In addition to the academic education of our students, it is especially important to GESS to support their personal development with out-of-classroom activities, giving them the opportunity to try new things, strengthen social ties or simply let off steam after a strenuous day at school. Head of CCA Stefanie Fischer tells us about her commitment to organising and running over 90 interesting CCAs for 1,100 participating pupils.
Can you please introduce yourself and your role at GESS?
I have been working at GESS for 14 years and have been responsible for the CCA department for almost 7 years. With my team, we are responsible for planning the CCA programme and selecting suitable CCA teachers and trainers. We also manage our online registration system SchoolsBuddy, payment processing, and the general day-to-day running of the CCA programme, including proactive communication and the flow of information with parents.
Cooking Class 
Stefanie Fischer 
Play and learn German
How many CCAs are there at GESS and how many of our students participate in them?
Our programme of 90 CCAs ranges from various sports to performing arts to social or science activities – this reflects the diversity of our school in offerings and opportunities for our students to cultivate talents and ideas. CCAs are for students from kindergarten to Grade 12. Approximately 1,100 individual students participate in our programme, with most of them taking more than one activity.
Additionally, our school is a member of ACSIS, a sports association that organises official sports competitions with many other international schools in Singapore. The ACSIS teams are formed from our CCA groups.
Why do we offer CCAs at GESS and what are the benefits for our students?
We believe that our CCA programme plays an important role in our holistic education, complementing academic learning. Our students can work with their peers to develop new talents or build on existing strengths. Many of our students like to try out different CCAs and take on new challenges. This strengthens their self-confidence and broadens their horizons.
In most of our sports CCAs, we offer training at different levels of ability. This enables our trainers to work with individual groups in a focused way to support learners in developing their skills.
Our CCA fees are priced competitively among international schools in Singapore and privately offered after-school activities. Of course, not having to travel to other locations for activities is also a great advantage as ours take place on the GESS campus!
Floorball 
Performing Arts 
Basketball
How and according to what criteria are CCAs selected?
We put together our CCA selection based on aspects such as demand, development of student skillsets, availability and compatibility of our facilities (such as the pool or indoor courts) and catering to an increasing student population. CCA education officers ensure that CCAs complement and support the GESS curriculum. Dedicated, qualified teachers are then sought for each CCA.
What are the challenges faced by your team in the course of planning and throughout the year?
Our offerings have increased in many areas after Covid. To manage this, we need to recruit more teachers and trainers to maintain an optimal student-teacher ratio and ensure appropriate expertise. Unfortunately, the job market has not yet recovered to the same pre-Covid level. This is critical as we plan to further expand our programme in the next school year to cater to increased demand for CCAs!
In addition to in-house teachers, we also strive to offer CCAs from external providers who are experts in their field and do not work full-time at GESS. We put in place stringent standards to ensure they are in line with our educational mission, goals and philosophy.
We are always open to considering new ideas from students and parents and implement what is feasible in the programme.
While the start of each new term is always particularly challenging with so many students starting so many new activities at the same time, new students not yet familiar with the school grounds or school bus, and a lot of change requests coming in, our team is thankful for the support of our class teachers and parents to help remind the students of their new activities during this time.
Where can I get more information?
Information about the CCA programme can be found on the homepage of our SchoolsBuddy portal. All announcements of dates are communicated via email through the SchoolsBuddy system. If you have any questions, please contact the CCA office at cca@gess.sg.
