Four students have been in Zurich for the past four days participating in the AMIS Honor Band Festival.  Tonight at 19:00 is the culminating concert.  You are invited to watch via the live-stream link and see what they have accomplished with their fellow musicians from schools all around Europe and the Middle East. 

The concert is also being recorded and can be watched at a later time via the same link. 

Enjoy!

-Ms. Epping, High School Band Director/Music Teacher

Diesen Monat hatten alle 5. Klassen, die den Religionsunterricht besuchen, die Gelegenheit, die Reformsynagoge “Sukkat Schalom” zu besuchen. Kantorin Esther Hirsch nahm sich extra viel Zeit für unsere SchülerInnen, um ihnen alles “rund um die Synagoge” zu erklären und beantwortete zahlreiche Fragen. Die SchülerInnen durften in eine echte Thorarolle hineinschauen und am Ende hatten wir sogar die besondere Gelegenheit, Frau Hirsch beim Gesang aus der Thora zu lauschen.

Fr. Friedman (jüdische Religionslehrerin)

Dear Parents, 

Well, it’s a wrap for 2023, and it was a good one – a VERY good one.

By Thursday’s conclusion, everyone had been on a lift and so many had graduated to new levels of skiing that the entire group of 8th graders this year was one of the farthest achieving in recent memory. It was a pleasure for us to share in their success, especially those who made giant leaps from their “beginner” status. In many cases, the students truly pushed their comfort levels on the slopes, and we are very hopeful that that will translate into reaching new degrees of comfort and confidence in their future intellectual and social undertakings as well. (But please don’t expect each and every one of your children to clear the table on a nightly basis.)

The last several days were quite eventful, with more class-led activities, a sing-along with Mr. Weiss, and Wednesday night’s traditional crowning of the “Heroes of the Ski Trip”, won by 8c after impressive demonstrations of lip-synching, love letter writing, a ready-for-ski fashion show and other ridiculous activities requiring varying degrees of dexterity. (Your children can invite you to play along – don’t hurt yourselves!)

One of my favorite memories of the past week, however, was observing one of our skiers come to the rescue of a small child who had become separated from his parents on the slopes. She calmly gained the young boy’s confidence and gently guided him down a challenging slope while her teammates watched and applauded the tearful reunion at the bottom. This demonstration of encouragement and helpfulness was evident within the groups both on the slopes and back at the hotel and surely contributed to the overall success of the trip. Was it perfect? Of course not. But judging by the frequent laughter (or in the case of one of my rooms, inexhaustible giggling), the kids enjoyed their time together, engaged in some great discussions (when separated from their cell phones) and even created some wonderfully zany experiences which may be better left unexplained (but thanks, Room 110!).

Seeing students reunited with their respective families on Friday evening is always heartwarming, and then shortly afterward we teachers get to enjoy the same. We were delighted to be greeted with expressions of appreciation from the parents for which we are most grateful. But our biggest thanks must go to Herr Mueller for the countless hours he gives throughout the year (not to mention very long nights during the ski trip) and his steady leadership of ensuring the safety and encouraging the growth of 135 unique individuals while keeping his teaching staff motivated to give your children their best. It cannot be easy, but after 35 years, his experience shines brighter with each year.  We hope your children have grown in many ways as a result of their experience in Zillertal! Servus!                                          

Mr. Felt

************ Deutsche Version weiter unten*********

Dear JFKS School Community,

 This week during construction work on the water pipeline, damage was found under the access road to the school. Due to this damage, we now need to close ALL vehicle access to the ramp. 

Walking along the sidewalk of the ramp will continue to be accessible. Everyone will also still be able to use the main entrance of the school. 

After consultation with the officials in the Senate and the experts of the sewage company, school buses will be able to drive up the entrance of the ramp. They will let the students get on and off the bus away from the construction, and then turn around on the ramp to exit. 

Since the traffic at the south entrance may  increase due to this temporary change, we ask all members of the school community to keep the zone around the south entrance clear and to respect the no-parking zone as far as possible.

We are hopeful that this work can be carried out as soon as possible. Thank you very much for your assistance.

Sincerely,

 JFKS  Administration

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Liebe JFKS Familien,

in dieser Woche wurde bei Wartungsarbeiten an der Wasserleitung unter der Zufahrt zur Schule ein Schaden festgestellt. Aus diesem Grund ist es notwendig die Rampe für die Durchfahrt von Fahrzeugen noch heute zu sperren.

Fußgänger können weiterhin wie gewohnt zum Haupteingang der Schule gelangen. 

Nach Rücksprache mit den Verantwortlichen im Senat und den Experten des Abwasserunternehmens, wird es für Schulbusse zunächst die Möglichkeit geben mit kleineren Bussen auf die Rampe zu fahren, die Schülerinnen und Schüler ein-bzw. aussteigen zu lassen und dann auf der Rampe zu wenden und diese wieder durch die Zufahrt zu verlassen.

Da der Verkehr am Südeingang durch diese vorübergehende Änderung zunehmen kann, bitten wir alle Mitglieder der Schulgemeinschaft, den Bereich um den Südeingang freizuhalten und das Parkverbot weiträumig zu respektieren.

Wir hoffen, dass die Arbeiten schnellstmöglich durchgeführt werden können. Vielen Dank für Ihre Mithilfe.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

Ihre Schulleitung der JFKS

Congratulations to our students on their recent success in Jugend training für Olympia. Thank you to Coach Kaiser for the support!

WK III: Berliner Landesmeisterschaft

2. Platz bei Jugend trainiert für Olympia Badminton

WK II: Berliner Landesmeisterschaften

4. Platz bei Jugend trainiert für Olympia Badminton 

Midway through the trip, we are pleased to see so many students improving their skiing and enjoying time with friends. Besides the many teachers and administrators who have come on the trip, we are very thankful to have three former JFKS students volunteer their time to join us: their professional ski and medical expertise make this trip so much better for the 130 students. 

