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

Alison and Cherry skiing above the clouds

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.

We got the opportunity to see these amazing skiers. Super Advanced group ready to rock it in the slopes.

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!

Today we celebrated Chinese New Year: the Year of the OX, with food from China, festive music and happy faces!

Happy New Year!

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.

We wish you the best day!

Love, New Portena

­

Sabine, Elisa and Zenia enjoyed the clear Saturday to go out with the camera and take these beautiful pictures 

What does role model mean for you?

This term we welcomed 2 new students to our home. Zenia from Ukraine and Elisa from Mexico. Welcome to our family!

We are looking forward to seeing you all very soon! We hope you enjoyed your holidays and are rested to start this busy and fun term.

We missed you.

Have a great day!

Love, New Portena

Enjoy the break. Happy New Year 2021.

Thanks to our lovely house parents and assistants for this delicious and healthy dinner ! Salad ,  pizza,  chicken, salmon, cheese – and of course cake 🙂

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!

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.

Well done!!!

Ghida and Sabine made a GINGERBREAD HOUSE.

Sunday, fun day in New Portena!

Friday 4th at 18:07 we commemorate the explosion of Lebanon.

In Portena – Old Portena and New Portena united our hearts for Lebanon.

Valerie, Dace, Kata, Cristina, Sarah.

The girls joined for a cozy winter baking session, and learned how to make delicious gingerbread with Miss Kata and Miss Dace 🙂

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!

On Wednesday, Dace and Sabine decorated the tree, whilst Kata made paper snowflakes and hung decorations. We are ready for our Wednesday Christmas party and Tuesday cookie making.

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!

Bianka was craving a typical Slovak dish and she wanted to share a typical dish from her country to promote diversity. Sakura, her roommate, helped her and learnt the cultural fact from a completely different country. They embrace together the art of cooking.

THEY MADE FRITULKY

On Saturdays, the girls enjoy their time together and have a yummy lunch.

We can not go to Geneva, but we still have fun together.

We wish you a lovely day. Thank you for all your help and support.

Love, New Portena

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.

Kokoro and Sakura during their Saturday morning activity.

This weekend they chose tennis among a big range of activities proposed by the school!

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.

BRAND NEW SECTION: NP TIPS

This Sunday the girls took part in various activities in the house, taking time away from their books, laptops and phones. This is practicing habits learnt from the wellbeing pillar 1; healthy minds and bodies.

Wishing you a lovely day.

Love, the New Portena team x

Thank you so much Leman for hosting this funny activityCongratulations to the winners

Well done dream team!Ps: Homemade popcorn for Thursday night 🙂

Sweet (with honey) or salty? which one is your favourite flavour?

Wishing you the best day.

Love, The New Portena team x

As you know not all the girls were able to fly home for the break. However, we try to make our best to keep healthy, fit, positive and happy. And what is the best for our wellbeing? Home made healthy snacks 🙂 

Today we have apple pancakes with chocolate 90%.

No sugar needed when they are really yummy.

Yesterday we all helped Ghida as much as we could with her Bussiness Project.

We can’t wait to see the final result!!

With our new little launch we are ready to welcome our girls everyday after school

We use to get some nice snacks ready after School. Today it was a nice pearcake without any added sugar. A nice holiday dessert after lunch.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH MISS KATA AND MISS DACE for this amazing night before going on Holidays

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.”

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!

Today we celebrated Cherry’s birthday!

We wish you the best day.

Love,

the New Portena Team xx

Miss Kata, Bianka and Elise did a legs, bums and tums workout tonight. Good job, girls!

Have a really good day!

Love, New Portena

Happy birthday, Bianka!

We hope you had a lovely day.

We are very proud of Ghida and Alison who took the initiative of taking part in cleaning the lake! What a great way to spend a cloudy Sunday afternoon participating in this action launched some years ago.

Well done girls!!!!!

Photography workshop in the house! Mary, Antonia, and Manya were the models!

They were learning how to use their phone’s effects in an inside area.

