Newsletter - 7 February
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Coronavirus Update
On the Thursday, 30 January the WHO declared the 2019-nCov outbreak an emergency of international concern. Based on information published on Tuesday, 4 February by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there are still no confirmed cases in Austria. In my last message, I shared some simple strategies that all families can follow to reduce the risk of contracting viruses. This message is to share a protocol that has been agreed among schools in our region who are either hosting events for students from other schools or sending students to sporting and non-sporting events. We have agreed the following checks to be carried out prior to students travelling:
- Staff responsible for supervising students who are going on a school trip will check the child’s temperature before departure (supervising staff will be equipped with contactless thermometers). If a temperature of 38 degrees centigrade or higher is recorded then the student will be sent home.
- Parents will be asked to inform the supervising staff if their child has been exposed to persons who have travelled from China in the past 14 days.
- If a school is hosting an event or activity the host families must verify that all family members are free from elevated temperatures.
As we currently have children travelling for sports and for drama events, these procedures have come into effect starting this week. If your children are travelling please take a few minutes to talk to your children about what they can expect to happen and why. Parents and guardians are reminded that it is their responsibility to collect a child who becomes ill on a school trip – therefore all the more important to ensure that they are well before they travel.
It is our intent to keep our sports and activities programmes running as normally as possible until travel advisories recommend restrictions. Thank you for your support in keeping our children safe and healthy!
Staff Working Day & February Break
A reminder to all parents that Friday, 14 February is a Staff Working Day and the School will be closed to students. VIS will reopen after the February break on Monday, 24 February.
It is our belief that regular and punctual attendance play an important role in student achievement and well-being. It is the responsibility of parents/ guardians to support students in attending school regularly/ punctually and to communicate reasons for absence on ManageBac. The School monitors attendance and punctuality in support of students and ask all parents to provide any information related to absence through this system in a timely way.
- Attendance excusals should be submitted using ManageBac before 08:30.
- When submitting an excusal, parents need to select the number of days of absence. For absences for less than one day, select the ‘1 day’ option and use the comment section to explain.
- It is not necessary to provide full details of the reason for absence or lateness; summary information is sufficient e.g. “Jane will be absent for health reasons” is sufficient.
- The School will no longer be accepting emails to teachers or emails or phone calls to the Primary/Secondary Office as not all staff can access needed information to ensure student safety (ex. the Teacher is away and the substitute does not receive the information).
Please find below a short tutorial on how to mark an Attendance Excusal on ManageBac.
Please note that the Photo Retake Day will take place next Wednesday, 12 February, for the students who were absent or newly admitted after the original Photo Day in September. Soon after the photo session, you will be able to purchase the photos of your child/ ren, if desired. For purchasing, please follow the instructions explained HERE, using the login details your child/ ren will be receiving in an access slip upon having his/ her/ their picture taken. For any additional questions related to the photo purchasing, please contact service(at)demfort.at.
Dear Parents,
Last week we began the Exhibition process in Grade 5. One of the most exciting aspects of the PYP Exhibition is our students working with mentors. These mentors come from the entire VIS community. Our aim is to ask for your support to achieve a 1:2 ratio of mentors to students. We are also looking for parents who feel that they are able to offer expertise in particular areas, who would then be able to act as Expert Mentors for students.
Please find the form below to fill out if you can support the Grade 5’s through their Exhibition, we would greatly appreciate your time. The form also gives more information regarding approximate time commitments and expectations for the different roles.
Thank you for your consideration and involvement!
The Grade 5 Team
"SeeSaw for Parents" Workshop
Please RSVP to our SeeSaw for Parents Workshop on Thursday, 13 February from 08:45 - 10:00 in the Secondary Aula. The session will cover the basics of how SeeSaw works, how to connect to your child's account, and how to provide constructive praise and feedback that supports your child's reflection and goal setting process. Please remember to sign and return SeeSaw Parent Consent Form that was distributed last week to your class teacher. If you require another copy of the form, please click the link above.
