March Newsletter
March 2026 Newsletter
Dear Parents and School Community,
As we approach the spring break, whether you celebrate Easter or not - whether you are travelling or staying here in Frankfurt - we hope you will find time to slow down and enjoy a few peaceful and happy moments with your loved ones, near or far.
It has been a full and active month, with ongoing conversations in the Primary Education Council and important updates, particularly around the school building developments.
With the news that construction of the new building will begin in July, we are especially glad to be able to celebrate one more Summerfest in its original form on 20 June 2026. As the school grounds will be more limited over the next few years during construction, and will change afterward, future Summerfests will take on a new shape - but for now, we can look forward to enjoying this special tradition together once more.
Before that, we’re looking forward to the much-loved Primary Soccer Tournament on 25 April 2026! This fantastic event is always full of energy and community spirit. Get involved by volunteering to help bring it to life, or encourage students to form a team and sign up to play.
We would also like to share that a student exchange is being planned for the upcoming school year. If your family might be interested in hosting an S5 student during the fall semester, please stay tuned, more information will be shared soon.
Wishing you all a restful, joyful, and peaceful spring break!
If you have any questions, need assistance, or would like to get involved in the Parents’ Association, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
In case you are not already a member of the PA, we encourage you to join us to support our activities for our community! Applications can be made here: Become a member
With kind regards,
The ESF Parents Association Board
Katalin Bodnár, Carlos Bowles, Emese Farkas, Elizaveta Gardo, Floriana Grimaldi, Thomas Jaeger, Orsolya Kóczánné Láng, Christine Majoros, Aleksandra Maneg, Rosa Montanti, Nicole Moore, Zsófia Petersen
(1) PA News; (2) School News; (3) PA Events: Recent Events, and Ongoing and Upcoming Events.
1. PA News
🏗️ Building Issues
In February, we continued to advocate for viable interim and long-term solutions for the ESF site. On 23 February, dedicated parents attended the final meeting of the Education and School Building Committee in the previous legislative period, alongside PA representatives and the ESF Director, Ms Avsec. We reminded the city of its obligations towards the ESF and raised urgent questions regarding long-term and interim solutions, including the future use of the EuroKids container village. On 6 March, the PA hosted an online political debate attended by six parties and around 170 parents. Thank you for your support!
In light of the latest developments regarding the long-term solution, we will need to demonstrate an even stronger commitment to the ESF. After four years of examining the territory, Ratsweg has now officially been ruled out. This means that examinations and planning activities will restart with respect to the Bundesbank site, in order to determine whether it is suitable for the ESF.
The proposal to consider the Bundesbank site in Ginnheim has brought a renewed sense of hope. The location appears well-suited to the school’s needs, offering ample space and receiving broad support across political parties. At the same time, there are still reasons for concern, as no binding commitments have yet been made and the project is far from being finalised.
In principle, the process has been delayed by four years, and there is no binding legal document confirming that Mike Josef's suggestion will indeed be implemented. Following the elections on 15 March, it is unclear whether the SPD, Mike Josef's party, will be represented in the new coalition at all.
The urgency of the interim solution also remains. You can find out more in the school newsletter dated 26 March. While the long-term solution remains a vague promise, the city's short-term plans mean that the ESF will be deprived of the red pitch beginning next school year. It will also be turned into a construction site for 2.5 years. The planned wooden modular building is intended to serve as a municipal school in the long term, with the ESF only permitted to use it from the 2029/30 school year onwards. Clearly, this is not a solution for the ESF. On the contrary, the city is planning to proceed with construction work for the future use of the site at the expense of our children.
The city is also planning to start construction work on the Stadtteil der Quartiere at the current EuroKids site in 2029. However, in both cases, the city is reluctant to provide the ESF and EuroKids with sufficient and adequate substitute areas. Therefore, we must stand united to secure healthy school operations and afternoon care and protect the rights of our children. PA actions at City Hall will resume once the new committees have been formed, which is not expected before the beginning of May.
Please find attached our open letter to Mike Josef, dated 13 February. We will keep you updated as soon as we receive a response.
Representation and school exchange topics
🏫Primary education council
A key topic discussed during the recent Primary Educational Council meeting was the school’s approach to bullying prevention and behaviour management, including the implementation of the KiVa programme.
The school management provided a detailed overview of how reported incidents are handled. A central challenge, particularly in primary education, is the distinction between actual bullying cases and general inappropriate behaviour (“bad behaviour”). To address this, each reported incident is carefully reviewed and may fall into one of three possible scenarios. Importantly, parents are currently only formally informed when a case is classified as bullying.
Several parents expressed concerns regarding this process. In particular, feedback highlighted that:
- visible changes or outcomes can take time, and
- communication with parents is sometimes perceived as insufficient or delayed.
In response, the school acknowledged these concerns and explained their current procedures. At the same time, the management indicated that they will reconsider whether earlier or more consistent communication with parents may also be appropriate in cases classified as “bad behaviour”, even when these do not meet the threshold of bullying.
Another aspect discussed was the use of behaviour agreements between students and the school. These agreements define specific behavioural targets that students are expected to achieve. According to the school, this approach has generally been effective in supporting positive behaviour. However, important points for reflection are:
- whether such agreements are always appropriate and proportionate,
- whether parents are consistently informed when these agreements are put in place, and
- reports of individual cases where students were excluded from certain activities without parents being aware, or where parents were not informed that an agreement existed.