Tonight, Ms Dace organised for the house to watch ‘Tall Girl’ with individual popcorn bowls!  Thank you Ms Dace.

Note: we don’t have to wear masks in the house.

Thank you, Ghida, for our new fridge! Great first move as our House Rep!

First period of Study Hall 

We are very proud of these girls – WELL DONE!!!

The wellbeing programme is underway – over the coming weeks our students will be work towards an individual and a community project that will represent Pillar 1 = Healthy body and minds.

YVOIRE EXCURSION

TENNIS

KAYAK

GOLF

But we still made the most of it ^^

We hope you had a really lovely day. Thank you for all your help!

Love, New Portena

First breakfast back to school 🙂

Showing the new girls how to sign in and out. Thank you Ale 🙂

We are ready to welcome you to your Home.

This is the team of this year:

Cristina – Valerie – Terri – Sarah

We will be more than happy to help at every moment.

We can’t wait to seeing you all 🙂

Welcome back home ladies!

We are getting ready for all of you.

We can not wait to see you back home.

We hope you have enjoyed the Summer Holidays and are rested for the amazing year yet to come.

Loads of love

Terri, Rosana, Sarah and Cristina

WHAT AN AMAZING YEAR!! MORE TO COME…MEANWHILE, KEEP CALM, and SMILE …ITS SUMMER!!!!

                                      CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Crystal was able to impress the selection panel thanks to her outstanding academic record, her excellent communication skills, her enthusiasm for learning and her commitment to help others.

This will represent both a recognition of her work so far and an incentive to continue on the path of excelence.

Well done Crystal!

When Inge and I arrived in Versoix, on a beautiful spring day in April 1960, we didn’t think, BUT REALLY NOT 60 years later, that we would find ourselves in this magnificent campus of nearly 2’000 students which has become one of the jewels of Swiss private education. The worldwide reputation of the Collège du Léman is such that it has inspired and served as a model for the creation of several campuses around the world: Brussels, Cheng Du in China, Dubai, Kigali in Rwanda and Manhattan in New York.

Sixty years ago we opened the doors of the CDL to receive our very first students: beautiful Hala, Zeena from Baghdad and the very shy Carine from Tel Aviv. These young girls were followed day after day by students from all over the world! Since the first day, we have lived together in perfect harmony.

Your origins, your social background, your diverse religions were a source of constant enrichment and gave rise to magnificent exchanges. Your well-being and academic performance were always at the centre of our concerns.

Your deans and professors came from all over the world. Think of Mr. Marchi (Italy), Mr. Nawar (Egypt), Mr. Salamin (Switzerland), Mr. Boschert (USA), Mr. Gale (England), not forgetting Chief Robert (Holland) who all contributed greatly to the cultural diversity of the campus.

During your years at the CDL, you have forged bonds of deep friendship for life.

You were like our children! You are forever part of this wonderful family at the CDL. We are always happy with your family, social and professional successes and are so proud to see you put into practice on a daily basis what we have taught you all these years: respect for others!

We would like to remind you again of the college’s motto which is: “Educate and teach in a spirit of openness and tolerance so that its students become citizens and leaders of a world respectful of differences”.

We send you our warmest messages and hope to have the pleasure of seeing many, if not all, of you again in June 2021 in Geneva to finally celebrate the 60th anniversary.

Versoix, May 2020,

Inge & Francis

Check these links for more information:

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/switzerland-safest-country-covid-19-coronavirus-ranking/45820836

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/switzerland-safest-country-covid-19-coronavirus-ranking/45820836

If you missed the Online Graduation please go to this link and enjoy it 🙂

cdl.ch/graduation 

“A new day, a new week, a new begining, 

a new chance to start afresh. Don’t give up.

It’s not over yet.”

Elohooho

We are extremely excited to welcome back our students. Our professional cleaning teams are currently working hard to prepare the campus and making sure everything is ready for the 8th June!

We can’t wait to see you back!

We all hope you are enjoying this time with your family.