Today marks the 100th Day of School and is a great time to celebrate how much we know and are learning about numbers! Younger students can try to count to 100 or see how far they get when they take 100 steps. Older students can apply what they know about place value and count by 100 to 1,000 or 10,000. What happens to amounts when we multiply them by 100? Is there someone in your family that is almost 100 years old perhaps? What other things can you think about as families that celebrate this special day?
In recognition of our Host Country culture, we will celebrate Fasching (Mardi Gras/Carnival) in the Primary School on Tuesday, 25 February.
We celebrate the occasion in a few ways which we want to draw your attention to here.
Mini-Krapfen
After lunch on this day, the school provides a tasty traditional mini-Krapfen (donut filled with apricot jam) to all students. Please find the ingredients list linked here from the provider, Ströck.
If your child has a dietary restriction and should NOT eat the krapfen, we kindly ask you to let your child’s class teacher know by email no later than 24 February.
Costumes and Parade
Students are also encouraged to bring a costume to school and participate in the annual Faschings Day Parade from 14:15 onward. Parents are invited to attend the parade in the Mall and are also encouraged to dress up!
Some points to consider:
- Please send your child(ren) to school with the costume in a separate bag. They will be given a chance to change into them during the day.
- Toy weapons such as guns, knives and swords are not permitted
- Note that pictures are not permitted under GDPR regulations. Photos will be taken by the school and shared through its official channels after the necessary consents have been obtained.
- To help ensure parents have an opportunity to see their child(ren) in the parade and to manage the audience in general, grade levels will have staggered start and end times for the parade. Please see details below for start and end times.
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we look forward to welcoming you to the Primary School Parent Teacher Student Conferences which take place on:
- Wednesday, 11 March (13:00 to 17:30)
- Thursday, 19 March (13:00 to 17:30)
The Parent Evening Booking System will be open for appointment sign ups starting on Tuesday, 11 February at 19:00. Click here for details on signing in to the booking system and selecting your appointment slots.
The booking system will close on the evening of Tuesday,10 March at 23:55. On 12 March, we will reopen the system for parents to make bookings or changes to bookings that take place on the Thursday,19 March.
Primary School students will be dismissed at 12:45 and school buses will depart at 13:13. There will no After School Activities and Sports, VISMA, Mother Tongue lessons, Dutch School or Extended Day Programme (After School Care) on these days. Please make arrangements for pick-up and/or alternative care arrangements on these afternoons.
Students in ELC, Grade Primary and Grade 1 do not attend the conferences while students in Grade 2-5 are encouraged to attend. We kindly ask you to indicate this in the notes section of the booking if this is the case.
Child care will be available in Gym C for ELC to G1 students and students who attend VIS that are siblings of other VIS students who are attending conferences. Parents attending the Primary and/or Secondary School conferences can register sibling(s) in Gym C in order to attend conferences with individual children. Parents must pick their child(ren) up from Gym C immediately following the completion of the conferences and make sure to sign them out. While childcare is available for students listed above, parents must still pick up their child at 12:45 in the mall and octagon and supervise them until their conference time.
**Please note that it is not possible for ELC and Grade Primary parents to sign up for appointments for Art, German, Library and Drama, but can sign-up for PE and Music. This is a correction from last week’s message. Our goals in Art and Drama at that age are to explore artistic and drama concepts and techniques in playful ways, to engage in interactions with each other as well as to have fun and develop a positive attitude towards learning art and drama. Likewise, our goals for students in German at that age are to listen to, use the German language in a playful way, engage in social interactions with each other as well as to have fun and develop a positive attitude towards learning German.
Although we plan our lessons for our youngest students carefully and - in Grade Primary German, group them to meet their individual needs - progress against individual specific academic expectations is not part of our programme at this level. If you are looking for ways to support your child in German, please look at our suggestions on the German Website.
