big corporations. I saw the impact on the people there, how problems they had in the workplace got reflected in the outdoors and there you could work on and improve them. I thought this would also be good for students. While working on and leading Outdoor Education programmes within schools, the idea stayed with me.
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HOW DO YOUR COURSES COMPARE TO THE RANGE OF EXISTING PROGRAMMES LIKE OUTWARD BOUND & THE INTERNATIONAL AWARD? I’ve found there’s something missing in existing school Outdoor Education programmes and programmes like the International Award for students who really want to push themselves personally, mentally, technically and physically. We want to offer courses to small groups of motivated people who really want to move beyond their current level of experience. And here in Switzerland, we have the perfect natural environment in which to do it. Every course has a training phase and then a goal-setting phase where participants have got the chance to set their own goals. If they’re doing a 30-day mountaineering course, and they have the physical, mental and technical ability, they could even choose to climb the Matterhorn! Our courses are open to all possibilities, depending solely on the skills and the development of the participants. I think that’s what’s great about OLCS.
THE MINIMUM AGE FOR YOUR COURSES IS 16, DO YOU HAVE A MAXIMUM AGE? No, we don’t have a maximum age. But we do consider group dynamics so we’d avoid mixing age groups too far apart. And as well as the open courses that you can sign up for individually, we also have customised courses, so if three friends in their 40s, for example, wanted to do a course together, we can customise this for them. The same for younger people. If a group of friends comes with a particular goal in mind, that’s not a problem to organise.
IS THERE A PARTICULAR TYPE OF PERSON THAT’S SUITED TO THESE COURSES? Well it’s certainly not a holiday, and probably not for those who have little interest in being physically active. The courses are very much about setting yourself some challenging goals that you can’t move beyond on your own. In this sense, having some pre-experience is very beneficial, like the International Award, or part of a climbing course, or some ski touring, so you can set appropriate goals. The 10-day courses are a great place to start. It’s enough time to really get deep into the topic, but it’s still not too long. Once you’ve done that you can decide if you’d like to go for an even deeper experience with the 30-day course.
IS THE SIZE OF THE GROUP AN IMPORTANT FACTOR? If you have three or four people on the course it goes ahead, and the maximum will be ten. Otherwise, it’s just too big, and not within the philosophy of the course, not only because we offer the participants a lot of technical expertise in terms of climbing and mountaineering, but because our courses are first and foremost about personal development. If we want to put participants into a situation where they are decision making, goal setting, creating trust and involved in risk management, then groups need to be very small.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
CAN YOU SUMMARISE THE MAIN SKILLS THAT STUDENTS CAN GET FROM THESE OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES? The biggest part of the course is how you solve problems as this doesn’t change later in life. If you work at the stock exchange and there’s a crash, you have to deal with it. You can’t just say, “Okay, I’m sitting this one out, I don’t want to deal with this”. The sun doesn’t always shine, and it definitely doesn’t always in the mountains! It can be miserable, but in my experience, it also can be an interesting positive experience in terms of bonding the group together and getting to the point, “Okay, well we can do this even in these miserable conditions.” It sometimes has got a bigger effect on the crew than just hiking on a sunny day. However, security is always a top priority, so if the weather’s really bad, that might mean it will affect the route so we can’t go up a certain peak, or we can’t take a path on the ridge. And this is part of the learning process: risk management and making tough decisions. In the hiking course students also have to cook themselves, with a focus on what’s feasible to cook, and the nutritional value. You have to do your own route planning for the whole trip and you have to know how to navigate. The first two or three days are dedicated to the instructor teaching you any missing skills, and then slowly participants will take over. Then there will be a couple of ascents of peaks on the way. In the climbing course, there’s a lot more technical training. We do skills such as knotwork, bouldering, placing anchors and setting up a belay.
