Jun
24
2022

Have a great summer!!

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The girls are gone and the house is closed, Thank you all for being part of the New Portena family this year it has been such a wonderful journey!!

best of luck next year and have a great summer holiday!!!

lots of love,

The New Portena team

xxxxx

Jun
12
2022

End of year party !!!

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Everybody in the house had a lot more fun than they thought they would at our super fun end of year party in concha. All the boarders were there, we had ice cream, laser tag and a variety of fun water and inflatable activities.

It was a lovely way to cool off in the heat and take a well deserved break from all the studying that has been happening over the weekend.

lots of love,

The New Portena team

xxx

Jun
08
2022

House Assembly

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Tonight we held the final house meeting where everyone would be present. We wanted to make it a special one to remember. Ms. Emily created a video collage of some our best moments. We also asked parents to send a little message or video for the students to say thank you for the year. It was very nice moment and any tears were shed.

We hope we enjoy our video collage.

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Lots of love,

The New Portena Team

May
31
2022

Quiet weekend and Copenhagen trip

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It was a quiet weekend here at New Portena the majority of our girls were away for the long weekend including Maria, Defne and Venus who joined me on the school trip to Copenhagen which was very busy and a lot of fun, we saw the little mermaid, the Palace and Tivoli to name a few.

Some of the girls who stayed enjoyed a trip to Montreux and activities such as biking and Tennis.

Lots of Love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

May
22
2022

Cooling Off!

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We threw a water fight and ice cream party. The girls had a fantastic time and cooled off on the hot summer day. Here are a few captured moments from the day. Enjoy!

 


Lots of love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

 

May
15
2022

Hot spring weekend

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With the temperatures rising and the grey skies clearing our lovely ladies have been doing their best to stay out of the sun and in the shade of the trees.

We had some fun activities like nature walk, baking, sound of soul, art club and molli did a 10k run! Carina participated in the community clean up, thankfully there was shade!

Lots of Love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

 

 

 

May
09
2022

Beach Volleyball !!!

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Really pleased I got to see Maria, Defne and Zoya in action playing volleyball against Old Portena today!

The girls boarding beach volleyball tournament has begun now that the weather has started to get warmer and the sun is shining and I’m happy to say New Portena won their first game.

Old Portena played a very good game there is lots of talent and I can’t wait to see how the tournament unfolds!

Lots of love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

May
01
2022

Weekend Activities

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This weekend our girls participated in a range of activities like tennis, badminton, nature walks, art and baking.


A few of our girls also volunteered to take score at the volleyball tournament held in CDL this weekend.

Lots of Love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

Apr
24
2022

Fun in the holidays!

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Coming back from the holidays, we were all tired, but happy to be home. I had a great time in Paris with some friends and visited a few museums. We went shopping and spent a lot of time walking around the city. Even though, as an IB student, I had a lot of work to do for school and a few exams, I still tried to have some fun before going back to studying. I’m a bit scared, but happy to be back at the boarding house and at school.

Sara Slaj, IB1

Apr
03
2022

Weekend Activities

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Our girls participated in a variety of activities this weekend that they really enjoyed.

There was a relaxing visit to the spa.

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A few girls went to the chocolate festival and sampled some Swiss chocolate.


Other girls went on a beautiful nature walk.


Lots of love,

The New Portena team

xxx

Mar
28
2022

Weekend shenanigans

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The girls had a lovely weekend where they went to Chamonix ice cave, Nature walk, tennis and cooking.
They were also able to enjoy the warming weather to study outside for the warming spring season.

lots of love,

the New Portena team xx

Mar
21
2022

Week 4 Pillar 4 – “Online Wellbeing”

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We use our electronics in every part of our lives – whether at work or in our free time. However, it is the imbalance of use in our free time that can then cause issues. Who is guilty of being with friends but still checking their phone and sending messages; Or watching Netflix but sneaking in a game of Candy Crush; Or ignoring the moment in favour of getting the best picture for Instagram. Addiction is a strong word, but obsession may be more appropriate in these scenarios.
We want the students to think about the following points;

  1. Are you conscious of how much time you spend on your phone?
  2. Who really wins by you spending more and more time on your apps?

Here is a video that has been made by the Student Advocate Group.

Another resource is the Phone Detox Challenge in the attachment.

Mar
20
2022

The Art Explained

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This is a picture from the exhibition of art for grade 12. The artworks that are showcased and which I am working on in AP are focused to portray childhood and telling a story of my brother living with an invisible friend. I was able to work with different mediums and techniques like digital art apps, charcoal, and monoprints and that made the overall process exciting.