The conference is a chance for parents, teachers and students to work together in support of the child’s learning. Your child’s class teacher will be sharing general information about how your child has settled into the year so far, their strengths and areas to focus on for development in the year. You may also come prepared with some questions and information that your child’s class teacher may find helpful. To help make the most of the conference session, please feel free to check out this handy Guide to Conference Discussions for parents.
Message from the Principal
Dear Secondary Community,
Please remember that next week is a short week for students. The last day of classes is Thursday, 13 February. Teachers will be busy on Friday at school working together in one of our Professional Learning Days. I hope everyone has a pleasant break!
Progress Reports. Please remember that progress reports will be uploaded to ManageBac on Tuesday, 11 February. Parents, please log is ASAP to view your child’s report.
Parent – Student – Teacher Conferences
We are pleased to invite you to the Parent Student Teacher Conferences which will be held Wednesday, 11 March and Thursday, 19 March from 14:00 to 18:30. The conference days will only be half-days of lessons for all Secondary School students. School will end at 12:21 for Grade 6 – 8 and 13:04 for Grade 9 – 12. All appointments for the Parent – Student – Teacher Conferences are made using the online appointment schedule that will open on Wednesday, 11 February at 19:00. An Email will arrive today with detailed guidance on making appointments with teachers. We ask that the students come with their parents and participate in conferences. The conferences are aimed at facilitating a conversation about student learning that involves the student in the conversation. We believe that when the school and the home works with the same aims, student learning has the greatest chance of success.
Coronavirus. Updates regarding the Coronavirus as it relates to school will be sent via email. Please ensure that you take the time to read these emails carefully to remain informed.
Travelling Panthers. Good luck to all our traveling artists and athletes this weekend. We are sure you will make VIS proud.
Warm Regards.
Last week, a group of VIS Grade 10s and 11s were given the opportunity to attend the Harvard Model United Nations Conference in Boston, Massachusetts.
Each VIS student represented the Delegation of Kiribati in their respective committees, which were full of draining yet always engaging debates, enduring on through the night with sessions lasting up to 23:30!
Challenging their skills in diplomacy, speech-giving, and debate, three delegates from VIS even received awards for their persisting efforts and outstanding achievements. Luca Zannier (G11) and Matthew Hogg (G10), double delegates, were awarded a Diplomatic Commendation in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific for their work in (ISSUE). Moreover, Gregor Kossmann (G11) was awarded the Honorable Mention of the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee of the General Assembly.
Committees at HMUN varied from approx. 10 to 400 delegates per committee making HMUN 2020 the most attended MUN conference in the world with over 5000 members, truly providing for a vibrant and unique experience.
Despite the long hours of debate and sleepless nights the students were still able to explore the beautiful city of Boston, and stroll through the Harvard University Campus guided by former VIS alumni and current Harvard Student, Robert Kossmann. All in all, it was an amazing trip where the delegates had an exceptional time!
The English and ELA departments are very excited to have co-jointly organized a grade-specific prose writing competition for MYP Grades 6-10 students. The project is being launched this week with all the competition information accessible by all MYP students. The deadline for students to submit their work is Thursday, 23 April at 16:00. They should submit their work to the following Email address: viswritingcomp(at)student.vis.ac.at
The goal of the competition is to challenge students to showcase their talents and ideas by focusing on the theme of An Alternative Future. The aim is to encourage students, both ELA and mainstream English students, to create original work so they may explore and examine meaning, concepts, form, and points of views, and at the same time, to provide a platform for students to exhibit their literary work. The winning entries will be published.
The judges from both departments will read all entries and determine a winner from each grade. Special prizes will also be awarded and the presentation of prizes will take place in June 2020.
Should there be any queries, students are asked to contact their English teacher. In the Intranet you can find last years' winners texts.
Looking forward to your participation and creative texts!