ONCE YOU’VE GOT THE PEOPLE THERE, HOW DO YOU GET THE BEST OUT OF THEM AND HOW DO YOU PUSH THEM TO THEIR LIMITS? IF THEY’RE STRUGGLING WITH SOMETHING, HOW DO YOU HELP THEM OVERCOME THAT? First of all, we need to assess where they stand because pushing someone out of their comfort zone is important, but not if you push them into the panic zone where there is no progress and no learning. To make that judgment the first two days are spent assessing the skills and the physical and mental abilities of the participants. Then you need to see where the challenge lies. For some people taking on climbing, they have the physical ability, but they’re mentally blocked. If they’re scared of falling, you slowly bring them towards edge, building up trust into the whole system including the harness and rope. If you over challenge them, you kill the whole learning process. Others may have challenges with goal setting. Some think, “Well I’m already a great climber,” but they misjudge themselves and their skills. During the day, but also in the evening, we would have sessions on that, the psychology of climbing, how to set realistic goals. That’s also why having smaller groups helps, to be able to assess, work with and support participants individually.
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International School Parent Spring 2018
DO COURSE PARTICIPANTS LEAVE WITH ANY CERTIFICATION? Participants won’t leave being certified mountain guides, no. However, we do have the chance with the Swiss Outdoor Association to include a qualification such as rope specialist, which is a qualification for Switzerland that could lead to work in certified companies monitoring top rope climbing, for example. For the 30-day courses, as part of safety and risk managements, a CPR course is also included. What we do aim to do is give a performance evaluation, by that I mean not just a certificate that they’ve done a course with OLCS, but how they performed – where they started from and what they’ve achieved. Furthermore, the university counsellors I’ve spoken with confirm that the course is a great addition to university applications. Showing evidence that you can really set yourself goals, remain committed to them, and persevere through hardship and pitfalls, is a great asset to any educational institution or future employer.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THAT STUDENTS WILL COME AWAY WITH AFTERWARDS, OTHER THAN A GREAT EXPERIENCE?! I hope that they realise that if you’re focused, if you set yourself goals in life, if you persevere, you can achieve a lot. I remember a university professor of mine always saying to the students, “You know more than you think.” Not only will I teach you that, but I would also say, “You can do far more than you think”. If young people want to do something, it doesn’t matter in which environment, whether it’s the outdoors, at university, in your private life, if you want to achieve something you can’t just sit around waiting for it to happen. You must do it, you have to persevere, you have to learn to deal with setbacks, but you can achieve it.
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To book an OLCS course, or to find out more visit: Outdoor Leadership Camps Switzerland Telephone Email Website Address
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+41 33 748 41 61 info@olcs.ch www.olcs.ch P.O. Box 50, 3780 Gstaad, Switzerland
International School Parent Spring 2018
How can my child get back on track with Maths?
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WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM: ALAN, TUTORSPLUS MATHS TUTOR. QUALIFIED TEACHER AND BACKGROUND IN COMPUTER PROGRAMMING & SYSTEMS ANALYSIS. ANDREA, TUTORSPLUS MATHS TUTOR SPECIALISING IN IB DIPLOMA, IGCSE, A LEVEL, AND ACT & SAT. BACKGROUND IN EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS. JOHN, TUTORSPLUS MATHS TUTOR, MATHS & PHYSICS TEACHER AND IB DP MATHS EXAMINER. internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
tudents are often heard to moan about Maths, “But when will I actually use it?”. They hit a hurdle, and their confidence is lost in an instant. We know that Maths is important, but it’s not always easy to convince our children and our students, especially when its role can be so intangible. We all quickly forget its effect on quickening our thinking and strengthening our brain. Its role in building communication skills is rarely celebrated, yet it trains us to express thoughts clearly and coherently when detailing our working as we solve a problem.
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There is also its historical importance in the development of revolutionary thought and its role in great artworks and musical compositions. As we head into an increasingly automated and digitalised future - where a deep understanding of how things function may no longer be accessible to most of us - the analytical skills practised over and over again in Maths can help foster confident curiosity. Aiming for at least a minimal understanding of how technology functions may help us to make wiser and safer decisions and feel more secure about who and what we can trust. We’ve pulled together ideas from three expert TutorsPlus Maths tutors to summarise the benefits of Maths that students should remind themselves of when things get tough - as well as actions students can take to prevent and overcome Maths struggles.