I see art as a great way for people to express themselves, that is why I decided to take up this AP course. It also was a great opportunity for me to make my ideas real and create anything I wanted.

When my artworks were showcased I was worried if they would look good enough in front of others, but it made me realize how everyone is different and tells a unique story which makes it more interesting. I was also proud of having the opportunity I haven’t experienced before.

In the future, I am planning to do many more artworks using other techniques as well as and I am very excited about that.

 

Lots of love,

Sofiia Baran

 

Mar
16
2022

Sofiia Art Show

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Our lovely Sofiia had her AP art show this evening with some pieces about childhood and imaginary friends 🥰

We are so proud of you Sofiia and I had a great time at the art show.

lots of love,

The New Portena Team xxx

Mar
14
2022

Week 3 pillar 4 “Your Online Life”. 

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Students are not able to open Insta, TikTok, Youtube etc, without being bombarded by the Life of Influencers. It has been glamorised and normalised as an aspirational pursuit to have 1000s of followers, likes and comments.
We want the students to think about the following points;

  1. What is our true reason for posting our pictures, videos etc online?
  2. Why do we think society now values followers, likes and comments on someone’s post as a measure of their success?
You can create or design your Wellbeing Session in whatever way suits your house. Or below are some resources you can use. 

Here is a video that has been made by the Student Advocate Group. It may prompt a discussion which you can then use for your own students to share their thoughts.

we also played a really fun kahoot in our weekly meeting.

Lots of love,
the new portena team xx
Mar
07
2022

Week 2 Pillar 4 ‘What you post….in that moment’.

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We want the students to think about the following points;
  1. When we think we are being funny or witty or purposefully insensitive towards someone else’s post are we really aware of the potential harm or hurt we can cause.
  2. Posting a funny picture or video of someone or your friend can be online- forever!
Here is a video that has been made by the Student Advocate Group.

 

Our lovely Sabine and Sara led our meetings using the above video and poster

Or attached is a poster that can prompt a discussion
Mar
07
2022

Classical

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A few of our girls were lucky enough to receive tickets for a lovely classical concert on Friday evening, with the lead solo violinist from Ukraine and with the artistic leadership of the world-renowned violinist Renaud Capuçon. The concert took place at Victoria Hall in Geneva.

 

The girls said they had an amazing time at the concert and treated themselves to some Starbucks.

Lots of love,

The New Portena Team,

xxx

 

Mar
05
2022

Game Night!

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We had a fantastic game night this week. A couple of the girls brought out different types of cards and taught each other how to play different card games from different countries.

 

Lots of love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

Mar
02
2022

Kate and Kseniia

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During the boarding assembly this evening Kate and Kseniia gave a powerful presentation about the importance of peace and friendship regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Kseniia’s photograph featuring Kate is a collaboration between two friends urging everyone to come together, portrays the media silence in Russia and shows the connection between the two countries.

We are very proud of these two girls and they did an amazing job.

lots of love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

Feb
27
2022

Welcome Back!

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After a lovely week of rest and skiing for some we’re happy to welcome the girls back to the house!

We are so excited to have everyone start coming back and can’t wait for the house to be full again.

 

lots of love,

The New Portena team x

Feb
20
2022

Pillar 4 week 1 – Online Safety

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Our next pillar is online safety below are the takeaway points for this pillar

1) Cyberbullying

What You Send in “That Moment When … “
When we think we are being funny or witty or purposefully insensitive towards someone else’s post or picture- are we really aware of the potential harm or hurt we can cause. Being honest is important, but is there such a thing as being too honest? Comments or actions can easily escalate online when we can hide behind our screens. When is it cyberbullying?
2) Your Online Life
My Social Media Life
For most students being on some form of social media is a great way of staying connected with friends, sharing moments and keeping up to date. But it can also mean big-time distractions, over sharing, social pressures, and more. How can we navigate this?
3) Online Wellbeing
Can going online be Addictive?

The word “addiction” has a big meaning behind it. Research is inconclusive on whether it’s truly accurate when it comes to digital device use. What’s certain, however is when we use our apps, the companies are profiting from it. Most of the apps we use are designed to keep us hooked. What is the right balance?

 

lots of love,

 

the New Portena team xxx

Feb
18
2022

Friendship and Holidays!!!

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As part of our friendship wellbeing pillar, a few girls painted some rocks to symbolise what friendship means to them.