Dear Secondary School Students,
VIS will be hosting the Science Fair again next year on the Saturday, 21 March 2020 and we are looking forward to your participation with a project in any area of natural sciences, design, and engineering. The theme of the fair is ‘Vienna – Cradle of Science’ coordinated by the IAEA – Women in Nuclear, and UN Institute of Nuclear Materials Management. Please share your ideas for projects and/or activity you may wish to organize on the day, and sign up with your science teachers by the end of January 2020. We will then be meeting and working on the projects. Science Fair is a wonderful opportunity to express your interests, interact with students from other schools and scientists from the UN, as well as to get an award for your efforts.
The most important details are here:
Website with instructions for participation and the rules for the project
Registration (Closing Date: Monday, 16 March)
Looking forward to your participation and creative projects!
The Science Department
Re-Enrolment 2020-2021
URGENT! This message targets the parents of 89 students who still have not expressed their children’s Re-enrolment decisions for the upcoming academic year, 2020-2021, and who have been sent another reminder by email today, Friday afternoon. The deadline for indicating your child/ren’s Re-enrolment status for 2020-2021 is approaching. It is next Friday, 14 February 2020 when you must have indicated one of the following options, YES, NO or UNDECIDED. In case you are unable to make a final Re-enrolment decision before the deadline, please indicate UNDECIDED as this option will allow you to make a final decision later in spring or summer. Please be aware that unless you have indicated one of the three options by Friday, 14 February 2020 and your child/ren will be leaving school at the end of the current academic year, you will not be entitled to a refund of the deposit that you paid when your child/ren joined VIS.
Please remember that the email addresses that you shared with the school and where the initial Re-enrolment message and the reminders were sent to, might actually not be your work email address but your private email address. In case you have any questions regarding the Re-enrolment process for 2020-2021 please send an email to annualre-enrolment(at)vis.ac.at.
The Admissions Office has already received a great number of complete applications for next academic year. Many thanks to those of you who applied early. In grades where we know that we have a great number of vacancies available (ELC, GP, G1, G2, G6, G9) the Admissions Coordinator started with first offers already. For all other grades we will start to offer places after the deadline for the annual Re-enrolment, 14 February, or as soon as we know that we have places vacant. If you have a child in your family that you wish to apply for please start the application process as soon as possible as the application date plays an important role in the admissions process. Applications can only be done online. Please follow this link to complete an online application for your child. In case you have any questions please contact the Admissions Team directly on admissions(at)vis.ac.at.
If, for any reason, you need to withdraw your child from VIS you are asked to send a written notice to the Admissions Office, admissions(at)vis.ac.at. The following is an excerpt of the annually published VIS tuition fees schedule 2019-2020, page 5:
Early Departures: Parents/Guardians may terminate the schooling contract prematurely before its expiration at the end of the school year by way of a notice in writing to the Admissions Coordinator. The termination takes effect at the end of the second (2nd) calendar month following the month of receipt of the notice by VIS, unless the notice expressly states that the termination take effect on the last day of a later month. Unless notice is given in writing, fees will continue to be charged and the deposit will not be returned.
School Fees are calculated pro rata on the basis of complete calendar months, are payable until the termination takes effect. If the termination takes effect at the end of the month of May, School Fees are payable until the end of the school year. Unless notice is given in writing, fees will continue to be charged and the deposit will not be reimbursed. For example: If you must withdraw your child/ren from VIS at the end of April 2020, you will have to notify the Admissions Team in writing by the end of February 2020.
In the case of early departures, all and any of the school’s outstanding claims against the parent/guardian are due and payable not later than on the school working day preceding the last day of the student’s attendance. Parents/Guardians are entitled to a refund (without interest) of a credit balance of school fees paid in advance, if any, remaining after settlement of any and all outstanding claims. Parents/Guardians are responsible for the payment of all fees.