1. I F YOU GET STUCK, REMEMBER THAT IT’S ALL PART OF LEARNING TO PROBLEM-SOLVE. PRACTICE PERSISTENCE! Perhaps one of the most important benefits of Maths that students should remember is the huge role it plays in learning how to problem-solve. This is a skill that can be applied to all manner of school subjects as well as personal and future professional situations. Alan, qualified teacher and TutorsPlus Maths tutor, is one who believes that good Maths teaching contributes to a balanced school curriculum by practising one’s ability to solve problems. “The idea that all problems have solutions transcends Maths and brings success in all areas where the person applies it. This requires a sound approach to problem solving coupled with a lively imagination and a fearlessness of trying new ways. Note that there is often more than one solution.”
2. UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK. IT MAY BE EASIER TO SOLVE THAN YOU THINK. This constant problem-solving, however, takes grit and perseverance – skills that students are still in the process of building. So, it’s not uncommon to see them quickly lose confidence with Maths, even as soon as they struggle with just one topic. At TutorsPlus, understanding why students lose confidence in Maths and what holds them back is something we and our Maths tutors take very seriously. Understanding this is key to finding solutions for students who are struggling.
3. MAKE SURE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BASICS IS SOLID & REVISE REGULARLY. It’s important to catch issues with Maths early on because the basics and fundamentals are built upon all the way through to the upper years and beyond. Andrea, TutorsPlus Maths tutor, says that if a student doesn’t understand a concept, “they keep the baggage and it blocks them later on. It’s harder to go back and understand the basics”. Alan agrees that often when students don’t understand a concept, it’s harder for them to remember it later on. While they may find a neat trick around the problem in the short-term, fuller understanding is needed for more complex problems later down the line. He commonly sees students struggling with algebra, for example, because they’ve forgotten how to do fractions. For this reason, Andrea says, regular revision throughout the year and over the years is really important as there’s so much more in the curriculum these days. While understanding concepts is important to being able to really “do” Maths, memorising basic number facts like times tables also has its place. These are often learnt in primary and forgotten by middle school, leading to an over reliance on the calculator and wasting time on calculations that could easily be done mentally. Alan says that, “Not having these basic number facts really slows modern students down”.
“Students are often shy and don’t dare to ask...
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International School Parent Spring 2018
4. P RACTISE COURAGE IN SEEKING EXPLANATIONS – EVEN IF IT TAKES A COUPLE OF TRIES. The main element a student needs to overcome Maths issues is time. As a child, Alan experienced personally how one-on-one time with a teacher can help get over an understanding hurdle. “In primary school my teacher took 30 minutes to get me to understand the train going through a tunnel problem. Thanks to him I progressed”. It’s important that students reach out to their teachers when they’re having difficulty understanding a concept. Andrea notes that, “Students are often shy and don’t dare to ask, and if they still don’t understand, they might not ask again after that.” However, it’s important that students practice honesty and courage in these moments, and continue to seek guidance, as it will pay large dividends later. A teacher’s joy is to find a way for students to move forward.
5. E XPLORE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO MATHS PROBLEMS. Our Maths tutors’ main advice to students who are struggling is to persist, as there’s often more than one way to do Maths. They would start by seeking to go right back to the point where the student lost track and then approach the problem from a variety of ways until the student grasps the concept. They’d make sure to revisit this regularly to make sure that the understanding was full, complete and embedded. In the same way that there’s often more than one way to solve a question, there’s more than one way to ask it. “Students are often disappointed after a test because the questions were asked differently and they didn’t understand”, Andrea explains. So, being exposed to different approaches is important. John, IB Maths Examiner and TutorsPlus Maths tutor, echoes this sentiment when he says that “students can best prepare for exams by actually doing Mathematics rather than just trying to memorise the details”.
6. LEARN & PRACTISE HOW TO LAY OUT YOUR IDEAS CLEARLY & LEGIBLY. Students often don’t practice explaining and laying out their ideas enough, and they often underestimate the points they lose in exams for failing to express their thoughts clearly. “This leads to external Examiners not being able to understand what’s in a student’s head”, says John. Being able to express your working clearly is as important, if not more so, than arriving at the correct answer. John emphasises that this skill cannot be learned overnight and is rather something to cultivate throughout their course. He would want students to remember that, “examiners do their absolute utmost to be accommodating and to award credit wherever possible – they seek to be able to give marks.”