“In the cookie of life friends are chocolate chip”

Have an amazing break and gets lots of rest.

Lots of love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

Feb
14
2022

Crochet art club

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The beginning of crochet art club at new portena joined by some of the kids from champs des bois.

 

we had lots of fun painting and relaxing as well as finding out Carina is a natural at crochet !

lots of love,

The New Portena team xx

Feb
07
2022

Weekend Activities!!

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Our girls participated in a range activities this weekend.

 

Coco, Defne, Sara and Sabine had an amazing day on the slopes.


Molli and Rei enjoyed a lovely nature walk and a sunny Sunday afternoon.


Carina, Maria and Samira learned how to make frittatas in their cooking class.

 

Lots of love,

The New Portena Team

xxx

Feb
02
2022

Friendship by Nastya and Ana Karina

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The Power of a Balanced and Healthy Friendship

 

Friendships are vital for our wellbeing and in them we create some of the most powerful bonds we can experience throughout our existence. But with that term, which is friendship, there come many broad meanings to it, that can mean different things to different people. Our overall being can impact the way we view and experience that friendship. Most of the typical friendships are formed through:

 

  • People you know and with who you have a mutual affection.
  • A sense of connection, companionship, support, and understanding.
  • Sharing time, experiences, and confidences.
  • Give and take such that sharing is, perceived to be a two way street.

 

 

Benefits of Healthy Friendships

 

Connecting with other people is one of the most urgent impulses of us humans. With examples of life experience and research, having a life with the inclusion of friends helps makes us better adjusted in life. Having healthy friends helps to deal against negative mental health outcomes. Friendships improve our confidence and self-worth, help us cope with serious life events or trauma like break-ups, illness, or losing a job, improve our feeling of belonging and encourage us to avoid unhealthy behaviors or change them when it comes to numeros things in life.

 

 

Toxic or Unhealthy Friendships

 

While close friendships often serve in order to bring usz positive, protective, and healthy feelings, some friendships can have the opposite effect causing antagonism, conflict, and inequality in ourselves and the overall friendship. These relationships are considered toxic, unhealthy for our us. Examples of toxic friendships include:

  • Encouraging harmful behavior.
  • Having an unbalanced relationship or a relationship that’s a one-way street (all give, no take or all take and no give)
  • Continuing to think and repeatedly talk about shared worries, wounds, or challenges, with no solution or alleviation.

Tips for Supporting Friends

 

  • Connect Regularly ( message or even a simple call)
  • Share your own struggles in order to make them like they have someone.
  • Know when they need help
  • Take care of yourself ( Don’t forget to also take care of yourself while supporting your friend)

 

 

NOURISH YOUR FRIENDSHIPS !

 

Jan
30
2022

Crans Montana

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The boarders all went to Crans Montana this weekend for a lovely little getaway.
The girls had fun skiing and snowboarding, they enjoyed the town of Crans Montana and the city of Sion as well as an escape room!

we can’t wait to go back in March!

lots of love,

The New Portena Team x

 

Jan
26
2022

Well-being Pillar!

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We are now in the second week of our third well being pillar which focuses on boundaries.

Boundaries!  Why are they so important in building positive relationships.
 
We know….when you think of boundaries you think it’s a rule or a block to stop someone from doing something.  Perhaps you think boundaries are a great way of keeping someone out of your life or getting closer.  We want you to take this concept and turn it on its head.  Boundaries are a great way of creating a very open, honest, and positive relationship.  Please look at the video to find out more 🙂

We all watched this video during our weekly house meeting and had a really enlightening conversation with the girls. They seem to understand the importance of having boundaries and also enforcing said boundaries. We hope you also give it a watch and maybe learn a few things.

Lots of love,
The New Portena Team
xxx

 

Jan
23
2022

Weekend Activities

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Our girls enjoyed a range of activities this weekend.

Taisiia and Kate played a few rounds of tennis.

Zoya enjoyed a game of volleyball and her skills are very impressive.

Carina went to an escape room and was doing equations without a calculator.

Maria and Molli had an amazing time on donuts in the snow.

lots of love

The New Portena team

xxx

 

Jan
16
2022

First Weekend back

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After a long week of school we are all incredibly excited to welcome everyone back for a new year and semester.

