To end the school year on high note, the MYP classes all visited the Grande Dixence barrage during the last week of term. MYP 1 and 2 have been looking at renewable energy and Switzerland is a major producer of Hydro-Electric Power (HEP). A field trip of this type brings home the scale of such projects, going beyond what we can learn from books, photographs and videos. The details below, from the official website, give us an idea of the scale of this project, which is situated at 2’365 metres altitude.

‘Situated at the head of the Val des Dix, Grande Dixence is the highest gravity dam in the world, and something of a record-breaker! The height of its wall, 285 metres, remains unmatched. Its weight, approximately 15 million tonnes, makes it heavier than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The dam is 200 metres wide at its base. At the top it «slims down» to just 15 metres’.

The Grande Dixence hydroelectric power complex generates some 2 billion kWh of power per year and accounts for 20% of Switzerland’s energy storage capacity. It provides enough electricity to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes and it accounts for 20% of Switzerland’s energy storage capacity. 

The students were able to visit the interior of the barrage and hiked in the surrounding area, with some breathtaking views. Many were adventurous enough to try the zip wire which has recently been set up at the summit of the dam. In all, a great day out to finish off the school year.

The School Year 2019-2020 has now come to a close - and what an eventful year it has been! On Friday we had the final MYP assembly, during which the awards were made for academic points over the course of the 3rd Term. Congratulations to Jack, Hanna, Alexa and Angel for winning the points prizes for their respective classes. 

The periods of distance learning and then blended learning have been a challenge for teachers and students alike. I would like to thank all the teachers for their flexibility in adapting to the challenges of teaching in these very new circumstances. The vast majority of the students rose to the challenge and maintained a high level of application and resilience during the school closure. Some achieved outstanding results and showed their true qualities as independent learners. These skills will be vital for them as they move up through school. 

We are now looking forward to the School Year 2020-2021. We have exciting new projects for the coming academic year, not least of which is the move to Le Roc Campus for the Senior students in MYP 4 and 5. MYP 1-3 will also use the facilities in the new building, so everyone has plenty to look forward to! Have a great summer  - and see you in September!

On Friday, during our Primary Assembly, we talked about the importance of relationships. We discussed that families come in different shapes and sizes and that they protect and love us. The children enjoyed talking about why their family is special to them and what creates a `happy home`.

After a very long period out of school, we are happy to welcome back the students and hope that they are happy to see their friends again. We are proud of the effort they all made to work well and that the distance learning programme met their needs. With only a few weeks left and the end of term assessments on the horizon, they will have a busy few weeks ahead. We wish them the best of luck.

This term we are learning about recycling; looking at how to manage the different types of rubbish, which materials go in which bins. We also talked about the energy created, like the strength of the water, the wind, the sun and from humans. The students watched a video about a man in Africa who was not happy to see people leaving their old tires in the street, so he opened a workshop to give a second life to these tires. He built for example an amazing table. The students in Year 5 & 6 had to make a presentation by giving a second life to these objects that should have ended up in the bin. Liza, Nana and Sven are going to share with you some really good ideas that you can try to do at home.