NEED HELP FINDING THE SENSE, BEAUTY OR FUN IN MATHS? Maths is important and it’s a really positive experience for students to realise that they are gaining knowledge and skills that are the building blocks to great communication, deep reflective thought and a multi-purpose key to problem-solving, leave alone a solid pathway to a variety of academic and professional options. Alan would remind us though that “Math brings a lot of fun too, in games, puzzles and just seeing the way mathematical wonder is evident in art, through line. symmetry, proportion…”. If your child has lost confidence in Maths, is struggling to see what’s so great about it, or is blocked on a certain topic – it would be a pleasure to match them with a great, personalised tutor who can help them with a fresh perspective, solid foundations, and perhaps even more joy in their Maths studies. You can reach TutorsPlus at 022 731 8148 or info@tutorsplus.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sandra Steiger Academic Support Manager Sandra Steiger has over 10 years’ experience teaching English at various schools in Switzerland. During her 6 years at the International School of Geneva, she was also the Service Learning programme Coordinator, International Award Supervisor, Homeroom Mentor and Head of Year 8.
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Working across cultures to professionally empower women – The communications consultancy giving women a voice
In conversation with Dr Susan Laverick and Lizzy Bagnall, cofounders of House of Beaufort BY NICHOLAS GILBERT internationalschoolparent.com
International School Parent Spring 2018
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ommunications coaching and Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort might – at first glance – have little in common. However, the Geneva-based business consultancy which takes Beaufort as its namesake grounds its philosophy in key qualities from the formidable countess: triumph in the face of adversity, development of skills crucial to success and a fierce protection of her right to be at the leadership table. House of Beaufort, the brainchild of Dr Susan Laverick and Lizzy Bagnall, was founded to develop those crucial attributes in tomorrow’s leaders: first-class communication skills, empathy, confidence and authority. They have a dedicated platform for developing these skills in professional women. International School Parent Magazine talks to co-founders Susan and Lizzy, to find out more about the individual, tailored approach to communications coaching which is breaking ground in the board level shake-up.
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LET’S START BY YOU TELLING US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR OWN BACKGROUNDS – HOW HAVE YOUR CAREERS PROGRESSED UP TO THIS POINT? Susan: I have a very mixed background. My qualifications include a Doctorate in English Literature, a Masters in History and a Cambridge certificate in teaching English as a foreign language. I started my career in private banking in London and then moved to a role at the BBC. After moving to Geneva with my husband, I trained as an English teacher and worked with international organisations. A few years ago, I completed my doctorate in English and decided that communications was my great strength and passion, so pursued an ICF executive coaching qualification.
Lizzy: Before Susan and I started House of Beaufort, I worked for about six or seven years developing and delivering training and coaching assignments for a broad range of businesses in Europe, North America and Asia, including many of the big investment banks, law firms, accountancy firms and corporations. That could be anything from sales to negotiation to board level discussions. I am also a WABC and Solicitors’ Regulation Authority accredited executive coach. Before that, I was in private equity, working closely with early stage companies to develop their management teams and business strategies to achieve either a VC fund raise or trade sale. I also set up an online internet-based law reporting company.
YOU’VE BOTH GOT QUITE DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, SO HOW DID YOU COME TOGETHER TO CREATE HOUSE OF BEAUFORT AND WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT? Lizzy: Susan and I have known each other for more than 25 years and have gone through the ups and downs of careers and family life together. Two years ago, Susan had come away from a conference with high net worth women and found the same issues of gender brought up repeatedly by women in discussions. Similarly, in my experience teaching at the London Business School on their executive MBA programme, it was surprising the extent to which many women have never learnt the fundamentals of effective and authoritative communication, both written and spoken. Throughout our own careers, we have found that many coaching consultancies have an ‘in and out’ approach; they came into the organisation, offer a presentation on communications skills, then leave. We wanted to offer something different, based on a relationship of longevity and trust. We thought it would be fantastic to put together our backgrounds to create a unique consultancy.
