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MySchool International

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MySchool International: Going Beyond The Classic Approaches of Education

    1. 1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

       

      MySchool International(MSI) is located in Muscat, Oman, serving KG to grade 12. It was founded in 2012 by an experienced Omani leadership. The school today caters for students from different nationalities, with teachers from diverse countries. MySchool is a recognized IB world school, certified in PYP(Primary Years Programme) and an MYP candidate(Middle Years Programme). Fundamental to our teaching and learning approach is the recognition that children are natural inquirers who will develop socially, physically and academically in different times and at different speeds, as we believe that education is a process, not a race.

       

      MySchool Vision

      We go beyond the classic approaches of Education. We offer the most innovative and the latest International Curriculums. We are deep-rooted in our values. We develop critical thinkers and responsible citizens in a peaceful world.

       

      MySchool Mission

      MySchool aims to develop a learner who believes in the hopes of the homeland, meets the aspirations of the progress and bears in mind the international changes. A learner who is deep- rooted in the Omani values and heritage, familiar with all the methods enabling to be an inquirer and a long life learner.

       

      2. Kindly mention about the prominent personality of the school and his/her role in the development of the school.

       

      Founder of Myschool (Mrs. Samia Moosa Al Balushi as the Principal). Mrs. Al Balushi has a Higher Diploma in Kindergarten Study from the College of Education, Amman University – Jordan. She has 26 years of teaching experience in the kindergarten at both Al Sahwa Private School & Myschool. As she joined Alsahwa Schools in 1994, she is considered one of those who established the KG school among other KG teachers.

       

      She has attended over 60 educational workshops and seminars (Locally , Regionally & Internationally). With her lateral thinking and introduction of new concepts in teaching, she is shaping a vision of academic success for all students with whom she interacts. She has succeeded in creating an environment congenial to learning. She believes in cultivating leadership qualities in students. Improving instruction methodology is her constant endeavor.

       

      Apart from the above, she has regular updates on the current education system prevailing across the globe. She is also well-versed in Ministry rules and regulations and the pattern of education prevailing in the Sultanate of Oman. She has been instrumental in formulating the best system needed in education, which is the hallmark that increased the number of students in the school within such a short span of time.

       

       

      3. Kindly describe about the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

       

      We adopt the PYP approach in teaching KG-G5 and MYP to G5-G10 students. We offer General Diploma to students in grades 11 and 12. We take on the inquiry-based and concept-based approaches to teaching and learning to meet the IB requirements and foster our learners’ needs to prepare them for a successful future.

       

      The students are encouraged to work collaboratively, discuss, ask questions, set goals and reflect on their learning. The key and related concepts let learning move from a 2D to a 3D shape to scaffold a deeper understanding of the topic. Through these approaches, the learning journey becomes a transferable, timeless and universal journey.

       

       

      At MySchool, students also learn in a multilingual environment that offers English as the language of instruction and Arabic as their mother tongue to maintain their cultural identity in addition to French as a third language and the Mandarin as a fourth. We think that when students learn an additional language, other than their mother tongue, they will develop a broader understanding of other cultures as well as accept the others with all their differences.

       

      Our ICT teachers integrated the STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) into their curriculum. We believe that doing so would foster students critical thinking skills and creativity. Examples of such projects are programming(Scratch), sphero and EV 3.

       

      4. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students?

       

      International-mindedness: We believe that having a multilingual environment and learning about and through different languages foster open-mindedness, mutual respect and empathy. Indeed, we focus on the global concepts that allow students to think deeply. As a result, students are encouraged to think independently and critically to take the responsibility of their own learning and to raise a sense of awareness towards the human condition through their personal experiences and those of the others in their national and international communities.

       

       

      Community Services: We maintain that learning is better when it is related to real life. Hence, MySchool is always encouraging students, parents and staff to take part in different events and projects. In this regard, I can mention a few experiences:

       

      ·         MySchool Marathon whereby all returns are granted to social associations(child cancer, Dar Al Attaa, Arahma Association)

      ·         Participation in Autism day

      ·         Maa’joureen Project

      ·         The ambassadors of values: a project that aims to spread values among the community members.

