Newsletter 02.10.2026

An eventful week lies behind us: encounters with special guests, newly elected student and parent representatives, creative projects, exciting classroom experiences and many opportunities to take responsibility and learn from one another.

Whether through football and financial education, programming in Preschool, experimenting with language and poetry or exploring past worlds – our students were active in many different areas this week. At the same time, several special events in October and November are already on the horizon.

We hope you enjoy reading our latest newsletter!

German Unity Day in Accra

On 30 September, German Unity Day was celebrated with a festive reception at the residence of German Ambassador Frederik Landshöft. GISA was represented by Administrative Manager Katrin Krüger, Deputy Headmaster Haitham Albeiruty and Head of Primary School Ramona Klaes.

The evening focused on German reunification and the close and diverse relations between Ghana and Germany.

➡️ Read more: German Unity Day in Accra

A Wonderful Reunion at GISA

This week, we were delighted to welcome former colleague Anna Fischer-Krayer back to GISA. From 2016 to 2020, she was Head of our Kindergarten. Her visit brought many warm reunions with former colleagues and long-standing staff members.

The exchange also showed just how much our school has developed – and how many personal connections have remained.

➡️ Read more: A Warm Reunion at GISA

New Parent Representatives Elected

At the meeting of the Parent Representatives, Monika Althaus and Thorsten van Honk were elected as the new Parent Speakers of the German International School Accra. Important topics of school development and the ongoing work on the school and Kindergarten calendar for 2027/28 were also discussed.

We warmly congratulate them on their election and thank all parent representatives for their commitment and constructive exchange.

➡️ Read more: New Parent Representatives Elected

New Student Representatives Start with Plenty of Ideas

Rudatu Dawda Jaward and Matt Alfa-Traoré from Grade 9 have started their roles as our new student representatives with plenty of ideas. Their focus is on greater student participation, joint projects and additional opportunities for students to take responsibility and actively help shape school life.

We look forward to working with them and to seeing many of their ideas turn into concrete projects over the coming months.

➡️ Read more: New Student Representatives Bring Fresh Ideas

Faces of Football: Football Meets Financial Education

On 29 September, girls from the German International School Accra, Chance for Children and Universal Wonderful Street Academy came together for the third edition of “Faces of Football”. Supported by the Petra Landers Football School and the German Sparkassenstiftung, the project day combined football, teamwork and fair play with important aspects of financial education.

The result was not only a sporting event, but also a special opportunity for girls from different backgrounds to meet, learn and grow together.

➡️ Read more: Faces of Football – Football Meets Financial Education

High-Ranking Delegation from Bavaria Visits GISA

On 25 September, the German International School Accra welcomed a delegation from Bavaria led by State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt. Headmaster Rainer Kropp-Kurta presented the positive development of the school, the expansion of the Secondary School, the Excellence Scholarship Programme and important partnerships and projects.

The presentation and subsequent tour of the campus led to an intensive exchange about GISA’s development and its role as a bridge between Ghana and Germany.

➡️ Read more: High-Ranking Delegation from Bavaria Visits GISA

From Accra to Bonn: Bernard Boateng in Germany

Our colleague Bernard Boateng is currently taking part in a three-week observation and professional development programme for locally employed teachers at German Schools Abroad in Bonn and Cologne. During the programme, he is gaining new methodological and didactic ideas, observing lessons at German schools and exchanging experiences with colleagues.

There is also time for some special Germany moments outside the programme – from Cologne Cathedral to the Allianz Arena in Munich.

➡️ Read more: From Accra to Bonn – New Experiences and New Perspectives

October Lunch Menu

The North Ridge Café lunch menu for October is now available. You will find the current menu directly below as an image.

Family Harvest Thanksgiving Service

The German-speaking Protestant Congregation in Accra invites families to a special Harvest Thanksgiving service on Sunday, 11 October 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Ridge Church. The service will be led by Reverend Heidi Hafner, who arrived in Accra in September.

Guests are invited to bring fresh or non-perishable food in cans or packets. The donations will first be used to decorate the altar and will afterwards be donated to Universal Wonderful Street Academy.

The service will take place on the first floor of the main Ridge Church building, which is accessible. The church premises are located directly next to the Kempinski Hotel.

People of all denominations are warmly welcome. No prior registration is required.

For enquiries:
Doris Bloniarz, Parish Board
WhatsApp: 0544 336 181

➡️ Read more: Family Harvest Thanksgiving Service

German Language Day

On 31 October 2026, GISA will once again celebrate the German language. Various creative projects are planned in Primary and Secondary School, giving our students different opportunities to engage with language, culture and German-speaking communities.

