Gesamtelternbeirat (Parents' Advisory Council)
Photo taken during GEB's donation of waste segregation trash bins to the school, received officially by school management and a representative of the Board.
GEB is the abbreviation of the German word Gesamtelternbeirat which literally translates to "general parents’ council".
At the beginning of the school year, during the first Parents’ Evening, individual classes from the Early Years up to the IB Diploma Programme elect two parent representatives: the Chairman of the class and the Deputy Chair. These elected parents from each class automatically form the GEB.
The GEB formally works together as does any other association. It is governed by By-laws and elects different positions within its structure: Chairman, Deputy or Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
The GEB is an important link between the parents and the school. Its role is to further strengthen the relationship of parents and the school as well as to support the school in providing the best learning environment for the students. They provide an active platform for parents for suggestions, ideas and improvements and in turn communicate these views and interests to the school management and the German School Board, thus promoting collaboration within the school community.
The GEB holds monthly meetings to discuss and work out solutions for concerns and issues at hand. Issues usually discussed include pedagogical aspects, safety and security in the school, and the school bus transport system, among others.
Parent engagement remains high at the GESM even during this time of distance learning. As one of their recent projects, the GEB organized the procurement of segregated trash bins for the campus, complete with bilingual labels in German and English.