      ·         Having guest speakers at school, such as book writers, poets, athletes, doctors, firefighters, NGO members, flight attendants,…

      ·         Contributions to exhibitions and celebrations in schools, universities and colleges(SQU, Caledonian, Al Mashareq school,Omam girls school,…)

       

      Moreover; as an IB world school, we adhere to IB learner profile traits. We all strive to be  Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-minded, Caring, balanced, risk-takers and reflective. We also believe that the uniqueness of the IB learner profile contributes in developing students as citizens who respect all the people with their different nationalities, customs and beliefs in a global peaceful world.

       

      5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

       

      We are following an inquiry-based approach which triggers students’ background knowledge, and integrates their interests and wonderings. Our facilitators allow the students to think and express themselves in an authentic and creative way, use a range of strategies to meet students’ learning needs and styles, engage them in reflecting on how, what and why they are learning. In this way no students feel left behind. Moreover, when students have the choice and voice over their learning they feel they are the owners of this journey and will contribute more. Through inquiry and concept-based learning, students develop to become critical thinkers, and problem solvers. Students are able to own their learning, inquire, investigate, take decisions, transfer and apply what they are learning in school to real life situations.

       

      Students are engaging in project-based learning practices in which they are working towards a purpose and they are constantly  co-constructing learning experiences and success criteria with their teachers.

       

      6. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

       

      MySchool students will be IB graduates, able to compete at both local and international level. They will not get foundation courses in higher education. From the basic grades, we provide them with skills and knowledge that would prepare them for their future life.

       

      7. Other than traditional occupations, what other career field options are available for them?

       

      Multilingualism, great communication, self-management, social, research and thinking skills, open-mindedness and technology skills will certainly open up new gates to their career life. Our students mostly have outstanding leading skills. The implementation of the IB programs helped us to develop the concept of leadership and the creation of young leaders who are able to easily deal with the global issues and changes in a positive and contributing way. They learn to express themselves in different ways(language, arts, music, etc) which will help them in choosing their future profession and being innovative.

       

      We are always integrating technology into our teaching and learning practices. Our students are developing great digital literacy. Accordingly, MySchool provides a well-equipped apple ICT Lab, smartboards and desktops in all classrooms. Our learners have their personal iPads( Grades 3-7) and MacBook Pro(Grades 8-12).  Early year and lower primary students use in-class iPads. 

       

      8. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

       

      ·         PYP accreditation, May 2018

      ·         Top 10 schools in global word-mania contest, November 2019

      ·         Oxford University Press user

      ·         Apple certified teachers

      ·         Maajoureen project

      ·         Recognized engineering village partner

      ·         Participation in the 25th Muscat international book fair

       

      9. Kindly elaborate about the future plans of the school in the same.

       

      We are planning to enroll our Diploma teachers for IB DP workshops by the next academic year and then, we will be a DP authorized school as well.

       

      MySchool’s long term objective is to become an Apple Distinguished School. As a matter of fact, we have started training our teachers by Apple Distinguished workshop leaders . Currently, all our teachers are apple certified teachers.

       

      As we are striving to be courageous, risk-takers and persistent, we are dreaming big here. We dream for a modern and big school that meets our students and teachers’ ambitions. We care for our students and we deeply believe they deserve the best education. We also dream of opening our doors from early morning to evening providing services, curricular and extracurricular activities to everyone with teachers and supervisors working on shifts.

       

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Beaconhouse School

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Beaconhouse: Excellence Through Quality Education

  1. 1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

    Beaconhouse aims to provide quality education of an international standard. We aim for excellence through quality management, quality training and quality teaching. By doing so we hope to benefit our students, their communities and the wider world. Beaconhouse has been operating in Oman since January 2007. Starting off with our first campus in Qurum. As we expanded over the years we soon filled the capacity of our Qurum campus,  we then took the opportunity to open a brand new branch in Al Khuwair just this year. Our brand new campus in Al Khuwair will host Grades 1 – 11 (A level), while our Qurum campus will now host Kindergarten to Grade 4. This year also marks the first time we will be proving our students an A level program.

