25th April 2024
Whole School Announcements
Medication on Overnight trips
Friendly reminder from our school nurse Ms Best
Following the German law we always need the completed and signed form to support your child(ren) in taking medicine. Daily and non-prescription medication must be brought from home and will be kept by teachers. The medicine needs to be handed in in their original packaging, labelled with the full name of your child(ren), including the medication authorisation form (emergency medication authorization form) and in a clear zip-locked bag. Please hand in everything together to your classroom/trip teacher latest on the last school day before the start of the school trip. Emergency medication which is already stored in school will be taken from there by the trip teacher and does not need to be given separately. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our school nurse.
Emergency medication authorisation form
Filming at MSF: Your Consent Needed!
3rd May, Friday
To update our website videos filmed during corona times, we will be producing new videos. On the same day we will have a film crew from Sparkasse filming MSF. If you haven’t filled in the form yet please consider giving your permission to film your child(ren) in order to illustrate school life and learning activities as they are today.
Please fill in the form
Head Parents seek a new Deputy Head Parent Representative!
If you are energetic, community-oriented, and have some time to share, Sara Rosensteel and Jutta Petznick would love to meet you and chat about what the position entails.
More information about the position
Friends of MSF invites you to join their team!
Would you like to meet new members of our wonderful MSF community? Do you enjoy organising events with a great group of friends? Would you like to work closely with MSF’s Senior Leadership Team?
If yes, please contact friendsofmsf@msf.education for further details!
Community Forum: MSF Pinboard on Facebook
If you would like to share/request information relevant to the MSF community – for example about renting, selling or buying an apartment, a bicycle, home accessories, or about searching/offering tutoring etc, please use our closed group on Facebook.
Regarding MSF
School Website: www.m-school.de
Login for the Parent Zone (password: inspiration20)
School Calendar 2023-2025: the school calendar is available on our website.
Managebac Guide: for some tips on how to use Managebac please click here.
ManageBac Login: Attendance System and Messages to Parents
Parent & Student Handbook: General Handbook / EY Handbook / PRI Handbook / SEC Handbook
School Forms: https://m-school.de/community/parent-zone/msf-forms-handbook/
Update your contacts: If you have changed any of your contact details (email / mobile number/home address/employer etc.), please let us know so that all our databases can be accurately updated. https://forms.gle/9tbgMt988KT8wNnq7
Other information
Information from the nurse
We can all help control the spread of infectious diseases through early recognition and action. A sick student could contaminate staff and students, and this is particularly dangerous for our immuno-compromised and pregnant community members. Therefore, it is the parents responsibility to keep a sick child or a child who appears to become sick at home. Please report all cases of infectious diseases directly to our school office, as this will help us to monitor conditions and prevent the spread of illnesses. Any student suspected of having an infectious disease must be seen by a doctor, as only the doctor can properly diagnose illnesses. A list of the most common notifiable diseases and more information about them can be found Here.
As a quick guide, you should not send your child to school if any of the following symptoms are present:
Temperature above 38°C
Acute cold, sore throat or persistent cough
Vomiting, nausea or severe abdominal pain
Diarrhoea
Red inflamed or discharging eyes
Suspected and untreated head lice
Acute skin rashes or eruptions
Other symptoms of acute illness
Please remember, your child should be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to school after illness. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Infectious Diseases: Please see this useful website about infectious diseases. You can download the information in other languages as well.
Notification of Head Lice: Please find detailed information from our nurse about the right treatment here.
Home Language Support UPDATE: we are happy to inform you that we have an opportunity to support the following home languages: Turkish, Ukrainian, French, Hindi, Russian reading & handwriting (Primary) and literature (Secondary). Thank you to those parents who have offered their support. Please fill in the form so that we can get the ball rolling with this grassroots project. Please note, these classes are aimed at home language students, they are not currently aimed at students new to the language. See more: expression of interest form
Car Pooling: If you are interested in car pooling, you can connect with each other via an interactive map. Add your location, if interested. This is to avoid the data protection restrictions. Please have a look at this guide.