My expertise lies in being a seasoned speech-writer and presenter at conferences around the world, so I am very familiar with the pressure of the podium and the effectiveness of a great presentation. I also have a great belief in contributing my skills to the non-profit sector, so I donate a lot of my time to organisations that champion peace, the welfare of women, child protection and initiatives for supporting women business leaders in the developing world.
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AS PARENTS OF YOUNG WOMEN, HOW DO YOU SEE THESE CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACE TODAY, COMPARED TO THOSE WHEN YOU WERE THEIR AGE? Susan: I think there are still a number of hurdles for women to overcome in the workplace. Our daughters are in very different fields, but across the board the working environment is incredibly competitive, more so than when I was a young graduate. There is something missing within our educational syllabus, where we should be providing young women with the sort of skills that will enable them to compete effectively – even at the initial interview stage. If they can have an extra tool kit of self-belief, communication skills and confidence which they can draw on, they will already be one step ahead. That first job for these graduates is the most critical one because it will shape their experience, behaviours and how they perceive their worth. It’s not just the experience of our daughters; it’s also something we’ve seen working within financial intuitions and seeing young graduates come through and currently with women in their 30s and 40s within a playing field that still isn’t level. It’s a problem that snowballs. We have worked with women in senior positions who often find that during meetings, the conversation moves on without them because they are spending time over-thinking how they are going to say what they want to say. Giving them the tools to stop worrying about it being perfect and focusing on building the skills to quickly articulate their point allows them to be part of the discussion. This is hugely important because research shows that where women are perceived to not ‘speak up’ in meetings, they are seen to be less effective. Once this reputation has been formed, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: the less you are listened to, the less confidence you have, the quieter you become, and then you’re probably not on the leadership’s radar when they are thinking about who to promote. We need to ensure that women are well-equipped and aware of some of the pitfalls that they might face to support them properly in their careers. This is a global, intergenerational problem which we can’t cure single-handedly, but if we teach those fundamental communication skills, like gravitas and confidence, at an early level it will have a huge impact.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SCHOOLS OR UNIVERSITIES IN HOW TO INCORPORATE THESE SKILLS INTO THEIR CURRICULUM? Lizzy: We would suggest that teaching effective communication skills should be mandatory to develop confidence and individual style. The important point here is that communications skills are actually about putting the individual across in the best way possible. This is something that schools should be teaching as part of their curriculum from a young age, as they are fundamental to personal and professional success, both for men and women.
WHAT APPROACH TO COACHING DO YOU TAKE TO HELP INDIVIDUALS GAIN THE SKILLS THEY NEED? Susan: The first, most fundamental thing is that it’s about the individual and building that relationship of trust. We have developed a technique called ‘skills-based coaching’; we spend time with each individual to identify and develop the skills we see are missing. It’s a very tailored approach, which we use even in group sessions. Lizzy: Our approach is about committing to the individuals and the organisations that we work with. We consciously limit the number of clients we have at any one time so that we can really focus on getting to know them, and commit to working through a programme that ensures they have time to embed what they have learnt. Our clients know that we are at the end of the phone whenever they need us, and I think that’s something they really value.
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CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF THE RANGE OF PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS THAT CONTACT YOU FOR HELP? Lizzy: It’s a very interesting mix; it could be anything from an NGO to a private client. It could be graduates moving into their first jobs; it could be people moving jobs; it could be organisations trying to retain individuals by providing coaching and enable staff to progress. There is a global discussion at the moment around women in leadership, with many organisations looking to try to develop a talent pool of women. There is not a single answer to this issue, but we offer something to help combat an important aspect of the problem. A lot of our work comes from referrals, which is obviously a wonderful boost to know that our clients are happily recommending us to others. Our backgrounds have helped enormously because our expertise lies in big corporations, which financial institutions and large law firms find reassuring.
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Being in an international environment means that we have the opportunity to work with interesting clients from across the world. For example we had an assignment at the United Nations in November, where we were invited to support Rotary International who were being hosted by the UN for the Geneva Peace Day. We were working with six very diverse Peace Laureates from across the world who were making their maiden speeches at the event.