Everybody enjoyed their fun weekend activities from skiing to wood crafting.


lots of love,

The New Portena Team

x

Dec
18
2021

Happy Holidays

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From all of us at New Portena we wish you a happy holiday season and a refreshing holiday and we look forward to welcoming you back in the new year. It has been a wild year filled with lots of learning and joy ❤️
We will miss you girls a lot and hope you enjoy the time you can spend with your family and friends!

lots of love,

The New Portena Team xx

Dec
12
2021

Christmas Dinner

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We got all dressed up and attended the annual boarding Christmas dinner.


The venue was beautifully decorated and the dinner was great.


We had a great time and can’t wait to do it all again next year xxxx

Dec
09
2021

UNO!!

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At new portena we love playing UNO after school to unwind. It’s our favourite game to play together and reminds us of when we used to use UNO to get to know each other at the beginning of the year.

lots of love,

The New Portena team x

Dec
07
2021

Award Ceremony

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Shout out to our New Portena Super stars who received awards tonight Sayuri, Rei and Zoya for boarding life. Sakura(not pictured) Cora and Coco for their participation and effort in activities. Rei, Bice and Nastya for their hard work at school and their excellence in academics.

Lots of Love,

The New Portena Team x

Nov
28
2021

Weekend Adventures!

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It snowed this weekend and the girls were very excited.

Coco and Cora visited Gruyeres and the Cailler Chocolate Factory

Fun fact Coco is a descendant of Daniel Peter who is the inventor of milk chocolate at Nestlé.


Rei and Yvonne enjoyed a nature hike.

 

Nov
23
2021

Football champion!

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Congratulations to our football champion Joelle !

Her team received 3rd place after a tournament in Lausanne today, she is really pleased and the trophy is on display in New Portena!

lots of love,

The new Portena Team

x

Nov
22
2021

Weekend fun!

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Lots of our girls were in Paris this weekend and having so much fun and we had some incredible painting with lights and nature walks with the others! Another fun weekend at New Portena!

lots of love,

the New Portena Team

 

 

Nov
15
2021

Weekend Fun

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This weekend was packed with fun activities.

Taisiia played some tennis on Saturday morning with a friend.

Bice, Joelle and Defne made some delicious tiramisu which they kindly shared with the house.


Sabine, Sara and Sayuri baked some delicious white chocolate chip and strawberry muffins with the Champs de Bois kids.

Nov
08
2021

Volleyball Tournament

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This past weekend the school volleyball team participated in the Suisse Group of International Schools tournament in Leysin.

On the Saturday they won all the matches they played. On Sunday they won all the matches except for one and they came 3rd overall.

We are so proud of the entire team and want to give a special shout-out to our very own Zoya for their incredible work.

Sep
21
2021

Happy mid autumn festival!!!!

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Today is the Mid Autumn festival in China, our amazing Mary showed a video about the festival to all our girls and then we all shared some delicious mooncakes  🥮🥮🥮

thank you Mary for sharing the story of the festival and a small piece of your culture!

lots of love,

The New Portena team x

Sep
19
2021

Lake Clean Up!

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Yesterday a lot of our new Portena girls volunteered to help the lake Geneva Cleanup project. They were there to help with setting up the equipment and tents for divers and volunteers that would be the ones actually cleaning the lake. Here are some pics from the day.

Sep
18
2021

Why is Sleep Important?

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Pillar 1 of our wellbeing programme in CDL is Nurturing healthy bodies and minds. One of the takeaway points from this pillar is “How important is sleep?”. We find it a crucial topic for the students to explore when discovering how to take care of themselves and how they can maintain a healthy body and mind.

The teenage years are a formative period. The brain and body experience significant development, and the transition to adulthood brings important changes that affect emotions, personality, social and family life, and academics. Sleep is essential during this time, working behind the scenes to allow teens to be at their best. Unfortunately, research indicates that many teens get far less sleep than they need. Sleep is vital for people of any age. For teens, though, profound mental, physical, social, and emotional development requires quality sleep.

During one of our Boarding House assemblies, we asked each girl the effects that can be caused from lack of sleep, and how it can impact many areas of our lives? We got a lot of good answers and have condensed it into this poster. Enjoy!

Sep
14
2021

Teacher visit

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Some of our girls teachers came to visit us today and it was so nice to have a chat and for them to see the house. It was great for us to meet them and share some cakes !

 

 

lots of love,

The New Portena Team x

Sep
14
2021

Mountain Weekend!!!

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This weekend our lovely ladies went to the Leysin Mountain weekend with all the boarders. It was a full weekend of fun where they did a range of activities from acrobranching and castle visits to mountain biking and Hiking.

