AG Descriptions

"The City for All: A Music-Poetry-Dance-and-Art-AG draws on the artistic practices of music, poetry, dance, and art to explore with a group of Lower School children (grades 2-4) ideas about what it means to live and create beautiful things in a metropolis such as New York City. Together with up to twelve students and various guest speakers, Taoufiq Ben Amor, professor of Arabic language and literature at Columbia University, Amy Kail, Dance and Teaching Artist with The Joyce Theater, and Luise Mahler, independent art historian and Research Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will discuss and produce artistic, poetic, and rhythmic forms that express the feeling and meaning of living in a city. Working with an emerging curriculum that is student centered , the outcome of this AG will be a performance at GISNY in which the expressions created throughout the semester will be presented before the school's community.

A huge part of being an artist is transforming everyday materials with creativity and hard work! This class will be all about taking materials that could be perceived as garbage and using them to create beautiful pieces of artwork. This is recycling as an art from... making jewelry, sculptures, drawings and paintings out of everyday recyclables objects.

Du hast für den Nachmittag am Montag noch keine Beschäftigung? Du möchtest sportlich aktiv sein und dabei Spaß haben? Du hast generelles Interesse am Sport Badminton und möchtest diesen mal ausprobieren? Dann melde dich doch für die Badminton AG an. Wir werden die Grundlagen durchgehen, dich durch spielerisches Lernen mit Schläger und Ball vertraut machen und natürlich viel Badminton spielen. 

Prerequisites: Basic ability on instrument with preliminary assessment by Mr. Alberti

The Jazz Ensemble I course is an introduction and grooming of student musicians in the performance and language of jazz/pop music. Class occurs in a performance-based, workshop format, with jazz combo instrumentation. Students will study, rehearse, and, ultimately, perform a variety of music from the wide jazz spectrum. Topics covered include instrument roles in rock, funk and jazz/swing styles, 12-bar blues, beginning improvisation/jazz theory, major key chord progressions/harmony, lead sheet interpretation, etc. Required performances include the annual Winter Concert and Spring or Summer Concert. Students will be notified of any additional performances at the beginning of each semester.

Prerequisites: Jazz Ensemble I and permission and/or assessment by Mr. Alberti

The Jazz Ensemble II course is a continuation of the Jazz Ensemble I curriculum (see above). This course continues grooming student musicians/groups in the authentic performance and diverse language of jazz/contemporary music. New content included: Standard jazz repertoire, Afro Cuban and fusion styles, continuing improvisation/jazz theory, minor key and advanced chord progressions/harmony. Required performances include the annual Winter Concert, Spring Concert or Summer Concert and possibly one or two additional school functions in and outside the school (e.g. church concert or during Graduation ceremony). All students will be notified of all performances at the beginning of each semester. 

Students will learn the basic fundamentals, rules, sportsmanship and modified fun games that lead up to real tournaments and gameplay.

Students will practice and learn fundamental drills, the importance of team work, individual skill sets, and participate in games.

Students will practice and learn fundamental drills, the importance of team work, individual skill sets, and participate in game

Looking to help your children improve their critical thinking abilities, their creativity, problem-solving, memory, and self-confidence? Excel through chess!

Ni hao! Mandarin is a language that many people speak all over the world today, and it is a popular choice for language learners. The focus of this beginner's class is the spoken language, although your child will learn how to write and read Chinese characters as well. Some effort is required - but in a fun and welcoming environment it will feel like a Shanghai Breeze! 

In this class students will be introduce to logic of coding and programming through SCRATCH, the coding language developed by M.I.T. for children. Through use of graphical, drag and drop  interface, students learn how to create simple programs that are fun, animated and personalized. We follow the Creative Computing curriculum introduced by Harvard Graduate School of Education. Each class contains a separate lesson in Scratch and students can share their work with their families at the end of class. 

In the GISNY Lower School Choir, students of grades 1-4 have the opportunity to develop and nurture a love for singing from an early age on. We will learn songs in different languages, and perform in concert and at special school occasions.  Please sign up via Signup Genius.

We invite students from grades 5-8 to join GISNY's first Middle/Upper School choir. We will work on vocal technique, harmonies, and how to sing safely and with joy through the voice change. We will perform choral arrangements in several music styles, from classical repertoire to contemporary songs (musical theatre, jazz, and pop). Please sign up via Signup Genius.