YOU HAVE RECENTLY DECIDED TO LAUNCH THE BEAUFORT SYNDICATE IN GENEVA AND MUSCAT, WHAT EXACTLY DO THESE INVOLVE? Susan: This is a new development for our offering. Late last year we decided to introduce a Beaufort Syndicate- Geneva for senior professional women working in Geneva. Geneva is a truly global city for international organisations, so it was a natural starting point for a concept we envisage as a think tank. We believe that by working and thinking together, women become powerful agents of economic and social change for their countries and communities, and role models for the next generation. The Syndicate offers a networking opportunity for like-minded professional women to convene, under our umbrella, to talk about professional or personal challenges within an atmosphere of confidence and trust. We want to encourage relationships which will benefit and support women in the city, and to encourage women to talk across organisations. The Syndicates will allow women to create a global community of women who are linked by common goals and interests, allowing communication with female leaders across the world.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR HOUSE OF BEAUFORT AND WHAT’S YOUR LONG-TERM GOAL? Lizzy: We are excited about the potential that our Syndicates hold for women across the world and, ultimately, we would like to set them up in more cities to create a fantastic network of women across the globe. It’s very much going to be guided by the feedback received by our current members, but it’s already proving very popular. We are currently writing an “emergency” handbook of skills for people in business and will continue to develop our presence from London to Muscat. www.houseofbeaufort.com
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Discovering Hospitality on Your Doorstep ontreux has many iconic associations and Switzerland’s love affair with hospitality has contributed to the appeal of the region over the years. Queen were based here, Deep Purple wrote Smoke on the Water after the Casino caught fire and the Montreux Jazz Festival has been running for over 50 years. For high school students however, hospitality is not always an obvious choice, as it can be misperceived as a rather narrow field of study. On the contrary, it offers a global career and a wide variety of transferable skills. To demystify pre-conceived notions, Swiss Education Academy, a branch of Swiss Education Group, has teamed up with Hotel Institute Montreux (another member school) to offer 16 to 20-year-olds the chance to spend two weeks on campus over the summer months. High school students can attend classes, visit local attractions and luxury hotels, all while learning more about the industry and the life of a hospitality student. The two weeks are capped off with a student-run banquet to showcase their newly acquired knowledge. A recent attendee of this summer camp is Mathilde, a current student at Collège du Léman. She won her place as part of a high school Instagram competition, wearing her best “hospitality” outfit and explaining why she thought hospitality was important. While Mathilde knew she was interested in business, and studying in an English-speaking environment, she explains, “It’s really important to understand what hospitality offers, because before this I didn’t. I had always thought of hospitality as just hotels and I thought it would close too many doors.
I already attend an international school, but this was more diverse, with so many cultures and nationalities. The Sales and Marketing classes were amazing and the teachers were fantastic!” Hotel Institute Montreux offers the perfect location to host this introduction to hospitality. Partnered with the American institution Northwood University, a private university based in Michigan, students benefit from an original offering - study for an American Business degree in the heart of Switzerland, all while learning the hospitality skills that are so revered, in the birthplace of hospitality. To supplement this, the school has forged strong relationships with local industry, to offer students a chance to truly integrate into local life. Annual fundraising campaigns, such as Freddie For A Day, based on the legendary mustached singer, has helped raise over 223,000 CHF for Queen’s charity over the last few years to increase awareness about HIV and Aids. Important professional partnerships lend strength and support to the variety of specialisations the school offers to both its Bachelor and Master students. Banque Privee Edmond de Rothschild endorses the finance specialisation and the Human Resources specialisation is in partnership with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, one of the largest hotel chains in the world and experts in personnel management. The Luxury Marketing and Business Management specialisation is supported by three separate heavyweights, Montreux Jazz Festival, John Paul and Hublot, the luxury watchmakers and the creators of Usain Bolt’s most recent favourite timepiece. With over 50 nationalities attending Swiss Education Academy’s hospitality summer camp (Swiss Hospitality Club), the short course provide a perfect opportunity to learn more about hospitality before committing to a longer programme. For more information, please contact: Rebecca Mars – rmars@swisseducation.com
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