Another Successful ISR Spring Festival

ISR International Spring Festival 2023

Saturday, 6 May 2023

What a wonderful Saturday we spent together at ISR this weekend for our annual ISR International Spring Festival; a celebration of our school community’s diversity, creativity, and commitment to excellence in education!

The campus was filled with laughter and joy as we welcomed over 1,000 guests on this glorious sunny day!

Our students presented many different projects that they have undertaken this year – from art to a student competition “The Art of Pi” and many more inspiring projects and activities for our visitors. Our teachers outdid themselves with hands-on activities that got students excited about their subjects, promoting learning and inspiring curiosity. Artificial Intelligence was also a significant theme this year and was featured in a variety of subjects to highlight the importance of technological literacy and innovation in today’s world.

In addition, a wide range of activities awaited the children in our schoolyard – from an impressive inflatable pirate ship and an obstacle course to pony rides, a lovingly designed stage program as well as an exciting scavenger hunt; there was a lot to see and explore!

Our student Jasmin led our guests through the varied program as Master of Ceremony and, together with her SLO® team, gave the children a special treat at the end when she handed out the raffle gifts.

Food was in abundance with an excellent selection provided by our parent network’s Taste of the World Buffet. Here visitors could taste local delights from all over the world, from Germany, Turkey, India, cuisine from the Mediterranean and Russian-speaking Communities, America, China, and Japan. Cold drinks, coffees and cookies were supplied by Broich Catering, and we had wonderful barista coffee from an Italian Coffee Bike.

Rounding out the beautiful event were our dedicated cooperation partners that we had the pleasure of welcoming on the day! We thank our partners for their time and visit on Saturday:
Ballet for girls, boys, & adults by Claudia Peltzer, Musicbox Oxana, RKM740, Amerika Haus NRW, Zweelo, Dr. Beate Jürgens & Partner Zahnärzte, PSV, Broich Catering, DEG, Lions Club Neuss Novaesia

and Melanie Osterried Photography for the amazing photos.

Events like the ISR International Spring Festival help us to strengthen our ties and build new connections at the same time. It is through such events that we can celebrate our shared values, traditions, and aspirations, and foster a sense of belonging and togetherness.

A thoroughly successful family event for all – and we’re already looking forward to our next community events at ISR!

by Annika Poestges

Another Successful Participation in the Cherry Blossom Festival in Meerbusch

Sunday, 23 April 2023

On a beautiful Sunday, ISR once again participated in the vibrant Kirschblütenfest in Meerbusch. This year, our dedicated students were there to represent our school and bring smiles to the faces of younger visitors with their creative face painting and glitter tattoos. We were thrilled to see how the children’s faces lit up as they admired their new, colorful decorations.

Our VR goggles were also a hit at the festival, allowing us to demonstrate the modern technology that we use in our classrooms. Children and adults alike were amazed by the virtual reality experience and its potential for learning and exploration. It was wonderful to see how eager and curious everyone was to learn more about our educational approach.

We wish to express our sincere appreciation to our committed students for their dedication and enthusiasm in representing ISR at the festival. We would also like to extend a huge thank you to the organizers of the 3rd Kirschblütenfest for hosting such a wonderful event and providing us with the opportunity to connect with the local community. Lastly, we would like to thank all the families who visited our booth, and we hope to see you soon at ISR to learn more about our exceptional educational program.

by Annika Poestges

Charity Concert in cooperation with the AIWCD

Friday, 31 May 2023

The International School on the Rhine and the American International Women’s Club of Düsseldorf e.V. joined forces to organize a benefit concert to raise funds for the victims of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The event, which featured the renowned pianist Robin Goldsby (Piano Girl), was a resounding success, raising a total of 7,695 euros from around 100 guests in attendance and students at ISR, as they contributed to the cause by raising 2,500 euros through a Penny Race.

Throughout the evening, Robin Goldsby played ten carefully selected pieces to captivate the audience and create a memorable experience for all. The proceeds of the benefit concert will be donated to Aktion Deutschland Hilft, which will ensure that the aid goes directly to those affected by the disaster.

