CONGRATS, ES HOCKEY TEAM!

JFKS Berliner Meister im Hallenhockey

Es begann im Jahr 2018, als sich eine kleine unerschrockene Gruppe an wuseligen JFKS-Kindern auf machte, ihre Schule bei den Berliner Schulmeisterschaften zu vertreten. Damals waren die Protagonisten dieser Geschichte noch in der Entrance-Class oder im Kindergarten. Und nun – sechs Jahre später – haben sie den wichtigsten Wettkampf der Grundschulen im Hallenhockey gewonnen. Die JFKS ist Berliner Meister im Schulhockey der Grundschulen!!!

Der Weg zu diesem so tollen Sieg war jedoch alles andere als ein Spaziergang. Nach anfänglichem Lehrgeld im Jahr 2018 und einem verlorenen Finale 2019 spielten wir uns 2020 furios und als Favorit ins Finale der Diagonal-Hallenhockeygrundschulliga, das dann aber wegen Corona nicht mehr gespielt wurde. Da auch 2021 und 2022 der Schulhockeyball im Spint bleiben musste, konnten die Mädchen und Jungs erst im letzten Jahr wieder auf Angriff schalten. Doch wie schon 2019 endete es 2023 mit einer Finalniederlage und dem zweiten Platz.
 
Doch nun, im letzten Jahr der Grundschule (zumindest für 7 von 8) war es endlich soweit. Ein ausgeklügelter Plan musste her. Zur Wahl standen „Angriff ist die beste Verteidigung“; „Das Runde muss ins Eckige“ oder „Wenn wir den Ball haben kann der Gegner kein Tor schießen“. Wir entschlossen uns alle drei Pläne gleichzeitig umzusetzen und spielten herzerfrischendes Offensivhockey. Mit 21:3 Toren tanzten wir uns durch die Vorrunde und sollten im Finale wie schon 2023 auf das Graue Kloster treffen. Mit viel Einsatz, unbändigem Willen aber vor allem wunderbarem Hockey gewannen wir durch Tore von Leo und Mats (2) verdient mit 3:1. Spieler:in des Spiels war wie immer die Mannschaft. Denn ohne Karolina im Tor sowie Rufus, Maxi und Lily in der Abwehr wäre der Sieg ebenso wenig möglich gewesen wie ohne die Offensivabteilung um Carlotta, Julius, Leo und Mats.
 
Herzlichen Glückwunsch Euch allen. Ihr habt eindrucksvoll gezeigt, was für tolle Hockeyspieler ihr seid und habt Eure Schule unglaublich fair und begeisternd vertreten.
 
Jan Pörksen

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JFKS Berlin Indoor Hockey Champions

It all began in 2018, when a small, intrepid group of lively JFKS children set out to represent their school at the Berlin School Championships. Back then, the protagonists of this story were still in the Entrance Class or Kindergarten. And now – six years later – they have won the most important competition for elementary school in indoor field hockey. The JFKS are Berlin Elementary School Field Hockey Champions!!!

However, the path to this fantastic victory was anything but a walk in the park. After initially having to learn the hard way in 2018 and losing the final in 2019, we played our way to the final of the Diagonal Indoor Primary School Hockey League in 2020, which was then no longer played due to coronavirus. As the school hockey ball had to stay in the locker in 2021 and 2022, the girls and boys were only able to switch back to attack in the final year. However, as in 2019, 2023 ended with a defeat in the final and second place.

But now, in the last year of elementary school (at least for 7 out of 8), the time had finally come. An ingenious plan had to be devised. The choices were “Attack is the best defense”; “The ball has to go in the corner” or “If we have the ball, the opponent can’t score”. We decided to implement all three plans at the same time and played heart-warming attacking field hockey. With 21:3 goals, we danced our way through the preliminary round and were to meet the Grey Monastery in the final, just like in 2023. With a lot of commitment, unbridled will and, above all, wonderful field hockey, we deserved to win 3:1 thanks to goals from Leo and Mats (2). As always, the team was the player of the match. Without Karolina in goal and Rufus, Maxi and Lily in defense, the victory would have been just as impossible as without the offensive team of Carlotta, Julius, Leo and Mats.

Congratulations to you all. You impressively showed what great field hockey players you are and represented your school in an incredibly fair and inspiring way.

Jan Pörksen

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REVIEW: HS ISTA Festival

Here is a small impression of this year’s High School ISTA Festival at the International School in Basel, where 13 students successfully represented JFKS. The motto of this year’s festival was “Treasures in Unlikely Places” and they worked with students and artists from all over Europe and the Middle East. 

