A new international school will open its doors in Morges this September. Welcoming both international and local students, the LLIS Lake Leman International School will provide classes from Kindergarten (age 3 years) through to grade 5 (age 11 years), and will also offer a crèche for babies aged from 3 months upwards, operated by the LLIS partner, Cap Canaille.
The LLIS Secondary School will open the following academic year (2012/13), preparing students for the IGCSE and International Baccalaurate (IB).
Children in the primary school will follow the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), which provides an innovative approach to education in an international environment. It is based on a set of explicitly defined learning goals for every subject in the curriculum, for personal development, and for the development of “international mindedness”. More details can be found on the IPC website.
Geneva English School (GES) is embarking on an exciting new development, designed to move the school forward and build on the high quality of learning opportunities already provided. This will mean new and improved facilities and the creation of more primary places.
The school, which is situated in magnificent grounds overlooking Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, will open three new classes in September for Reception, Year 1 and Year 3 students. The new classes represent the first stage in a carefully planned expansion programme, which will see the school move to parallel classes running in all year groups by 2013.
With a strong reputation for high academic standards based on the English curriculum, the school has spent many years consulting with parents to consider the various options that would allow it to expand. The construction of a new building, including new classrooms and additional multi-purpose spaces, was deemed to be the best option that would allow GES to offer two classes per year group as well as develop its expressive arts programme and extra-curricular activities, without comprising the existing high standards of teaching already on offer.
A new bilingual school will open this September in Vaud’s La Côte region, offering a high quality, English-French Montessori education to children aged between 3 and 12 years old.
Called Montessori “Seeds of Knowledge”, the new school will be located at two sites in the region, one in Tartegnin (close to Rolle) and the other in Nyon. Teaching will follow Montessori principles, providing children with a stimulating environment, based on the child’s individual needs, and respecting his/her own rhythm of development.
Heading up the new school will be Marie Littman, co founder of the school with her husband Daniel Littman, who will manage the school’s administration and finance. As a Montessori-qualified teacher and mother of three children, Marie understands only too well the importance of allowing children to learn at their own pace. She says,
“I am an ardent believer in the Montessori pedagogy, which is focused on each child’s natural development and does not conform to a standardized teaching manual. Montessori teachers are encouraged to establish a pedagogic programme for each child, based on his or her natural development and sequence of interests.”
She continues, “Each of the new teachers we have recently appointed to the school has a thorough understanding of the young child and of the Montessori pedagogy. They all appreciate that sharing, collaboration and communication are indispensible values, required to accomplish our objectives.”
The school will open two classrooms in September, each of which will employ:
Sitting just across the street from today’s financial experts in the World Trade Organization, lies the Geneva Business School, training the financial experts of tomorrow. Geneva Business School, or ‘GBS’ as everyone around campus calls it, is a private university with a focus on Business Administration and Finance.
A glance through the programs at GBS might lead one to think that it is just another institution offering the standard MBA, but a look under the hood at what is happening in the halls and staff rooms at the school soon reveals what really separates GBS from the pack.
The first thing to catch our eye as we enter is a bulletin board full of job ads. The board is a major hub of student activity in their relationship with the GBS Career Support Center. Launched in 2010, the Career Support Center aims at helping students prepare for internships every step of the way from writing cover letters and making solid CVs to giving stellar interviews, which the school hopes will propel them into the limelight of major corporations. The United Nations has obviously taken notice, hiring 7 students in both full time and intern positions.
Not all students choose to stay in Switzerland however. Many, like Flavia Popa, return to their homelands to seek out careers there. Now a financial consultant for Price Waterhouse Coopers, she writes from her home in Romania, ‘The school really helped me in my new career.’ Flavia’s story is only one of many, with other students having gone on to work for HSBC, Caterpillar and Ferrari in their own countries.
Local linguist, Elisabeth Raess, has started running language classes from her home in Versoix, near Geneva.
Called “Coffee, Cake and Conversation”, the French, German or Swiss German lessons will be conducted in a relaxing atmosphere, intended to encourage discussion on a variety of themes relating to daily life. Coffee and cake will be on hand whilst Elisabeth adapts her lessons to her pupils demands, providing “à la carte” lessons for small groups or individuals.
Instruction is offered at all levels – so whether you are a beginner looking to have fun learning French with a couple of friends, or an individual wishing to brush up your grammar in a more relaxing environment, Elisabeth will structure her courses according to your requirements.
For further information, contact Elisabeth by email at elisabeth.raess@bluewin.ch.