Save the Date: GISA Annual General Meeting

On behalf of the GISA Board, we would already like to invite families to save the date for this year’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room.

At the Annual General Meeting, we will look back on the past school year, share financial updates and look ahead to upcoming tasks and projects. New Board members will also be elected, and a separate call for nominations will follow.

The formal invitation, including the agenda and further documents, will be sent in due course.

Lantern Festival at GISA

On Thursday, 12 November 2026, the German International School Accra warmly invites everyone to this year’s Lantern Festival. From 5:00 p.m., guests can look forward to a festive evening with coffee and cake, a short stage programme, the traditional lantern parade and a shared dinner.

The event is organised by our Kindergarten team. We are already looking forward to many glowing lanterns and a wonderful evening with our school community.

➡️ Read more: Lantern Festival at GISA

Nursery and Kindergarten

Discovering Autumn with All Our Senses

This week, we started exploring the theme of autumn in the Crèche. In the garden, we collected different leaves and used them to create colourful pictures. Along the way, we discovered different colours, shapes and materials while developing our perception, creativity and fine motor skills through play.

Using bananas left over from our fruit and vegetable day, we also prepared a delicious smoothie together. The children were able to participate actively, use their senses and experience a mindful approach to food.

A Creative Kindergarten Week with a Robotics Highlight

This week was filled with creative activities, puzzles, riddles and building with wooden blocks. A spontaneous treasure hunt in the garden and the game “The Lions Are Loose!” provided additional opportunities for movement. Our regular activities, such as dancing and Taekwondo, also took place. During our baking activity, we made delicious Rock Buns.

At the end of the week, we held our Reading Day, during which some of our students visited the Kindergarten and read to the children.

A special highlight also took place in Preschool: Our Preschool children explored the world of programming through play. Using the Matatalab Coding Set, they programmed small robots, tried out their own solutions and developed spatial awareness, logical thinking and problem-solving skills.

In this way, we foster an early enthusiasm for computer science, robotics and artificial intelligence – important future skills that help prepare our children for the modern world.

Primary School

Grades 1/2 – Numbers, Letters and a Night Sky Inspired by van Gogh

This week, the children in Grade 1 counted quantities and wrote down the corresponding numbers. Conversely, they drew the correct quantity for given numbers. Grade 2 practised addition within the number range up to 100. Tens and ones were used as visual aids before the children used their “secret code” to represent tens and ones.

In German, the Grade 1 students learned the letter N/n. In Grade 2, the focus was on spelling. Partner dictations gave the children an opportunity to practise and demonstrate their writing skills.

Our Tiptoi pens were also used during the Förderband. They allowed the children to work independently and playfully on a range of learning activities.

In General Studies, we explored the differences between birds and mammals. Feel free to ask your child at home: Who has fur or hair? Who gives birth to live young and nurses them? Who has teeth and who has a beak?

In English, the story “The Hare and the Tortoise” came to an end this week. The children retold the story using pictures, put the events into the correct order and learned new vocabulary. Grade 2 additionally wrote their own sentences using the new words.

In Art, Quak once again took us into the world of art. After Monet, he introduced the children to Vincent van Gogh. They discovered that a night does not have to be only black and that colours and curved brushstrokes can create movement in a painting.

Inspired by van Gogh, the children created their own night skies using different shades of blue and violet. In the coming Art lessons, they will add stars and swirling lines in the style of van Gogh’s lively night scenes.

Grade 3 – Times Tables, a Reading Walk and Making Music Together

In Grade 3, we look back on a varied and eventful school week.

In Mathematics, we started working on multiplication tables and explored multiplication in a very visual way. By finding and grouping examples in our surroundings and working with dots and dice, the children developed a deeper understanding of what it means to multiply. This allowed both children with no previous experience and our little multiplication experts to deepen their knowledge at their own level.

In German, everything revolved around reading this week. We practised strategies for conscious reading comprehension, strengthened our memory during a lively reading walk and explored Bea’s second travel diary entry.

In General Studies, the children prepared intensively for their first major group project. After consolidating their knowledge of children’s rights using the Anton app, each team chose its preferred topic and is now eagerly ready to get started next week.

In Art, the children completed their colourful name aliens with lots of creativity and proudly presented them to the class.

In Music, we explored different pitches and accompanied a piece of music using Boomwhackers. As each child played a different pitch and precise timing was essential, this was a great experience for developing rhythm and teamwork.

