From August 2023, GESS will launch an integrated Dutch Mother Tongue Programme in the Primary School European Section. Students can enjoy daily Dutch Mother Tongue lessons of 45 minutes each during regular school hours. The goal of our integrated Dutch programme is to maintain and extend the academic language skills of our students, so they may integrate into a Dutch-language education system at any time. We speak with teacher Lonne Miltenburg and her students on their being part of the Dutch-speaking community at GESS.
Please introduce yourself and your colleague to the community.
I am Lonne Miltenburg, Dutch Language and Literature teacher at GESS. I was born and raised in The Netherlands, but I have always been interested in travelling, languages, and culture. After working and living in both The Netherlands and Australia, I arrived in Singapore more than 6 years ago. I have been teaching at GESS and other schools in Singapore for over 5 years now but started working full-time at GESS in AY2022/23.
Together with Irene Konings and Lenny van Vessem, we are the Dutch Language Team in school, providing Dutch Language education to Dutch-speaking students from Grades 1 – 12. I teach most of the MYP and DP (Grades 6, 7, 9-12), while Irene (Grades 3-5, 8) and Lenny (Grades 1 & 2) teach Dutch in mostly Primary school. You can find us in the Dutch classroom C407.
Lonne Miltenburg, Irene Konings and Lenny van Vessem 
Dutch reading time
Tell us more about the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme.
Dutch was one of the first languages offered as a Mother Tongue Language at GESS, so it has been at GESS for at least a decade. News is that the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme offers integrated Dutch Language education for Dutch- and Flemish-speaking students from Grades 1 – 12:
- In Grade 1 – 5, students have a daily Dutch lesson, 5 lessons per week. We focus on the reading, writing, and speaking language skills following the PYP curriculum with alignment to the national curriculum of the Netherlands.
- In Grade 6 – 10, students have 3.5 Dutch language and literature lessons per week, following the International Baccalaureate MYP framework.
- In Grade 11 – 12, students have 5 Dutch language and literature lessons per week, following the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
Complementing the language development, we spend time on the social, cultural, historical, and political aspects of the Netherlands and Belgium. All these aspects are integrated into the curriculum. We also celebrate Dutch and Flemish cultural events such as King’s Day, Remembrance Day, Sinterklaas, and Children’s Book Week. In an international school such as GESS, it is wonderful to share our Dutch culture with the community!
Dutch Ambassador Visit at GESS 
Are the students enrolled in the Programme all Dutch?
In AY2022/23, we have 70 Dutch-speaking students on our programme in Primary and Secondary school. Most of the students in the programme are Dutch or Flemish – some students have both parents being Dutch or Flemish, but we also have students with parents from other nationalities. We offer Dutch to students who lived in the Netherlands and have been in Dutch schools their whole lives, but we also teach students who have been only learning Dutch abroad in international schools. While Dutch is taught as a mother tongue, we have a nice mixture of cultural and language experiences in our group.
Can you tell us about the traditional Dutch events and celebrations at GESS?
An example and the favourite of most children is ‘Sinterklaas’, our Dutch version of the German saint Nikolaus. The Dutch Saint always arrives by boat at Marina Bay Sands at the end of November. In early December, we gave Sinterklaas a very warm welcome at GESS and after singing the traditional Sinterklaas songs, he spoke with all the children in the Dutch programme individually, bringing along Sinterklaas candy and in return, receiving a beautiful gift: a digital storybook created and narrated by all our students together. Before Sinterklaas arrives, we bake Dutch ‘Pepernoten’ (Ginger spiced cookies) and the older students teach the younger ones how to make them.
Another event we celebrate is Dutch King’s Day on 27 April. On that day in the Netherlands, everyone dresses up in our orange national colour, and together we go out to celebrate. We listen to live music, sell pre-loved toys and bake cupcakes for charity and play traditional Dutch games. We are looking forward to 2023’s celebration in GESS.
Sinterklaas 
Pepernoten baking
So that we learn a little bit more about the Netherlands, what do you miss most about the Netherlands, being here in Singapore for years?
Although I really enjoy living abroad, of course, there are certain things I miss from my home country. It’s definitely not the weather, as it rains quite a lot – but I do miss having different seasons. Celebrating Christmas together with family, being cosy and warm indoors while it’s cold and windy outside, gives this extra warm feeling. Hot chocolate adds that little extra to it.
On the first days of spring when the temperature rises, I love to have that first coffee of the year outside, on one of the quaint terraces outside the restaurants in the cities. The Dutch love to get together and have a coffee, or dinner outside, together with family or friends, on long summer evenings.
This brings me to the Dutch foods I miss. The Dutch food culture is influenced by many different cultures, typically a mix of potatoes, cooked vegetables, and a meat dish. I personally don’t think it’s very exciting. However, the Dutch have some very interesting flavours when it comes to their cuisine. A well-known example and one of my favourites is the typical yellow Dutch cheese, which comes in all kinds of versions, such as young, mature or old, or with herbs such as cumin. It can be made with cow or sheep milk. Other personal favourites are the typical ‘dropjes’ (liquorice), which is a type of candy, and ‘stroopwafels’ (2 thin waffles filled with caramel or apple syrup). Whenever you travel to the Netherlands, I would recommend buying freshly made ‘stroopwafels’ on the market. If you would like to have a taste, you can also buy them online at Redmart.
What our Dutch students think about the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme
MARIUS – I am Marius, I am from the Netherlands. I am 13 years old and I like playing football and playing video games. I came to GESS 2 years ago and I have really enjoyed my time here.
I joined the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme because I am Dutch, to improve my Dutch language skills and learn more about Dutch culture when writing and reading. I have already learned some things in my English class, but I notice that it is a bit different in Dutch. I really miss the people and the food in the Netherlands.
LEA – Hi, I am Lea. I am from Belgium and Poland and have lived in Singapore for 7 years. I enjoy playing tennis and hanging out with my friends. I have been at GESS for almost 2 years. I joined the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme to keep my Dutch on an excellent level in case I move back to Belgium. In the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme, I learn about Dutch culture and how to write and reflect in Dutch. When in Singapore the thing that I miss most from the Netherlands is real Dutch cheese and liquorice.
JOSEPHINE – I am Josephine, I am from the Netherlands. I do not really have any special hobbies but I enjoy walking my dog and swimming with my friends. I have been at GESS since the beginning of 2023. I joined the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme because it makes me feel connected and closer to friends and family who live in the Netherlands. I speak Dutch at home and want to keep up my Dutch writing, speaking and listening skills. In this programme, I learn how to properly communicate and build proper sentences. I miss liquorice, and of course my family and friends from the Netherlands.
OLIVIA – I am Olivia and I am from Belgium. I have been at GESS for 3 years already, and an afterschool activity that I do is volleyball, which I play at IVC. I joined the Dutch Mother Tongue Programme at GESS as it is very important for me to keep up my Dutch language skills. During Dutch class, we learn about Dutch spelling and grammar skills. We also practise by always talking Dutch and doing fun summative assessments, such as creating our own poster about a book or making presentations about comic books or the history of the Netherlands. We also try to keep traditions such as Koningsdag. I mostly miss traditional Belgian food such as Belgian fries, Belgian chocolate, cheese, bread, and many other Belgian dishes. I also miss the different seasons throughout the year.
