Remember the ZfA essay contest? It's been a while - and because of some budget and timing issues, the coordinators of the contest were not able to pull all the results together by the end of our school year. So here they are now - and some of our school's writer-winners (Mia Schuettler (9), Ina Beinborn (10), Andrew Ressler (10), David Rubin (10), Felice Liang (13) and Stefan Schmitz (14) made it with their essay/contribution into a great essay compilation / Textsammlung that's posted on the Web site of the "German Schools Abroad" - take a look - it's a worthwhile read.  Thank you to all our students who participated and contributed with their own ideas.  

As many of you (including us) are still enjoying this beautiful hot New England summer, preparations are already under way for our 2010/11 school year. Acceptance packages are going out to those of you who registered for the new school year and you should have them by mid-August at the latest in your mailbox. For your planning purposes, we already posted our 2010/11 school calendar and also our updated Handbook for Parents and Students. Our Handbook is a comprehensive resource for a lot of questions you may have about our school policies and general information, so even if you have been with us for a couple of years, take another peek. Your child/ren's assigned classes/teachers/classrooms as well as your parent job assignment (if you opted into our parent job program) will come in your mailed acceptance package. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer and we will see you on September 11, our first official school day, beginning at 9.30AM sharp! 

The Boylston Schul-Verein is urgently looking for help with their annual Sommerfest (June 12 + 13). Here's a letter from the Co-Chair Daniel Koch explaining how you can help:

The Dankeschön-end-of-school-year fundraiser to benefit the library - and to say Dankeschön to our teachers - is ending this Saturday! If you'd like to make a donation, request a form (a copy has also been sent home in your child's folder) and deliver it to the library on Saturday.

We'll shortly have a more comprehensive list of 2010 German language summer programs and camps (take a look at last year's list), but here's a new program that came across our desk and that sounds just wonderful: a music festival combined with German language classes at the "Birklehof" in Hinterzarten, a beautiful resort village in Germany's Black Forest. This program, scheduled for July 21 through August 2, 2010, should appeal to anyone with a love for music and any level of German which will be taught by native speakers. To learn more about this new program or the Interharmony Festival, click here. Hurry up - I believe sign up is requested by April 1, 2010. 

We are posting a list of summer language programs that are local. If you know of one and would like us to include it in our list, please e-mail us: 

The soccer World Cup is approaching, and there's nothing better than watching with people who understand the game, the excitement & the pain - and may also be cheering for your country! There are several opportunities to watch the World Cup with a German edge: The Goethe-Institut will be broadcasting live all games of the German Team — as long as they are still in the tournament! The First Round Games take place Sunday, June 13; Friday, June 18; and Wednesday, June 23.

Our end-of-school-year celebration/Abschlussfeier couldn't have been better! The program was entertaining, the crowd was large and the weather was perfect! Thank you to all who came to Walpole and to our parent event team who organized the festivities. We are lucky to have the Boylston Schul-Verein and their wonderful property to celebrate our all-family event in such joyful manner.

We received this note about An International Fair with some German flair: 
 
1st Annual International Fair at Bay Farm Montessori Academy
Performances, Arts, Crafts, Games & Food from around the World
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
A FREE Family Event
 
Bay Farm Montessori Academy invites families to embark on a tour of international flavor and artis tic beauty. 40 artisans from around the world will offer demonstrations, multicultural crafts, hands-on activities and games for all ages, plus performances of music, dance and storytelling.  Dunja Pechstein will be offering sample Musikgarten classes in German at the Fair.
 
COME STIMULATE YOUR SENSES!
Taste a variety of international cuisine.
See colorful costumes, traditions and dancing from different countries.
Hear the languages of the world.
Feel the rhythms of other cultures.
Touch games, arts and crafts of multicultural inspiration. At the International Fair, children of all ages can “travel the world” collecting stamps for a passport by visiting booths and learning about different countries.  Please join us as we bring the world to Duxbury for a day.  For more information, visit www.bfarm.org.
 
Bay Farm Campus at 145 Loring Street, Duxbury, MA.  Click for directions.

Hard to believe, but our school year is completed and now it's time to celebrate! Our "Abschlussfeier" will take place on Saturday, May 15 - as always this is an outdoor event on the grounds of the Boylston Schul-Verein in Walpole (8 County Road/Rte 109. For directions click here). We've outgrown the "Festsaal" inside the BSV Clubhouse many years ago, so festivities will take place under the pavilion. Many of you are "Abschlussfeier veterans" and know the drill. For our newcomers, here are few helpful tips: