We are now entering the fourth week of the first Pillar of our wellbeing programme – Nurturing Healthy Bodies and Minds.
The second takeaway point from this pillar is ‘How can we use our hobbies to de-stress?’. Every single one of us is faced with a certain level of stress in our lives at some point. We appreciate that our students with have pressures and stress to deal with from many different aspects of their lives, therefore it is crucial that we talk about how we can help identify these stressors and how we can help manage those stress levels. This is another big step in identifying how we can maintain a healthy mind in order to benefit our well-being.

During our Boarding House assembly this week, we specifically talked to the students about ‘How can we identify personal stressors. The idea behind this topic is that it’s important to learn how to identify what it is exactly that is putting under stress before we then find appropriate activities and strategies to help alleviate that stress.

We also watched this interesting video about how we can provide them with more knowledge surrounding stress management.

It was a pleasure to see our lovely Jessica Song. We miss you !! Thank you for visiting us and for these delicious Dunkin’ Donuts !! 

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival. It traditionally falls on the 15^th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which is in September or early October on the Gregorian calendar.

In 2021, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 21^st (Tuesday). Chinese people have a 3-day public holiday from September 19^th to 21^st.

A “mid-autumn festival” is also celebrated in many other Asian communities besides China. In China, it’s a reunion time for families, just like Thanksgiving, while in Vietnam, it’s more like a children’s day.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important festival in China after the Chinese New Year. Chinese people celebrate it by gathering for dinners, worshipping the moon, lighting paper lanterns, eating mooncakes, etc.

Thank you to our Boarding Direction for these delicious mooncakes !!

🏅 A group of 8 IBCP students are taking part in a fantastic challenge this week hosted by Les Roches Global Hospitality Education – Switzerland

Every day, Arlene waters the plants of the House. Well done!

We are now entering the third week of the Wellbeing Pillar 1. This week the topic to be covered is ‘The effects of screen time before sleeping’. This is again linked to the first takeaway point of this pillar which is: ‘How important is sleep?’ 

We care about all the elements which interfere with the life of our students. One of these is the time spent in front of screens before sleeping.

Using phones, or any screens for that matter, before you go to sleep has an effect on your health and subsequently your wellbeing. Scrolling through your phone or watching something on your laptop at bedtime can keep your mind psychologically engaged, preventing your brain from switching off effectively at the end of the day. The blue light that comes off the screens reduces the melatonin levels in your body. Melatonin is the hormone within the body that controls your sleep cycles. It is also possible that scrolling and watching can trigger emotions within your brain that will delay your sleep and can lead to you lying awake reflecting on those emotions. 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 having a healthy mind, and a healthy body

We also watched this interesting video about How smartphones affect our sleep

Merci aux professeurs qui sont venu nous rendre visite à J.B.Terray 27  aujourd’hui. C’était un plaisir de passer du temps avec vous, et on espère que vous vous êtes amusé autant que nous (non seulement à cause de notre nourriture !)  🙂

Thank you to all the teachers that came to visit us in J.B. Terray 27 today. It was a pleasure being able to spend time with you, and we hope you enjoyed yourselves too (not only because of our food!)  🙂

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Click on the link below to watch the video

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Following our Pastoral Program, tonight we had our second Wellbeing session focused on The effects from lack of sleep and How does it affect all areas of our life.

The discussion was interesting. Everybody shared the reasons that can make us go late to bed: social media, homework, stress, etc. Using  their answers we set up a new action plan: 

1- Unlike us, who have grown up without the internet and mobile phones, our students were born into the age of the Internet and for them, it is something intrinsic and second nature.  Students need 7/ 8 hours per night to sleep. Due to their lack of sleep, we made a deal: During the week, they are not allowed to use mobile phones after 22.30. 

2- To help relax their body and mind after an intensive daily routine, we suggested that they take a shower and drink a tea or infusion before bedtime. Obviously, family calls/chats are important as well as attending yoga classes or meditating, all helping them feel more relaxed.

 3- They need at least five meals: breakfast, snack at school, lunch, snack after school, and dinner. We suggested that they avoid eating fast food and energy drinks. Best to drink water. Tuck shop is cancelled so they can buy their healthy food. 

4- They must practice more sports. Almost all of them have signed up for 1 or 2 activities during the week/weekend: fitness, volleyball, horse, soccer, tennis.

We also watched this interesting video about How sleep affects our brain. 

The Jeûne Genevois is a public holiday specific to Geneva. It falls on the Thursday after the first Sunday in September. On this special day, the people of Geneva traditionally eat prune tart.

 Tarte aux pruneaux (plum pie)  is often served as dessert in Geneva homes on Jeûne genevois. Any knowledge as to how this tradition began seems to have been lost, although it may have come about as a means to allow women and housekeepers a way to spend the day in prayer, having cooked plum pies the day before (area plums being in season).

The practice of fasting could be observed in the. Swiss cantons as far back as the 15th century. The Diet, an assembly of the representatives of the cantons in place until 1848, organised penance and thanksgiving days. Each canton could decide what form these fasts would take.

The origin of the Jeûne Genevois dates back to the first fast recorded in Geneva, at the beginning of October 1567, following the repression of Protestants from Lyon. From 1640, fasting was seen as a moral and religious act and became an annual practice at the initiative of reformed cantons. It was seen as an act of humility and solidarity with the poorest members of society.

Our “ J.B. Terray 27 ” Boarding House is ready to celebrate a holiday! And since we don’t have to go to school tomorrow, we are all looking forward to the trip to Lausanne to visit the Olympic Museum. This excursion is going to be organized thanks to our great Boarding Activity Managers! !!  You will be able to see the beautiful pictures of these trips tomorrow.

To welcome Arlene to Terray and having Ghida for a visit, our girls decided to make crêpes for them. 🙂

SIGN UP TODAY!

Our girls cannot wait to meet them at our house on the 14th of September !!

A huge thank you to our Kitchen Staff: Mr Antonio, Mrs Alexandra and M.r Bastien for this delicious brunch !!!

Lia working hard to complete her essay and putting her affairs in order. Keep it up Lia!

Our Boarding Team  led by Mr Usher, Mrs Salamin, Mr Politano, and Mrs  Kallay  is wishing you a successful School Academic Year 2021/2022

Collège du Léman is welcoming all the new and “old ” boarders . Villa  J.B.Terray 27 is finally starting to come alive again after the summer break!  Wishing all the boarders a fantastic, exciting, productive, and unforgettable New School Year 2021/2022

Happy holidays! We wish you all a well-deserved and relaxing Summer holiday! Thank you to our J.B. Terray girls: Diana, Louise, Ruijin, Kateryna, Alina, Maeva, Isabella, Lia and Katia for making this year so special and enjoyable for us.   We shall miss you!

Boarding Team ( Your Swiss Family )

The girls had their last boarding assembly of the year and we are very proud to announce that Katia is going to be a Prefect next year!!! Welldone Kati 🙂

The girls also watched the stay safe movie and we had a great discussion about it after and how this can be in the real world. It was great to have their point of view.

Stay safe girls 🙂

We hope you have a lovely day with your family. All the best for your future !!  We will miss you !! Love you.

Boarding Team

We are proud of you, Louise Lacoste, Ruijin Song , Isabella Peterson, Alina Kazmina, Diana Mokabber , Maeva Vasquez and Kateryna Yalpachyk  ! We are wishing you all the best for your future . God bless you girls !   Go ahead!!  We love you

Boarding Team ( your stepfamily in Geneva )

Please click on the link below to watch The Graduation Ceremony

Have  a  lovely  day!!  We  love  you !!

Some of our girls are graduating this year. It has been such a pleasure to share with you this last year of school.

We are proud of who you are and we are sure you will begin this new journey with courage, strength and wisdom. CDL will for sure miss you!!!

Following our Pastoral Programme , we watched this interesting video about How Happiness is dependent on self-discipline.

Self-discipline, or self control, means taking possession of our own mind. The power of thought is the only thing over which and human being has complete unquestionable control. We have the power of the self-determination, the ability to choose what out thoughts and action will be. If you direct your thought and control your emotions, you will ordain your destiny.

Take charge of your life. You are what you think !

🌊 When Mr. Usher, Director of Boarding, takes our students onto Lac Léman on a speedboat, be prepared to adjust your perspective whilst approaching Geneva’s famous Jet d’eau and discovering the coast from “the other side”. ⚓

#collegeduleman #internationalschool #ecoleinternationale #boardingschool #internat #geneva #switzerland #lacleman #lakegeneva #speedboat #jetdeau

Have a lovely day

Following our Well-Being Programme, today’s conversation was about decision making and consequences.

Decision making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions. Using a step-by-step decision-making process can help us make more deliberate, thoughtful decisions by organizing relevant information and defining alternatives.

The Consequences of Choice: The Final Step in Decision Making

Before moving ahead with a decision, it is imperative to consider possible adverse consequences of feasible alternatives. The negative consequences of any action are as tangible as its benefits, sometimes more so. Once a decision has been made and implemented, any of its negative effects will eventually become real problems. The effects of decisions—good or bad—always outlive the decision-making process that produced them.

We all make mistakes . Helping teenagers learn from their mistakes

We also  watched this interesting  video about the adolescent brain by Dan Siegel

It’s not so easy being an adolescent these days. We become aware of the world around us, are flooded with input through digital media about our extended global family, and learn about the world’s intense and overwhelming problems. And even more, puberty’s onset is getting earlier, and the time between our childhood dependence and adult responsibility over the last century has moved from a couple of years to a dozen or more.

For adolescents, this means that the pruning down of existing neurons and the laying down of myelin sheaths connecting the remaining linked neurons will continue years after we stop referring to them as “teenagers”

🎬 We are very proud of our students who were selected to represent CDL in Juilliard’s Construct-A-Dance challenge. This involved them creating, choreographing, dancing and filming themselves in groups. 🕺

🏅 Our brilliant dancers and passionate teachers Veronika and Sophie were awarded a certificate for their hard work. 👏

#collegeduleman #internationalschool #ecoleinternationale #boardingschool #geneva #switzerland #juilliard #contructadancechallenge #internationaldanceday #dance #madeforcreativity

Enrollment 2021-2022 is still open at Collège du Léman. Contact our admissions team at admissions@cdl.ch

https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/en/our-schools/switzerland/cdl/admissions/online-application

Today we had a chat over some fruits and it was about decision making. I took an apple and I asked them whether they wanted to eat it or not? And the conversation started there.

I asked them have you ever wondered just how many decisions you make in a day? I got frowned faces. So I answered this question, neuroscientists predict it’s a mind-blowing 35,000! (Yes, I searched about it before, like I do every time we are about to have a debate about a wellbeing project.).

Then I went on to ask them if they could number how many decisions they had to make since they woke up. I started my list by, when I woke up I saw it was 7am so I questioned myself whether I should get up or stay in bed 30more mins. It followed by whether I should drink my coffee with or without milk,  go straight to the computer or enjoy my coffee in the sun, drink a second one or wait for brunch, enjoy the sun or open my phone to check messages etc. Then they started to think of all the decisions they made until then and realised that they were actually a lot!

I told them that someone once told me that life is just a series of decisions, one right after another, each determining the life that we lead. Sometimes the decisions are small and inconsequential, like my morning selections. However, sometimes the decisions are big. They have the power to shape us, such as which college to attend, and the degree to pursue, whom to marry or where to settle down. And the ripple effect that follows can feel like you’re riding a tidal wave. Regardless-big or small, every day these choices are written into our story.

So we talked about how to get to the root of decision making and we came up with these 6 steps;

1. Identify the problem/conflict to be solved.
2. Gather relevant information.
3. Brainstorm possible solutions.
4. Identify potential consequences.
5. Make a choice.
6. Take action

This was a great interaction time and now they know that learning to make their own choices help them be more independent, responsible, and confident. It gives them a sense of control over their lives, reducing anxiety and promoting resilience. Furthermore, it encourages self-exploration and helps them to solidify their values.

Let’s continue with more decision making; whether to eat another fruit or stop there? Let’s apply the 6 steps and make a decision!

Tonight, during our Virtual Boarding  Assembly, has been launched the final Pillar of our Wellbeing Programme: “Making Safe and Responsible Choices”

The key take-away points for this Pillar will be three : first , the ESSENCE of teen brain and the science behind decision making process ; second , consequences and third , self-discipline.

Also, our girls will be given only two choices for their Individual Projects. They will have to join either the discipline revolution project or the happiness project

We hope you had a great holiday! Villa Terray is already open  Let’s go for the last stretch of the school year! !! 💪💪

We are wishing all our girls and their families a happy and peaceful time together during this Easter Break !!

What makes social media actually ‘social’ are the connections users make with other users on the platforms. Every social networking site handles these connections differently, calling them ‘connections’, ‘friends’ and ‘followers’, amongst others. Having friends and followers is how we find out what other people say and do. Your friends and followers are much more likely to see your online content than those outside of your network, which is why it’s important to be mindful of who you connect with and what you share. On some platforms, if two accounts follow each other, this may allow additional communication channels such as private messaging.

Some tips to stay safe online;

1. Be Cautious of Sharing Too Much

2. Adjust Privacy Settings

3. Limit Details About Work History

4. Verify Who You’re Connecting With

5. Keep Control of Comments – Be Aware of Impersonators

6. Don’t Share Personal Details

7. Check Out Your Own Account

8. Know Employer Boundaries or Acceptable Use Policies

9. Control What Information is Shared with Outside Sources

10. Be Careful of Over-Friending

11. Consider Forming a New Social Network

12. Single Sign-On: Open ID

13. What Goes Online Stays Online

14. Know How to Block Unfriendly Followers

15. Keep Passwords Strong

And last but not least, enjoy your social media, but don’t forget to enjoy your social life  ❤️

The girls have been doing a community project this last two weeks, going over the recycling rubbish and separating them once again. They are not only doing it to deal with the consequences of some of their actions but also to save their own planet.

These bins are only supposed to be for PET, but, as you can see in the picture, there are thousands of different things in them that are not PET bottles.

The girls were pleased to do this and at the same time shocked to see how disrespectful the others are towards our planet. Here is a recorded message from them;

Thank you, girls, not only for showing that you are responsible for your actions but towards our planet! As I said before, I am sure you are growing up to be great women.

Seven years with us at Collège du Léman . Time flies !! Too many memories. Love you. Enjoy your day !!

Tonight, we had our Wellbeing Tutorial organised by our counselor Mrs Jody and focused on Stay Safe workshop covering online harassment. Furthermore, we enjoyed our traditional Talent Show Competition organised by our Boarding Activities Team. The girls really enjoyed it !!

This afternoon, over some strawberries and cream, we started discussing if they remembered their lives when they were very young before they could actually start playing with the internet.

I also talked about my experience and we had a nice chat that led to different discussions, like, What do you most like about the internet? What do you use most? What you don’t like? and If something bad happened to them related to the internet, bullying, shaming and etc.

I t was nice to see so many different points of view and freely discuss it 🙂 Here are some things for you to reflect on before and after the internet.

I am proud to say that the girls took their responsibilities into their hands and went ahead with this recycling sorting task in the school.

Seeing you being responsible for the consequences of your actions and completing this task with great intention could not make me less happy.

I am sure you are growing up to be great ladies 🙂 Let’s go for a second round of helping hands tomorrow too, this time with music!

Today we had our Second Virtual Parent & Teacher Meetings and we are so proud of the girls and all the positive feedback we received.

We would also like to thank our Teachers and staff from Collège du Léman, which are directly and indirectly involved in their education and wellbeing. We are sure they are on the path of Lifelong learning, the voluntary act of learning throughout life. Discover the benefits of a learning mind-set for personal and professional development and we can only thank everyone for providing them with that.

Congratulation girls, for all your efforts and dedication.  We are proud of you!!  This is the way to go.  Go ahead, is the last stretch !!

This week in our Wellbeing Session, we have watched some videos regarding Online safety and  Staying safe.

TIPS TO STAY SAFE ONLINE

There are lots of things you can do to keep yourself safe online.

Think before you post
Don’t upload or share anything you wouldn’t want your parents, carers, teachers or future employers seeing. Once you post something, you lose control of it, especially if someone else screenshots or shares it.
Don’t share personal details
Keep things like your address, phone number, full name, school and date of birth private, and check what people can see in your privacy settings. Remember that people can use small clues like a school logo in a photo to find out a lot about you.
Watch out for phishing and scams
Phishing is when someone tries to trick you into giving them information, like your password. Someone might also try to trick you by saying they can make you famous or that they’re from a talent agency. Never click links from emails or messages that ask you to log in or share your details, even if you think they might be genuine. If you’re asked to log into a website, go to the app or site directly instead.
Think about who you’re talking to
There are lots of ways that people try to trick you into trusting them online. Even if you like and trust someone you’ve met online, never share personal information with them like your address, full name, or where you go to school. Find out more about grooming.
Keep your device secure
Make sure that you’re keeping your information and device secure.
Never give out your password
You should never give out your password or log-in information. Make sure you pick strong, easy to remember passwords.
Cover your webcam
Some viruses will let someone access your webcam without you knowing, so make sure you cover your webcam whenever you’re not using it.

Today we are celebrating women all over the world and within our Nord Anglia community of schools.  Diana, Lia, Jessica, Katia, Alina, Maeva Louise, Kateryna and Isabella  GO AHEAD !!

Diana was feeling like the weather didn’t help with the mood today, so we decided to make some healthy cookies for everyone in the house and we ended up doing an abbs workout challenge to kick some more endorphin in.

The cookies were so yummy, thank you, Diana 🙂

And here goes the hard work to burn them off, kick some endorphin in and give us a smile 🙂

Saturday is paid off 🙂

In our community, we believe that fruits are very important for the daily food intake, and as we are supporting a healthy lifestyle, every Tuesday and Saturday we are getting the fruits-sources of many essential nutrients that are under-consumed, including potassium, dietary fibre, vitamin C, and folate.

A huge thank you to our Kitchen Staff for another delicious brunch !!!

We hope you had a great relaxing week.  Let’s go for the last stretch of the school year! !! 💪💪

J.Terray will close its doors tomorrow morning and we hope everyone will enjoy their break and recharge the batteries 🙂

Enjoy the winter break, and be ready for some snow fun like our super Maeva!

We will be waiting for you from next week girls!!!

Tonight Jessica enjoyed a lovely Chinese dinner with her friends.

Your Boarding Team is wishing you all the best for this New Year. Love you, Jessica!

Please. Click on the link to watch the card :

https://www.123cards.com/chinese-new-year-ecards/lanterns/preview/

Today we celebrated Chinese new year at dinner and the dining hall looked amazing and smelt amazing!

Thank you, everyone involved in this and Happy Chinese new year everyone!

A very important topic was brought up during our virtual house assembly, which is also a part of our Wellbeing  Pastoral Programme. Peer pressure and 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 adolescents’ lives 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 behaviours, and evidence suggests that positive companies in adolescence can lay the groundwork for successful adult relationships, including romantic relationships.

Today was filled with snacks and concentration. The girls have been studying since early and why not having some snacks to keep concentration level at its best?

Well done for the hard work girls! We are so proud of you! 🙂

A special Thank you to the direction for providing these super delicous food!

Today the girls enjoyed their day doing ski in Les Crosset. The day started out ok but it turned out very different! What it is, is that sand from the Sahara desert came to pay a visit in the alps and all turned yellow and muddy like, but nothing stopped them.

Following our Pastoral Programme, we met this evening to speak about positive and toxic Friendships, what it means for each of us and what we consider is essential in a friendship relationship.

Positive Friendship

Negative Friendship

We also watched this interesting video :

A huge thank you to our Boarding Directors, Mr Usher, Mme Salamin and Mr Salva for this delicious snack !!

On Saturday the Boarding School headed for the mountains (Leysin and Villars) for a ski day of fun in the snow. The girls had a great time skiing and snowboarding with plenty of fresh snow.

A huge thank you to our Kitchen Staff for another delicious brunch !!!

Along with Mr Usher, the prefects decided that for the respect week CDL should focus on respect for the environment. So on this sunny day, good music and a great willingness to see our community clean, Maeva, Lia and Isabella decided to take part in it and we all went litter picking around our community.

During our walk, we discussed how we can help improve our environment and what are the things we should do to educate those that don’t. Just as we were passing by a shop, a man who saw we were picking up litter, was smoking and we all waited to see if he would throw it out on the street or in the bin and at the end, he threw it in the bin and the girls decided to go and congratulate him and thank him for his care towards our environment.

Full trash bags and big smiley faces!

The girls were impressed with the number of cigarette buds that are thrown in the streets and Maeva wanted to make sure we show that to everyone so they can learn how to respect our environment.

Litter team on attack!

Well done girls, we are so proud of you!!!

Today some of the girls had a lot of fun on their sky day in Leysin and Villars. They were lucky to have such nice weather in the morning, which unfortunately turned cloudy in the afternoon, but nothing stopped them from having great fun!

Following our Well-Being Programme, our house assembly this time was about Peer Pressure.

Peers are people who are part of the same social group, so the term “peer pressure” means the influence that peers can have on each other. Although peer pressure does not necessarily have to be negative, the term “pressure” implies that the process influences people to do things that may be resistant to, or might not otherwise choose to do.
So usually the term “peer pressure” is used when people are talking about behaviors that are not considered socially acceptable or desirable, such as experimentation with alcohol or drugs. The term “peer pressure” is not usually used to describe socially desirable behaviors, such as exercising or studying.
Is Peer Pressure Always Bad?
In reality, peer pressure can be either a positive or negative influence that one peer, or group of peers, has on another person.
Positive Peer Pressure
Peer pressure could influence a young person to become involved in sports. This involvement could be positive, leading to exposure to healthy lifestyles and role models, and eventually leading the young person to become a positive role model herself.
Negative Peer Pressure
That same peer pressure could lead the same young person to over-identify with sports, putting exercise and competition above all else.
If taken to an extreme, she may develop exercise addiction, causing her to neglect schoolwork and social activities, and ultimately, use exercise and competition in sports as her main outlet for coping with the stresses of life. This can also lead to numerous health consequences.

This afternoon a fruitful conversation took place in our lounge during our snack time and all the girls were engaging with great interest.

What is the definition of a role model? Someone that you look up to.

We all have role models.

What are their qualities?

They have high moral values and they are honest.

They project confidence.

Role models demonstrate their commitment to a desired goal and are willing to invest the necessary time and effort to achieve success.
They don’t give up easily and they persevere when confronted by obstacles. Their passion to succeed inspires youngsters to follow through and reach the goals they set for themselves.

In order for role models to be influential, they must show respect for others.

Role models inspire others with an upbeat, optimistic outlook on life.

In J.B. Terray Boarding House, everyone’s role model or models come from family members. Grand-parents and parents who managed to succeed in life with their perseverance and positive energy. Strong passionate people who are kind and compassionate. We are all lucky and grateful to have these people in our lives. We want to learn from them and set the example to others as they did.

And you know…. you might be this role model. It’s all about good intentions and kind actions.

A HUGE thank to Mr Usher, our Boarding Director, for his continuous support and delicious gifts !!

Registrations are still open for our Annual Winter Camp 2021 

https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/en/our-schools/switzerland/cdl/camps/winter-camp

CDL welcome desk is ready and set for another day of arrivals!

We are happy to receive everyone and we can’t wait to see all our boarders’ smiley faces!  🙂

Jb Terray is now open and we are excited to see everyone’s beautiful faces again!

We are sure you all had a great family time together and got your batteries charged for another wonderful and hard-working term full of energy, realizations, and great health!

We can wait to see you all again!! Safe travels and see you soon!

We would like to take this chance to wish all our girls and their families, Happy Holidays and Happy 2021  !! Enjoy these festive weeks with family, friends, and beloved ones. Stay safe !!

Boarding Team

Enjoy our two Christmas Videos.  Click on the links below :

Video 1

https://naeeuro-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/r/personal/james_griffiths_cdl_ch/Documents/Christmas%20Video%202020/Christmas%20Video%202020%20v.3%20-%20%20Blogs.mp4?csf=1&web=1&e=iCdN3S

Video 2

https://naeeuro-my.sharepoint.com/personal/aida_villalba_cdl_ch/Documents/Attachments/CDL(1).mp4?_=1

Thank you to Mrs. Nord, our  Director General, for these delicious biscuits!!

Thank you to Mr. Usher, Boarding Director, and Mrs. Salamin, Deputy Head of Boarding, for these swiss chocolates !!

And thank you to Mrs. Jody and Mr. Salva, our Pastoral Programm Team for your continuous support in these difficult times !!

A huge thank you to make our house nice and clean every day!  Thank you, Paula  !!

Tonight we had vegetarian lasagna and milk pudding to celebrate the last weekend before the holidays!

The girls were happy to eat at home and have a quiet time before going to bed for the last week of school! The main conversation was about how excited they are to go back home 🙂 But also, we discussed what do they do and how they call the end of year celebrations back in their country.

This was a nice way to discuss diversity around the theme of  “end of year celebrations” and also other celebrations. The girls seemed very mature towards this theme and discussed how important it is to be respectful of different cultures and beliefs. In another word, we tested each other to check how well we knew our own culture.

In the end, we learned that the best way to understand other people’s cultures is to first examine your own. Most of us take our background for granted, and we’re rarely challenged to evaluate it. However, it’s only through appreciating our own unique cultural makeup that we can fully appreciate others’.

What is it that you believe in? What biases do you have? What behaviours define you, and would any of them seem odd or unusual to someone with a different culture? These aren’t easy questions to answer, but they did open their eyes to understanding other cultures.

We all have our unique filter through which we view the world, and recognising that fact makes it easier to see other points of view.

And was this way that we finished the day, and guess what, we all learned different card games from each other country 🙂

Today was the end of the Year dinner party.

The girls were happy to be celebrating this evening together. Even though the hygiene measures were restricted and well followed, we did have an amazing evening with extremely delicious food.

They have been working hard this year and they have fully deserved this moment.

The decoration was amazing, everyone enjoyed it, no need for more words, the pictures speak for themselves ! 🙂

Due to the health situation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school parades, the historic parade, the Course de l’Escalade and numerous events within the different districts have been cancelled. One sure value can nevertheless be enjoyed: the chocolate cauldron: La Marmite de L’Escalade ”

L’Escalade takes its name from the assault on the ramparts of the City of Geneva by the troops of the Duke of Savoy during the night of 11/12 December 1602. Every year in December, the Fête de l’Escalade commemorates the victory of Geneva with a blend of humour and tradition.

” For two weeks in December, the city of Geneva goes Escalade mad. As Roy Probert found, the people dress up in period costume and pay homage to a humble soup pot that saved the free world. Or something.

Geneva may be renowned as the world capital of peace and humanitarian work. But during the Escalade period, the citizens of the city show a surprising fondness for guns, swords and canons.

All Swiss people, it seems, have a secret love of dressing up in period costume, polishing muskets and playing fifes and drums. The Genevans are no different. But when they do it, they are remembering a decisive event which arguably made the city what it is today.

The actual day of the Escalade is December 12. It is Geneva’s 4th of July and Bastille Day, though in keeping with Geneva’s puritan past, it’s celebrated with rather more sobriety. It marks the night when the small Protestant city state defeated the Catholic forces of the Duke of Savoy and, it’s claimed, cemented its place as a bastion of freedom and tolerance.

“If it had not been for the Escalade, we would probably be French now. And that’s worth celebrating,” says Jean-Michel, who, like his father and grandfather before him, is a member of the 1602 Society, which organises the annual Escalade procession through Geneva’s Old Town.

But what, the visitor will be forgiven for asking, is the significance of the chocolate cauldrons that seem to be in every shop window in the city from the middle of November till the middle of December?

These are “marmites”, and they symbolise the soup pot which played a crucial role in defeating the French hordes.

The story goes something like this: On the night of December 11, the Duke of Savoy launched a surprise attack on the city. As they scaled the city walls with ladders (escalade means to scale) his men were spotted by a woman now affectionately known as Mère Royaume, who poured a pot of boiling vegetable soup over their heads and raised the alarm.

In reality, it was not Catherine Cheynel (Mère Royaume’s real name) who raised the alarm. But she was one of thousands of ordinary Geneva citizens who helped fight off the Savoyards, and her inventive weapon became the symbol of the Escalade.

Today the marmite is made of chocolate and filled with marzipan vegetables. Tradition dictates that the youngest and oldest people smash the chocolate pot and recite the phrase: “Thus perish the enemies of the republic”. In French, of course.

The really serious escalade festivities take place on the weekend closest to December 12. Members of the 1602 Society, dressed in those authentic Reformation period costumes, stage an understated, but fascinating procession through the old town.

At intervals along the way, they stop and a proclamation is read out (the same proclamation that was made after the Duke had been put to flight), muskets and canons are fired and the Geneva anthem Cé qu’è lainô (He who is on High) is sung.

Very few people seem to know what the 68 verses of Cé qu’è lainô mean, as they were written in an ancient Geneva patois. But that does not stop young and old belting it out with gusto. And nowadays they just stick to four verses, which helps.

In short, it’s not particularly complementary about the Savoyards. One verse goes something like this: “On the darkest night they came, and it wasn’t to have a drink. It was to loot our homes and kill us for no good reason.” Thank heavens the Genevans won.

“They have quite a story to tell,” says Keith Kentopp, an American who has lived in Geneva for some 30 years and one of the few foreigners in the 1602 Society.

There are around 2,600 members of the company of whom some 700 are allowed to wear costumes.

“There is nothing Disneyesque or commercialised about this. We know who the main characters of the Escalade were and we all have a role to play,” Kentopp says.