Class Organisation & Planning for the Next School Year
Another important topic discussed during the Educational Council meeting was class organisation for the upcoming school year.
The school management informed the council that class teacher allocations will be communicated before the summer holidays, likely at the beginning of July. In addition, responding to feedback from parents in previous years, the school aims to publish the booklists earlier, giving families more time to prepare and purchase the required materials.
Regarding the allocation of class teachers, the school explained that organisational factors and teacher preferences play a significant role, and that there are no fixed rules governing these decisions. As a general principle, the school aims to provide continuity where possible – for example, by keeping the same teacher with a class from P1 to P2 – although this cannot be guaranteed in all cases.
Parent representatives raised the question of how the interests and needs of the children are considered in these decisions. The school responded that the “best interests of the pupils” are always taken into account, in line with the General Rules. However, no specific examples or criteria were provided during the meeting.
As a result, this remains an area that may require further discussion and clarification, particularly regarding how the consideration of students’ needs can be made more transparent and visible in future class allocation decisions.
Planned Overnight Trips for 2026/27
The school also provided an overview of the planned overnight trips for the upcoming school year, which continue to be an important part of the learning experience beyond the classroom.
For P2 students, a one-night overnight trip is planned. The proposed location is Oberwesel, a destination that has been used in the past with very positive feedback from both students and teachers. Based on these experiences, the teaching staff has recommended returning to this location. The estimated cost for the trip is approximately €180.
For P5 students, a longer overnight trip of four nights is planned, with an estimated cost of around €360. The proposed location is Winterberg, although this has not yet been confirmed. The school intends to review feedback from this year’s trip before making a final decision on whether Winterberg will again be selected.
Overall, the school emphasised the educational value of these trips and their role in supporting students’ social development, independence, and experiential learning.
Assessment Criteria – Clarifying the Star System
The school also revisited the topic of assessment criteria, as it remains an area where questions frequently arise among parents.
In particular, the distinction between different star levels (from 1 to 5 stars) – and especially between 4 and 5 stars – has led to some uncertainty. The school acknowledged that 5-star assessments are intentionally very rare, as they represent an exceptional level of achievement.
To provide greater clarity, the assessment system was explained using four key criteria:
- Understanding (depth of knowledge and conceptual grasp)
- Accuracy (correctness of work)
- Autonomy (ability to work independently)
- Application (ability to transfer learning to new contexts)
In simplified terms:
- A 4-star level reflects strong performance, where students demonstrate good understanding, mostly correct work, and a high degree of independence, applying their knowledge confidently.
- A 5-star level, however, indicates exceptional mastery, including deep conceptual understanding, very high accuracy, full independence, and the ability to apply knowledge flexibly in new and unfamiliar situations.
Lower star levels correspond to increasing levels of support needed, ranging from partial understanding and occasional errors (3 stars) to minimum achievement or significant gaps requiring ongoing support (1–2 stars).
The aim of this clarification was to help parents better understand that the system is designed not only to assess outcomes, but also to reflect how independently and flexibly students can use their learning.
Policy updates
During the Educational Council meeting, the school management provided an update on the current status of key policy developments.
The Digital Competence Policy is also nearing completion and will be finalized soon.
Looking ahead, a comprehensive revision of the Behavioural Awareness Policy is planned for the 2026/27 school year.
🔄 Primary swals mergers
The PA carried out a survey on the SWALS mergers in the primary section in the year grades P3 - P4 and discussed the results with the school management.
About half of the affected families gave feedback on class mergers.
From the answers the following conclusions can be drawn:
As regards the overall learning experience, only half of the respondents found it good or excellent. In addition, less than half of the respondents found that the class mergers had a positive impact on lesson delivery.
On the impact on social interactions, most respondents reported either positive or neutral feedback. The answers to the open questions on the class mergers have been overall negative, noting that the teachers have less time for the children and SWALs students are negatively affected by merged classes.
However, some parents, in particular in sections with a very low number of children, also noted some positive effects. In the case of families in their second year with the merged classes, the main issues highlighted were that the teachers cannot manage after 1,5 years the different progress by the students in the merged groups. As a consequence, the curriculum was cut shorter.
We have discussed the survey results with the school management. They mentioned the existing sharing of knowledge between teachers on how to handle merged groups helps learning from experience.
We would however recommend intensifying this experience sharing via the creation of a network among the European Schools. Furthermore, de facto, the main way to compensate for the fewer classes remains to cut the curriculum, which can only be done by the national inspectors and not the school. This means that the main issues remain unresolved.
🏫 Secondary education council
For the upcoming Education Council meeting, parents had identified several important points to be discussed. The meeting was postponed, to 20.4.2026, due to the student reps being on a class trip.
In preparation of the Secondary Education Council meeting, parents from all sections shared a range of important topics and constructive feedback. A key focus was the organisation and communication of tests and exams, where greater consistency, clearer timelines, and better use of tools such as the test calendar would help reduce student stress and support planning. Concerns were also raised about continuity in teaching—particularly in German classes in the upper years—as well as the quality and consistency of language instruction in lower secondary.
Parents also highlighted the importance of clearer and earlier communication around subject choices, ensuring families have enough time and information to make informed decisions. Similar concerns were raised regarding class trips and excursions, including the need for more transparency on costs, earlier planning, and more inclusive opportunities for all students. In addition, there were discussions around providing broader academic support for students who may not qualify for formal assistance but would still benefit from extra help.