CyberCrime Seminar Follow Up
Last Friday we had the honour of hosting Mr. Neil Walsh (Chief, Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering Section) and Ms. Kamola Ibrahimova (Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, Counter- Cybercrime Education) from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). They presented an informative session for parents regarding cybercrime, giving practical tips including how to keep our digital devices safe. If you were not able to attend this session and want to see it, visit our VIS Facebook page, where there was a live stream of the event. The Grade 11 students also had a presentation from our guest speakers on issues surrounding Cybercrime. Mr. Walsh kindly shared some resources for us, which you can find at the end of this section.
- https://www.netclean.com/netclean-report-2019/ - picturing the threat
- https://report.iwf.org.uk/en/report - the reporting portal for child sexual abuse material
- https://www.esafety.gov.au/ - resources for having the difficult conversations
- https://www.unodc.org/e4j/ - teaching materials from Primary to Masters
During the next few months VIS will be offering three more sessions on ‘Parenting in the Digital Age’, giving parents the opportunity to participate in activities revealing the key components of Digital Citizenship and advice on how to introduce this within the family.
These sessions will be held in the Secondary Aula at the following times:
- Tuesday, 25 February from 08:45 - 09:30 Sign up here
- How to use critical thinking when searching the Internet for information
- How to create secure passwords
- Tuesday, 21 April from 08:45 - 09:30
- How to set digital ground rules for your family
- Tuesday, 16 June from 08:45 - 09:30
- Learning about the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and how it affects us and our families
More information and sign-up for these workshops will follow in next newsletters.
Digital Security and Digital Safety are two of the eight strands of the Digital Intelligence Framework (DQ), which we have adopted at VIS. This underpins our teaching of Digital Citizenship and supports the students in navigating an increasingly ambiguous and complex online world, in addition to learning how to be responsible users of digital technologies. Next week is Safer Internet Day (11 February), an international event focusing on being a responsible and safe digital citizen.
Further information on Safer Internet Day can be found in the following websites:
https://www.saferinternetday.org (in English)
https://www.saferinternet.at (in German)
Sustainable Development - Reducing Waste
The School is continuing to work towards reducing the Lost and Found collection of clothes and accesories. As mentioned in the last newsletter, there will be no more Lost & Found display in the Mall and the lost items will be donated to a charitable organisation at the end of every month. The first date for the monthly Lost & Found clearance is on Thursday, 13 February. Parents and students are kindly encouraged to check out the Lost & Found Cabinet (near the Gyms) at any time during the month to hopefully find and take home the missing items before the end-of-the-month clearance.
In the same time, the Green Teams are working to encourage their colleagues to take ownership and better care of their belongings throughout the school day. Our young students have been designing posters to hang up at the entrances to remind their peers to not forget their things in the garden after playtime or at PE. We praise this initiative and support it by reinforcing this call to parents, to kindly remind the students to take better care of their belongings when coming to school and back.
The Cabaret Gifts Collection
Dear Parents and Students,
This year, as part of the Grade 11 cabaret on Friday, 6 March, we will be holding a fundraising lottery to raise more money for charity. As the Holiday season recently came to an end, we are well aware that many of you may have unwanted gifts. Therefore, we would like to ask you all if there are any gifts you would be willing to donate to help us? This could be anything that works as a prize for our event. We will be placing a large box where you can put any donations in the Octagon. Please remember that any donations will go directly towards raising money for charity.
Thank you for your help,
The Cabaret Committee
VIS Performance at Peterskirche
We had a beautiful, successful concert at St. Peter’s Church last Saturday afternoon. It was VIS at its best with representation from Primary and Secondary Choirs and Orchestra. Our students were very well prepared, and performed with exuberance and confidence. The setting was stunning, and the church was fully packed with happy VIS families and friends celebrating together. It was truly a special occasion and everyone there was able to experience the beauty and impact of this event, which represents countless hours of teaching and planning from the primary and secondary music teams as well as dedication and rehearsals from our students. The concert ended with a resounding rendition of Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy” to celebrate his 250th birthday.
