Farewell message from NMS Principal Gerald Miebs
At the end of the school-year -as announced earlier- I am leaving the Nelson-Mandela-School and will take over another new and exciting challenge. In August I will start as the head of the German School in Kiew, a still very young and not finally settled school, where a lot of pioneering will be required.
On one hand such a challenging task at the end of my professional career is great and exciting, on the other hand I had a very lively and colourful time at Nelson-Mandela-School, one that I am very glad that I was able to experience.
I wish you and your families and of course the Nelson-Mandela-School all the best and a bright future!
Gerald Miebs
Address to the graduating class of NMS 2019 by Arun Sharma
3 minutes, 3 points
Good afternoon. Congratulations to the graduating class, the parents, the school administration, the support staff and the teachers. Congratulations for this big step forward into each of your lives. Your heads are full of ideas, accomplishments, dreams, fears, maybe even a sip of champagne. The past and the future. I'm a parent of three kids, two of which are in primary here at NMS and a third who still gets excited about riding his laufrad - I have a long way until my daughter is in this room.
What do I want her to understand? Why am I here today? I'm here representing the parent community and I only have three minutes to talk to you...
I want to talk about community. 3 points.
1) You are the Nelson Mandela Babies. Many of you started together at the Einschulung, growing up together through all aspects of your life. Friendship gives flavor to life. The best friendships require investment, compromise, and sacrifice. By creating shared alignment, trust, and companionship, strong friendships nourish the soul and make life more vibrant.
Career Day 2019 does the job
Nelson Mandela School’s second ever student led career day took place on Thursday the 6th of June 2019.
The students that attended were able to listen to a variety of career presentations and talks by parents and friends. Students got to hear about life at the British Embassy, working at the Charité, working in costume and films, politics, and much more!
NMS Yearbook out on 12 June, 2019!
After a lot of hard work and contributions by students, parents, and staff – the NMS Yearbook is scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday June 12!
Full pdf here. We hope that everyone who is represented in the yearbook will get a copy – and that it will remain with you as a fond reminder of your year at NMS. Like last year, the yearbook will be sold for €20 cash. This amount will mainly cover printing costs – what’s left will go to the NMS Friends for supporting school projects. Please see the Buzz for contact info if you can help with sales!
Sales points:
@B24 - Sommerfest Wednesday 12.6
@P23 - in front of school, as of Thursday, 13.6-19.6 (volunteers pending)
@P30 - Foyer, as of Thursday, 13.6-19.6 (volunteers pending) Also 13.6 IB/Abi Q4 Graduation - in front of sports hall and 18.6 Year 10 MSA Graduation - in front of sports hall
FUTURIUM invitation for NMS students in classes 4-6
Junge Tüftler are one of our school’s favourite cooperation partners. Also this summer they invite our students to an exciting workshop at the brandnew Berlin Futurium!
Am 5. September 2019 eröffnet das Futurium im Herzen Berlins nahe dem Hauptbahnhof. Unter einem Dach beherbergt es ein Zukunftsmuseum mit lebendigen Szenarien, ein Zukunftslab zum Ausprobieren, ein Zukunftsforum für den gemeinschaftlichen Dialog und künstlerische Projekte - und Junge Tüftler ist mittenmang dabei! Im Zukunftslab werden wir in regelmäßigen Workshops die Bildungsmaterialien des Futuriums mit den Maker Methoden von Junge Tüftler verbinden.
Mobile Learning at NMS
In May, around 60 sixth-graders participated in the NMS Media Literacy Assessment trial. The school devised this mobile assessment, creating an interactive quiz on the Berlin platform Actionbound, to assess our sixth-graders’ knowledge of the Internet and of social media, as well as online creation and data processing.
The school’s standards for year 1-10 are written down in the NMS media literacy curriculum, which again are in line with the Berlin Basiscurriculum Medienbildung and – more importantly – the expectations of academia and the workforce. The students were asked about fake news, cybermobbing and the Internet, and were able to create and upload materials., combining crafts, photography and digital media.
NMS and Ubuntu Day receive glowing write up in the Daily Maverick
On Ubuntu Day the school was visited by the notable journalist John Battersby and the school received a very warm write up in the Daily Maverick after welcoming him to the community.
The article, 'Ubuntu: Getting to know ourselves through others in the shadow of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela' talks at length about the day.
A visit to the Nelson Mandela International School in Berlin on its annual Ubuntu Day celebration on 21 May 2019 will stay with me for a long time.
It was a humbling and uplifting experience to see the Mandela values of inclusivity, diversity and community service being lived and shared on a daily basis by some 1,500 students from more than 60 countries including some students and teachers from South Africa.
It was a kaleidoscope of colour and activity with a rich tapestry of passion and culture that gives the school the feel of a youthful United Nations.
The bilingual — German and English — state school was founded in 2000 to attract more nationalities to Berlin in line with the German capital’s policy of openness and cultural inclusion.
A facade with larger-than-life images of Mandela’s smiling face spread across the top leads one into a courtyard where on a battery of sewing machines students were creating new patchwork clothes from their own discarded clothes.
The full article can be read in the Daily Maverick here.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FESTIVAL OF NATIONS! September 7th 2019 P30. Helpers needed!
Though we're not quite done with all the fun of this school year, we can already try to get a head start on next year! FoN 2019 will take place at P30 on Saturday, 7th September and we hope, with your help, to once again make it a successful and fun event that celebrates our community and diversity.