Lots of love,

The New Portena Team x

Sep
09
2021

Cheffing it up

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It was a big week for cooking and baking in the New Portena house.



Sara, Sayuri and Sabine made some delicious pasta arrabiata.

Sakura baked some chocolate chip cookies.



Both Defnes, Anya and Cora made some apple crumble as well.

Sep
08
2021

Wellbeing Pillar 1 – Nurturing Healthy Bodies and Minds – Week 2

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We are now entering the second week of the first Pillar of our wellbeing programme – Nurturing Healthy Bodies and Minds.

One of the takeaway points from this pillar is “How important is sleep?”. We find it a crucial topic for the students to explore when discovering how to take care of themselves and how they can maintain a healthy body and mind.

During our Boarding House assemblies this week, we will be talking to the students about the effects that can be caused from lack of sleep, and how it can impact many areas of our lives.

Lack of sleep reduces focus and it will make it more difficult for student’s to learn. Studies have shown that poor quality sleep, or not enough sleep, can lead poor organisational skills, a decrease in mood or behaviour, reduced attention span and even memory loss. We would like to outline the importance of sleep to our students so that they are fully prepared and they give themselves the best opportunity possible to achieve their full potential – in all aspects of their lives. Allowing the brain the sufficient amount of time to rest and recover means we give ourselves the best chance to succeed.

Also throughout this pillar, we are running a Daily Fitness Challenge across our Boarding Community. This is to encourage our students to get active, have fun and take their minds off things that may be causing them stress. The participation, competitiveness and enthusiasm the students have shown so far has been fantastic and we hope to see this continue throughout September with even more students taking part. Please find some photos below from the challenge so far…..

 

 

Sep
07
2021

Weekend Hang Outs

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This weekend, the girls headed into Geneva,  hung out on campus and ate out and in together. Enjoy the photos of the good times had.


Kate, Taisiia and Kseniia grabbed some boba tea.


Defne and Venus shopped till they almost literally dropped them grabbed some food.


Moli and Sayuri chilled on the sports pitch.

Defne, Moli and Anya took some selfies.

Mary, Ghida, Cherry and Sofia visited one of the outside villas.

Cherry, Mary and Carina had dinner with a friend.

 

Sep
05
2021

Movie Night!!!

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We had our very first movie night of the year. We have a movie jar which was filled with 3 movie ideas by each of the girls. We watch whatever is pulled from the jar.

Defne A was the first to pick a movie and she pulled out Jumanji.


We made some popcorn, s’mores and hot chocolate for the big event and gathered together for the movie.

Can’t wait for the next movie night!

Sep
02
2021

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!

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We would like to formally welcome Ana Sofia aka Molina to our boarding house. She taught us a new card game and we taught her our very strict uno rules. She already fits in so well and we are really happy she has joined us.

Aug
27
2021

Home cooked meal

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After a long first week back at school some of our lovely ladies made everybody some Spaghetti Carbonara and we all sat down to have our beautiful meal together.

Thank you Sakura, Bice, Sayuri and Sara !!!

P.S.  it was delicious

lots of love,

The New Portena Team

Aug
22
2021

First day back

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So exited to have our house filling up with all the lovely ladies of New Portena!


it’s a pleasure to see all the girls smiling! We enjoyed a fun game of UNO Defne, Coco and Anna were our three champions!!

Love,

The New Portena team x

 

Aug
21
2021

Welcome to New Portena !!!

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We are so excited to welcome you back for another wonderful year at New Portena!

You may already know Ms. Terri Davis and we are so excited to welcome our new deputy Ms. Maria-Sofia Mantonaki and our two new house tutors Ms. Yewande Ajala and Ms. Emilie Keating.

Love,
The New Portena team

 

Jun
13
2021

End of Year Party

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Our girls enjoyed the amazing weather and had so much fun!!!

We had a sister fight, who do you think won?

Mary looking professional with her water gun, be careful, she is ready to shoot

Of course, our party soul … THE SPEAKER 🙂

Sabine tried first the slide, what an experience

May
23
2021

Why can’t basketball players go on vacation?

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They aren’t allowed to travel…. *Ba dum chhh*

On Wednesday, we came face to face with Leman in the basketball tournament. We dodged, dribbled, passed, scored and sweated, but sadly not enough to come home with a victory. Our girls played hard and well, and we are proud of them taking part in these tournaments.

We have one more tournament to go, let’s see how we match up against Olympus!