The GISNY Youth and Adult choir (grades 9-12, teachers and parents) will prepare and perform a varied repertoire of sacred and secular compositions from around the world. We will focus on vocal technique and choral blend, and also dive into group improvisation. All voice types are welcome! Rehearsals will take place in the GISNY auditorium on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm. Please meet Dr. DeGraf in front of the Aula.

Open Dance Exploration Class, is an after school dance program taught by Miss Candice from the Steffi Nossen School of Dance. In this class, students will explore a wide variety of dance styles from Broadway Jazz to Hip Hop, Ballet to Lyrical and much more! Every 4 weeks, a new style of movement will be introduced, taught and studied. Each class will consist of a short video clip of the dance style created by dance industry pioneers and "Dance Journal Time", where students will write about their thoughts on what they have learned to be discussed together as a group. This class is a great way to cultivate students' knowledge of dance overall as well as getting great exercise to stay fit, healthy and productive. 

This English AG is designed to provide students in grades 1- 4 an opportunity to learn and practice English in a relaxed environment. We will read books, play games and do crafts and activities related to the seasons, holidays and American traditions, among other topics.

This English AG provides the students in grades 1-4 an opportunity to practice English through a variety of actives including reading, games, and creative projects.

The Creative Projects AG will give 5th - 8th graders a chance to explore and express their ideas across a range of dynamic activities. The projects will include creative games, photo essays, debate, viewing and responding to a film, producing a dramatic piece, developing a poetry presentation and other language-rich activities, driven by the interests of the group. There will be an opportunity for the participants to display, publish and perform their work. Come and join the fun!

Are you interested in current events? Do you like to debate issues? Are you interested in what’s going on in your school? Or is music, theatre or sports your passion? Then the Junior Journalism AG for 7^th and 8^th graders is for you!

Students will discover the important people and events in journalistic history, and learn about new technologies that affect how news is disseminated. They will learn to find story ideas, identify and evaluate sources of information, and use approved conventions to cite sources. They will practice interviewing techniques and procedures, and how to organize and structure a story. Our work will be showcased on our school’s news site, The Lens (https://thelensgsny.org/)

The Curious Engineer’s Lab is where we take on weekly challenges and work as engineers to solve them utilizing different STEM-based solution designs. Projects are solved using a collaborative, hands-on approach and are designed to encourage teams to work together to address major real world needs and issues. In the Curious Engineers Environmental Sciences Lab, projects will focus on the key elements of the environment: air and water, water and energy systems, and innovative ways to reduce waste through clever use of materials. In each class we will conduct a small-scale experiment to learn how these challenges are being examined by engineers and how we can innovate to solve these challenges, such as how to clean up an oil spill, build a super-dome from ultra-light materials and use solar energy to create a heat source.

Egal ob Anfänger oder mit Spielerfahrung, hier ist jede/r willkommen, der Spaß am Sport hat. Die Hockey-AG soll Freude an der Bewegung und Spaß am Hockeyspiel vermitteln. Am Anfang steht der spielerische Charakter möglichst lange im Vordergrund. 

We play different board games, card games and will make our own board game.

Liegt dir die Umwelt am Herzen? Findest du es wichtig, dass unsere Schule so umweltfreundlich wir möglich ist? Hast du Lust und Interesse, dich für unsere Green School einzusetzen? 

Dann bist du in unserer AG genau richtig! Wir beschäftigen uns mit wichtigen Umweltthemen innerhalb und außerhalb der Schule und schaffen "awareness" in der Schulgemeinschaft für Natur- und Umweltschutz, z.B. durch Wettbewerbe, Information und Aktionen. Deine eigenen Ideen sind gefragt! Die Treffen finden im zweiwöchigen Rhythmus und nach Absprache statt. Bei Interesse kontaktiere bitte Frau Petereit persönlich oder unter tpetereit@gisny.org. 

Groove Dance is an amazing dance experience that nurtures all aspects of health. It is different from other dance classes: there is no follower or leader, front or back, left or right, right or wrong. Everybody is welcome regardless of ability, previous dance training and coordination. It is an empowering experience combining physical activity with emotional and mental well being.

Groove allows us to unite in the same rhythm and movement, and also encourages us to do it in our own unique way. So we unite in what we are doing, and we are unique in how we are doing it. Using eclectic playlists we explore a wide range of musical genres and a multitude of moves, all of which allows our different facets to shine; it thereby fosters self expression, boosts self confidence, nurtures our creativity and builds community, all while having tons of fun!