Further points included improving access to information about available resources, such as career guidance, and continuing to strengthen student wellbeing through effective internet safety measures.
💬Communication Policy (relevant for Primary + Secondary school)
The School Management has shared a draft version of the new Communication Policy with the PA Board. The draft is currently under review. The next meeting of the Communication Policy working group will take place on 21 April, where the draft and the comments received so far will be discussed. Following the meeting, we will update parents on the current status and the expected timeline for the publication of the new policy.
One of our primary objective as contributor to this policy is to make sure that the implementation of the revised policy will trigger clear communication, less overwhelming emails and better order in the flow of various communications channels currently in place.
🥜Allergy Awareness Policy (relevant for Primary + Secondary school)
The School Management has also shared a draft version of the Allergy Awareness Policy with the PA Board. The draft is currently being reviewed both by parents who have expressed interest in contributing to the development of the new policy. The collected comments will then be shared with the School Management to agree on the next steps and the timeline for the policy’s publication. At present, the publication of the new policy is expected to take place within this school year.
Exchange with school management
On top of the above items, it is also important to remind that the PA continues keeping regular interaction with ESF School management via periodical catch-up meetings. Under this period, many items which are relevant in preparation of the upcoming Educational Councils in March/April have been already part of this periodical brainstorming and such dialogue has also triggered the launch of some initiatives at school such as the kick-off of clubs for students in Secondary, the evaluation of future projects in Primary, the arrangements for students parties and tournaments.
🌍 Student exchange
We are thrilled to share with all parents that the exchange program for the 2026/2027
academic year is currently in full preparation. Things are moving behind the scenes and we expect to have clearer and more detailed information to share shortly after the Easter holidays.
In the meantime, the first requests are already starting to arrive! For example, we have recently been contacted by a student from Varese who is very eager to find a host family. If any family might be interested in hosting, please feel free to get in touch with us at —
we would be very happy to connect you.
More updates will follow soon, so… stay tuned!
📇 Babysitter database
This service is reserved to PA members, who are registered on the PA website. You will find all the contact information needed to connect with the parents of the ESF students offering babysitting or tutoring. Please feel free to reach out to them directly and help spread the word about this community initiative. Fees are set directly by the students in a fair and non-competitive manner. The Parents' Association is not involved in pricing.
Access it here: Babysitter database
2. School News
🌅 Primary morning routine
As part of the Educational Council Primary, the topic of the Morning Routine (Early
Morning Supervision) was discussed again.
Prior to this meeting, parent representatives had already held a separate discussion with Ms. Clancy. During this exchange, the topic was addressed in detail, and the results of the parent survey on the morning routine were presented and discussed.
It is positive to note that, during the Educational Council, explicit reference was made to feedback from the parent community. It was acknowledged that parents’ perspectives should be more strongly considered in the ongoing decision-making process.
At present, the school is in a transitional phase (“Current State”). Since March 16, an outdoor model has been implemented, where children spend the morning time outside. As this approach has only recently been introduced, it is still too early to draw firm conclusions about its effectiveness. Initial observations indicate that some children are still finding their bearings and are unsure about what activities are permitted.
The next steps will be shaped by several key factors, including:
- the results of the parents survey
- as well as organisational and operational considerations whitin the shool.
Looking ahead (“Future State 2026/2027”), several options are currently under consideration. These include a possible return to the previous routine, potentially in a modified form. However, no concrete decisions have been made at this stage.
The school emphasized that both the survey results and ongoing parent feedback will be
considered in the next steps. We will, of course, keep you informed about further developments.
Secondary matters
We would still like to encourage you to sign up for the learn to learn and cooking sessions which will be organised for secondary students.
Please do send an email to esfpasecondaryedcouncil@gmail.com with the subject „learn to learn” and/or ” cooking” in case your son/daughter is willing to participate.
Some applications have arrived and we will communicate soon the next steps and arrangements.
Last but not least we are engaging with the school to understand whether well-being sessions could be organised at school such as on „stress management” and „cyber-bullying”. Hopefully, we will update soon on this.
🎤✨Eurovision song contest
We would like to once again extend our heartfelt thanks to the school, the dedicated organizing teachers, and the judges for making the event such a wonderful experience. Most of all, we are incredibly proud of all the contestants for putting on such a fantastic show.
A special congratulations goes to this year’s winners, Greece! We are already looking forward with excitement to next year’s event.
🔬 Science Symposium 11-14 April 2027
ESF Science Symposium 2027 – Last Call for Volunteer Judges!
ESF is honored to host the Science Symposium 2027 in Frankfurt next year from 11–14 April 2027. This event brings together the young scientists from all the European Schools, to select the winner, who will represent all the European Schools at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists. Please visit the website of the 2026 event for more information: http://esss.wp.eursc.eu/
To ensure high academic standards and provide students with professional feedback, we are inviting parent scientists, engineers, and researchers to join the jury panel. We would be truly grateful for your participation and expertise in helping make this event a success.
The role involves:
- Reviewing and evaluating the students’ project reports before the event.
- Attending at least one or two days of the symposium (11–14 April 2027).
- Evaluating student oral presentations and posters and offering feedback.