May
22
2021

Quiz Night

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Tonight, all houses took part in an EPIC competition to find out who had the best general knowledge. We came a respectable 4th place, to Villa Du Lac’s 1st place, Leman One’s 2nd Place, and Megard’s 3rd place. Well done to Ghida and Sabine for representing New Portena and all houses. And thank you for a fun, friendly and competitive tournament.

Bonus Question: How many bones Sharks have? (Scroll for the answer!)

Answer: none, their skeleton is made out of cartilage!

May
16
2021

New Portena raises chefs!

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Today in New Portena we were craving cookies, so we made them!

First, we needed to find the perfect recipe, Yvonne helped us with her culinary knowledge.


Next step, wash our hands properly

And we started the process:

Mixing ingredients and giving them shape

we could not forget, the less fun part, but most important, cleaning afterwards


And what goes last?

ENJOYING THEM!!!!

Thank you very much Sabine, Yvone and Liam for this fun rainy Sunday afternoon. You are great cooks!!!!

May
14
2021

EID MUBARAK – 13th May 2021

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Happy Eid-ul-Fitr (Eid Mubarak) 2021

The holy month of Ramadan has come to an end and the Muslim community is all geared up to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. The religious festival is celebrated on the first day of the month of Shawwal, on which people do not observe fast on this day. Eid is usually celebrated a day after the crescent moon sighting in Saudi Arabia, which is considered sacrosanct

Observed by the Muslim community around the world, on this day, loved ones come together to break the fast. Not only that, on this day people express gratitude and pray to Allah for everything they have. They wake up early in the morning, dress up wearing new clothes and wish their loved one

May
09
2021

Having a WHEEL good time

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Congratulations to Sakura who came runner-up in Day 9 of the May Fitness Challenge- How many cartwheels can you do without stopping? Sakura aced this challenge by doing 50 cartwheels! Well done as well to Elise and Bianka who got 20 and 25 respectively.

May
04
2021

Wellbeing Discussions

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‘Making Safe and Responsible Choices’: Last Wednesday, we sat down in groups and discussed the positive and negative consequences of different decisions. We discussed topics surrounding; smoking and vaping; sexual activity; bullying online and in person; judging others online; underage drinking; not following your dreams.

We were very impressed with the answers and comments the girls gave us and hope they will put into practice these types of pros and cons mentally before making risky decisions.

Apr
26
2021

Wellbeing Pillar 5

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Second week of our Pillar 5: Making safe and responsible choices.

The discus-sion points of week 2 will be around:

The ESSENCE of teen brain and the science behind decision making process.

The objectives are to :

  • Debunk some of the most misleading and disempowering myths around adolescence
  • Explore how changes in brain structure during adolescence are just part of anatural, innate and healthy development which simply prepares teens for grown-up life
  • Being aware of this process and honouring this unique and fascinating moment in our life, can help teens and adults (caregivers) alike to support each other
  • Explore how the awareness of upsides and downsides of the different cardinal features of adolescence can help our kids to develop a fully integrated mind,and reduce and contain the risks of harm and serious injuries. At the same timethis awareness can help educators (and parents) to bring a more empathic andcompassionate approach when interacting with, looking after and guiding ado-lescents during these tumultuous years.

 

Apr
25
2021

Morges Tulip Festival

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On Sunday, we went to lovely Morges, a lovely town on the edge of Lake Geneva. Created to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vaud Horticultural Society in 1971, the Tulip Festival continues to delight the many annual visitors from Switzerland and abroad.

Apr
24
2021

Fun in Geneva

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Our girls profited from the lovely weather and long days by going to Geneva either on Friday night or Sunday. Everyone enjoyed spending time by our beautiful lake surrounded by the wonderful mountains.

Apr
02
2021

Kata’s Plank Challenge

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For the past month we have been challenging the house and visitors to see how long they can hold a plank for!

A plank is a good way to train your abdominal muscles, but has many other benefits such as: improving stability, aiding posture, reducing back pain, strengthening your back and arm muscles!

Check out our leaderboard:

Apr
02
2021

Keeping it reel at the lake

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Bianka took full advantage of our beautiful weather and surroundings, by going to relax by the lake and even went for a swim! The lake was 10 degrees Celsius and Bianka felt the benefits!

Benefits of swimming in cold water:

1. It boosts your immune system

The effects of cold water on the immune system have been studied widely. Cold water helps to boost the white blood cell count because the body is forced to react to changing conditions. Over time, your body becomes better at activating its defences.