Handball spielen für Anfänger und Fortgeschrittene, jeder ist willkommen.

Der Spaß am Spiel steht hierbei klar im Vordergrund. Je nach Können und Wollen der Schüler werden Übungen zur Verbesserung der Pass- und Wurftechniken vorgeschaltet. Die Verbesserung der Spielfähigkeit wird durch viel Spielen erreicht. 

The Jaguar and Majagwa Marimba groups are inviting all students to discover their love for music, for playing in an ensemble and to realize, every single person has his/her own unique voice and place in the the world of music. Marimbas and Zimbabwean Marimba music styles are offering a relative easy and quick access to all major aspects of music : rhythm, harmony, melody, ensemble playing, soloing, ear-training, general musicianship, etc. . Being community oriented, this music allows even the beginning student to gain rich, colorful and valuable musical experiences. The repertoire of our groups includes traditional, Zimbabwean “ Ur-texte“, pieces, taught at “ Kwanangoma College “, the leading Music College of Zimbabwe, and written by Alport Mhlanga, the Grandfather of this music, simple African folk and children songs, Ghanaian percussion arrangements, Marimba pieces by American composers, American Pop songs and Cuban Latin Jazz.

For students with one year of private music education or one year of Jaguar l.

see Jaguar Marimba

For students with at least one year of private music education or two years of Jaguar I.

ee Jaguar Marimba

For students with two years or regular lessons on any instrument or two years of Jaguar Marimba II .

 see Jaguar Marimba

For students with little or no private music education and for those, wanting to drum only.

Students interested in discussing and debating current issues and want to share their views with other high school students from around the world should join the Model UN AG. We will meet to prepare for the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) conference in March 2019.

NHSMUN is the world's largest Model UN conference for secondary school students, with hundreds of schools and thousands of delegates attending from around the world. The conference is held at the New York Hilton Midtown and the United Nations Headquarters.

In this AG the students will learn how to debate and respond appropriately to speeches. As preparation for the topics to be discussed at the conference, students also have to write position papers to attend the conference in a professional manner.

This AG is open to students from grade 10 to 12.

For further information please see the website of NHSMUN http://nhsmun.nyc/

tudents will play running games, team games, and learn about the sport of running. We also participate in fun runs and races throughout New York.  Practices are for students in grades 2nd to 6th, but parents, families, and friends can join us for the weekend races.  Please contact Jacqlyne for more information and the online schedule: jthornton@gisny.org

What makes the Long Island Sound so special ?

Let’s explore!

Little research projects.

Hands on experiments.

How to create and plan projects.

Working together on one major topic:

“ The special ecology of the Long Island Sound”.

Students will learn the basic fundamentals, rules, sportsmanship and modified fun games that lead up to real tournaments and gameplay.

Students will practice and learn fundamental drills, the importance of team work, individual skill sets, and participate in games.

Students will play a variety of games and sports.  We play partner and team games to work on different skills and coordination.  We meet in the gym, so please wear sneakers and bring sports clothing. Let's get moving!

In Sport and Fitness we offer a variety of sports and fitness activities.  Individual sports ranging from badminton to box ball. Outdoor games, team sports, yoga, fitness, and more.

We speak the Swiss German dialect during AG hours, learn some geography and history of Switzerland, get to know Swiss stories, sing Swiss songs and make the table decoration for the Raclette-Stube.

With our help one can learn to act. We look forward to students who like to act and perform. It is most important to memorize the text of one's part and to attend the classes with regularity. We will perform for an Open Audience in the second half of the school year. On our playlist for the coming school year are: Pinocchio von Carlo Collodi; A Glass of Water by Eugene Scribe; Antigone by Jean Anouilh ....... to name some.  
Theaterspielen kann man mit Hilfe lernen. Wir freuen uns auf SchülerInnen, die gerne Theater spielen wollen. Es ist sehr wichtig, dass man Texte auswendig lernt, regelmäßig an den Proben teilnimmt und gerne mit anderen zusammenarbeitet. Endziel ist, dass das einstudierte Stück zur öffentlichen Aufführung im zweiten Halbjahr kommt. Für die neue Spielzeit stehen unter anderem auf dem Programm: Pinocchio von Carlo Collodi; A Glass of Water von Eugene Scribe; Antigone von Jean Anouilh......

n this AG the children learn to center and strengthen themselves in a playful way by using their body, breath and brain. They practice yoga and mindfulness with stories, songs, games as well as arts and crafts.