Dear VIS Community,

We are happy to share with you what are our plans for the school building this summer, derived from the decisions taken at the last Board of Governors (BoG) meeting.

•  The BoG approved the creation of safety barriers on the roof to enable a compliant and safe maintenance of the entire roof;
• The BoG approved the roof renovation above school wing A/B/C, to start during the summer and continue throughout the next school year. This includes:
  • new insulation (Saving of 195 619kwh/a),
  • green roof to supports the biodiversity and reduces the cooling need in the top floor, 
  • photovoltaic which will cover approximately 16% of our electricity need.
• The BoG approved the renovation of the Gym Changing rooms;
• The facade to the sports field;
• All changing rooms  will get a complete refit (floor heating, ceiling, tiling, showers, sinks, mirrors etc.);
• The corridors;
• An isolation room for the Medical Department.

The School Administrative Team will be working throughout the summer to organise and supervise the mentioned rennovation works, in order to have our community of students and teachers benefiting from them in the next school year.

Have a lovely summer!

Benjamin Kuscher, 

Business Manager

A reminder from last week that the End of Year Report will be available digitally in PDF format on ManageBac and in print format by the end of the day on Tuesday, 16 June. Printed copies will be distributed to students attending school onsite.  

Parents with students who remained at home during the Distance Learning period can collect the Report and their child’s belongings from the Dining Room during the last week of school. They should also drop off any iPads and books borrowed during this time. A table of lost and found items will also be available to search through.  

Reports not collected will be posted by mail. Belongings not collected will be kept for collection the following year. Lost and found items not collected will be donated or disposed of.

The Dining Room will be open for this at the following dates and time:

• Tuesday, 16 June: 8:30 to 9:30 and 14:00 to 15:00  
• Wednesday, 17 June: 8:30 to 9:30 and 14:00 to 15:00  
• Thursday, 18 June: 8:30 to 9:30 and 14:00 to 15:00  
• Friday, 19 June: 8:30 to 9:30

As the school year quickly draws to a close, please note the following:

• School ends on Friday, 19 June at 12:30. Teachers will continue to post learning online up until this day and time. Grade Levels that have posted learning through websites will open all pages from the year’s distance learning from the 17 June for those who wish to review.
• Lunch will continue to be served at 12:15 as it has since the reopening of school. There are no activities, events or supervision after 12:30 and buses will depart the school at 12:45.
• Parents of students who opted to remain at home from 18 May will have the opportunity to pick up their child’s belongings and End of Year Report from the Dining Room from Tuesday, 16 June to Friday, 19 June. Further details to follow next week.
• Parents of students in Grades 1-3 are asked to start returning the school-owned iPad, case and charger on these days 16 - 19 June). Learning will continue to be posted online as it has been, but families may need to access Seesaw, Google Classroom and/or Grade Level websites on personal devices during this time. 
• The End of Year Report will be available digitally in PDF format on ManageBac and in print format on Tuesday, 16 June. As in previous semesters, we have prepared a brief guide to reading the reports for parents - please click here to read the Primary School Parent Guide for Reading Reports. Printed copies will be distributed to students attending school onsite that day and posted by mail to families who opted to remain at home from 18 May and who have not collected it from the Dining Room as described above.  Please note that this final school report is an official document and should be kept safely as it cannot be issued again without a "Verlustanzeige" (police report) .
• The school will be closed to students from Saturday, 20 June to Thursday, 27 August.  If you have a child starting at VIS next year in 2020-21, the New Student Orientation day is Friday, 28 August.  All students return for the first day of school on Monday, 31 August at 08:30.  After this time students will be marked late or absent unless otherwise excused on Managebac.

A Big Thank You to all those who have already returned their Library Books. 

There are still many books outstanding and we would very much appreciate having them back before the summer break. There is a drop-off box at the gate for your convenience.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at  PrimaryLibraryTeam(at)vis.ac.at if you have any questions.

We are happy to email you details of the books on your account, so you know what items you are looking for.

Please search for Books, Magazines and DVDs that are available from the Secondary Library Catalogue here.

Please use this form to request items from the VIS Secondary Library Catalogue for collection.

Books will be made available for in-person collection. You will receive an email notification when your books are ready to pick-up from the Security Gate.

VIS believes in the academic benefits of practical music making. Many studies have shown the positive effects of playing an instrument and VIS invests a significant amount of resources and time in furthering the extra curricular music program. In the past few years, the VIS Band program has developed rapidly and has participated in many exciting performances on and off campus. 

Every student in Grade 5 may join the Beginner Band.  No previous knowledge is required. The tutors at lunchtime will teach the technical aspects of sound production and fingering, while the whole band rehearsal after school focuses on playing together and developing rhythm and musical expression.

Structure: 

Thursday is Band Day! 

Small ensemble rehearsals take place in various rooms at lunchtime from 11:45 to 12:25. Students will then proceed to eat their lunch to be back in class on time. 

After school rehearsals are held in the theatre from 15:15 to 16:00. Students must attend both components. Attendance of minimum 80% of the rehearsals is required. In addition to the performances mentioned below, students might also participate in assemblies and other performances during the school day.  

Our first lesson is Thursday, 10 September 2020. We will meet in the Octagon at 11:45 where you will meet your tutors. They will then lead you to the ensemble rooms. 

We have three concerts planned: 

• Thursday, 22 October 2020 18:00 - Autumn Concert (students have to be in school by 17:30)
• Thursday, 21 January 2021 18:00 - Winter Concert (students have to be in school by 17:30) 
• Thursday, 27 May 2021 18:00 - Summer Concert (students have to be in school by 17:30)

The school pays for a majority of the tuition fees and music. We ask for a nominal contribution of 100 Euros per semester. Students are expected to remain in the program for the entire year and participate in all concerts and dress rehearsals. 

• The Beginner Band runs from 10 September 2020 until 27 May 2021.
• Students are expected to practice the band pieces at home. A quality check will be done a week before the scheduled concerts. 

Performing Arts - Music ensemble participation contract - 2020-21:

Commitment: 

• Once I join an ensemble, I will commit to it, attend all scheduled rehearsals of the program, practice and remain in the group for the entire school year. The VIS code of conduct applies to all performing groups
• I will be open to play different genres of music and practice my technique. This also means that playing scales (for the instrumental groups) is expected.

Required concert outfit: 

• Black shoes, black socks, black dress trousers, black top with sleeves, 

OR 

• -Back dress with tights 
• VIS tie or scarf supplied by the department.

Communication: 

• I will read and reply to emails sent to my school email. 
• I understand that I have to inform Ms. Bottoms ebottoms@vis.ac.at and the ensemble leader wstengaards(at)vis.ac.at when I am unable to attend a rehearsal or performance. 

Fees: 

• VIS believes in the value of music making and covers the majority of the cost. You will be issued an invoice after the rehearsals have started. 

Photos and Video: 

I agree that VIS will take photos, video and audio recordings of my child during the performance and rehearsal. These can be published in school selected media (print, radio, TV, internet, etc.) without any financial remuneration.

• Students are expected to practice the band pieces at home. A quality check will be done a week before the scheduled concerts. 
• You can either provide your own instrument, or, if you wish, rent one through the VIS Performing Arts Department. Please contact us at ebottoms(at)vis.ac.at  if you wish to rent an instrument. The cost of renting an instrument is 187 Euros for the entire year.
•  If you wish to buy a flute, please use this model: https://m.thomann.de/at/thomann_fls_querfloete.htm

Repertoire: 

The music we play is a mix of traditional, classic and modern music.

Communication: 

For any questions or information, please contact us via email ebottoms(at)vis.ac.at