This concert was possible due to the generosity from Father Dr. Christian Spalek, the priest at Peterskirche and Ms. Susan Ali for contacting and coordinating with him to arrange the performance time, including rearranging the schedule of their church organist to accommodate our concert. Father Dr. Spalek has 4 nieces who graduated from VIS, so it is a nice example of our community supporting each other. Many thanks to Warwick Stengaards, Susan Ali, Michael Burrows, and Karolina Sepp and the students involved in these groups for their work preparing for this event.
UNESCO Mother Language Day
The UN Mother Language Day is celebrated internationally on Friday, 21 February. VIS students speak almost 90 Mother Tongue languages and we are proud of our linguistic and cultural diversity. As the date falls during the VIS break this year, we will be marking the day on Thursday, 13 February. Here’s how you can get involved:
Mother Tongue Breakfast will take place between 08:00 - 08:30 in the Octagon on Thursday, 13 February. Give our students the chance to try a bite of a typical breakfast dish from your country and perhaps learn a greeting in your language!
- Bring a small dish of a breakfast item from your home country - something that can be shared into “taster” portions is ideal.
- No need to provide a large quantity – enough for 20-30 small portions is plenty.
- If you are able to stay and to offer the food to students as they arrive at school you are most welcome...
- ... or you or your child can simply drop the item off in the Octagon anytime from 07:45
If you are able to bring a breakfast dish please email Tamsin Roberts - troberts(at)vis.ac.at - so that we have an idea of numbers. Thank you!
Mother Tongue Stories will take place in the Primary Library at lunchtime 11 -13 February. There will be stories in the library at lunchtime on Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12 and Thursday, 13 February. It would be great to have some parent volunteers to read stories - in your Mother Tongue - during these sessions.
The children enjoy hearing stories in their own and other languages so picture books are ideal!
Each slot is just 15 minutes long - if you are able to volunteer please use this sign-up sheet!
Danube Valley Conference
Last weekend our teams travelled to Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna to compete with other Danube Valley Conference schools. Our teams awoke before the sun came up to be at VIS for early 06:00 departures. Congrats to all for representing the Panthers so well! Find the results below:
Basketball Teams in Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava:
- Varsity boys 2 wins 1 loss
- Jv boys 3 wins 0 losses
- Varsity girls 2-1
- Ms boys 0-3
- Ms boys b 0-3
- Ms girls 3-0
Well done to all our basketball teams!
Swim team crushed it in Budapest:
- Girls MS medley - Gold
- Boys MS medley - Gold
- Girls HS medley - Silver
- Ana Starr - Gold
- Duruttya Alessia - Gold
- Morris Adam - Gold, Gold, Gold
- Szcepanski Molly - Gold
- De Mesa Jesus - Silver
- Wolff Rosa - Gold, Bronze
- Mayorova Anna - Bronze
- Iman Machibi - Bronze
- Marugan Julia - Gold, Bronze
- Ana Starr - Gold, Gold
- Magdalena Riecken - Bronze, Bronze
- Jesus de Mesa - Gold, Silver, Gold
- Prosser Morgan - Bronze, Silver
- Morris Adam - Gold
- Wolff Rosa - Bronze
- Kolesch Anya - Silver
- Marugan Juan - Silver
- Efe Ozel - Bronze
- Szcepanski Molly - Gold, Gold
- Lowry May - Bronze
- Mayorova Anna - Silver,
- Kolesch Natasha - Bronze
Girls MS freestyle relay - Silver
Boys MS freestyle relay - Gold
Girls HS freestyle relay- Gold
Congratulations to everyone!
Dear Parents or Guardians,
The first semester of after school activities is nearly over and if you want to continue with your activities, please be so kind and register online. If you want to continue a registration is essential. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Tauber by writing an email to vis(at)sportbox.cc.
“B-23, O-69” Calling All Bingo Fans!
The much anticipated PTA/Student Council co-sponsored Family Bingo Event is coming up on Tuesday, 24 March at 15:30!!!
Remember how many amazing prizes were available last year to the students who were playing? “Where did all those prizes come from?” you ask.