Your Switzerland family will be waiting for you girls 🙂

WE LOVE YOU

Wishing you a day filled with happiness and a year filled with joy. Happy birthday!

Have a fabulous day!

Love, New Portena

From Tuesday 17th March, our students and teachers will move to Remote Learning Online. Communication has been shared with all our parents and we welcome any questions. As part of the Nord Anglia Education family of schools our students will have access to online resources around the world. We want to take this time to wish our families all the best and we hope everyone stays safe during this challenging period.

À partir du mardi 17 mars 2020, nos élèves et nos enseignants passeront à l’apprentissage à distance en ligne. La communication a été partagée avec tous nos parents et nous sommes à votre disposition pour toutes questions. En tant que membre de la famille des écoles Nord Anglia, nos élèves auront accès à des ressources en ligne du monde entier. Nous voulons profiter de cette période pour souhaiter à nos familles tout le meilleur et nous espérons que chacun restera en sécurité pendant cette période compliquée.

#collegeduleman #internationalschool #nordangliaeducation

We are sharing positive thoughts and requests to make the rest of the year an amazing experience:)

Thank you Miss Monica to join us in this activity, we love you 🙂

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Not all the snacks are full of calories, let’s try to know what we are eating and making our food. Amazing muffins with no sugar and very yummy!

Ready to play?

Our next match is on the 9th of March!!!

Let’s go girls ^^

Ghida made cookies for the weekly charity project. First time and not bad at all! Next time we will bake a cake ; )

Polina, Alexandra, Alty and Miss Cristina did the first training today.

Next Monday more and better.

Well done girls, let’s go for it!

We have to learn that a “cake” is not synonymous of unhealthy. Here we have a yummy banana bread with no sugar, flour or additives. The girls loved it.
How important it is to love what we eat, be aware of it and make good choices.

Have an excellent day!

Love, New Portena

On Friday we played board games and get ready for our friendship soup.

and on Saturday due to the light Chinese day we had a little Chinese party at home.

During the Boarding Assembly, this month we welcomed Linda. And Christine was super Brave to go on stage and talk about Corona Virus.

“This is time for science, not rumor,

this is time for solidarity, not stigma”

It is always a pleasure to cook for the girls and see them happy when they come back after a long day to find some home prepared snacks.Today egg-avocado salad toast.

Creativity helps you see things differently and better deal with uncertainty.Alison proves that she realises this well.

With the great organization from our camps department we are able  to enjoy the pure mountain air and the natural alpine bliss of Villars during the weekends!

The THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations) conference is a five-day simulation of the United Nations for secondary school students, which takes place at the end of January each year in the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague.Our Crystal along with other CDL students are participating this year.We are expecting them back to give us their insight and thoughts from this valuable experience.

She is somewhere in there:

From the closing ceremony:

A very warm evening where we communicate important information to the girls!Main topic the coronavirus which has already affected lots of people in the world  in many areas.We explained that The virus is still too new to entirely predict how it will evolve , however, basic hygiene is the best recommendation for all.Furthermore the risk in our territory is very very low.

Following Cristine with the valuable help of Linda gave a heartwarming  presentation about the Chinese spring festival and its great importance to Chinese people.

You can find it here : Presentation

And Yes we had smores  from Mrs Kata and Mrs Dace!!!!

We asked ourselves and the girls!!!

Friendship is a privilege that shouldn’t be underestimated. Because simply put, good friends are good for you.

We asked the girls to put their thoughts in a simple questionnaire and after we discussed about them with the company of  Swiss chocolate flavours.

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming two exceptional  ladies in New Portena.Polina comes from Russia she joined grade 10.Alexandra comes from Spain and joined grade 11.Both very extrovert and friendly, managed to make an excellent first impression to the rest of the girls.They also have chosen a variety of afternoons activities from our extended extra curricular program. Kickboxing ,Yoga,Horse-riding,Chinese and many more will keep them proactively busy.

