MADIBA WEEK and the way to the second State International School Berlin

Message from the Head

​Dear ​Parents and Students, dear Friends of NMS, dear colleagues,

Just before we are heading what promises to be sunny May weekend, I would like to send you a brief message form the Head.

First of all, I have had a very enjoyable MADIBA WEEK, for the second time with guests from our partner, the Mandela School in Mvezo, South Africa. With the title of 67 activities, alluding to the 67 years of service Nelson Mandela has contributed, the diversity of activities, ideas, assemblies and events has been truly stunning. Please ask your children to tell you more. After the very warm welcome at the Freedom Day at the South African Embassy our school received this Wednesday, today various student assemblies had the week culminate in a sheer firework of presentations and performances. It is my pleasure to thanks all students, teachers and educators, as well as parents who have made this week that special for all of us. the MADIBA Group, headed by Given Rapholo, created a perfect playing field with the concept of 67 activities – THANK YOU!

Second, I would like forward to you the minutes of our recent School conference Meeting last Wednesday.

We were meeting in order to create a general vote for our school on the option of founding the second international school​ during the remainder of​ this year. This has been under discussion for quite some time as you know, but has know received a much more concrete outlook as our State Secretary, Mark Rackles, responded to an official query from the Berlin Local Parliament with the announcement that “the founding of the second school is scheduled for the second half of this year”/“Die Gründung der zweiten internationalen Schule ist für das zweite Kalenderhalbjahr 2016 vorgesehen” (Schriftliche Anfrage Nr. 17/18380 vom 12.4.2016 Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin).

The NMS School Conference  and several guests discussed our position against this backdrop and, to my delight, has unanimously agreed on a formal message to the Senatsverwaltung, which I have forwarded today. You can read both the message and minutes in the document attached.

In my view this is a very important step towards establishing the State International School as a school type of its own kind in Berlin. We are now waiting for the SenBJW to implement this transition and will discuss how we, as the NMS school community, want to contribute to this and steer the process.

Kind regards to you all​​,

Christian Nitschke​
Schulleiter/Head of School