“It’s fun to dress up, but in a time of shifting values, the Escalade represents a kind of continuity. It’s about patriotism, tradition, and basic ideals like freedom.”

It’s also important to place the Escalade in its historical context. It happened at a time of massive religious upheavals in Europe, just before the outbreak of the Thirty Years War.

“It was only a small episode in history. Today we would call it a commando raid,” says Christian Colquhon, a former secretary general of the 1602 Society. “But the following year a peace treaty was signed which brought peace to this region.”

The defeat of the Catholic forces from France and northern Italy also confirmed Geneva’s position as a haven for dissidents and persecuted minorities.

“Many specialists agree,” says Colquhon, “if the Duke of Savoy had taken the city that night, it would not be the city that we know today – city of peace, a city of the world and the headquarters of the United Nations.”

Tonight we had our First Virtual Awards Ceremony led by Mr. Usher, our Boarding Director, where some of our girls received a medal for being involved in Activities, Boarding Life and Academically reaching amazing grades. Well done to all of the winners. We are proud of you !!

Louise received the Boarding Life Award for her involvement and spirit in our house.

Kateryna got a medal for her outstanding participation in the school and boarding activities.

Katia won the award for the highest GPA  in her academic program in Grade 11 AP and Maeva was awarded for the highest GPA in her academic program in Grade 12 AP

This afternoon Lou Lou and Jessica have enjoyed their snack with Mrs. Angie. She came to our house and they had a long talk about their Bac exams.

Merci beaucoup M Angie pour votre soutien !!

Following our Pastoral Programme, tonight we had a nice discussion about being in a community with people from different cultures. We came to the conclusion that we can find a lot of things in common with people even from a completely different continent. We shouldn’t be prejudiced, in the end, we are all differently same. We are valuable human beings who deserve to be treated with kindness and understanding. We were very happy to see the girls getting along and work together as a small group in a big international community.

We also watched a video on nonviolent communication.

Tonight, Jessica made an excellent presentation about how we can read a painting.

1- Have a look: attention

2- Reading artworks through topic or subject: topics

3- What is that about symbolism

4- How would they do that: biographical information.

5- Anyone can do that: emotions & feelings

A few weeks ago, the girls picked names to buy a small present anonymously for another girl from the House. Tonight we exchanged our gifts for Secret Santa. They really enjoyed this moment as they tried to figure out who was their Secret Santa.

Here is a smiley “Cupcake mug” to cheer up your tummy 🙂 But what does it have to do with Diversity? Let me start…

The discussion was; How do you bake cakes back in your country? As we all know, east Asian food, for example, doesn’t have cheese or dairy as much as other parts of the globe. It was only in the late ’90s that it started being advertised. Knowing that the question arose; So you guys didn’t have cakes, oh my god!? And a nice discussion about diversity and cakes started.

All that led us to understand the importance of a diverse community and how each one of their educational experience can be enriched by living among people from a variety of backgrounds. Here, we embrace our similarities and celebrate our differences.

We discussed the importance of supporting each other to be their most authentic self and accepting these of others will propel them to thrive in their relationships, work, and life-long learning in the future. Being in a multicultural and diverse school teaches students cultural competency in real-time, how to engage in spaces and with other students and adults from different backgrounds than their own. It helps them learn how to understand the social and emotional reactions and experiences of their peers, often unlike their own.

Of course, we did all that munching on our cake mugs, that for instance didn’t have any milk and yet, tasted just like it did! Once again we proved that being different is not bad, only it was from a different point of view 🙂

Today is Thanksgiving and we celebrated it with all of the boarders, with a nice feast and with lots to share and be thankful for. And you, what are you thankful for?

We are sure that some of us might be experiencing different feelings due to this extraordinary situation. We are experiencing a pandemic. It is normal to feel overwhelmed with emotions. Sometimes we feel sad, scared, and a bit worried. But there is a way to avoid falling into a sad spiral.

During our weekly assembly, the tip to take care of our mental health was practicing mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness meditation can bring to our girls, clarity and calm. It’s a practice that encourages them to be present, acknowledge their emotions, and let it go. And it’s all grounded by breathing.

The regular practice of it will help them to be less overwhelmed with all the emotions triggered by the pandemic. It will remind them all feelings are normal and it’s okay. And eventually, what they’re feeling will end.”