Bravo to our Ista-Ensemble and a big thank you to our ISTA-Representative Ms. Hoedt. 

Click on the picture below to watch our short video.

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MOVIE NIGHT: Ratatouille (21.03.)

We are hosting our annual FREE Family/Community Movie Night on Thursday, March 21 from 18:30-20:30 in the Large Aula. 

The students voted to screen Disney’s Ratatouille! 

While the event is free to attend, there will be snack and hot dog sales. 

The students are raising money to purchase a new digital clock to display near the soccer field/bike track.

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Women’s Week Events

The F.I.’s annual Women’s Week starts on April 8! 
 
Please join us for these exciting events:
 
-APRIL 9 & 10 (6th hour): 
Thrift clothing sale in the blue building
 
-APRIL 11 (6th hour): 
Barbie costume contest in the blue building 
Wear your favorite Barbie-inspired outfit. The winner will receive a prize!
No need to sign up- just show up!
 
-APRIL 11 (18:30): 
Barbie movie night in the large Aula
€5 for students, €7 for adults
Winner of the costume contest will be announced!
 
All proceeds from our events will be donated to GeBeWo, a charity that helps women experiencing homelessness in Berlin.
 

Thanks for your support! See you there!


The Feminist Initiative 

John F. Kennedy School club

Proud advocates for equality and empowerment of all genders since 2016.

Everyone is welcome!

Instagram @feminist.initiative 

https://jfksfeministinitiative.weebly.com 

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SKI TRIP 2024: Update #3 – Wrap-Up

It is quiet. (There were times when I thought this moment might never come.) And time for a little reflection.

So many opportunities for growth during these last two weeks! If they took full advantage of this year’s ski trip, your children benefited in multitudinous ways. Everyone excelled on the slopes in a rather extraordinary way this year. In fact, I do not recall a ski trip with so many talented people, regardless of starting level. Virtually all students either skied on black slopes or were capable of doing so by trip’s end. But so many of your children polished their skills of courtesy as well, for example at the dinner table where they quickly moved from a mentality of “French Fries? Gimme!!” to “Can I serve you a plate of goulash?” or “Please, let me take that empty soup dish for you!” Don’t believe us? Ask your child!

They experienced meeting deadlines in various ways, whether for container duty or the teacher-led room inspections. Many children took the brave leap of performing “on stage” in class activities for their classmates’ amusement, while others worked behind the scenes to support teachers and classmates alike. Since the last update, we had a huge crowd for Mr. Weiss’ “Guitar and Sing-along Night”, and perhaps the best word for the “Gods of the Ski Trip” competition between classes is “cacophonous.” A lively dance party in the cellar concluded the activities in Zillertal, including the slick moves of some of our younger teachers. But leaving Austria did not mean an end to the fun: the long-awaited Rap Battle between Bus One and Bus Two finally took place beside the McDonald’s at our last stop before arriving home. And the winner was…?!! Does it really matter when kids are dropping clever lyrics and beats to the general entertainment of everyone? And not to forget the debut of DJ Schickimicki Kiki, our resident Doctor. Great stuff!

Your kids really do squeeze in a lot of activities and learning in the two weeks of the ski trip. Challenges arise both on the slopes and in our living quarters, necessitating the further development of athletic, intellectual and social skills. While exhausting, the intense experience will yield memories for years to come. Too much space is needed for the different contributions of all the teachers, but I would be remiss without citing the leadership of our leaders Frau Krueger and Herr Nagel who have worked hard behind the scenes to make this trip happen as smoothly as possible. We also benefited greatly from the guiding hand of Herr Mueller, who is handing over the reins of leadership after many years of outstanding governance. 

We all hope your children have returned with multiple stories of positive growth, new friendships, new confidence in their skiing or performing levels and big smiles on their faces. We are all lucky to be a part of this experience!

Thank you for sharing your children with us!      

Mr. Felt

 

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SKI TRIP 2024: Update on Arrival Time

It is 18:00 and the busses will arrive within the next 10 minutes. They just got off the freeway in Wannsee! 

 

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As of 17:00, the busses have made it into Brandenburg but there is a lot of traffic. 

The current estimated time of arrival is 18:20-18:30.

Should this change, we will post another update here. 

 

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As of 15:00, the group was taking a break at a rest stop just south of Leipzig. Once they get on the road again, it should take about 2.5 hours (not considering traffic!). 

At this time, estimated time of arrival is 17:45.

We will update one more time, once we have a better idea of their arrival time. 

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HS: Buddy System – Coming soon to Grade 7

To find out more about this project starting next school year, click here for a presentation with more details. 

