Am 6. Dezember 2017 fand das 10. traditionelle Leichtathletik-Indoor-Meeting der Oberschulen Berlins und Brandenburgs im Sportforum Berlin statt. Im Wettkampf starteten 10 Mädchen- und 15 Jungenteams der Jahrgänge 1999-2003. Gewetteifert wurde in den Disziplinen 60 m, 200 m, 800 m, Kugelstoßen, Weit-, Hochsprung und der Olympischen Staffel (800 m-200 m-200 m-400 m) zum Abschluss.
On December 13, 2017, the 17 students of the Year 12 Higher Level Art Class went to their “extended art campus” at Bauhaus Archive to receive a training on how to become a LIVE SPEAKER for the actual exhibition NEW BAUHAUS CHICAGO. A team of four museum pedagogues along with our Bauhaus agent Friederike Holländer introduced our students to the exhibition at the Bauhaus Archive and with role play practiced their duties as student guides for the museum. After having dealt with photography for the entire semester, the students feel quite confident about the topic and are ready to each take over two to three shifts in their free time as a life speaker for the visitors. At the end of the three-hour workshop the students had the chance to create their own experimental photographs by using the effects of light and shade, reflecting objects and attributes and moving devices.
We will keep you updated about the experience of live speaking at Bauhaus Archive.
The students of the IB12 Visual Arts class were thrilled when receiving a positiv response from the curator Jonathan Fine who offered to guide the group through his exhibition BEYOND COMPARE @ Bode-Museum on Museum Island. On December 15, 2017, they first spend some time to get an overview of the show and then met Mr. Fine at 11am. By confronting the students with the positions and critical perspectives of art historians he increased their awareness of a bias perception of art from different cultures. In the exhibition, art objects from African cultures are placed in relation to European art from the Renaissance and Baroque. The students learned about the similarities in spiritual interests and sociocultural themes but also about the passages/stories of migration and colonialism that led to a vivid exchange of cultural objects.
We are very thankful to Mr. Fine for the unique insight he gave us to his exhibition!
Hier sind von Hans Künzel ausgewählte deutsche Bücher für unsere Schüler*innen:
Am Dienstag, 19.12.2017, fanden die Tischtennis-Schulmeisterschaften der NMS statt. Der Wettkampf wurde traditionell als Adventsturnier ausgespielt, es gab für alle Teilnehmer*innen Preise zu gewinnen.
Insgesamt nahmen 44 Schüler*innen der 5.-13. Klassen teil.
Dear School Community,
2017 is coming to an end. This is a time to reflect on the past as well as a time to look to the future.
At school it has been a very successful year with good results in the Abitur and in the IB as well as in the MSA and the BBR. Our IB results are the best we have ever achieved. As always, NMS and JFK go back and forth in the ranking as the best ISS school in Berlin. This year we are in second place. These statistics are a source of pride and satisfaction for all of us.
Still, not all is coming up roses. The statistics do not address whether we have perhaps lost students on the long road between entering the primary school and their leaving certificate. We must also pay attention to this. The number of successful graduates is indeed important. It is, however, only one of many parameters, only one indicator of the quality of education on offer.
The Indian Embassy invited to their annual Christmas Carol Singing on the 14th of December 2017 and the choir of the Nelson Mandela School was invited to perform along with the choir of the Tagore School and the 5th Grade of the Clemens-Brentano-School. The atmosphere was full of joy, light and togetherness, fit for the magical Christmas time. We were welcomed by the first secretary of the embassy and after a moving speech of father Thomas from India about forgiveness, togetherness and generousity the NMS choir was the first one to perform. Under Mr. Beaner’s conduction the choir was able to thrill and the pleased audience sang along. Beside the usual (and unusual) seasonal Christmas songs Mr. Beaner rehearsed additional songs with the students, the most admired by the audience being „All Of Me“ by John Legend with a moving solo by Gnima Hecht.
The other performances were beautifully presented and thoroughly enjoyed, the NMS students singing along with the fellow choirs, cheering them on and showing their support. The ambassador thanked the teacher and students personally and even the chaperones were not forgotten with a sumptuous bouquet and a collection of Indian stories.
The Hour of Code can be done by any teacher in any yeargroup. No sign-up is required, the lectures are game-based and intuitive. Have a go and see what the Hour of Code is all about; a safe and fun environment to learn the basics of programming.