In our 3rd Pillar we are talking about Internationalism for that reason we wanted to give a probe of how many different nationalities we have in our House. The girls not only knew where their friends live but also they learned where the country is.

A GEOGRAPHY REVISION never hurt anyone.

First day, check!

This afternoon we had the pleasure of welcoming Mrs Batey, our university advisor.

The girls had the opportunity to receive detailed information about the broad range of paths offered in our school and explore their interests and potential career options.

Weekends have a relaxed feel, a home from home.

This Sunday our girls after a leisurely and delicious brunch,enjoyed among others, crossfit,climbing ,bodyshaping and snow hiking with Huskies.

Sunday today and it is time for our soup.We had a  chat with the girls about the importance of eating seasonal vegetables and fruits.They retain more nutrients than their counterparts making them the better choice for your health. Other benefits of eating seasonally : Supports local farmers who choose to farm sustainably and preserves the environment.

We enjoyed a creamy  leek soup and olive oil drizzled  croutons  !!

Certainly tennis is one of our hit weekend activities.With our state-of-the-art indoor court facilities our students enjoy and exercise in safety, protected from weather conditions.

There is one food that definitely unites most of the civilizations of the world: bread.Throughout recorded history  it has been a prominent food in large parts of the world and is one of the oldest man-made foods, having been of significant importance to  households and often the only food parents could provide to their children in times of despair.

The carbohydrates which are rich provide energy and nourishment just to face the day, they also contain proteins, salts and vitamins essential for the proper functioning of the body.

And what better than homemade whole wheat bread…New Portena bakes!!

Sanny,Becky,Ria,Manya,Katia, Doria and Carina learned the secrets of a good  Phat-Thai today in cooking class!!

A wish for you on your birthday, whatever you ask may you receive, whatever you seek may you find, whatever you wish may it be fulfilled on your birthday and always. Happy birthday Crystal!!

A very warm welcome to Linda who comes from China and joined the 9th grade!!Our aim is to ensure that you, and all our students, have access to the best possible opportunities and experiences during your time in CDL, so that you can reach your full potential and are better prepared for the future.

Ms Jody Kallay is our new boarding counselor , very well known and respected among CDL community.

Welcome aboard! All boarding community is very happy to have you with us.

A very important topic was brought up during our house assembly which is also a part of our wellbeing programme this year.

The Role of Positive Friendships in Youth Development

Adolescence is a period of rapid change —physically, emotionally, and socially—and relationships with friends play an important role in the lives of adolescents as they become increasingly independent , develop their own identity, and grapple with self-esteem.Positive friendships provide youth with companionship, support, and a sense of belonging. They can encourage or reinforce healthy behaviors, and evidence suggests that positive friendships in adolescence can lay the groundwork for successful adult relationships, including romantic relationships.

And at the end each of us had to pick a heart-shaped card with an attribute written on it and hand it to the person we think possesses this quality..a lot of smiles and good vibes from this evening for all of us!!

Our talented and motivated Crystal will participate  in Youth Forum of Switzerland representing CDL along with 4 more day students,in Zug.

The vision: Connecting changemakers to address the challenges facing our planet.

The Youth Forum Switzerland is committed to:

• Exploring relevant issues in inclusive, respectful, and constructive ways.
• Connecting youth and the world’s leading changemakers to inspire innovative solutions to pressing global issues.
• Empowering youth to become purposeful changemakers.Carbon neutrality and being a zero waste organization.

 The Youth Forum Switzerland will measure its impact through:

• Assessing youth understanding and engagement with global issues.

• Curating student initiatives launched through participation in the Youth Forum Switzerland

You are welcome to visit : https://www.youthforumswitzerland.ch/

This assembly was a little about history and a lot about people who make an impact and stand out for their actions and voice about equality,diversity,freedom of speech,justice and honor.We focused on the importance to see the good things that happen everyday and everywhere rather than surround ourselves and our loved ones with negativity.