2. It makes you happier

Cold water swimming activates endorphins. This chemical is what the brain produces to make us feel good during activities. Cold water swimming is also a form of exercise, and exercise has been proven to treat depression. Cold water swimming brings us close to the pain barrier. Endorphins are released when we’re in pain, to help us cope with it.

3. It improves your circulation

Cold water swimming flushes your veins, arteries, and capillaries. It forces blood to the surface and helps to warm our extremities. Repeated exposure adapts us to the cold.

4. It burns calories

The heart has to pump faster in cold water and the body must work harder to keep everything warm while swimming. Overall, far more calories are burned during cold water swimming than swimming in warmer conditions. The idea that drinking cold water increases the number of calories you burn may be a myth, but it is a fact that cold water decreases your body temperature so much that the body must act.

5. It reduces stress

Cold water swimming places stress on the body physically and mentally. Many studies have identified the link between cold water and stress reduction. Cold water swimmers become calmer and more relaxed.

Mar
22
2021

Online Safety- why is social media dangerous? (By Linda Grade 10)

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There are many disadvantages of sharing personal information online. The biggest disadvantage is that we do not fully understand privacy on the Internet. Although people think that they’re accounts are private, do we really know how private they are and how different organisations use our information ? For example, social media doesn’t provide much privacy protection for the users. They watch users and see what kind of things they put into their profiles and what interests them, through their interactions.

In addition, sharing personal information online will expose all of your privacy and can be used by people with ulterior motives. When using the Internet, people can steal your  personal information. When you post things like your name, birthday, credit card number and your place of residence online, there will be a risk of your information being used by others and what they can and will do with this.

Mar
21
2021

How to create a secure password (by Kseniia Grade 9)

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This article is written by Kseniia in Grade 9, as part of her individual project. She decided to research what a strong password is and how to create it.

What passwords are not strong?

Passwords are ordinary words or phrases, letters or numbers in a row.  People often use them when they don’t think about security or just want to quickly finish registration.

Ex: Alex1234; Dog56;

What passwords are strong?

Strong passwords are combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Ex-aYn72Wn; QqHoi@73Hj

How to create a strong password? 

1. Take any random phrase, for example, EgyptCat.

2. Replace some letters with special characters.  It will be easier to remember if you replace the letters on the basis of similarity.  For example, a on @, i on!, O on 0.

Ex- Eg!pedK0t

How not to declassify your password?

Create a new password for every important service.

Enable two-factor authentication wherever this option is available.

Do not put your passwords in the browser.

Mar
13
2021

On your marks, get set… POST!

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For this Pillar’s Community Project (Online Safety), we have separated the girls into 5 teams. Each team must come up with a post, either a photo, video or combination of both, and post it onto their social media accounts. After a week, we will see which team has the most interactivity from their followers and others (interactivity includes: views, likes, comments and shares). Whoever has the most wins a special prize at the end of the week! We hope this challenge allows the girls to think twice before posting as they will be able to see how easy it is to get things to go ‘viral’/ seen by other people, including people they never met!!

Good luck girls! May the most creative and best team win.

Mar
10
2021

Wellbeing Workshop- posting on social media

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In tonight’s house assembly, we explored social media and how what we post can effect many different aspects in our current and future lives. We asked the girls questions which they had to answer with ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘I don’t know’ showing their answers on a piece of card. We then discussed the answers to gain a better understanding surrounding each topic and question. It was great to hear and see the girls responses. We hope this session was inspirational and educational.

Mar
06
2021

A fun filled weekend!

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This weekend has been packed full of activities! For the first time in months, the girls were allowed in Geneva which made them all very happy. Today some girls went on a trip to the Alimentarium in Vevey whilst others went skiing in Verbier!

Mar
01
2021

Welcome back!

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We are very happy that the girls who stayed on campus enjoyed this last sunny week, those who chose the Winter Camp had the best time as well.

The Boarding House is open, and we are really excited to welcome back the remaining girls, and get the rest of the term underway!

Feb
14
2021

Happy Valentine’s Day

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Today at dinner we had a very nice decoration to enjoy this lovely day.

On Valentine’s Day we think of those

Who make our lives worthwhile,

Those gracious, friendly people who

We think of with a smile.

I am fortunate to know you,

That’s why I want to say,

To a rare and special person:

Happy Valentine’s Day!

By Joanne Fuchs

Feb
14
2021

February Boarding Assembly

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We had the opportunity to listen to our lovely Elisa with this amazing song. Such an amazing talent. Well done!

We could also share some moments and ideas for the end of the Pillar 3 of the Wellbeing Program, this time we talked about building positive friendship.