The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 200,000 educators worldwide.
Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. This is the 5th year that NMS participates, we hope that many classes and teachers join in!
Annemieke Akkermans, 06.12.2018
On this evening, there was a short sketch performed based on “Private Peaceful” (a novel by Michael Morpurgo) and a moving recital of poems by a renowned selection of World War One poets (for example Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Robert Graves and Richard Aldington). It was especially profound as following each poem, one candle was blown out so we were left in the dark at the end. A selection of lapbooks could also be explored – where one element of life during World War 1 was deftly designed and displayed. It was a thoughtful evening and the pupils did a very good job of recreating the catastrophe of war.
Jeremy McIntosh and and Sarah Dent
15th November 2017
As part of our study of Forces and Motion in Grade 6 I always ask the children to build a roller coaster demonstrating the principles of:
- Gravity
- Friction
- Magnetism
- Potential and Kinetic Energy
- Renewable and non renewable sources of energy
- Newton’s Laws of Motion
This year the roller coasters from the 6B were particularly spectacular! And the children demonstrated a deep understanding of the concepts involved. Please have a look at the photos of their work.
Janine Keller
Science teacher 6B
For digital skills@home and in school!
For Students, Parents, Teachers & Educators
The Nelson Mandela School Cool Tools are collected, shared and written by NMS teacher and Head of IT Annemieke Akkermans. Her favourite cool tools for educators are interactive, promote engaged learning, are free of charge and don’t require the creation of an account. Check out the latest Cool Tool!
Bildungsserver: Medienbildung 
An unlikely Cool Tool this time, but certainly worth sharing, especially for the German speakers among us. My colleagues at the Medienbildung department from the LISUM have worked hard to improve the content pages of the Bildungsserver. Teachers, students and parents, interested in German resources for media literacy - please check out this link to the materials for the Basiscurriculum Medienbildung.
Puppet PalsAs mobile Learning is all around us and as this is such a true COOL tool, we’re making an exception to share a resource that is only available on the App Store for iPads or Phones - for now. Recently our fifth grade visited the HU for a Digital Storytelling workshop with students from Professor Petra Anders. They worked with Scratch, already a firm favourite Cool Tool at NMS. We were introduced to various new tools, which absolutely deserve a spot in the Cool Tool Department… The first one is PuppetPals. With Puppet Pals 2 kids can create animated cartoons. This free app offers a few backgrounds and different characters to choose from, as well as the option to use your own photos: Simple finger tracing allows for objects of photos to be cut out. Sound can be recorded in sync with the cartoon action, making this app wonderfully suited for digital storytelling. My students loved it and actually, the student-teachers couldn’t get enough either :)
Another mobile app, this one being available both on the AppStore and on Google Play for Android, so teachers (and anyone :)) with tablets; eat your heart out! With Toontastic students can draw, animate and narrate their own cartoons. The app won a Parents’ Choice Gold Award ("Toontastic 3D is a wonderful creative outlet for all budding storytellers, young scientists, or those who increasingly blur the lines between the two - perhaps this is where the next documentary makers and Pixar artists will get their start.”) and is rated highly with 5 stars by Common Sense Media. In language lessons Toontastic can be used to retell a story or to tell an original tale, in Social Sciences or other subjects the app can be used to present a specific topic and in Art the possibilities are unlimited… or just get going at home and enjoy; learning is bound to happen when using this app!
Video editing has become easier in recent years, with free and userfriendly tools such as Moviemaker and iMovie or even the wonderful Magisto app, which automatically puts your videos together, including music and some funky effects. Especially great for homevideos, but what if you want to join the major league? Then it makes sense to opt for a solution like Avid – which now comes to your doorstep (or rather your inbox) free of charge! Try Avid’s Media Composer and make your Hollywood (or Babelsberg) dreams come true. Even though the most top-notch options may have to be paid for, you can get started today with the best editing software used to produce award-winning feature films and series.
The Nelson Mandela School team has won the debate against the Loreto College team, from Manchester, winners of the UK Competition 2016/17. Congratulations!
The 7th Debating Matters International Final in 2017 showcased the best debaters from the UK and Berlin 2016/2017: Loretto College team from Manchester, UK, headed by Fran Tattersall, against the Nelson Mandela School team from Berlin, headed by Nihal Adler at the Battle of Ideas event at one of the most glorious venues in London – The Barbican.