If you are interested in joining the jury, please send your name, professional background, and area of expertise to LIST-FRF-ESSS@eursc.eu by 31 March 2026.
Your contribution would be greatly appreciated and will make a valuable contribution to
inspiring the next generation of young scientists.
3. PA Events
✅ Outcomes of Past Events
🎭 Spectacle Le Promontoire- French secondary project
The performance was a great success: 10 classes from the ESF, as well as 6 classes from the European Schools in Brussels participating in an Erasmus exchange, were able to take part in this wonderful Francophone adventure. An audience of 150 pupils and 12 teachers discovered poetic texts selected from the heart of French literature, including works by Victor Hugo, as well as a magnificent performance by an actress playing a modern and rebellious version of Shakespeare’s eternal Juliet. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
📚Swals readings
The PA continues to actively promote and support students’ mother tongue languages throughout the school community. Over the past month, students in the Dutch and Hungarian sections had the opportunity to meet authors from their home countries, either in small groups or as entire sections. And there’s more to come—additional visits and projects are already in the pipeline!
Still Running!
🌟 Primary projects
Thanks to the good cooperation with the Primary School management, the PA is pleased to continue supporting the well-being of our students in primary school by financing the yoga project.
📅 Upcoming Events
⚽ Primary soccer tournament
We are delighted to share that the Primary Soccer Tournament will take place on 25 April 2026 from 9:00 a.m. ⚽ The tournament will be organised in three categories:
- P1 + P2
- P3 + P4
- P5
We’ve already received our first team registrations—which is wonderful—and we hope many more will join soon!
If your child would like to take part and you’re wondering how to get started, here’s a simple guide:
- Create a (mixed) team with at least 7 players from the same class
- Choose a fun team name
- Find a coach (a parent or another adult)
- Send an email to the Parents Association at events@esfparents.org including:
- Class ID
- Names of all players
- Contact details for the team’s contact person and the coach
- Attach confirmation of the registration fee payment (€40) to your email
If you have any questions or need a hand putting a team together, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re always happy to help at events@esfparents.org
Kind reminder to all that this tournament will be a friendly competition based on fair play. All participants should respect rules set-out and decisions made by our sport teachers.
We’re really looking forward to a fun and energetic day for the children!
Summerfest 2026
Until a couple of days ago it was still uncertain whether our popular Summerfest could take place at all this year: Upcoming construction works on the Red Pitch threatened to block the space which is needed to host such a huge event on the school premises. But now it has been confirmed by the school management that we can do it, and also the date has been fixed: 20th June! Mark it in red in your calendars and cancel anything else that you had planned for that day!
As every year there will be plenty of activities and attractions: First of all the legendary international Food Stands in front of the Modular Building with culinary specialities from all over Europe. We will have sports tournaments for the secondary cycle, inflatables for the smaller kids, various performances in the aula and on the open-air stage, workshops, shows, and much more.
All this cannot be organized by a handful of PA Board members alone. As in previous years, we need commitment and strong support from you, the parents, to make this day a success.
The preparation works have just started – if you are ready to join our team, please contact us at events@esfparents.org! Together we can make this an unforgettable event for our entire school community.
- Details
- Veröffentlicht: 28. März 2026 28. März 2026
- Zugriffe: 222 222
February 2026 Newsletter
February 2026 Newsletter
Dear Parents and School Community,
As the first semester comes to an end, the Parents’ Association would like to congratulate all students on receiving their Zeugnis/Term reports/Carnet scolaire. A special congratulations to students completing the pre-Baccalaureate, and we wish the very best of luck to those preparing for upcoming entrance exams.
There is also plenty to look forward to in the months ahead, including the Primary Soccer Tournament and the Eurovision Song Contest, both of which promise to be exciting highlights for our school community.
With a well-earned break now here, we hope that families enjoy a relaxing and enjoyable ski holiday and return refreshed for the new semester. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
If you have any questions, need assistance, or would like to get involved in the Parents’ Association, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
In case you are not already a member of the PA, we encourage you to join us to support our activities for our community! Applications can be made here: Become a member
With kind regards,
The ESF Parents Association Board Katalin Bodnár, Carlos Bowles, Emese Farkas, Elizaveta Gardo, Floriana Grimaldi, Thomas Jaeger, Orsolya Kóczánné Láng, Christine Majoros, Aleksandra Maneg, Rosa Montanti, Nicole Moore, Zsófia Petersen
(1) PA News
(2) School News
(3) PA Events: Recent Events, and Ongoing and Upcoming Events.
1. PA News
🤝 Bullying
Bullying unfortunately remains an important issue. While we are aware of a series of cases, we are still missing volunteers to participate to our working groups and also parents willing to share their own experience in confidence. We would like to identify patterns and actionable proposals which we could put forward to the school.
Please contact Nicole Moore and Carlos Bowles at office@esfparents.org
🏗 Building Issues
The PA’s initiative to participate in the monthly meetings of the Frankfurt city council’s schooling and school buildings committee shows first results. The future site of the ESF is a permanent topic in the political debate. Some of the issues brought up by us were touched on at questions to the city council on the 29th of January (Fragestunde der Stadtverordnetenversammlung) and in an article published in Frankfurter Rundschau on 5th February 2026 (here). Thank you for your support and participation. Together we can make a difference!
The next and last committee meeting in this legislative period is on the 23rd of February 2026 at 5pm. A status report on the planning of the new site for the ESF is issue 74 on the agenda, to be found here .The report itself can be found here.
