ESK PARENTS' ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT JANUARY 2009

January 2009

Cindy Van Velzen, President, welcomed the Committee back after the Christmas break and wished them all a Happy New Year. It had been a busy day for the PA Bureau with meetings with Mr. Hoyem and his management team as well as members of the Student Social Committee.

Cindy informed the Committee that the meeting with ESK Management, to discuss a number of issues at the beginning of the year, was very constructive and she hoped they would be held on a regular basis. Mr. Hoyem had mentioned some challenges coming up. Firstly, that the new Canteen building presented an opportunity for improving other aspects of the canteen. Then there was building of the new pre-school and the internat, which were very important for the school as the pre-kindergarten children could feed into Primary and the boarding facility would help attract older students. Another challenge was the financial crisis. Mr. Hoyem was aware that this might make it harder for families, and big companies, to pay school fees and they would try to find solutions.

Cindy outlined the main goal of the Parent’s Assocation at the beginning of their mandate which was “how to improve Commuication” and improvements to our website was the first priority. In order for us to better fulfil our role as parents’ representatives, we need a better picture of parents’ concerns. In order to start the first contacts, the Parent’s Association planned to host a PA Dinner, Friday 13 February 2009 for all staff, teachers, class reps and a few of the student reps in order to introduce themselves, present their ideas and provide an informal opportunity for everyone to get to know us and each other as well. Mr. Hoyem welcomed this initiative.

EuroSport was one of the main events this year at the school and we would like to see a more inclusive approach taken by the school. A paper with some ideas, such as a FaceBook site, was presented (see attached). Mr. Hoyem agreed that communication was essential to contributing to the success of the school’s activites and suggested we engage professionals more often although we should make better use of the professional skills of many of our parents.

Sarah Winthrop was working on improving the website which would replace the newsletter as our main communication tool. Information could then be used later to produce a Souvenir of the year’s events with pictures, results of the Baccalaureate, etc. which would a nice record in years to come as well as being relevant for prospective families. The Information Board at the entrance should be used. The Committee agreed on the importance of information being provided in French, German and English. They also underlined the need to know what activities were being planned in advance.

Upcoming dates discussed included: INTERPARENTS meeting, Luxembourg, 16 January 2009; the Inspection “Discovery of the World” – 21 January 2009; Valentines Day book mark idea; Mini marathon - 23 March; Open Day - 25 April 2009, Markert platz Europe Day - 9 May 2009; Summer Fete ? Michel Messmer thought the German/Franco Day - 24 January was a lost opportunity to show off the school.

Next meeting – Wednesday 4 February 2009 starting at 7:30pm.

ESK PA COMMITTEE

EUROSPORT

The ESK PA Committee wishes every success to EUROSPORT, being organised this year at our school, 19-21 March 2009. The committee knows that EUROSPORT is one of the major inter-European school events, like the Science Symposium and model EU Council, which make up the fabric of a European education which enhances the sense of school community and encompasses the ideals embodied by the European Schools. The ESK PA Committee is convinced that EUROSPORT provides an excellent opportunity to showcase our school and is determined to play our role towards ensuring this.

In view of the importance the ESK PA Committee attaches to this event, we would like to see a more inclusive approach. We believe that most students and families are unaware of exactly what EUROSPORT is or what it involves and, while we understand that it is only possible for a small group of students to actually participate in the games, we feel that there must be a way for the rest of the school to feel somehow part of what is going on.

Therefore, the ESK PA Committee would like to sponsor a group of students to set up a EUROSPORT website on Facebook featuring the teams from all the schools along with the events. Information would not only be about the team members and their sporting strengths, what happened in past competitions, and practical information on the schedule and location of events but also include real-time transmission, photos, running commentary and results as they come in. In this way, everyone can see how well each of the teams are doing and particularly if their team is winning. Thus, Karlsruhe, would be the first school to ensure that EUROSPORT can be followed by everyone, our whole school and the other schools too.

This website would also facilitate interaction between students, promote inter-European school spirit and add a little healthy competitive spice to the games. INTERPARENTS will be asked to sponsor a student from their school to come to Karlsruhe and report back on their team.

Other activities which would enhance involvement of the rest of the school should also be promoted. For example, a pep rally where the rest of the school get to meet those who made it onto the school team, lottery for court side seats, welcome packages including T-shirts etc…

We are convinced that, once better informed about EUROSPORT and once they see their kids more involved in an important inter-European school event, parents will better understand the value of such a cultural exchange and be more easily persuaded to host team members.

Another incentive to encourage families to host visiting team members would be to involve them in some sort of EUROSPORT celebration. The ESK PA Committee would like to propose a EUROSPORT get-together/party on the final day. The whole school community should be able to participate at a small cost but it would be free for host families. The ESK PA Committee is happy to help organise and sponsor such an event in collaboration with the school.

Countdown to EUROSPORT has already started.. 50 days to go…. 300 students to host!!