Please see the list below are some of the students’ observations about the ski trip. They were collected Saturday morning during breakfast.  

Mr. Lang

Student Observations

The walk to swim was super long. The mountains are beautiful. – Giselle

They are weird couple dynamics. ­– Benjamin

Tissues are not an effective weapon to throw at my roommates. – Nicolas

It smells like cow poop. – Declan

There is no clock in the room. – Constantine

We need more sleep and coffee. We are sleep deprived. – Susannah & Kayla

We like our room teacher, “Old Great Felty Boy”. – Clemens

Like, we know how the cleaning [room] critics were joking, but it hurt our egos. – Julian & Hamilton

I do 100 push-ups every morning – Sebastian

One of the staff members or guest house owners smokes. – Adam

Playing Werewolf is fun. – Frida

The Nutella tastes good.  – Anselm & Yevheniya

Icy and slushy snow was terrible on Friday. – Iona & Mia

It was really fun to ski from the top to the bottom of the mountain [for the first time]. – Ava

I almost had a heart attack on the slopes because I was afraid of falling.  I crashed straight into Hr. Nagel. – Jordan

We started a fight club. – James

I liked skiing the hill for the first time rather than walking to lunch. – Sienna

The bathroom door scares me and keeps crashing on my fingers. – Violet

One person in our room gives us a kiss good night. – Jack

Don’t go down the wrong slope or the rest of the group will have to wait two hours. – Calvin

The weather reports have been inaccurate. – Miguel

The ski-boot-room STINKS. – Myllah

The water tastes good. – Melissa

The view from the balcony is beautiful. – Jordis.

I think my shoulder is discombobulated. – Pepper

The snow at the top is awesome (perfect powder) – Leopold

I like the design of the guesthouse with its flowers and a lot of natural wood. –Jewel

The beds are hard. – Ella

I’m laughing a lot with my friends. – Nina

The ski trip is fun. – Jacob

Joined by other schools in the Hessen region, the JFKS Jr. MUN students traveled to Frankfurt to participate in the Frankfurt International School Model United Nations (FISMUN) conference. The students were assigned a country delegation which they represented Model UN simulation event.

They debated world impacting issues such as preventing natural disasters, obtaining zero hunger through sustainable farming, and achieving world-wide nuclear disarmament. In collaboration with the other delegates, the students presented solutions to the topics and gave persuasive speeches in front of large audiences.

With great pride, we congratulate all the JFKS Jr. MUN students for not only representing the John F. Kennedy school well, but also for demonstrating what it means to be an active global citizen, ready and able to make a positive impact on the world.

What would a Ski Trip be without… a spirited poetry slam before even reaching the slopes??!! In a tradition dating back several years now, students on buses one and two have gone head-to-head – with increasing literary dexterity – at our rest stops en route to Zillertal. In what could be considered a sensational upset (not to mention a devastating throwdown of an English teacher: no names will be mentioned, but if you do your HW you’ll learn just how many English teachers are ski team members), Mr. Lang’s bus two swayed the judges with their impressive performance. Naturally trash-talking ensued, nearly all above-board, and rumors of a rematch on the return buses remain constant.

We arrived ahead of schedule and soon the excitement of new rooms, fun roommates and the stunning alpine scenery provided reason for exhilaration. A three-course dinner was served soon thereafter, with the teachers’ dreaded anticipation of the jet engine roar of 135 8th grade voices in the dining room. We were not disappointed. HOWEVER… this particular ski team member was delighted to be seated with students graciously serving other students, patiently waiting for their food before inviting the table to hold hands for “Piep-Piep-Piep, wir hab’n uns alle lieb, guten Appetit!” Classic. We’ll see if they can maintain that…

We were especially proud of the patience of our students in several ways on our “opening day.” It is not fun to stand in the long line at the ski rental place, finding that “perfect fit” of a ski boot and the right size skis. Nevertheless, the process was the smoothest in many years with our digital registration and all were pleased to hear Herr Mueller report at dinner that the ski rental place had praised our students for their cooperation and good behavior – what a tribute! 

But skiing! Skiing is the Hauptsache, and the early reports are very good. Skilled skiers on the one hand, ambitious beginners on the other, the latter for which something needs to be said. While polished skiers have enjoyed exploring the various challenges of Hochfuegen, newbies experience an entire range of emotions including fear, (those mountains are SO high!) pain, (why do the boots hurt so much?!) frustration, (I can’t get up – I hate this!), etc. which is why it is so rewarding when Hr. Mueller announces “we have a new large group of students who used their first lift today and are no longer ski beginners,” followed by huge applause. Their grit was worth it, and the reward is when the complaints turn into “This is so awesome! Can we go down one more time?!”  

In the meantime, your children have entertained themselves with card games, chess matches, table tennis (using their phones as paddles), karaoke and tonight’s current activity of “Werewolf.” They quiz each other and solve riddles on the bus rides, talk about topics from the Latin language or the pronunciation of Yosemite, discuss movies that make them cry and ask questions regarding Mr. Mandell’s life story. Not a bad day.           

Mr. Felt  

Congratulations to our 17 students in grades 10-12 who participated in the 2023 AMIS International Honor Choir Festival in Muscat, Oman.

JFKS is the only public school in the organization, and we had the second largest contingent at the festival. In case you missed the livestream, you can watch the concert recording here. Enjoy the songs and mentioning of JFKS participants at 2:08:10!

A special thank you to Dr. Curtis for organizing the trip and preparing our students to participate in this event.