If you can make it, please join us! Members of the PA board will be there to welcome you outside Bethmannstraße 3, side entrance of the city hall at Römer, at 4:45 pm. The meeting will take place in the meeting room „Haus Siberberg“ and is expected to last until 8 pm.
Our commitment remains steadfast: we will continue advocating for the children’s best interests and raising awareness of the ongoing challenges. The delay in finalizing the decision on the future site of the ESF complicates short-term planning, as the timeframe remains uncertain. We will continue questioning the city administration about when and where appropriate substitute areas will be allocated to the ESF. We will also ask whether the city has considered situating the new building on an alternative site, thereby preserving the red pitch’s current functions. Moreover, we will raise concerns regarding the future of the container buildings in the EuroKids village, specifically how long their continued use will be permitted in light of the new rural development plans for the “Stadtteil der Quartiere.”
Representation and school exchange topics
🏛Administrative Board meeting
The ESF Administrative Board took place on 20 January.
Building: the current interim infrastructure is no longer adequate, and without a long-term solution by 2028/29 the school risks losing classrooms, sports facilities and childminding services. Ratsweg remains the preferred option, but discussions with the Dippemesse and alternative locations are still ongoing. A coordinated, high-level political initiative involving European institutions is planned to increase pressure on the City of Frankfurt to secure a solution.
Budget: Budgetary constraints remain strict, with non-salary cost increases capped at 2% whereas a big proportion of them are driven by wage-related inflationary pressure (cleaning and security). This means the school needs to cut on other expenses, which can either impact the quality of the service offered (e.g. possible reduction of doors opened in the morning) or will result into higher costs passed on to parents, via the Parents Association. Among other, the ESF will not anymore provide free security for events organised by parents (e.g. soccer tournament), meaning parents will have to pay more. This situation is particularly alarming as further budget cuts will have to be put through every year, and it is clearly not sustainable. In that regard, we appreciated the efforts made by the General Secretary Mr Beckmann to find extra financing for security measures recommended by the latest audit, e.g. the forthcoming introduction of video surveillance at the school – a point which was not to be taken for granted and that was strongly required by the parents in the last Administrative Board. On the negative side, we learned that the share of the ECB contribution in the total of the contribution from institutions has declined to 42% for 2027, from 49% in 2026. This cannot be explained by the new intake resulting from AMLA parents, which remains marginal so far. The ECB refused to share the reason driving this lower financial engagement as well as the underlying formula which was used to set its contribution level.
Student Points: students raised concerns about the revised Teams chat policy, with particular emphasis on the need for confidential communication between students and their representatives. Significant stress linked to assessment organisation in secondary was reported, including extended assessment periods, poor scheduling and limited benefit from shorter test durations. These concerns were acknowledged, with feedback to be fed into future reforms, although no structural changes are possible for the coming school year.
Parent Points: we asked to be involved regarding possible further class mergers and shared some concerns regarding availability of teaching materials, break supervision, student well-being, operational consistency in primary, and curriculum review. Management acknowledged several issues, proposed targeted or pilot-based solutions (notably for digital materials and playground supervision), and confirmed that well-being is a growing system-wide priority. Some topics, including educational support for teachers, will be revisited within future planning and budgetary frameworks.
🍽 Canteen Committee
Thank you to all the parents who participated in the three canteen food tastings offered by MenüPartner to the school community. Your feedback is most valuable to us. We are collecting all views and will give feedback to the school and Menüpartner accordingly. So far, we have seen mixed responses. Your experiences reach from very satisfactory to suggestions for improvement. We learnt that the food is rather salty, there is lack of plain protein products, a reduction of sauces was suggested and the wish expressed, that food be more recognizable as to its ingredients. There is also a wish to have less food readily mixed together, so that children may choose themselves. Also, a clear indication of the ingredients was found missing. If you have more observations, please give us feedback on your experience at the canteen by writing an email to office@esfparents.org.
🎓 Educational Support
Based on the outcomes of the Educational Support Committee organised in December, the PA has proposed to offer some training to teachers on differentiation of teaching methods and stress management, as a way to support teachers dealing with students who might face challenges (incl. beyond learning difficulties). Discussions are ongoing in this regard with the school.
Moreover, in March an online session will be organised with parents to get more information about Educational Support arrangements (e.g. how it works over the entire school cycle), the scheduled date will be communicated after the break.
Exchange with school management
On top of the above items, it is also important to remind that the PA continues keeping regular interaction with ESF School management via periodical catch-up meetings. Under this period, many items which are relevant in preparation of the upcoming Educational Councils in March have been already part of this periodical brainstorming and such dialogue has also triggered the launch of some initiatives at school such as the kick-off of clubs for students in Secondary, the evaluation of future projects in Primary, the arrangements for students parties and tournaments.
👥Interparents at the JTC
The Joint Teaching Committee is taking place in these days and is discussing about many important items, such as the Report of the Whole School Inspection at the European School Frankfurt, the update of Syllabus for all L1 languages, Arrangements for Implementing the Regulations for the European Baccalaureate, updates of many school policies. Some items are discussed for opinions, others for approval and submission to the next steps in the decision-making process (i.e. Budgetary Committee, Board of Governors). Once decisions become final, we will be able to provide you with more information.