Many of the prizes were funded by PTA, but also quite a few were donated by YOU!
We are again asking for your help. Do you or your business have anything you would like to donate as Bingo prizes? For example, Mr. Murphy has generously donated a Family 4-Pack Movie gift certificate every year. Anything NEW is welcome and appreciated... gift certificates, toys, board games... If you have a gift that you can donate, please email us at ptachair(at)vis.com or drop your item into the Development Office, near the Reception, for safekeeping. All donations will be recognized in the newsletter and on our PTA VIS Facebook Page. Donations from business’s = FREE ADVERTISING in the school community :) What’s not to love about that? Thank you so much for your support!
Here is a list of our PTA Meetings for the remainder of this school year:
PTA Evening Meetings 16:30-18:00
- Wednesday, 1 April - LARGE CONFERENCE ROOM
- Wednesday, 3 June - PRIMARY LIBRARY
PTA Morning Meetings 08:30-10:00
- Wednesday, 4 March – AULA
- Wednesday, 6 May – DINING ROOM (Aula will be blocked for exams)
Come and join us!
We NEED people ready to work in the PTA Shop, especially Friday morning from 8:15-9:00 and as well as on Tuesdays, for the first (14:30-15:20) or the second shift (15:20-16:00). We are looking for volunteers ready to work with money, i.e. organised persons. We do this for all our VIS community after all, so every helpful hand counts. Please write to ptashop(at)ptavis.com if you can spare an hour of your time for volunteering each week. Many hands make light work. Thank you for your support.
If you have some spare time and you would be available to help at Booster Club, we could use that!
We would need volunteers to come and help at Booster Club for 2-3 hours in the afternoon on Mondays and Tuesdays.
For more information or to join us, please contact boosterclub(at)ptavis.com.
Thank you for your consideration and help!
The Booster Club Team
Come and join us!
"Objects have always been carried, sold, bartered, stolen, retrieved and lost. People have always given gifts. It is how you tell their stories that matters"
Join the Book Club on Feb 13th at 8:30 AM in the Secondary Library. We will discuss Edmund de Waal's "THe Hare with Amber Eyes", and we will try to pick the perfect book to pack before the break! :)
Dates:
- February: 7 and 28 ( stars)
- March: 6, 13, 20 & 27 ( Kusudamas)
- April: 3 and 23 ( Animals)
- May: 9, 16 and 30 (Origami 3D )
- June: 5, 12 and 19 ( Origami in motion)
Bring your paper and have fun!
Every friday at 8:30 dinning room
Cost: 3 Euros per session
- Social Networking: Join Us!! FACEBOOK- Search "PTA VIS"
- Contact the Chairs: Ptachair(at)ptavis.com Contact the Chairs: Caterina Veronese & Krista White.
- Communication Hotline: Hotline(at)ptavis.com We have created a hotline and WANT to hear from you! Send us your comments, suggestions, new ideas, or concerns.
- Book Club: aschira(at)vis.ac.at Have an idea for a book to discuss or want to join the group? Contact Secondary School librarian, Anna Maria Schira
- Booster Club: boosterclub(at)ptavis.com Join the Booster club. Help sell snacks after school, support sporting events, and more. Opening Hours are: Monday - Wednesday 2:50 - 5:00pm.
- Cooking: Cookingclub(at)ptavis.com Learn how to make delicious international cuisine once a month on Mondays in the VIS kitchen. Stay tuned for the next class announcement.
- Culture Club: Cultureclub(at)ptavis.com Join us as we go on monthly guided cultural field trips to meet the historical, cultural and artistic heritage of this beautiful city and its lifestyle.
- Front of House: sara.christoffersen(at)gmx.at Front of House is a PTA Service led by Parent volunteer Sara Christoffersen. Sara runs a fantastic initiative which provides food and drinks at Performing Arts and special events events held in the VIS theater. Help is always needed in setting up and running events throughout the school year. Please contact Sara if you can volunteer.