In PE, our high-jump training took us to new heights.

In English, the children explored the world of adjectives. They learned how descriptive words can bring people, places, animals and objects to life and enthusiastically built increasingly detailed sentences with growing confidence.

Grade 4 – Number Sense, the Noun Gang and Musical Rhythms

In Mathematics, Grade 4 worked intensively this week on orientation within the number range up to 10,000. We took a very close look at number lines. First, the children explored different scales and worked out the intervals between numbers on a number line. They then located specific numbers and placed numbers in the correct positions.

We also looked more closely at neighbouring numbers. The children identified predecessors and successors as well as neighbouring tens, hundreds and thousands. They compared, estimated and thought carefully throughout the process.

Of course, we also used our LUFRAK strategy again to solve word problems. This time, the focus was on situations involving multiplication and division. The children practised identifying important information in a text, selecting the correct operation and presenting their solutions clearly.

In German, Grade 4 met the “Noun Gang” this week – a very special group that knows all about the four German cases! Together with our gang members, the children explored the nominative, genitive, dative and accusative through station work. There was plenty to think about, as the four cases can certainly be challenging. The topic is still quite tricky, so we will continue working on it over the coming weeks.

In spelling, we focused on word families and word stems. Using the word stem “fahr” as an example, the children collected as many related words as possible and discovered just how many different words can belong to one word family.

We also took another step forward in reading with Lena. After already learning to highlight important keywords in a text, the children added a new reading strategy: dividing texts into meaningful sections. Step by step, this helps them structure longer texts more effectively and identify important information more quickly.

In Music, the students worked on connecting rhythm with musical notation. The main note values explored were crotchets, minims, quavers and semiquavers. In this way, they expanded their musical vocabulary and their understanding of different note values in an enjoyable way.

Secondary School

Grade 5 – Mental Maths, Role Models and Working with the Atlas

In Mathematics, Grade 5 revised and consolidated important foundations. We worked on data and natural numbers, practised mental arithmetic and reviewed written addition. The game “Stop and Swap” was particularly motivating during mental maths activities and helped students develop speed and confidence in calculation.

In Ethics, we explored the topic of role models, with a particular focus on female role models. We also looked at football. The students researched Petra Landers, a former German national football player. A special highlight was that Petra Landers visited GISA on Tuesday as part of the “Faces of Football” event, giving the students the opportunity to meet her in person. This brought the topic of role models to life through a direct personal encounter.

In Geography, working with the atlas was at the centre of our lessons. Through station work, the students learned and practised important skills for using an atlas. Questions included: How do I find places in an atlas? What is a scale and how can I use it? What are the cardinal directions and how do they help me navigate? The varied stations allowed the students to apply and consolidate their map and atlas skills independently.

In English, after completing their digital presentations on fables, the students also played conversation games, including “All About Me”. This gave them the opportunity to practise using adjectives to describe things in a fun way. It was also a good opportunity for the German-speaking children to gain more confidence when speaking English. Please remind your child to retell their fable at home.

In Biology, the students in Grades 5/6 explored the structure of flowering plants, including their organs and functions. As homework, they are asked to bring germinable seeds next week. Over the coming weeks, we will use them for germination experiments in the school garden beds.

In History, Grade 5 continued exploring Ancient Greece, with Athens and Sparta taking centre stage. The students compared everyday life, education and social structures in the two poleis and discovered how different life in Ancient Greece could be.

Grade 6 – Programming, Exploring Happiness and Creating “Movies in the Mind”

In Mathematics, preparing for the first test on Friday was the main focus this week. We revised important content, practised different types of exercises and clarified open questions. We also focused on writing down solution methods clearly and carefully checking our own results. This gave everyone an opportunity to see what they already do well and where some additional practice may still be helpful.

In Computer Science, we are currently taking our first steps in programming with Scratch. In the current task, “Animated Name”, the students bring the letters of their names to life: they change colour, rotate, play sounds or move across the screen. The children combine simple programming blocks and test their programmes. As the instructions are in German, we are also practising careful reading, understanding new vocabulary and following tasks step by step. And when a letter does not do what it is supposed to do, we work together to find a solution!

In Ethics, things became practical this week. In small groups, the students went around the school and interviewed ten people about three statements related to the topic of “Happiness”:

“Do friends make us happy?” – “Does money make us happy?” – “Can happiness be learned?”

Some surprising and interesting results emerged! Next week, we will evaluate our surveys, present the results in charts and analyse them together. We are curious to see what we can learn about happiness.