Good vibes and positive  attitude  from Albion,Giorgio,Amir and Sofia.Albion and Giorgio demonstrating tenor abilities,Amir accompanied them on the piano and Sofia gave an inspiring speech about the importance of exercise our bodies and souls.

At the end we had the pleasure of welcoming our Ms Cristina on stage where she pointed out that good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with physical activity, your eating habits  can help you reach and maintain a healthy life. “let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”

First of all Happy New Year to everyone and welcome home. We hope you had enjoyed the break : )

Our girls are back and ready to start the New Year full of energy ^^

Wishing you a season filled with warm moments and cherished memories.Best wishes for a wonderful Holiday and a very Happy New Year. 

We are 100% New Portena : )

Have an amazing  evening Ladies…you deserve it!

Delicious food and homemade desserts..

Also babies on board!!!

GIVING TO CHARITY MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD.😁GIVING TO CHARITY STRENGTHENS PERSONAL VALUES.👌👏GIVING IS MORE IMPACTFUL THAN EVER👍👍.GIVING TO CHARITY INTRODUCES OUR BOARDERS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF GENEROSITY🎈.

Alison and Cherry helped Mr Salva tonight gathering all the gifts our girls donated to a child shelter.A noble cause which we hope will put a lot of smiles to child faces😊😊

There is no better temptation than chocolate smell ! !! And admiring breathtaking landscapes of Gruyères. At the top of the hill, take a deep breath of pure mountain air and listen to the cowbells in the pasturelands. It was a memorable day for all of us, full of tasting and nice feelings.

Memories of school Educational trips are among the most prominent of the formative years, largely because they are a welcome break in the routine for both students and teachers. While their purpose is essentially to educate, they can also be a fun bonding experience for everyone involved.

Ghida is not only amazing in academics but she is also a great athlete.

Congrats Ghida for your great job!

Today in the Boarding Award Ceremony we have received many medals. Congratulation to all of you, you are doing an amazing job!

As a school with almost over 100 nationalities present , diversity is our common language.It helps us recognize and respect “ways of being” that are not necessarily our own. So that as we interact with others we can build bridges to trust, respect, and understanding.It helps dispel negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups. With that in mind we discussed a lot and at the end of our session the girls were encouraged to bring something from home,that they always keep with them no matter where they are,which shows their culture and  to share it with their housemates.

Ekaterina showed us a presentation about her beloved Moscow.

Steph showed us handcrafted bags from Bali, and pointed the importance of spirituality of Balinese people

Doria and Camila talked with passion about Peking Opera.Louise shared secrets of French cuisine.Kokoro told us about Osechi and its importance to Japanese people.Yuqi prepared traditional tea from her city in 3 different tastes. Alison  holding  a Chinese artcraft who she keeps for good luck, finally decided to put it in New Portena for all of us!!!!💖💕❤🙌🙌

Eva and Manya gave a heartbreaking speech about the importance of their families in their lives.

Yesterday we were part of the CdL Charity Christmas Market, we baked different pastries and we sold them. It was a great experience.

Thank you very much girls ^^

Today is Thanksgiving and we wanted to celebrate it with our American students, the Usher family invited us to join them. Thank you very much, it was really good!

Quick brainstorming of what we think each point means.

We’ll try to implement them in our day to day life.

Cooking is a great way to express your creativity and our boarders make the most out  of it on their free time..Lolita is mastering Vegetable soup

Yesterday we went to Lausanne to enjoy the marine fauna of the AQUATIS. It was an amazing experience!,

3 inspiring plays ,grades 9,10 and IG2,many many guests and a memorable evening for all.

Drama Kings and Queens..NOT!!!Our borders with great acting skills ,lightened our evening.

From “girls are not good in maths” and “men are so insensitive” to “he is getting a bit senile with age” or “some people struggle at university”, there’s no shortage of common stereotypes about social groups. Chances are we have heard most of these examples at some point. In fact, stereotypes are a bit like air: invisible but always present.With the girls tonight we tried to clear the air bit , about this hugely important issue, merely by  being aware of the damaging effects that stereotypes can have.