     

    The Al Khuwair Campus will offer opportunities to enable holistic education to our students with facilities such as:

     

    ·         Upgraded Technology in Classrooms

    ·         Contemporary Library

    ·         State of the art Multi-Purpose Hall

    ·         New and Improved Laboratories

    ·         Swimming pool

    ·         Tennis courts

    ·         Basketball courts

    ·         Football ground

    ·         Indoor badminton courts

    ·         Jogging track

  2. 2. Kindly mention about the prominent personality of the school and his/her role in the development of the school.

     

    Our Principal, Zeba Masood has been at the forefront of Beaconhouse since the very beginning. With a career spanning over 20 years inside the Beaconhouse School System, she exudes confidence, leadership and most importantly, empathy. Principal Zeba understands the family orientated culture that both Omanis and expats value highly. She addresses it whenever she speaks to our students, parents and staff, going out of the way to make sure the needs of everyone is met in a respectable fashion.  

     

    It is not a far cry to say that she is the key embodiment of  Beaconhouse Oman and without her the development of the school would not be as plentiful. She was integral in getting the Al Khuwair branch approved and allowing Beaconhouse to give our students grander opportunities and a more robust experience.

    3. Kindly describe about the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

    Beaconhouse is an accredited CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) bilingual school that provides IGCSE’s and A levels.

     

    The Cambridge IGCSE is designed to be suitable for students with different levels of ability. It is the formal recognition of a learner’s achievement at the end of a particular subject course covered during grade 9 and 10.

     

    Subjects offered in IGCSE

     

    Our brand new A level program has just started this academic year (2020-2021). Cambridge International A Levels is one of the most recognized qualifications around the world and is accepted as proof of academic competence for entry to universities worldwide.

     

    4. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students?

     

    As a school we are well aware that the traditional curriculum can only get students so far. Their hobbies and activities they do after lessons are just as important as the lessons themselves. To ensure they are exploring opportunities and interests out of the traditional curriculum we provide a wide range of after school activities that caters to all students. Just recently we’ve teamed up with Alpha Football Academy, one of the largest football organizations in Oman that provides football training for the youth. They’re partnered with Atletico De Madrid of Spain and Venezia FC of Italy and provide scholarship programmes for talented boys/girls to visit Europe.

     

    5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

     

    The school takes the approach of making education more interesting for students to digest. We do this in various types of methods. The School arranges periodic orientation programmes for our students. CQLP – Continuous Quality Learning, is one such programme where we invite expert speakers as guest lecturers for talks, seminars, and discussions on various subjects.

    Another topic the school tackles is emotional and social support which in turn helps with their academic interests. The school social workers serves as a link between students, parents, school staff and the school district and  supports teachers by providing targeted emotional and social support to individual students to enhance their emotional well-being and improve their academic performance.

     

    A special Mentorship Programme is offered for our Grade 10 students for:

     

    ·         Recognizing student strength & weaknesses.

    ·         Assessing and evaluating the depth of learning in all subject areas to improvise on weaknesses and build up on students’ strength.

    ·         Planning of Individualized Study Plans.

    ·         Providing Remedial lessons.

    ·         Regular monitoring of grades.

    ·         Complete analysis of Informed/ Uninformed task, to target learners’ weak areas.

    ·         Ongoing review of the study plans based on changing requirements.

    ·         Continuous improvement.

     

    We believe this mentorship programme also helps gear our Grade 10 students with the right skills as well as spark interest in their own developments and growth.

     

    6. How are you providing financial assistance to the students in need?

     

    During these unprecedented times, we’ve offered a multitude of discounts and offers to our parents and students. We’ve frozen any increase of fees for our existing student body, had various fee offers for students in all grades and made sure to listen to each and every parent’s queries. Our annual tuition fees for the new Al Khuwair campus were discounted up to 55% from March until September. We still have offers running for Kindergarten students as well as for students in Grade 8 and our A level program. Of course there are students in different grades that require financial assistance during these times and we deal with these cases on an individual level.

