Dear ISW Families,
Welcome to the first Parent Newsletter ISW Bytes of the 2026–27 school year.

It has been a real pleasure to see our students return to school with such enthusiasm. Over the past days and weeks, I have enjoyed seeing children reconnect with friends, meet new classmates and teachers, and begin to settle into their new routines and learning spaces. There is always a special sense of energy at the start of a new school year…new faces, new relationships, new expectations and so many possibilities ahead.

Thank you for the positive support you have already given your children and the school. A strong partnership between home and school matters enormously, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with you throughout the year.

SchuleFest This Week

This week, I am delighted that we will come together as a whole community for SchuleFest.
It is a particularly meaningful occasion for ISW. It marks our joining the Dukes Education family and the beginning of ISW’s journey as Dukes’ first school in Germany. This partnership gives us opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the Dukes family, share best practice and continue strengthening the learning experiences we provide, while holding on to the close-knit, personal and welcoming character that makes ISW such a special place.

SchuleFest is inspired by the friendly, community spirit of a traditional Oktoberfest. It is a chance for students, families, staff, friends and local partners to come together and celebrate ISW: our wonderfully diverse community, our home in Landstuhl and the exciting future ahead of us.

We will be pleased to welcome colleagues from Dukes Education, alongside local representatives and valued community partners. I am especially looking forward to them experiencing the warmth, creativity and genuine sense of belonging that I see every day in our students, families and staff.

Above all, SchuleFest is about being together. I hope you will join us, spend time with other families and help us celebrate this next chapter for ISW in a relaxed, welcoming and authentically ISW way.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Routines

A calm, safe and well-organised arrival and departure makes a real difference for everyone in our community- especially the children and families walking up and down the hill, and those moving through our busy car park at peak times.

I would be very grateful for your support with the following important routines:

• Please drive carefully when arriving at and leaving the school. The maximum speed is 10 km/h at all times. This is essential to keep children, families and staff safe, particularly those walking along the hill and through the parking areas.
• Pedestrians always have right of way. Please remain alert, drive slowly and be patient, particularly at the bottom of the street and along the hill, where families may be walking to and from school.
• The only designated parent parking area is at the bottom of the street. Please ensure that your ISW parking card is clearly displayed whenever you are using this area.
• Parking in this area is limited to 10–15 minutes. This is intended to allow families sufficient time for drop-off or collection while ensuring that spaces remain available for others.
• Please do not park in areas needed for buses, emergency access, deliveries or staff, and do not stop in a way that blocks other vehicles or creates an unsafe situation for pedestrians.

To help traffic move smoothly and safely, please remain in your vehicle during drop-off and pick-up. You do not need to get out of the car to help your child leave or enter the vehicle. I, or another member of the ISW staff team, will be there to support children safely. This makes a significant difference to the flow of traffic for everyone.

Please follow Mr Danny’s instructions at all times during drop-off and pick-up. He is there to help ensure that the process is safe, calm and efficient for all families.

The school drop-off and pick-up area is for Primary School children only.

• Early Years and Reception children should be collected at 3:20 pm.
• Years 1–5 should be collected from 3:30 pm.
• Secondary students are dismissed at 3:40 pm. They will walk down to the car park in front of the Jacob-Weber-Schule, where they should be collected.

Thank you for your patience, cooperation and care for one another. When we all follow these routines consistently, we help make the beginning and end of each day safer, calmer and more pleasant for every child and family.

School Council

Over the coming weeks, I will be inviting parents who are interested in becoming representatives on the ISW School Council to put themselves forward.
The School Council is an advisory group that brings together voices from across our community. It will include:

• Two staff representatives
• Two parent representatives
• Two student representatives
• Two representatives from our local business community

The Council will not be a decision-making body. Its purpose is to provide constructive advice, feedback and different perspectives on important areas of school life and development. I want the Council to be a meaningful forum through which our community can help inform our thinking, planning and future direction.

More information about the parent-representative role and how to express interest will be shared shortly. I hope that parents who are keen to make a positive contribution to the continuing development of ISW will consider becoming involved.

Staffing Updates

I am very pleased to welcome several new colleagues to ISW. Each will bring valuable experience, energy and expertise to our team, and will help us continue to strengthen the support, learning opportunities and personalised provision we offer our students.

• Ms Joanne will be joining our Early Years team as a Teaching Assistant, working alongside Ms Jo. Yes—there will now be two Ms Jos! We are delighted to welcome Joanne and I know she will be a wonderful addition to our youngest learners’ school experience.
• Ms Brooke and Ms Susan will both be working in our Library as teachers, while also supporting students through English as an Additional Language and Educational Support. Their work will enrich the learning opportunities available to our students and provide additional personalised support and differentiation where it is needed.
• Ms Ashwinni will be joining us part-time to work in Computer Science and Digital Technology. This additional capacity will allow Mr Ben to extend his work across our Languages, Enrichment and Computer Science programmes, helping us further develop these important areas of school life.