At the end of our session we played a game..a small piece of paper with the name of a country was placed in ones girls forehead, while the others should share stereotypes about people and culture of this country and the aim was for the girl with the paper in her forehead to guess ,according to these stereotypes, the country the rest of the girls were talking about.The girls acknowledge the inaccuracy of these stereotypes by simply not recognising  them in their friends behavior, in the house and school.We may not be able to avoid stereotypes completely and immediately, but we can try to clear the air of them.

From badminton to horse riding and Vitam park to Natural history Museum, this weekend was a great experience once again.

We have prepared an afternoon snack for our girls,a nice surprise at the end of a demanding day at school.

We are always happy to host Ladies and Gentlemen from other houses..we have a big house and even bigger hearts!

Our Star though is Zihao who cooks for our Ladies…and plus he cleans to perfection!!

You are our Winners…Elegant and motivated  Ladies!!!

We are so proud of you!

Well done to  Anca,Ria,Louise,Doria,Camila,Eva and our petite Isla!!!

They prepared an elegant and demanding dish.Cauliflower velvet puree,edamame and romenesko bites,glazed saint jacques in herb and noisettes butter.Perfection!!

Before the girls start preparing the dish for our masterchef competition, we enjoyed a hot traxana soup!

Twice a week all boarding houses receive a big basket of seasonal fresh fruits and all of borders enjoy them between meals.

Cooking class today with chef Fred and Katia, Antonia,Kate and Sanny made Churros!!!!

Explore the cuisine of a different culture can be a way to celebrate and develop your own understanding of cultural diversity!!

Doria and Lolita surely proven that by devouring a big tray of Musaka, a traditional Greek dish.

It is important to have a snack and get ready for the afternoon.

Our girls have already eaten most of it.

Enjoy the fruit girls : )

We are so excited to have you in New Portena.  Welcome aboard!!

What Is Bullying?

Girls You ROCK!!!

We have just started our well-being pillar 2 and we have begun with a quick presentation and an activity about inclusion.

We knew something new for each of us.

Thank you Miss Eva for taking care of us 🙂

Great job team, well done!

We worked all together to create an amazing pumpking house ^^

How said Halloween should always be scary?

Diwali, Deepawali or Dipavali is the Hindu festival of lights, which is celebrated every autumn in the northern hemisphere. One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali or Deepavali symbolises the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance”.

Happy Diwali to ALL!!

After a reving break  we can’t wait to welcome back all our New Portena  Ladies!!We are looking forward for another amazing half term with a lot of smiles and effort.

Ms Terri, Ms Rosana, Ms Cristina , Ms Eva

Today for our wellbeing session we got familiar with the many benefits of Turmeric or Curcuma root as it is also known.Girls devoured  a delicious vegetable soup with this incredibly beneficial spice.

Turmeric among others,

• Detoxifies the Body,
• Lowers Cortisol Levels,
• Improves Your Complexion,
• Balances Blood Sugar,Improves Cardiovascular Health,
• Calms the Digestive System,
• Sharpens Memory,
• Lowers Blood Pressure ,
• Works as an Natural Headache Remedy,
• Calms Eczema,
• Fights Inflammation and
• Helps You Get a Better Sleep

Girls also learned  how to prepare hot beverages to fight common flue that bursts  this time of the year.

This weekend we had our first boarding trip.DISNEY PARIS

Many more to come, stay tuned

Sundays will never be the same…because we will have warm and delicious soups accompanying your study hall.

If you want to help come, if you want a specific soup tell.Slouuuuuurpppppp

Tonight TOM KHA soup

Huskies are loving, gentle, and playful, they do well in families with active children and adults. These dogs tend to be social and relaxed. They also don’t bark much, but do enjoy howling on occasion.

A Husky loves to be in a centre of attention.And today they were as Susana and the rest of our boarders enjoyed hiking with them, an amazing and rewarding experience.

Season finale for our weekend lake activities and Ghida feast over this with some serious wakeboarding skills!!!