     

    7. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

     

    Career counselors at Beaconhouse will be helping students in developing skills, explore a career, or choose an educational program that will lead to a career.

     

    With career counseling, students would be able to know

     

    •           Their aptitude and interests

    •           Strengths and weaknesses of a particular interest

    •           Making choice of stream for education after class 10

    •           Career options available in market as per their academic choice

    •           Career options available as per their interest

    •           Some alternative career options if they decide to change their stream in future

     

    This is provided alongside career fairs, parent workshop presentations and group counselling.

     

    8. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

    Throughout the years Beaconhouse has been blessed with achievements, accomplishments and accreditations with the help of our hardworking staff, students and teachers. The school has received the “Outstanding Cambridge Learners Award” for more than 4 consecutive years. Our most recent accomplishment came to us as the results of our IGCSE students. Our top students amassed a total of 50 A*. Our results were featured on the digital evening print of Times of Oman, and has helped boost our reputation in terms of quality teaching. We are extremely proud of our students and the teachers that have helped them get to where they needed to be.

    9. Kindly elaborate about the future plans of the school in the same.

     

    With the launch of the new Al Khuwair campus, Beaconhouse looks to grow its already impressive student body and welcome students, parents and teachers of all backgrounds and cultures. We hope to really solidify our place as one of the best international schools in Oman. With our new facilities, increased capacity and A level programme we expect to do just that. Although we are currently based in Muscat we hope to expand across Oman and deliver quality management, quality training and quality teaching across all the governates

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Lighthouse International School

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Lighthouse International School : Transforming Lives Through Character Education

1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

Lighthouse International School was formed with the vision of transforming lives through character education. We are a private school that offers excellence in academics combined with a vibrant, Christ-centered environment. Lighthouse welcomes families looking for a private Christian school that develops the whole child.

Vision

Leading out a new generation of children in their life path “For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path.”

Mission

Lighthouse International School is an independent, college preparatory school that exists to develop the whole child through a vibrant, Christ-centered environment and a comprehensive academic program, so that they may grow to give back to the world with intelligence, confidence, integrity, and kindness.

On our campus, we have a basketball court, a volleyball court, a synthetic soccer field, and some playground areas for the youngest students. We also have a computer lab and a science lab.

2. Kindly mention about the prominent personality of the school and his/her role in the development of the school.

Mr. Zelaya has been our General Director since 2015. He believes strongly that the glue that holds all other factors of effective education in place is building positive interpersonal relationships. That’s why you will often see him greeting students as they come to school in the morning, or chatting with them during their lunch breaks, and even playing sports alongside them.

Under his tenure, Lighthouse graduated its first senior class, celebrated its 10th anniversary, and completed its first IB Diploma cohort. But the greatest achievement is keeping a sense of community as the school grows and matures. School-wide assemblies and devotionals, celebrations and multi-level teambuilding events keep us all connected. We are purposeful about it.

Navigating the new challenges of virtual learning has shown us that the level of commitment of our staff is extraordinary, and keeping our focus on the essence of who we are has made us look ahead with hope.

3. Kindly describe about the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

In order to provide a well-rounded education, our academic program includes Physical Education, Visual Arts, Music, Library, Information Technology, Social-Emotional Learning, and the core subject like Math, English, Global Studies, Integrated Science, and STEM.

All of our students, from the youngest to the oldest, are developed into socially responsible citizens through our Service Learning Program. Our students participate in ongoing projects that support at-risk populations in the community, logging hundreds of man-hours each year.

4. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students?

The Lighthouse academic program focuses on the development of each student’s spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and social growth. Our goal is to help each child develop independence, responsibility, and problem-solving skills.

The educational program at Lighthouse International School was created to assist parents in the development of character and values in their children, coupled with a solid foundation of academic excellence to guide children toward productive and influential citizenship. Our purpose is to guide students through childhood and adolescence who graduate prepared to face the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges of that day.