We will also welcome a new IT Lead to the team in the coming weeks. This is an important appointment as our IT services and systems migrate fully to ISW from Switzerland as part of the Dukes transition. The new role will support a smooth transition and help us continue improving the digital systems and technical support on which our students, staff and families rely.

Physics and Mathematics Vacancy

We are currently seeking a qualified Physics and Mathematics Teacher following Mr Alexander’s very sudden resignation.

I understand that an unexpected staffing change can understandably raise questions for students and families. Please be assured that our immediate focus is on maintaining continuity, appropriate supervision and high-quality learning for all students affected. We will keep relevant families informed of arrangements and progress as the recruitment process moves forward.

I would like to thank Mr Alexander for his contribution to ISW and wish him well for the future.

Looking Ahead

Throughout the year, I will continue to share key information, celebrations, reminders and practical updates through Parent Newsletter Bytes. My hope is that these messages will help every family feel connected to the day-to-day life of the school and well informed about the events, routines and opportunities ahead.

Thank you for being such an important part of the ISW community. I am excited about the year ahead and look forward to seeing many of you at SchuleFest this week.

Warmest wishes

Ms. Jodi

What a wonderful start to the 2026–27 academic year! The corridors are once again buzzing with life, laughter and student chatter as we welcome our returning students back after the summer break, and extend a very warm welcome to all of our new students and families joining our school community.

From Early Years through to Year 5, our students have returned with excitement, enthusiasm and a wonderful sense of curiosity. Each class is busy getting to know one another, building new friendships, settling into routines and preparing to embark on an exciting learning journey together. There is a real sense of energy and anticipation across the school as everyone looks forward to the year ahead.

Our curriculum is already underway, with a strong focus on developing the foundations and skills that will support our students as confident and capable learners. Across EYS–Year 5, literacy will continue to be a key priority, with dedicated opportunities to develop handwriting, spelling, reading and writing skills, alongside nurturing a genuine love of language and literature. Students will also be beginning new Humanities units, opening the door to exciting questions, discoveries and opportunities to deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Alongside this, our new Future Skills curriculum opportunities will give every class the chance to explore shared interests and passions with their teachers through a broad range of experiences, including Health and Fitness, Forest School, Crafting, and much more. These opportunities will encourage students to be curious, collaborate, problem-solve, discover new interests and develop skills that will enrich both their learning and their wider experiences.

It was also wonderful to see so many of our parents and families at our school Curriculum Evening. Thank you for your support and for taking the time to join us. We truly value the partnership between home and school, and open communication and collaboration are an important part of our shared success. Our students thrive on the curiosity, enthusiasm and encouragement they bring to school each day, together with the support and encouragement they receive at home.

We are looking forward to an amazing year filled with fun and adventure, growth and learning, new experiences, shared memories and plenty of stories to tell in the future. Here’s to a fantastic 2026–27 school year together!

Jacinta and Kara

Term 1 is gaining momentum across our Secondary School, with innovation, engagement and future-focused learning continuing to shape our community.

This year has brought several exciting developments to the Secondary curriculum. In Lower Secondary, Humanities has been introduced to give students more opportunities to explore people, places, societies and the world around them through connected learning.

Across Secondary, students are also taking part in our new Making & Moving program. Rather than a traditional lesson, these sessions give students and teachers the opportunity to explore shared interests and passions through areas such as sport, making, technology, media, food, creativity and practical projects. The emphasis is on curiosity, participation and discovering where an interest might lead.

Our Behaviours for Learning (BfL) program is helping students develop the habits that sit behind successful learning. Through themes such as working together, resilience, creativity, communication and reflection, students are encouraged to think not only about what they learn, but how they learn.

Coaching adds another important layer, creating regular opportunities for students to reflect on their progress, set goals and consider the choices they are making as learners.

For our Years 9–12, we have also introduced more Guided Study & Learning (GSL) sessions. These provide structured time for students to deepen subject knowledge, complete purposeful independent work and receive guidance from teachers. Many GSL sessions take place with subject specialists and bring Year 9–10 or Year 11–12 students together, helping students gradually develop the independent study habits needed for IGCSE, AS and A Level.

Our Future Skills projects are also starting afresh with Resilient Cities, Passion-to-Impact Microventures, and a Global Voices Media Lab—each designed to help students apply their learning to authentic questions and build skills that extend beyond individual subjects.

