About Us

About the School

Operating since 1958, the School has been teaching German as a real and living form of communication in a world in which Germany, Austria and Switzerland are playing increasingly important roles.

There is strong emphasis on modern spoken German, especially with the younger students, where the approach to learning is largely conversational, combined with plenty of songs and games. The syllabus for the senior classes and for adult students adopts a more structured approach, familiarising students with essential grammatical rules and building on the students’ vocabulary.

An important objective is to encourage students to take an active interest in the German speaking countries and their role in a uniting Europe within today’s global community. Our aim is to make the courses as effective and enjoyable as possible. We want to ensure that the output at the end of a course justifies the effort invested by students and their teachers throughout the year.

The School has two divisions, each operating independently from different locations and at different times: The Children’s Classes; and the Adult Classes Divisions.

Constitution

We are a not for profit organisation, established in 1958, governed under the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 of the Australian Capital Territory by a Constitution (last updated April 2018).

Committee

The School is run by a voluntary Management Committee consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and at least three ordinary members, all of whom are members of the Association. The Principal of the Children’s Division and the Coordinator of the Adult Division are ex-officio members with full voting rights.

The functions of the committee members are:

  • President – chairs all committee and general meetings and represents the Association in relations with other persons, organisations or Government bodies
  • Vice-President – in the absence of the President, acts in the President’s stead and has, for this purpose, all the rights, powers and duties of the President
  • Secretary – keeps and attends to all correspondence and records on behalf of the Association
  • Treasurer – is responsible for all moneys and keeps the financial records and books of the Association, as well as arranging for and presenting the Annual General Meeting (AGM) with a report, audited balance sheet and statement of income and expenditure
  • Principal of the Children’s Division – responsible for advising the committee on the development of curriculum and employment of staff for the Children’s Division
  • Coordinator of the Adult Division – responsible for managing enrolments, curriculum, staff and lesson structure of the Adult Division
  • Members – contribute to the decision making process and perform such other functions as the committee from time to time determines

Minutes of Management Committee Meetings

The minutes of committee meetings are available to members. Please contact us to receive a copy.

Sponsors

The School is a not for profit organisation.  Although students pay fees, they are generally not enough to cover all the costs associated with running the School.  The School has been fortunate enough to receive support from a number of organisations and Government bodies, which are displayed along the bottom of our website.

In particular, ACT German Language School Inc acknowledges the financial assistance towards its provision of Multicultural Services from the ACT Government in the form of a grant under the Office for Multicultural Affairs.