By educating the whole child our students will influence the future of Costa Rica and beyond as leaders in the different venues they choose to pursue. With courses taught by experienced, Christ-centered individuals, Lighthouse students will graduate educated with a strong academic foundation and a clear moral compass.

The most recent closure of schools by the local government, prompted by the worldwide pandemic, has presented an opportunity for us to provide uninterrupted learning through various digital platforms. Our Distance Learning Program was developed as an extension of our standards-aligned curriculum in which the contents and pedagogy have been adapted to the learning environment. Our research-based practices support student learning, strengthen digital citizenship and proper use of technological tools, promote student ownership of the learning process, and ensure emotional and spiritual support.

5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

The academic program is college preparatory. Students are offered many opportunities to develop their leadership, service, athletic, and technological skills. Additionally, a wide variety of extracurricular activities offer students choices to explore other interests.

Our students are developed into life-long learners, and to develop ownership of their learning. This happens through collaborative work and alternative ways of demonstrating their learning through special projects and community outreach.

6. How are you providing financial assistance to the students in need?

The school has a scholarship program to provide financial assistance to students in need. Approximately 20% of our students benefit from this program, in addition to a significant number of students who have received some form of financial aid during the pandemic.

7. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

Our comprehensive program is structured to offer our 12th grade graduates a U.S. High School diploma, the Costa Rican diploma, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. We have graduated six generations of students, and they have opted for a wide variety of career paths, including education, business, science, medical sciences, and others. Lighthouse graduates are fully equipped to attend universities anywhere in the world.

8. Other than traditional occupations, what other career field options are available for them?

Our students who do not opt for a traditional post-secondary education, are well prepared for any career path they choose. As problem solvers, critical thinkers, and skilled communicators, they have a world of opportunities available to them. Our alumni have chosen a wide variety of careers in many fields, such as medicine, engineering, technology, arts, tourism, service, education, and many others.

9. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

Lighthouse International School is approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization, accredited with the Ministry of Education of Costa Rica, and a member of the Asociación de Centros Educativos Privados.

10. Kindly elaborate about the future plans of the school in the same.

Future plans include the addition of a gymnasium building, new classrooms, and the opening of an early childhood center. Additionally, the curriculum will be enhanced by participation in international academic and sports competitions.

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Academia Tica Spanish School

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Academia Tica Spanish School - Bringing Students Closer to Culture and Language

Education is a powerful tool which provides people with knowledge, skill, technique, and information that enables them to know their rights and duties toward their family, society as well as the nation.  It is an essential knowledge which expands our vision and outlook to see the world and develops capabilities to fight against the bad elements in society.

We are an Instituto Cervantes accredited Spanish language school with two beautiful campuses in distinctive, interesting locations in Costa Rica. Founded in 1986 is one of the first schools in Central America.  Our aim is to make the Spanish language a bridge between people from all over the world, Costa Rica and Latin America. Learning has to be a fun process and it has to be truly authentic to be effective.

Our aim is to bring students closer to the culture and living experience of ticos through language learning and cover the full range of language travel needs.

The two school campuses work as true oasis for studying with big ample gardens and classrooms with plenty of natural light, close to the attractions, amenities and necessities our locations offer.

The Visionary

Manuel Al-Ghassani is the Director of Academia Tica and is in charge of the main strategy and vision for the school as well as most marketing. But the relationship with the school is very personal. Manuel is the son of Ana Mercedes Rodríguez, school founder. She started as a Spanish teacher and translator in a small office in their home and is now on an advisory role. Years later, this continues as a 100% local and family business with a second generation equally passionate about the meeting of education, culture and tourism that is represented in language schools.

Courses Offered 

Our offer includes the staple intensive course with 20-30 language lessons per week in group or individual class setting. Regardless, service and tuition is highly personalized and groups do not exceed more than 6 students.

The school also teaches special courses which include DELE Exam Preparation (from which the school is also Exam Center), Surf & Spanish in our Jacó Beach campus, one of the best destinations worldwide for starting or advancing surf. Also offered is a unique Traveling Classroom program which visits several locations around Costa Rica and includes many activities and a full intensive language course.