Alongside these changes, we are continuing to strengthen everyday Secondary routines, including the use of Toddle for attendance and learning, clearer learning expectations, and greater opportunities for student voice and leadership.

For some of our older students, attention is now also turning to the Cambridge October/November examination series, with students preparing for selected resit examinations. This provides an important opportunity to build on previous results and demonstrate their progress.

There is already a great sense of momentum across Secondary, and it has been encouraging to see students and teachers embracing new ways of learning, working and contributing to our school community.

David

It was wonderful connecting with so many of you during our recent Primary and Secondary Curriculum Evenings. Having the opportunity to discuss our programs, introduce ourselves, and build these vital face-to-face connections means a great deal to us. Thank you to everyone who attended.

The Specialist Team holds a truly unique position here at ISW. We have the privilege of teaching and supporting students across all year groups, from Early Years right up to Year 12. Watching our students develop, mature, and thrive year after year is incredibly rewarding and a distinct highlight of our roles.

Our diverse team spans several departments:

• Performing Arts
• Music
• Physical Education (P.E.)
• Computer Science
• Art

Together, we deliver a well-rounded curriculum designed to shape students into global citizens. True education, however, stretches far beyond the school walls. It thrives on the curiosity your children bring home and the invaluable encouragement you provide. We are incredibly grateful for your partnership within our ISW community.

Open communication is vital to us. Please never hesitate to contact any member of our team if you have questions or want to discuss your child’s progress. We are thrilled for the year ahead and cannot wait to celebrate your children's milestones and successes.

Jo, Maia, Ben, Victoria and Kasia (Specialist team)

Performing Arts Update from Maia

During week 2 auditions were held for ‘SpongeBob the Musical.’ Everyone did a fantastic job, and the bravery displayed was commendable - we saw a lot of passion and talent. If your child has not made it into the production, it does not mean that they are not good enough, but perhaps they weren’t quite ready to keep up with extended nature of this project. Keep encouraging them to work on their skills and to not be disheartened.

There will be a fantastic opportunity to perform to an audience during our winter show, and they can also register their interest to help backstage for the Musical (information about this to come soon).

Casting is announced below, and a cast list will go up outside of the Performing Arts room on Monday. Rehearsals start 3:45-5:15 on Wednesday 2nd September.

Educational Support

We are pleased to continue our collaboration with the Therapeutic Learning Cooperative, enabling us to offer streamlined access to external support for students who may benefit from additional specialist provision. This partnership helps strengthen the connection between school-based support and external expertise, allowing us to take a coordinated approach to meeting students’ needs.

We believe that open communication with families is an essential part of effective educational support. If you have any concerns about your child’s learning, development, please get in touch. We are always happy to listen, discuss concerns and work together to identify how we can best support your child.

Languages

We are very excited to welcome Claudia Villaplana to our team as our new German and Spanish teacher. Claudia will be teaching German across the Primary and Lower Secondary sections, as well as teaching Spanish across the whole school. We are delighted to have her join our languages team and look forward to the enthusiasm, expertise and experience she will bring to our students.

We are also making some changes to the organisation of our German classes in lower secondary to ensure that students are learning at a level that is appropriately matched to their current skills and needs.

From Year 3 to Year 5, German classes will be divided into A and B groups. This will allow us to provide more focused and differentiated teaching, ensuring that students are appropriately supported and challenged.

For Years 6, 7 and 8, students will be grouped according to their German language proficiency using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Students will be placed into one of three levels:

• A1 – Beginner
• A2 – Elementary
• B1 – Intermediate

Over the past week, students have been completing placement tests to help us establish their current level of German and place them in the group that best matches their language proficiency. By organising students in this way, we aim to create learning environments in which teaching can be more targeted and students can progress with greater confidence at an appropriate pace

Teacher Coaching Training

I’m very excited to begin a new round of our Coaching Programme this year! As part of this, all of our teachers will be taking part in extensive coaching training delivered by Sam Moinet (Bora Coaching), building on the exciting first on-site session we have already had. We’re looking forward to seeing how these coaching approaches will come to life in our classrooms and further strengthen the support we offer our students.

Career, Pathways & Transition

Alongside this, our Career, Pathways & Transition work will help students explore their interests, strengths and future possibilities. Through individual conversations and Pathways/SET meetings, we will work together with students to explore different options and identify pathways that feel right for them.

I’m really excited about how this year’s Coaching Programme will come to life, most importantly, how it is about to continue to empower our students to take ownership of their learning, their goals and their future.

As always, my door is always open. If you have any questions, ideas, feedback or suggestions, I’d be very happy to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time or drop me an email — I’m always happy to chat!

Here’s to an exciting year of growth, reflection and new possibilities! There is more to come!

Liliana Phieler, Head of Coaching, Career and Transitions