German European School

[saudade]

Hi everybody,

we are moving to Singapore soon and I was looking for some updated info on the German European School / German section. I only found some very old postings, can anybody provide some newer information, comments or experiences about GEES?

Thanks!!!

[scarbowl]

Has both German-speaking and English-language sections. Two campuses - one for the lower grades and another for the upper. Good academic reputation. Not near a metro station. You have to bus or drive there.

[beppi]

One of the campuses does not even have public bus access within walkable distance!
I heard from a friend (a few years ago) that teachers there are often arrogant and aren't willing to provide good service for the good money you pay in fees ("Beamtenmentalitaet" - in fact they are Beamte!).

[saudade]

Hello there!

Thank you for your replies!

I was aware of the location constraints, which make me believe, I will be taking a taxi twice a week to go there - at least during the first year when my son goes to the toddler group... Doesn't sound ideal to me but I'm afraid I will otherwise not survive the heat

As to the staff mentality... I have to say that sounds more concerning to me. Although I am used to a probably similar mentality at the current nursery in Austria, which is a public one... I hope everything will turn out good!!

If anybody knows the pre-school campus and staff, I would love to find out more! Thank you.

[shannada]

The German European School has two sections, known as the German section (German curriculum) and the Euro section (English-based International Baccalaureate curriculum), both located on the same campus. Each section is taught by different faculty who are experienced in delivering that curriculum. The children from both sections inter-mingle during recess, lunch breaks, school assemblies, second language classes and after school activities (CCAs), which allows the school to foster a two sections-one school theme.

I have a daughter attending the GESS European section. She has been at the school for a year and is very happy there. Prior to that she spent five years at another International School in Singapore.

Our experience with the school faculty has been positive, and at the recent parent-teacher conferences we got to meet all of her subject teachers for in-depth discussions. It was very evident from the conversations we had with them and the way they related to my daughter, that the vast majority are enthusiastic teachers, dedicated to developing the child's potential and came across as warm and supportive. I am very satisfied with the quality of teachers and the focus on cross-subject education (IB style) at GESS thus far. So much so that my 2nd daughter, who is graduating from primary school in another school, will also be joining her elder sibling at GESS in August 2012.

Facilities-wise, GESS has a very good standard of facilities catering for sports, swimming pool, music rooms, art rooms, dedicated science and computer labs. These are at least on par with the other "well-known" International Schools in Singapore. When doing our research, we visited 6 other international schools and met their faculty before deciding on GESS.

The pre-school is currently located on the same campus as the Middle/High School on Bukit Tinggi Road, but pre-school classes are housed in a separate block. The primary school is located on a different campus near Jalan Jurong Kechil about 3 km away. I understand that the pre-school will be relocated to the primary school campus in the near future.

I hope this provides you with some insights.

[saudade]

Thank you so much for this useful and interesting information! That is very nice of you!

In fact, I have to say the European section with the IB sounds very interesting too... we have opted for the German section since my husband is Austrian, however, I could imagine changing to an English speaking class/school in the future.

That is really great that you had the chance to visit 6 other schools too! So your decision could really be founded on a comparison, which is great. At this stage of education (my son will attend nursery) it is probably easier because the kids don't spend so much time at school, etc. So I guess choosing the GEES was like the "safest" option for us.

I wish you all the best and maybe we will have the opportunity to meet!

Best wishes!