Message from Ms Henkel & Ms Orgler
As educators, we are continuously reflecting on our approaches to teaching and are having discussions about students and the concerns of parents. We are observing an uncertainty in the upbringing of children, not only but also due to the impact of social media. Being parents ourselves, we often feel swamped with pedagogical advice of all sorts of forms. When reading through it, the expectation for parents seems to be high – not to say “no” to children, to always give them a choice and to stay calm at all times in order not to risk trauma. However, this is neither helpful for the child and certainly not authentic. Children rely on caregivers for guidance in making age-appropriate decisions and navigating their emotions. Sometimes, a clear “no” is the most loving way to uphold personal beliefs and values. Clear boundaries foster frustration tolerance and perseverance, crucial for personal growth. If this is a topic that you wish to further inquire about, the following book by famous family therapist Jesper Juul could be a great source of inspiration for you: “No! The Art of Saying No! With a Clear Conscience”.
School Event Calendar – please check it regularly for details about announced events and dates.
Parent Rep Meeting Minutes
Next meeting: 23rd May, Thursday
Parent Workshop “Neurodiversity Round Table” with Tiffany Gibson & Maike Boeff
30th April, Tuesday, 19:30
What does it mean to be neurodivergent? Our children think and learn differently. Let’s embrace their super powers! Open discussion for interested parents. More information and the invitation link
Reminder: Bridge Day Registration
10th May 2024
Please register your child for this bridge day for food orders and staff planning. The kindergarten closes at 15:30 on this day.
Kindergarten Frogs & Ladybirds
Kindergarten Butterflies & Turtles
Handout: Parent Workshop “Nutritious snack box ideas for fussy eaters”
Handout of the workshop by Mrs Zsofia Pasztor
Action Required: Student Led Conferences (SLC)
Please register for your child’s Student Led Conference using the links below. If you are unable to attend, please contact your child’s teacher.
Kindergarten Butterflies
Kindergarten Frogs
Kindergarten Ladybirds
Kindergarten Turtles
Transition Bumblebees
Transition Dragonflies
Transition Fireflies
Late Arrivals
If you arrive late, please let us know via Managebac & when you arrive, check in with the main office team. They will then update Managebac to mark your child as present.
Important Links & Forms
Electronic form for planned student absences (for absences of more than 2 days)
EY Parent and Student Handbook
Message from Mr Wragg
Happy Passover to all our families who are currently celebrating! It really is a busy time of year with lots going on between now and the summer. May is filled with short weeks which can be both positive and negative, great to have long weekends, but the flow of the learning during these weeks is a little interrupted. Due to these holidays and the approaching summer, it is a time of year when I start receiving a lot of requests for students to have additional time off school. Families always provide very good reasons for extending long weekends or leaving a few days early for the summer break and I do emphasise the complexities faced by our international families with regards to travel. However, MSF is bound by German law when it comes to granting student leave beyond the fixed holidays. We can only grant ‘excused’ absence for very specific reasons, usually linked to immediate family celebrations or specific religious holidays. So, most of the requests will be denied. This does not mean your child can not miss school at that time (although we do not recommend it) it just means they will be marked absent without excuse and, in extreme cases, this could lead to the family receiving a fine or being restricted from travel. Enjoy the sunny days ahead and try to stick to the assigned holidays, whenever possible.
School Event Calendar – please check it regularly for details about announced events and dates.
Congratulations MSF Foxes!
This week we attended the Grade 4 Football tournament at European School in Bad Vilbel. MSF took a mixed team to compete against 8 schools from the region in an all day Soccer Tournament. The team did really well and finished 2nd overall. Their coaches, Ms B and Ms Aun, also got an award for being the most supportive and enthusiastic teachers. Well done everyone – Go Foxes!
Fourth Grade School Cycling Competition
Various primary schools in Frankfurt and Germany take part in the School Cycling Competition. Students and teachers collect individually as many kilometres by bike as possible over a campaign period of three weeks, starting on 1st May. The fourth-graders at MSF and their teachers will be taking part for the first time this year. This is a wonderful addition to their cycling test, which is coming up soon. There is a prize for the most bicycle-active school! If this goes well this year we will open it up for other grades next year.