- German Conversation Club: Elisabethriecken(at)hotmail.com Write for more information on meeting days and times.
- Grants Programme: grants(at)ptavis.com: Do you have an idea that you would like to propose for a PTA grant? The PTA has an official grant program in place & we are eager to receive your submissions that would be beneficial to VIS students.
- Green Team: greenteam(at)ptavis.com Join us to become one of the parents supporting the Green Teams. Your Green ideas and suggestions are always welcome!
- Hobby Club: hobbyclub(at)ptavis.com Do you have any talents to share OR Do you have any special skills you would like to learn how to do? We need your ideas, suggestions, skills, and we need presenters.
- Lost & Found : lostandfound(at)ptavis.com Lost & Found Team is now with Green Team. Let’s tackle L&F together as a community by using ECO school approach.
- Lunch Bunch: lunchbunch(at)ptavis.com We meet once a month for lunch and a chat. This is an excellent way to discover new restaurants and meet and connect with school-wide parents.
- New Family Welcome Program: newfamily(at)ptavis.com Offer your support to new families at VIS or ask for a welcoming family once you arrive. Always looking for volunteers!
- Newsletter Editor: newsletter(at)ptavis.com Have something to put in the PTA section of the newsletter? Submissions must be made by Wednesday evening 8:00pm for display in Friday’s PTA section of the school newsletter.
- Origami Club: holayuriria(at)gmail.com. Join the all the ORIGAMI Club every Friday morning in the cafeteria. 8:30am-10:00am. Learn to the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures.
- Parenting Workshops: Writetorachelle(at)gmail.com Workshops for parents with children of all ages at VIS. Learn new strategies for communicating with your family, feel normal with other parents and spend some time on what is important! Workshops are held 3:15-4:15pm Mon/Tues/Thurs
- Primary Social: Pcpcoordinator(at)ptavis.com If you would like to be on the list to receive information on primary level social events or be on your primary grade level mailing list.
- PTA Shop: Ptashop(at)ptavis.com Join the PTA shop volunteers where we sell school accessories, clothes for PE, instruments etc. Opening Hours are: Tuesdays 2:30-4:00pm & Fridays 8:15-9:00am
- Running: runningtalkies(at)ptavis.com Run with the running group every Tuesday throughout the school year @ 8:45am. Meeting point: Prater, in front of Republik Kugelmugel. Psssst: there are fast walkers that join in too!
- Spanish Conversation Club: Andreaniknia(at)yahoo.com Weekly Spanish Conversation classes. Write for more info.
- Secondary Social: Secondarysocial(at)ptavis.com Keep in touch & socialize with other secondary parents or be added to the mailing list for your specific secondary grade level
- Seminars: Seminars(at)ptavis.com Have an idea for a seminar to share with the community? Email Kirsten with your ideas. Seminar Coordinator now open. Please email if you are interested in taking over this volunteer position.
- Walking: Walkietalkies(at)ptavis.com Walk with the Walkie Talkies every Thursday morning throughout the school year @ 8.45am. Meeting point: Ubahn Kagran, the exit from Siebekstrasse, ground level.
- Zumba dancetonesculpt(at)hotmail.com Tue, 5.15 – 6.15 pm & Thu, 5.15 – 6.15 pm, Gym B. Join the energy. Join the fun. This year’s new club has been initiated by a new VIS parent but is currently on hold due to an injury.
If you haven’t joined the PTA VIS Facebook page yet, don’t delay! Our page is active on a daily basis with 611 members and growing fast. Be the first to know about planned community events and volunteer opportunities. All for the benefit of our children. Our transparent communication is at the tip of your fingertips. Join now!! Facebook search: PTA VIS.
1. As it's been rather windy a lot of the parks were closed due to danger of falling branches. The wind might persist over the weekend so it might be better to look for indoor options to entertain your family this weekend. Find out how this wind can be used for making electricity here.
2. How about a trip to the Planetarium?
3. Or try out some new board games in the City Hall.
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