And since winter is coming …We will introduce many activities,with or without snow,for them to enjoy.

Yes we chatted about serious issues, we had lots of thoughts and we shared practices…but at the end we placed an Oreo on our foreheads trying to scroll it down to our mouths without touching it  and without dropping it..The result?Absolutely hilarious!!!

Alty, an amazing pianist.She sparkles our afternoons

Breathing: it should be the most natural thing in the world. We do it without thinking, some 20,000 times a day. And from their very first gasp, babies respire as nature intended, ribs expanding, torso rising and falling.

Poor breathing techniques adopted over time are responsible for increasing stress and anxiety, lowering energy levels and even affecting cardiovascular health. The good news, is that we can reverse these effects simply by relearning how to breathe properly.

New Portena Ladies practiced 8 different techniques of breathing and elevated their energy levels.

You are welcome to try …click and breathe

breathing techniques

Ms Kata showed us how to make chocolate chip cookies tonight!!Mesmerising smells in New Portena this evening..

Our fast and furious tried karting this weekend…These Ladies can sure drive fast and safe!

Cooking with Chef Fred has become iconic in New PORTENA and it is always in high demand from our girls as a weekend activity.Dear parents you should expect some delicious dishes in the upcoming fall break.

We tried to spend at least 10 minutes of the day for ourselves.

During the monthly boarding assembly, our new Portena girl, Stephanie Peretz gave an awesome speech about social media and how it can affect our lifes.

All our new girls studying downstairs

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight.

Our Sofia from VDL organised our first stretching session.At the end we relaxed having to think about 3 good things that happened the passed week,smile and be thankful.

Anca and Ghida with oars on hand!!

Renata and Susana and Alty proved that today in their cooking activity!

We have new games just arrived for New Portena girls.

Are you ready for the weekend?

Meet Ben who has become an expert in carpet rolling!!!

This week we had  a new entry 🙂  in New Portena,Alty. We look forward to sharing some incredible moments together! Welcome to the house!

Tonight we were happy to have Ms Kata and Ms Dace offering  fulfilling practices on how to take care of our skin and how to use wisely makeup so we can feel and look flawless.Thank you Ladies for this amazing workshop.More to come from those two…

May you continue to improve as a person with each passing year.

Wishing you a very happy birthday.

Tonight during our house assembly we were delighted to have with us  some of our mentors and prefects who enthusiastically shared their experience in CDL, spoked about the difficulties they faced  when  they first arrived and shared  ideas and practices which boosted the confidence of our girls.They also reassured them  that they will stand by them whatever they may need.We could not be more proud of them.

A new initiative launched yesterday ,where a network of today’s most influential figures across business, arts, politics and more will donate some of their valuable  time , open up their thoughts and curious-fuelling experiences to our students and CDL community.

Yesterday we were privileged to welcome Mr Edward GIRARDET who gave an inspiring speech about his life and work.We were all urged and motivated to write as much we can,express ourselves and feelings,take nothing for granted, search,question and think.

In our wellbeing session tonight we covered the vital issue of sleep and how the lack of it can severely affect our health.

The girls were motivated at the end to do an experiment to find out if they actually have enough sleep.

Along with nutrition and exercise, good sleep is one of the pillars of health.

You simply cannot achieve optimal health without taking care of your sleep.

A place all of our girls enjoy and cook often, inviting friends and spend quality time with nice food.

Plum pie and plum jam…yes

Numerous studies have shown the importance of Dog Walking. Benefits include improved cardiovascular fitness, lower blood pressure, stronger muscles and bones (built up by walking regularly), and decreased stress. A regular walk is vitally important for your pet’s health too..We offer our boarders this unique experience ,to Have fun with Dixie.This afternoon Kate took her for her walk and hey both enjoyed it endlessly. 

For our wellbeing day we tried a spanish merienda full of colours and fruits.

We cut the fruit and spent time together trying to introduce and know Alty, our new Portena girl 🙂

We did banana, apple and 100 % chocolate shake. Of course SUGARFREE ; )

We enjoyed it outside in our wonderful terrace.