📇 Babysitter database
This service is reserved to PA members, who are registered on the PA website. You will find all the contact information needed to connect with the parents of the ESF students offering babysitting or tutoring. Please feel free to reach out to them directly and help spread the word about this community initiative. Fees are set directly by the students in a fair and non-competitive manner. The Parents' Association is not involved in pricing.
Access it here: Babysitter database
2. School News
🌅Primary morning routine
We are still collecting answers to our Primary morning routine survey (122 answers received so far). Primary parent representatives will meet Ms Clancy on 26 February and we would appreciate receiving your guidance on this issue.
Please take the survey here: Primary morning routine survey
Secondary matters
After the break, we have been told that the second semester will begin with a learning skills week where teachers will focus on providing tips about study’s organisation and methods. This is an important element for all the students in each Secondary year group as it helps navigating through challenges connected to timetable, homework, preparation of tests and overall students „learn to learn” capacity.
The PA is looking forward to getting feedback about students take-aways from that week and is considering arranging for interested studies additional workshop for them to continue focusing on those aspects.
For these reasons we are interested in collecting interest in participating on voluntary basis on possible sessions which will focus on matters such as how to review tests and homework, hot to plan and organise homework, how to take note during lessons, how to learn from long reading. Thereafter we invite to send an email to the PA email address if your children would like to participate. Based on number of applications we would receive by the 6th of March; we would be able to understand how to possibly organise those sessions and come back to you with the concrete proposal. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Moreover, we are also exploring the idea to organise some cooking sessions under the upcoming Spring and will ask you to send an email to the PA address by the same date if you think that your child could be interested. Also, for this initiative, we will come back with the organisational details once we understand the number of possible participants. Please do send an email to esfpasecondaryedcouncil@gmail.com with the subject „learn to learn” and/or ” cooking” in case your son/daughter is willing to participate.
Last but not least we are engaging with the school to understand whether well-being sessions could be organised at school such as on „stress management” and „cyberbullying”. Hopefully, we will update soon on this.
🎤✨Eurovision song contest
We are delighted to announce that the Eurovision Song Contest is returning in 2026. Please note that the event date has changed. The contest will now take place at school on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.
A big thank you to the enthusiastic teachers and school management for bringing back this much-loved event. Representatives from many countries are still in the hunt, including France and Italy, and we can look forward to an exciting and varied show. No Eurovision is complete without an enthusiastic audience. Tickets will be available for €5, and as the Aula’s capacity is limited, we recommend planning ahead. Further details about ticket sales will follow soon. We look forward to seeing many of you there, cheering on our performers.
🎉 Secondary Clubs
We are excited to announce the launch of a Science Lab Club, open to students from S1 to S5 in two groups. (S1-3, S4-5)! The Science Lab Club will offer students the opportunity to explore science through hands-on experiments and interactive activities, fostering curiosity, creativity, and a passion for discovery. The lab will take place one Friday per month and will be in English.
We kindly ask interested students to come to the first meeting on:27.02 at 14:25 in B240.
Depending on how many students will participate, schedule and organisation will be arranged and communicated for the next monthly sessions. We strongly encourage students who enjoy experimenting, asking questions, and discovering how things work to join this new initiative which is organised by the school science lab assistants and supported by the ESF Parents Association. For the first session, students who would like to join will be excused from the lesson which might take place during the same period. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school, or drop an email to the ESF PA who is supporting the initiative:office@esfparents.org
🔬 Science Symposium
11-14 April 2027 ESF Science Symposium 2027 – Call for Volunteers
ESF is honored to host the Science Symposium 2027 in Frankfurt next year from 11–14 April 2027. This event brings together the young scientists from all the European Schools, to select the winner, who will represent all the European Schools at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists. Please visit the website of the 2026 event for more information: http://esss.wp.eursc.eu/
To ensure high academic standards and provide students with professional feedback, we are inviting parent scientists, engineers, and researchers to join the jury panel. We would be truly grateful for your participation and expertise in helping make this event a success.
The role involves:
• Reviewing and evaluating the students’ project reports before the event.
• Attending at least one or two days of the symposium (11–14 April 2027).
• Evaluating student oral presentations and posters and offering feedback.
If you are interested in joining the jury, please send your name, professional background, and area of expertise to LIST-FRF-ESSS@eursc.eu by 31 March 2026.
Your contribution would be greatly appreciated and will make a valuable contribution to inspiring the next generation of young scientists.
3. PA Events
✅ Outcomes of Past Events
📚 Book Challenge
The Best Book Challenge for our S1–S4 students has wrapped up!
Nearly 35 students participated across the different sections and SWALS languages, and together they read more than 140 books!
A big shout-out to the secondary school librarian, Ms. McWilliams for organizing everything, and to all the teachers who encouraged students to take part. And of course, well done to our fantastic readers for sticking with it and reading so enthusiastically all semester long!
We can’t wait to do it all again next autumn!
🎭Primary Carnivals Bring Fun and Festivities!
The week before the February break was filled with joy and excitement as nearly 650 pupils from P1 to P5 came together to celebrate carnival in style!
A huge thank you goes out to our amazing sports teachers, whose fantastic efforts made these celebrations possible. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to all the parents who joined in to cheer and bring extra smiles to the day.