Jan
21
2021

Let’s talk about peer-pressure

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During our house-meeting we addressed the subject of peer-pressure, which is a common phenomenon amongst youngsters. Negative impulses can come from friends, classmates and social media, and can effect our decision making and behaviour. Smoking, vaping, drinking, conformism are just a few of the worrisome results of peer-pressure.

It’s very important to learn about independent decision making, and peer resistance skills in order to avoid peer pressure. It’s also essential that the students have confidence and trust in their adult caregivers and therefore, if and when, they experience peer pressure, we encourage them talk about it and ask for help.

Dec
13
2020

Winter dinner

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In order to celebrate the end of the year before the vacation, we enjoyed a nice and bright winter dinner in school. The cafeteria was transformed for the occasion and it was absolutely stunning!! Everyone made an effort to be well dressed and prepared.

We all had a good moment while keeping our usual precautions, as we were sitting by house, what we’re doing for a while already.

ONE, TWO THREE – masks off!

Dec
09
2020

Award Ceremony

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Tonight we had the great honor to give medals to the winners of the award ceremony. We were rewarding the students for their participation in the boarding life, their participation in activities, and for their good academic results.

Unfortunately, we were missing some girls (Alison, Cherry, Yvonne) but we keep their medals and we will give them to them on their return.

Congratulations to Sabine and Bianka for the boarding life award and Ghida for her best academics achievement for GR11 / IB1!

And then we ate the “chocolate marmite” broken according to the Swiss tradition!

It represents a battle between French and Swiss people where the Swiss citizens defended themselves by throwing boiling soup onto the invaders.

Nov
29
2020

Samdi Du Partage

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The CDL Make A Difference Society (MADS) and the Parent Faculty Association (PFA) are teaming up to support the Partage food bank this year. Partage is a Geneva-based, hunger-fighting charity, which supports thousands of fortunate individuals and families each week with 3 main goals:

  • Social: helping those in a precarious situation and fighting hunger
  • Economic: providing professional rehabilitation for job seekers
  • Ecological: reducing food waste while maintaining a small ecological footprint

During these difficult times, it was nice to see Elise jump at the opportunity to help others. This was her individual project for the Wellbeing Pillar 2, celebrating diversity and combating against bullying.

Well done, Elise!

Nov
22
2020

Bake-off competition!

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Sakura thank you for this project which can be linked to our wellbeing project. Bringing diversity and  inclusion through a Japanese recipe.

Bianka and Radka thank you so much for helping with the decoration.

WELL DONE GIRLS!

Nov
15
2020

Gift Box Appeal

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Some of our girls helped packing and carrying boxes for the gift box appeal as part of their individual project for this Wellbeing Pillar, which is celebrating diversity and combating against bullying.

This appeal is aimed at helping children learn about giving to others not as fortune as they are. The timing links well with the UN “Rights of the Child Day” on 20th November. A number of schools use the appeal to show that poverty is not so far away and help students to understand how others live. This is a non religious and purely humanitarian appeal. The Gift Boxes get sent to needy children in Eastern Europe children who have never had a gift, many living in unbelievable poverty. In the boxes are special treats, sweets and toys, provide toiletries and especially school needs, so helping them attend school with items not provided by the state.

 

Nov
09
2020

Wellbeing Community Project

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This wellbeing pillar is all about celebrating diversity and protecting against bullying. Therefore, New Portena joined 2 primary boys in their a cappella singing activity. The aim was to give the students a different experience, trying something new, whilst providing support to the youngest members of boarding.

The teacher prepared a tailor-made session aiming to have a constructive exchange between students of different ages. We hoped us joining the activity helped to boost the boys confidence as well as allowed our girls to experience diverse moment out of their usual weekly routine.

 

Oct
03
2020

Movie night- The Great Gatsby

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Last night, we watched ‘The Great Gatsby’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio. A film request made by Mary as she is studying the book in English classes. We love when we mix education and entertainment! Our movie snack were cut up pieces of apple, bananas and pears.

Note: we do not have to wear masks in the house as we are a ‘family’.

“Nick Carraway, a World War I veteran who moves to New York with the hope of making it big, finds himself attracted to Jay Gatsby and his flamboyant lifestyle.”

Oct
01
2020

Reward system!

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Our house reward system is officially up and running with Eva D being the first one to choose her reward!

This system was designed and created by the house parents with the student’s helping to come up with rewards ideas they would want. Good collaboration and teamwork!