If you have questions, please contact Fr. Diemer at .

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Odyssey of the Mind – German Finals – Saturday, March 16

The JFKS will be hosting the Odyssey of the Mind German Finals on Saturday, March 16 from 9:30 to 16:30.  There will be 12 teams, representing JFKS (grades EC to 9th) and over 230 participants from Germany, France and the Netherlands.

The event is open to the public. Come cheer them on! 

What is Odyssey of the Mind? OM is an international program offered at the JFKS (grades EC-12)  that teaches students how to develop and use their natural creativity to become problem-solvers. Such problems include construction of small operable vehicles and devices, design of costumes and props as well as script writing and performance. The program emphasizes creativity, problem-solving, writing, teamwork, time management and public speaking.

For more information about the OM program, visit https://odysseyofthemind.de or contact the JFKS Odyssey of the Mind Coordinator, Ms. Hansen, at

To view the program / schedule for Saturday, click here. 
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Voting Workshop at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin

As shared by the American Citizen Services Unit of the US Embassy:

 

Dear U.S. Citizen Community,

In the run-up to the 2024 United States presidential election, U.S. Embassy Berlin is pleased to announce a Voting Assistance Workshop hosted by the American Citizens Services unit and the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP.gov).

We would like to ensure that all U.S. citizens in Germany who wish to vote in the 2024 elections know how to register as absentee voters and submit their ballots.  As members of local schools, businesses, and civic organizations, we need your help informing our fellow citizens how to vote!

Please join us at the U.S. Embassy Chancery, Pariser Platz 2, at 2:00 pm on Monday, April 15.  The workshop will last approximately two hours and will provide comprehensive training on the overseas voting process.  Additionally, you will have the opportunity to speak with our consular staff, pose any questions you may have about citizen services offered by the embassy, and network with fellow U.S. citizens in Germany.  You will also visit our beautiful Chancery building located beside the Brandenburg Gate.

Please respond by March 31, 2024, to confirm your attendance or to indicate if you would like to send a representative to attend the workshop.  You are welcome to forward this invitation to other U.S. citizens, but space constraints may require us to limit attendees.  In your response, please provide the following:

  • Full name and date and place of birth of attendee
  • Citizenship
  • I.D. type
  • I.D. number 

We look forward to welcoming you to the embassy!

Sincerely,

David McWilliams

Chief of American Citizens Services

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SKI TRIP 2024: Update #2

The weather gods have smiled upon us – both for our free-ski day and the last several days of skiing. Since we concluded our first round of skiing, the kids have enjoyed several more Activity Nights, a dance party and a very busy free-ski day consisting of a shopping trip to Fügen (in record-making time for our speedwalkers – are you shocked?), a hike up into the mountains with Mr. Weiss and a soccer tournament organized for 40 players by Mr. Lang and Hr. Fabig. 

To be honest, there was very little actual free time on free-ski day because the preparation for the first room inspection became a top priority for most rooms. We’re not just talking about clothes picked up off of the floor and garbage thrown away. Oh no. The room inspection has become a combination of hyper-cleaning (do NOT expect this at home), organizational mastery down to the last perfectly shelved helmet/goggles and presentations or performances to create the perfect ambiance for the visiting inspectors. We were welcomed with artistry, song & dance, flowers, food, poetry and, perhaps my favorite, a Zen Chamber of Meditation. Before the inspection team’s arrival, rooms were aromatized with a heavy fragrance of deodorant (the boys) or incense (the girls). The less inventive rooms did little to hide the traditional tang typical of sweaty socks and overutilized long underwear that we get to enjoy each night we put the kids to bed (you know, when they don’t really go to bed).

The aforementioned “Perfection” theme from update one? Umm, not yet. Still some lessons to learn in their relationships/communication. Still some lessons in general decision-making. Still some lessons of slope etiquette to learn. But that’s why we’re here. And usually, they learn a great deal – and have fun doing it!

Speaking of slopes, the big excitement concerns the quick advancement of the beginners, many of whom are no longer beginners! Most of the new skiers have been up the gondola to the top of the mountain and have successfully negotiated (more or less) the slopes all the way back down to our starting point. Their grins and newfound pride are a wonderful site to behold. 

As I wrap up, I look out on the terrace where the kids are holding their current dance party. Not sure I would call it dance, at least not universally, but the bodies are moving and grooving, small groups are cracking up with laughter around the dance floor, and hints of adoration float just above the heads (or hearts) of the dancers. Or maybe they are simply high from the delicious Apfelstrudel tonight. Whatever it is, smiles abound.

 

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