In German, we revised prepositions and also completed our unit on narrative writing.

Our main goal was to write stories so vividly that they create a real “movie in the mind” for the reader – and this was definitely achieved! Many creative and exciting stories were written, read aloud to one another and appreciated together.

Our morning reading time is already showing results as well: Every child has now finished at least one complete book. We are curious to see how many more books will be read by the end of the school year!

In Biology, the students in Grades 5/6 explored the structure of flowering plants, including their organs and functions. As homework, the children are asked to bring germinable seeds next week. Over the coming weeks, we will use them for germination experiments in the school garden beds.

In English, the students are developing their paragraph narrative writing skills step by step. Before writing, they first use a mind map to organise their ideas. They are also learning to avoid repeating personal pronouns and to make their writing more creative and interesting. As a brain warm-up, they enjoyed a mind game led by our intern Frau Laib.

In History, Grade 6 also explored Ancient Greece. The focus was on Athens and Sparta and on how society, education and political organisation were structured in the two city-states. Through direct comparison, similarities and differences became particularly clear.

In German as a Foreign Language, the students in Grades 5 and 6 explored language creatively this week. During a poetry workshop, they experimented with words, meanings and their own word creations and developed their first original texts.

The work also serves as preparation for a possible contribution to the Goethe-Institut Accra Cultural Festival in November.

➡️ Read more: Playing with Words, Discovering Language

Grade 7 – Arguing, Discovering and Creating

In German, we were once again busy arguing, writing and editing this week. We practised developing our own viewpoint on different topics, formulating suitable debate questions and creating convincing arguments. Using our familiar BBB structure – claim, reason and example – we organised our arguments clearly and logically. We also became increasingly independent in revising and improving our own texts. This means we are well prepared for our first test next week!

In Mathematics, we entered new territory this week and started working on “Variables and Terms”. We first clarified some basic questions: What is a variable? What is a term? And what role can a variable play within a term? We then practised combining and simplifying terms. The students learned to recognise like terms, organise mathematical expressions systematically and simplify them step by step.

In Geography, we travelled to the tropical zone. We focused especially on life in the tropics and created our own explanatory videos in small groups. In these videos, we presented key aspects of the tropical zone in a clear and engaging way. This allowed us not only to deepen our geographical knowledge, but also to practise selecting, structuring, explaining and creatively presenting information.

Things continued creatively in English. We completed our superhero task and presented our results to Grade 8. Afterwards, we received peer feedback on our work. We found it particularly interesting to explore how AI could be used meaningfully as a support tool to develop imaginative superheroes and design suitable costumes. We also presented the stories surrounding our superheroes. Next, we will explore different sentence types as preparation for writing our own adventure stories.

In Biology, we delved further into the world of invertebrates. We completed our presentations and listened to the first presentation, which focused on the insect family of ants. Alongside the biological content, we also explored how to design and deliver a successful presentation. Together, we reflected on presentation style and slide layout and gave one another targeted feedback. In this way, we deepened our biological knowledge while also developing our presentation skills.

In Computer Science, we were also creative and continued programming with Scratch. First, we animated our own names by moving letters, changing colours and adding sounds. We then began our next project and started designing and programming our own story. We decided for ourselves which characters would appear and what would happen to them. As we worked with German-language instructions, we also practised reading and understanding tasks carefully. In this way, we combined creativity, logical thinking, programming and language learning.

This brought a varied and productive week to an end, during which we discovered many new things, worked creatively and consolidated what we had already learned.

In a double History lesson, the students in Grades 7/8 did not simply study the lives of medieval farmers – they experienced them through a simulation game. In small teams, the students planned a farming year, performed compulsory labour, paid dues and at the same time had to make sure they kept enough grain for food and the next sowing.

After the simulation, the students critically compared their experience with a short film, historical images and factual texts. In this way, concepts such as manorialism, compulsory labour, tithes and demesne land became both vivid and differentiated.

➡️ Read more: History You Can Experience – A Year on the Farm

The German as a Foreign Language students in Grades 7 and 8 explored modern poetry creatively this week. During a workshop, they experimented with different ways of using language and created their first own texts in preparation for a poetry slam contribution to the Goethe-Institut Accra Cultural Festival in November.

At the end of the week, the older students visited the Kindergarten, read to the Sharks and Elephants and enjoyed a wonderful exchange between younger and older German learners.