The carnival was packed with vibrant activities that brought laughter and happiness to everyone involved. The children danced together to lively music, creating a beautiful atmosphere of unity and celebration. They proudly showcased their colorful costumes on a catwalk, delighting in the chance to shine and express themselves. Adding to the excitement, pupils from some classes in P3 to P5 impressed everyone with their incredible performances during a talent show. Fun-filled activities were enjoyed throughout the day, bringing memorable moments and smiles to pupils, teachers, and parents alike.
This week of carnival fun was a true highlight for everyone involved! We can’t wait for next year’s carnival, as we continue to build on the joy and excitement of this wonderful tradition.
🥣A Taste of Europe—From Scratch!
Cooking class in the Primary English section
Our students practiced their English while hand-crafting a delicious variety of dishes from scratch. They toured around Europe through flavor, making Spanish empanadas, Swedish cinnamon buns, French croissants, Portuguese tarts, and many more international treats. We are so grateful for your support in providing such a wonderful, hands-on cultural experience!
Still Running!
🌟 Primary projects
Thanks to the good cooperation with the Primary School management, the PA is pleased to continue supporting the well-being of our students in primary school by financing the yoga project.
🎭Primary Italian section theater project
In the Primary Italian Section, a half-year theatre project started this month with children from PP to P5. It will conclude with a collective final show whose central theme will be The Journey.
This symbolic voyage will weave together elements of different European traditions — dances, songs, and stories — creating a performance that celebrates the richness of multicultural identity. Each participant will contribute to this mosaic, bringing their own creativity and cultural awareness to the final artistic creation.
📅 Upcoming Events
⚽Primary soccer tournament
We are excited to announce that the Primary Soccer Tournament is back on 25 April 2026, and we are already looking forward to another fantastic day on the pitch.
Following the great success of the tournament in previous years, this event promises once again to be a real highlight for our primary students. Organised by Mr Timothy Wrey, the tournament is open to all young soccer-enthusiastic girls and boys who are ready to play, cheer, and enjoy some friendly competition.
Teams will be formed on a one team per class basis. Classes may join together to form a team if needed, but a class may not enter more than one team. We encourage students to start talking with classmates and getting excited about taking part.
Further details regarding registration and organisation will follow shortly. For now, please save the date and get ready for a fun, energetic, and sporty day at school.
📌 Miscellaneous: recommendations from PA Board members
Public consultations relevant for parents at European schools
The European Commission is preparing two initiatives of considerable interest for mobile families: the Skills Portability Initiative and the European Social Security Pass. We warmly invite you to participate in the related public consultations and to share the questionnaires with your family, friends and other networks.
Why does this matter for you and your family? As a mobile family, you or your family members may have encountered situations where you needed to present certified copies of educational diplomas or navigate the process of having education recognised, especially in the case of regulated profession or qualifications obtained outside the EU. Concerning social security, you might have utilised the European Health Insurance Card or other attestations to confirm your insurance status.
These two initiatives aim to simplify and streamline these processes including by promoting the use of digital tools:
• The Skills Portability Initiative (SPI) encompasses three interrelated actions. Firstly, it seeks to enhance the transparency of skills and qualifications, as well as expand digital tools. Secondly, it examines measures to modernise and expand recognition processes for regulated professions. Lastly, it considers common EU rules to simplify how the skills and qualifications of third-country nationals are recognised.
• The European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS) aims at simplifying interactions with relevant authorities or service providers in the context of social security when visiting or moving to another EU country. This includes use of European Health Insurance Card, proving health insurance when moving to another EU country as a pensioner, demonstrating insurance status for posted workers and more. The initiative seeks to enable the secure and swift verification of social security rights and documents via a digital solution, thereby reducing paperwork and minimising the risk of errors and fraud.
Where to submit your response? Please, refer to the provided links for Skills Portability Initiative: here (end date 27 February 2026) and the European Social Security Pass: here (end date 16 April 2026). Questionnaires are available in all EU languages.
Your feedback on practical obstacles and opinions on potential solutions and impacts in these areas would be incredibly valuable. We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions and insights!
✏Parents petition for the reopening of the out-of-hours pediatric services at Uniklinik
Since 1 October 2025, the pediatric out-of-hours service (Kinderärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) at Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt has been permanently closed. Frankfurt now has only one remaining location for pediatric urgent care outside office hours: Klinikum Höchst, in the far west of the City. This situation directly impacts the wellbeing of staff and their families: Many staff live in central, eastern, or southern Frankfurt, a family with a sick child on a weekend now faces a 30–45 minute drive to the nearest facility—or must travel to a different city (Offenbach). For international families, challenges are compounded: language barriers, unfamiliarity with the German healthcare system, and no local family support network.
In response, some parents launched a petition demanding the reinstatement of this essential service: Petition Link: https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/erhalt-deskinderaerztlichen-bereitschaftsdienstes-an-der-uni-klinik-frankfurt
Currently, over 4,755 signatures collected and approximately 700 additional signatures are still needed to reach the OpenPetition quorum.
Political support: The petition was presented to Frankfurt's Social and Health Committee at the Römer (October 2025). On 28 November 2025, Ortsbeirat 5 (local district council for Sachsenhausen, Niederrad, Oberrad) unanimously adopted a resolution calling for reinstatement. The petition was also reported in the press (Frankfurter Rundschau here and here , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Frankfurter Neue Press).
Should you have further question or would like to help in advertising the petition, please contact Mr Csongor Suba (mailto:csongor.suba@gmail.com).