Our new student Sofia is ready for Discovery Days with her roommates 🙂

We continue with our cooking skills, this time we work together  Ville du Lac and New Portena.

We baked carrot and peanut butter cookies.

HEALTHY AND YUMMY

We have new tennis players in the house 🙂

Yuqi and Stephanie the next step is the Laver Cup ^^

GO FOR IT!!!

After our house meeting we enjoyed our time together while eating cake and trying to know each other a bit more.

We always talk globally, but how about individually?

Let’s help ourselves ^^

Choose your food wisely. YOU ARE what you eat and what you cook in the kitchen and how much effort you put into dedicates how you look and feel. … Our Ladies prepared bagels with 2 ingredients , Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour!!

Sanny’s art skills!!!

One of our exceptional Ladies ,Senior House Parent of OLD PORTENA has her birthday tomorrow and also leave to have her second baby!!!We send you all our love and wish  health and prosperity to you and your beautiful family.

Introducing a brand new activity, which became super popular, Cooking with Chef Fred!!

Our neighbor house,Old Portena had an amazing time picking up fresh apples form the farm and they kindly donated us a big box.Surely they will be devoured in a few hours,WE THANK YOU SO MUCH young Ladies.

Connections between online communication, social life and well-being.Was social media  meant to help us work smarter?Or  has it only given us additional work?These were only some of the topics that we discussed yesterday during our house assembly.Stephanie gave an impeccable speech,made all of us think deeper and made this evening memorable.Thank you Steph!!

During our house assembly tonight we talked a lot over how social media Influences our mental health and overall happiness.Then the girls had to discuss in groups and come up with ideas and propositions.And this is what Doria,Susana,Louise,Kokoro and Eva brought to the table on how to limit the time we spend on social media..and we couldn’t agree more Ladies!!!

Well done to Ria Puri our new House Captain and Ekatarina Balabina our new House Rep.  Do us proud ladies

As we have finished all our homework, tonight we have had a reading experience during our study period to get a bit closer to the beautiful world of imagination. 

Today we have visited Lausanne and the Olympic museum 

Lovely Renata ^^ 

Ghida showed us her immense talent skills 🙂

#futurewimbledonchampion

This afternoon, as part of our wellbeing programme this year, a small group of our Ladies had the chance to explore the surrounding forest, paths and recreational areas.They chatted a lot and enjoyed the calmness  of the environment as no phones were allowed 0n our walk.More to come…

Sunday New Portena Ladies had a boat tour in lake Leman and had the chance to explore Geneva!!

Today our Ladies enjoyed many activities offered during the weekend.Of course Wakeboarding was a top of the list, but also cycling in a beautiful forest close to our campus.

Some of our ladies took some time to explore our beautiful city Geneva.

Our amazing girls tried, Basketball, card games, making pancakes, movies, piano, baby cuddles and singing, all in one night !  Phew 🙂

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Yesterday our girls attended the welcome dinner.  Food and company was amazing !

Some of our ladies took a little trip to the local shops and stopped for a beautiful picture with our Lac Leman as their setting.  Stunning !

First night in New Portena for many of our new Ladies. Chatting, cooking, laughing and enjoying each others company. A great way to start.

Tonight all our students participated in treasure hunt game. Lots of fun and a great way for them to get familiar with our extended campus. Many thanks to our Prefects this year, who organised everything.

Tonight we had our welcome assembly followed by a cocktail dinner.We had the chance to meet all new and old students with their parents.We were extremely happy to see all those new enthusiastic faces, eager to start their Journey in CDL.

New Portena, with Ms Terri, Ms Rosana, Ms Cristina and Ms Eva  welcome you!

Let’s have an amazing year!

We are saying goodbye to a successful school year and we wish everyone to enjoy the summer.

LESSONS START ON WEDNESDAY 28TH AUGUST AND HOUSES OPEN ON MONDAY 26TH AUGUST