➡️ Read more: Poetry, Poetry Slam and a Visit to Kindergarten

Grade 8 – Responsibility with Heart, Binomial Formulas and Our Own Stories

In Biology, the students in Grades 7 and 8 continued exploring invertebrates this week. The presentations were completed and the first presentation, on the insect family of ants, was already delivered. As always, presentation style and slide layout were also reflected upon and targeted feedback was provided.

In Ethics and Social Studies, we continued preparing our project for children with heart conditions, which we have titled “Responsibility with Heart”. This week, we were able to move into more concrete planning, as the framework had now been clarified with the contact person from the Gerald Asamoah Foundation.

Four pairs were formed for the planning process, with each pair taking responsibility for a specific task within the planning and implementation of the project. In Ethics, we also created a Stakeholder Empathy Map, providing an overview of the needs, feelings and perspectives of the different groups and institutions involved in the project.

In Mathematics, the class worked on binomial formulas, which represent a particular form of expanding brackets. The students made very good progress and were increasingly able to solve the tasks independently. We were therefore already able to begin factoring expressions using binomial formulas.

In English, the students completed their own adventure story titled “Stranger on the Bus”. During Monday Assembly, they invited everyone to read it. During school breaks, many students have already enjoyed the story and shared feedback on what they particularly liked and what could still be improved. Well done to our upcoming authors!

Grade 9 – Continuing Our Journey of Discovery with Curiosity and Motivation

Grade 9 looks back on a successful and enjoyable week. With strong motivation, focused work and excellent participation, the students expanded their knowledge and made progress together.

In Mathematics, we worked on systems of linear equations and learned the substitution by comparison method. Two equations that have been rearranged for the same variable are set equal to one another in order to determine the solution of the system. The class worked extremely well and practised the new method diligently.

In Chemistry, we continued our work on atomic structure and the periodic table of elements. We looked more closely at how electrons are arranged in the electron shell and how this arrangement relates to the position of an element in the periodic table.

In Biology, photosynthesis was revised and completed this week. Nevertheless, photosynthesis remained present as a central process for life on Earth, as it is closely connected to our new topic of cellular respiration. The students are expected to understand the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration while also developing their German language skills. Next week, we will continue working on these connections and the students will formulate the processes of cellular respiration in writing.

In Ethics, Grade 9 continued working on Buddhism. This week, the Noble Eightfold Path was introduced as a way out of suffering in Buddhist teaching. The students identified the three main areas into which the Eightfold Path can be divided. As with previous presentations, presentation style and slide layout were also reflected upon and targeted feedback was provided.

In Social Studies, we included an additional topic this week. One student gave a presentation on Adolf Hitler and thus on one of the darkest chapters of German history. The class examined the National Socialist dictatorship, racism and the consequences of abolishing democratic structures. This connected well with our current topic of “Democracy”, as it highlighted the importance of democratic institutions and values.

In History, Grade 9 explored the further course of the First World War. After examining the home front and the effects of the war on food supply, work and society, we turned our attention to the year 1917 as a possible turning point. The students investigated in particular the entry of the United States into the war and the Russian Revolution and considered the consequences of both developments for the further course of the conflict.

A special highlight in English on Friday was a visit to the National Children’s Library, accompanied by Frau Mayoga and Maimon. The visit was a reward for the students’ committed work with their English reading material. At the library, they read a chapter and discussed its central themes. Afterwards, there was also time for a game of Uno – a lovely way to end the school week!

Keep it up, Grade 9 – stay curious and motivated!

Grade 9 – All That Matters: When Language Becomes Poetry

In the German Club for our Grade 9 German as a Foreign Language learners, the focus this time was on the power and beauty of words. Under the motto “All That Matters”, the students collected words, experimented with emphasis and word order and discovered how language can become poetic.

This work is also a first step towards creating their own contribution to the Goethe-Institut Accra Cultural Festival in November.

➡️ Read more: All That Matters – When Language Becomes Poetry

Dates & Outlook

⛪ 11 October 2026
Family Harvest Thanksgiving Service of the German-speaking Protestant Congregation in Accra

🍂 19–23 October 2026
Autumn Break

🇩🇪 31 October 2026
German Language Day at GISA

🗳️ 4 November 2026, 6:00 p.m.
GISA Annual General Meeting

❤️ 7–14 November 2026
Heart operations by the Gerald Asamoah Foundation in Ghana

🏮 12 November 2026, from 5:00 p.m.
Lantern Festival at GISA

🎭 13 November 2026
Goethe-Institut Accra Cultural Festival

📚➗ 20 November 2026
Reading Day and Long Night of Mathematics

🎄 28 November 2026
GISA Christmas Market