During the event, the Turkish Consul General in Düsseldorf, Ayşegül Gökçen Karaarslan, expressed her gratitude for the generous donations and reminded attendees of the long-lasting impact of natural disasters on communities. ISR and the American International Women’s Club have been working together for several years. The success of the benefit concert was made possible by the support of many partners, restaurants, and members of the Turkish community at ISR who provided a delectable buffet for the guests.

Overall, the benefit concert was a heartwarming success that brought the community together to support those in need!

by Annika Poestges

Three Special Guests Visited our ISR Kindergarten

Thursday, 23 March 2023

We are delighted to announce that Pony Pumuckel, the smallest pony in the world, made a special visit to ISR and brought immense joy and excitement to our ISR Kindergarten children!

Pumuckel, accompanied by two friends, allowed our little ones to pet and care for them in small groups, providing a wonderful social and emotional experience for our children as they learned to connect and care for animals. We are extremely grateful to Pony Pumuckel and his friends for this unique experience!

by Annika Poestges

ISR IB Art Exhibition

Successful ISR IB Art Exhibition

Wednesday, 15 March 2023

Yesterday, we proudly opened our ISR IB Art Exhibition, featuring the impressive artwork of five of our exceptionally talented students. Ms. Henebry, our talented art teacher, introduced each student’s unique themes and provided insight into their impressive works. Our School Director, Ms. Lyons, along with Mr. Cete, Deputy Director, and Ms. McGee, Head of Upper School, each addressed our extraordinary twelfth graders, praising their outstanding achievements. Following their remarks, guests, including parents and interested teachers and staff, were invited to take a closer look at the impressive pieces on display. There, our students provided further insight into their artwork to the visitors.

The ISR IB Art Exhibition features the incredible artworks of Arthur, Beatrice, Gabriela, Syed, and Elisabeth. Their works explore a range of topics such as, growing-up; the housewife as a symbol for the unequal treatment of men and women; drawing attention to over-construction and deforestation and the inherent beauty in letting nature take over; my identity as a Bangladeshi and how power, spirituality, and elegance come together to create the incredible living thing a horse is. We are truly proud of all our students for their hard work and dedication!

The exhibition is open until April 19th and can be visited from Monday through Friday between 7:30 – 8:30 AM and from 3:30 – 5:00 PM. We’re looking forward to seeing you there to explore the wonderful artwork created by our students.

by Annika Poestges

International Women’s Day

Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Today, people all over the world celebrate International Women’s Day!

The day has been celebrated since 1911, when it was first introduced in Germany, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, and the USA to demand equal rights and the right to vote for women. Years later, International Women’s Day was established on March 8th. Since then, International Women’s Day has come to represent the importance of women’s independence, strength, and potential for positive change.

To commemorate this day, we asked our students and staff the question:

“Which women inspired you most in life and why?”

The answers are a testament to all the women we are celebrating today in the world – enjoy watching this heartwarming video!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, ISR!

by Annika Poestges

Hina Matsuri Celebration at ISR

Friday, 3 March 2023

Today, we celebrated the joyous occasion of Hina Matsuri, the Japanese Girls’ Day. Our kindergarten hallways have been beautifully decorated by our dedicated Japanese Community in honor of this special day, and both our kindergarten children and staff have dressed festively to mark the occasion. At 2 PM, we were joined by members of our Japanese Community, who celebrated this wonderful tradition with us.

From the end of February to March 3rd, families traditionally create a display of Hina Dolls in their homes to celebrate the good health and happiness of girls everywhere. It is believed that these dolls will protect children from accidents, illnesses, and any other harm, making them a symbol of security and well-being. This tradition has its origins in ancient Japan and is still practiced today to bring good luck and blessings to girls all around the world.

We are very grateful to our Japanese Community for their dedication and hard work in ensuring that the hallways were beautifully decorated, and for supporting the event.

