BUILDING COMMUNITY AT WMIS
PARENTS
PARENT CAFE
Visit, support or co-organize the weekly Parent Cafe to exchange with other parents (currently Thursdays 8:00-9:00)
SCHOOL PARENTS’ REPRESENTATIVES
Head of GEV: Kunle Orankan
Deputy: Niels Wergin-Cheek
Other board members: Gloria Kolpeja, Jenny Bartz
E-mail: gev@wmis-berlin.de
PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE SCHOOL
At Wangari Maathai International School, we pride ourselves on cultivating a home-school connection that benefits our students and helps them learn and grow. We respect the individual talents and rich experiences that our teachers and parents bring to the table, and strive to find positive ways to weave these into a joyful school experience for our children.
We see ourselves as a diverse, engaged school community and would like to actively collaborate with you. Here’s how you can get involved at our school and enrich the learning culture at WMIS.
WAYS TO ENGAGE IN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Engage in the class community
• Attend parent nights and take the opportunity to network with other parents
• Take advantage of parent-teacher conferences to talk with the teaching/educational team about your child’s development
• Pay 20 euros into the class kitty every six months, e.g. for joint excursions and activities for the class
• Become a parent representative or deputy for your class
At the first parents’ evening, the parents of each class elect two parent representatives (ideally one German-speaking and one English-speaking) as well as up to two deputies for the parents’ association (GEV). The parent representatives and their deputies work together with the teachers and the social pedagogical team on different projects and topics and represent the parents of the class in the school community.
As representatives of the class, the two parent representatives take part in the meetings of the general parent association (GEV) and then report to the parents of their class. The class parents’ meeting also elects the representatives for the class conference.
Participation in the whole school community
read aloud once a year on the nationwide reading aloud day
• come to the class as a reading mentor (e.g. read regularly with individual children)
• tell the children as an expert (e.g. about your profession, religion etc…)
• as a companion for excursions
• Work in the GEV as an elected parent representative or deputy.
• Get involved in the school conference as an elected parent representative or deputy parent representative.
• Be in solidarity and contribute 100 euros to the education budget!
From the Education Budget we pay for instruction-related school materials and equipment. Parents do not purchase notebooks and books. Reusable books are stored in the library or come back for use the following year. Licenses for learning platforms such as Seesaw, Anton, Twinkl and Antolin are also financed.
• Become a member of our support association „Friends of WMIS e.V.“
• Support the Förderverein with a one-time donation.
As a member of Friends of WMIS Association you can directly support school life with your experience and possibilities. With your annual contributions or donations you support projects, the purchase of materials, the organization of excursions…
• Support a parent group or committee.
Parents volunteer in different parent groups (library, communication, school garden…), which meet irregularly and try to support the school. For the latest information about the working groups, please contact the parent representatives.
Participation in the general parent representation GEV
The two elected class parent representatives are members of the school’s general parental representation (GEV). The GEV represents the school interests of all legal guardians in a school and provides information about important school matters, exchanges information about them and, in addition to the school management, ensures that all important information is passed on to the parents.
The parents’ conference elects the parents’ representative of the school as well as up to three deputies from among its members. In addition, members of the GEV are elected:
a. four members for the school conference (every two years),
b. two representatives for the conference as a whole (annually),
c. two representatives for the teachers’ conferences (annual) (not yet established),
d. two representatives for the District Parents Committee (annually),
e. two representatives for the Gesamtschülerkonferenz (annual) (not yet established).
The representatives elected to these bodies shall report on the respective meetings at the General Assembly.
Participation in the school conference SK
4 parent representatives elected in the GEV work with 4 teachers and 4 students in the school conference. This is the highest decision-making body of the school. This is where decisions are made that have a structural impact on the entire school.
The Senate has strengthened this pillar of school work through a Parents’ Guide. This can be downloaded (in German) from the following link:
Committees and opportunities to participate at the school
FRIENDS OF WMIS
Friends of Wangari Maathai International School or in short Friends of WMIS eV is an independent non-profit association with the aim of promoting education as well as international openness and tolerance in all areas of culture. This is done through material and immaterial support from the Wangari Maathai International School in Berlin. The organization was founded in 2018 and is funded by membership fees, donations and fundraisers. Find out more about ways to support the association actively or financially at the club website.