Interschool Athletics Events
8th May, Wednesday
Grade 3-5 will compete in a Touch Rugby Tournament at 1880 Rugby Club in Frankfurt
Class Mixing for Next School Year
By Friday 3rd May
Every year we remix the classes giving the students an opportunity to make new friends and experience a new dynamic in class. However, we understand that it is preferable for students to keep some familiarity during this change and therefore ask for feedback from teachers, students and families regarding peer groupings and friendships. We do not guarantee that we can meet all requests but we will carefully consider feedback.
Please complete this form
Next Parent Rep Meeting: Update
7th May, Tuesday, 8.30
This change of date is due to Mr Wragg assisting with the Rugby Tournament on the 8th. On the agenda we will talk about Clubs and Ms Brooke will come and present some information about competitive sports in the primary school. As always this meeting is open to all parents who might be interested in hearing about these topics.
Important Links and Forms
Primary Students Leave of Absence form
Tutoring: If you are looking for a tutor for your child please complete this form.
School Event Calendar – please check it regularly for details about announced events and dates.
Whole Secondary School
Counsellors’ Corner
In April, the school counsellors Ms. Steppacher & Ms. Patel started to address financial wellness with students on Wellness Wednesdays. This aspect of wellness focuses on gaining personal financial knowledge, developing money skills, and completing tasks to meet one’s basic needs. Want to continue the conversation at home?
Interactive website to explore how much money your child might need to finance their desired lifestyle!
From the Athletics Director
Spring Sports Season
8th April – 14th June
All sport practices have started. Those that missed the deadline for registration should contact Mr. Kerr
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Middle School (Grade 6 – 8)
Grade 8 Bake Sale
22nd May, Wednesday, 15:00-16:00
Grade 8 will hold a bake sale at the Cafeteria. Come by and enjoy some cake!
Grade 8 – Selection form IGCSE subjects
24th May – 29th of May
Students have been given the IGCSE Subjects Selection Form on the 24th of April. The forms are not to be returned before the 24th of May!!
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High School (Grade 9 – 12)
Updated: Grade 10 & 12 Exams (26th April – 5th June)
G10 students will sit the IGCSE exams from the 26th of April to the 5th of June
G12 students will sit the IB exams from the 24th of April to the 17th of May
Grade 10 Harvard Model Congress
10th June -12th June
Please be informed that a post was sent through ManageBac to all G10 parents providing signup, payment and program details. The Harvard Model Congress is a compulsory G10 event held from June 10th-12th on the MSF campus. Fill in the form by 3rd May.
Grade 10 IB Bootcamp on Campus
13th – 14th June
Introduction to IB course subjects: TOK, EE and CAS.
Grade 10 Work Experience
17th – 28th June
Grade 10 will attend 10 days of work experience. There will be no school during this time. The forms to register for the work experience can be found on ManageBac.
Grade 9 Bronze and Grade 10 Silver Final Expedition
G10 Silver Award: 3rd – 5th July, G9 Bronze Award: 3rd – 4th July
The G9 and G10 students will go on an adventurous expedition for the final requirement to receive the Duke of Edinburgh award.
Grade 10 – CAS Trip (23rd – 27th Sep 2024 for Grade 11s)
MSF is taking Grade 11 students (current Grade 10s) on an experiential learning CAS trip to Prague, Czech Republic!
Late registrations for this trip should complete this sign up form
Grade 10 students: Get ready for your IGCSE exams
Grade 10 students and parents: IB evening presentation
Grade 11: Extended Essay Work Week 13th-17th May
IB exam schedule: Official IB schedule, May 2024
May 2024 IB Exams Schedule (24th April – 17th May 2024)
May 2024 IGCSE Exams Schedule (26th April – 5th June 2024)
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Academic Integrity: It is the cornerstone of our education, guiding us not only within the school but in all our endeavours.
See more: Academic Integrity for IA
The LP (Learner Profile) ideas for IB parents: Let’s work together to empower our students to embody the ideal IB learner, well-prepared to navigate the challenges of life beyond the classroom, all while emphasising the importance of the Learner Profile. Today we will carry on with parents helping their child to be thinker.