To learn more about Hina Matsuri, please visit: https://matcha-jp.com/en/753.

by Annika Poestges

Chinese Consul General Du visited ISR

Monday, 28 November 2022

Last week, we were honored to welcome Chinese Consul General Du, Consul Lu, and Consul He of Düsseldorf’s Chinese Consulate, to ISR. The members of the Chinese Consulate were warmly greeted by our ISR Management Team as well as excited KG children.

After we welcomed our guests, they received a guided school tour by two of our students from upper school, accompanied by our ISR School Director, Ms. Lyons as well as Ms. Hoffmann, our Representative of the Chinese Community at ISR.

After Consul General Du and his colleagues had gained a full impression of ISR, they gathered in our entrance hall, where members of the German-Chinese Association of Neuss, as well as Chinese ISR Families, were waiting. Following on, Consul General Du held an impressive keynote lecture about cultural exchange. In his speech, he mentioned that it is especially important for him to be there for the Chinese community to continue and share their culture and tradition. Language is an integral part of integration, therefore he has been learning German since his second day in Germany. Consul General Du positively commented on ISR and was very enthusiastic about our philosophy and education system.

To conclude, everyone was invited to delicious finger food and beverages for an opportunity for further exchange. There, ISR parents and guests of the German-Chinese Association had the chance to get to know Consul General Du, Consul Lu, and Consul He personally. After their open discussion, our management team deepened the conversations in our conference room and talked about further cooperation opportunities such as advanced Chinese teaching at ISR and joint events.

We sincerely thank Consul General Du, Consul Lu, and Consul He for their visit at ISR – it was a pleasure welcoming and exchanging with them! We would like to also thank Ms. Dong (ISR mother) and her catering company “Fröhlich” for sponsoring this delicious food.

by Annika Poestges

ISR at the Diwali Celebration

Monday, 7 November 2022

Again, we were honored to be one of the sponsors of the annual Diwali Celebration of our partner and friends, the Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft Düsseldorf (DIG) this year. Last Friday evening, ten representatives joined in the colorful Diwali Celebration in Ratingen.

Diwali is one of the most important Indian festivals, which is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. The evening was opened with a few welcome words by members of the association, the Mayor of Ratingen Mr. Pesch, Consul General of India, Dr. Telang, and Ms. Koch, Head of Culture & Integration Düsseldorf. Afterwards, various dance performances were shown, and all guests enjoyed them a lot. We are delighted that we were once again part of this wonderful celebration, and we are looking forward to many more international celebrations with our community!

by Annika Poestges

ISR Open House 2022

Successful ISR Open House 2022

Saturday, 22 October 2022

Decorated hallways, colorful balloons, and a motivated and excited team of educators and staff welcomed hundreds of guests, interested families, and friends of ISR today on the occasion of ISR Open House 2022!

Guests were treated to a diverse program of demo lessons in various subjects and grade levels, a Subject Hallway, creative art exhibits, hands-on activities and experiments in our Science Labs, and numerous information booths from our dedicated collaborative partners.

Our music department delighted the visitors with several concerts, with which our guests were welcomed in the foyer at the beginning. Our sports department was responsible for an action-packed sports program in our sports hall and our IT department once again provided for many astonished faces by presenting our virtual reality glasses, which let the children dive into the depths of the oceans, as well as with our 3D printer, with which the children could print red ISR coins! Our kindergarten locations from Düsseldorf and Meerbusch were also represented and were able to tell interested families more about our educational offer of their kindergarten locations.

Interested families could learn more about the kindergarten as well as our school through various presentations. Moreover, our guests were invited to take part in a student-led school tour in different languages organized by our SLO® department.

Our dedicated ISR Parent Network provided physical well-being, which lovingly decorated the school’s cafeteria with flags from all over the world. Drinks were provided by Broich Catering as well as a Coffee-Bike, which offered various coffee specialties for the guests.

An all-around successful celebration with many highlights, which we will not forget!

We sincerely thank all parents, students, teachers, staff, and our cooperation partners, without whom this unique and successful event would not have been possible!