🎭🎭 Carnival in Frankfurt If you would like to celebrate carnival in Hessen, here a link to the upcoming events: Carnival events in and around Frankfurt
- Details
- Veröffentlicht: 21. Februar 2026 21. Februar 2026
- Zugriffe: 388 388
Kantinenkomitee
Das Meeting fand am 27. Okt. 2011 statt.
- Das Komitee gab grünes Licht für die Einführung eines neuen Systems in der Primarstufen-Kantine; das Konzept sieht eine Selbstbedienung vor wie bereits in anderen Primarstufenschulkantinen erfolgreich erprobt wurde; dies soll zu einer höheren Essenvielfalt führen bzw. weniger Essensreste generieren.
- Für die Sekundarstufenschulkantine wurde beschlossen, den Verkaufspreis auf 4 Euro zu erhöhen, sofern die SchülerInnen mit Bargeld bezahlen und sich nicht vorab rechtzeitig registrieren.
- Der Elternverein erwähnte erneut die im letzten Juni Brief 2011 genannten Punkte (basierend auf der Test-Esser Initiative gewonnenen Erkenntnisse), insbesondere (i) die Essensverfügbarkeit für die letzte Essensausgabeschicht, (ii) die Qualität der Salate und Früchte sowie (iii) der Dressings. Der Dienstleister stellte klar, dass die gemachten Vorschläge nicht eingeführt werden können, aufgrund praktikabler Handhabungsgründe oder auch infolge finanzieller Auswirkungen, oder beidem. Jedoch wurde zugesichert die Einführung von Dressings wie z. B. Olivenöl oder Käse in Betracht zu ziehen.
- Der Dienstleister ist in der Planung eine sog. Essensgeschmacksveranstaltung zu organisieren, wo die Eltern die Gelegenheit haben werden dem Apetito Mitarbeiterstab Fragen zu stellen.
- Der Elternverein erinnert die Eltern an der 1-Minute dauernden Umfrage hinsichtlich "Bio-Essen" an der Europ. Schulkantine teilzunehmen;
nachzulesen hier (surveymonkey).
- Details
- Veröffentlicht: 13. Februar 2015 13. Februar 2015
- Zugriffe: 10705 10705
Neues Schulbuch-Austauschsystem
Der Elternverein möchte Eltern helfen, gebrauchte Schulbücher auszutauschen. Man kann gebrauchte Bücher zwar über Amazon kaufen und verkaufen, aber das ist nicht immer praktikabel:
Das Buch ist vielleicht nicht bei amazon.de erhältlich
Sie wissen jetzt schon, dass Sie ein Buch nach dem Ende des Schuljahres nicht mehr brauchen. Jemand anders weiß jetzt schon, dass er/sie das Buch im nächsten Schuljahr brauchen wird.
Deshalb haben wir auf dieser Webseite ein Austauschsystem für Bücher gestartet. Sie finden Einzelheiten unter "Büchertausch" im "Aktivitäten"-Menu links.
Und - vielleicht wissen Sie das nicht - die Schüler haben ihre eigene Büchertauschgruppe auf Facebook. Das ist vielleicht die noch viel bessere Idee! Bitte unterstützen Sie die Schüler!
- Details
- Veröffentlicht: 13. Februar 2015 13. Februar 2015
- Zugriffe: 9433 9433
ESF - Aufnahme von Nicht-CAT I-Schülern
Besorgte Eltern haben den Vorstand des Elternvereins der ESF auf Presseartikel in regionalen Publikationen aufmerksam gemacht, welche den (falschen) Eindruck erwecken, dass die ESF bis auf weiteres effektiv für alle Schüler "geschlossen" ist, welche nicht der sogenannten "Kategorie I" angehören.
Diese Angaben wurden mit dem Schulleiter der ESF am 2. Februar 2012 validiert - wir freuen uns, interessierten Eltern mitteilen zu können, dass diese Information nicht korrekt ist.
Während die deutsche und die englische Sprachsektion aufgrund der bekannten Raumnot an der ESF tatsächlich kaum über 'freie Kapazitäten' für Schüler verfügen, welche nicht der Kategorie I angehören, werden voraussichtlich in einigen Klassen des Primarbereichs der französischen und italienischen Sprachsektionen einige freie Plätze für das Schuljahr 212/2013 zur Verfügung stehen, welche möglicherweise mit Schüler der Kategorien II und III besetzt werden können, sofern diese Schüler über die entsprechenden Fähigkeiten (vor allem Sprachkenntnisse und Lernniveau) verfügen.
Interessierte Familien sollten jedoch unbedingt berücksichtigen, dass alle Aufnahmen vom Schulleiter entschieden werden und dass für die Aufnahme von Schülern der Kategorien II und III nur unter bestimmten Bedingungen (z.B. Sponsorship des Arbeitgebers, bzw. Schulgeld) erfolgen kann.
Um eine valide Antwort hinsichtlich der Aufnahme zu erhalten, müssen interessierte Familien eine formale Bewerbung bis spätestens am 15. Februar unterbreiten.
Weiterführende Informationen und Formulare finden Sie auf der Webseite der ESF unter: http://www.esffm.org/infos/einschreibung.html
- Details
- Veröffentlicht: 13. Februar 2015 13. Februar 2015
- Zugriffe: 11413 11413
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