Finally, Academia Tica offers a range of Specific Purposes courses aimed at going far deeper into the topics of Medicine, Law, Business and a special course designed for teachers of Spanish. These courses not only allow students to improve their language skills needed to work in these areas, but also focus on important cultural topics with different activities including visits and keynote presentations.

Ideal Address for Education 

There are two main reasons why students choose Academia Tica. The first is the belief that language learning has to be fun, friendly and exciting in order to work. Students must be engaged in different creative ways and this is where our teacher’s experience comes into play.

A second very important reason is our activity program which takes students to the places not found in guidebooks. We believe is part of our mission to show the real Costa Rica and not only participate in a marketing presentation of the country. The school will organize the staple student favorites from language schools like cooking and dance class but also excursions, visits, meetings and other meaningful experiences we’ve come up with from our own experience and contacts.

Academia Tica understands that a language course is an experience and not only a transfer of knowledge. Students are exposed to real-life situations. Our courses rely heavily on the practical side of language learning and Costa Rican and Latin American culture is embedded in the daily structure of courses.

The school ensures quality by carefully curating a teaching staff of native, professional teachers that have already taught for several years. One of the main activities of our Academic Director is to execute a yearly plan of teacher training.

Achievements, Rankings, Awards & Accolades 

Founded in 1986 the school is the longest-standing private language school in Costa Rica.

Academia Tica is an Instituto Cervantes Accredited Center since 2002 (the first in Costa Rica). This is the most important quality certification a language school can obtain and is given to private institutes like us to major university language schools as well. The certification is given by Instituto Cervantes and involves periodic evaluations of all areas of service.

The school is also a DELE Exam Center since 2013. Other recognitions (relevant for language schools) that the school has are Bildungsurlaub approval from Germany and the Swedish CSN grant approval.

Currently, the school collaborates periodically with two important conservation projects in our locations: Locos por el Bosque Cloudforest Reserve and Toucan Rescue Center. Apart from this, we work with a network of volunteering projects to whom we provide students that will lend a helping hand.

The school has collaborated with many universities, colleges and other educational institutions in North America and Europe notably the Johns Hopkins University Spanish Program in Costa Rica and Ocean College, a sailing education year for German Students.

Thanks to a wide network of partner agencies across the globe, Academia Tica is visited by students from many parts of the world. These agents include world-leader ESL from Switzerland.

Finally, the school is also part of “Spanish in Costa Rica”, a new initiative with other language schools in Costa Rica that seeks to promote the country as a destination to study the language as well as ensuring the quality of their member schools.

An Environment Empowering Holistic Growth 

Language studies are of course paths into traveling and culture. But obtaining a certain degree of language competence will allow students to further their studies in a different country in Latin America or Spain where many of our students will go on and start their careers in fields from Ecology to Technology.

Students of Spanish language will find that their skills become useful in a wide variety of careers, mainly in services of areas like the medical sciences or international business, diplomatic career, teaching and language related areas such as writing and translation. However, a second language is a door that opens opportunities in most areas.

Amidst the Covid crisis which has hardly hit the education sector in Costa Rica, Academia Tica is working towards new partnerships with agents and also educational institutions from across the world that are interested in expanding their students’ experience with a study abroad program.

With a future outlook that is now full of uncertainty, it is the personal and human side  which takes importance. We pride of caring for our relationships with our current partners, former students and even our contacts from Instituto Cervantes.

The school has not stopped working during the pandemic but currently the program has shifted to mostly online and receiving new students towards the latter part of the year as restrictions are lifted. Although income has reduced drastically, Academia Tica is one of the few businesses related to tourism in Costa Rica that has not furloughed or fired their staff, using this as an opportunity to make improvements.

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Canadian International Academy

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Canadian International Academy - Guiding Students towards Self-Exploration

Can we ever stop learning? Even speculating, we might say everybody’s response will be a resounding NO! The world is always changing with new technology, fast-growing sectors and employment opportunities. To survive and thrive in this global age, lifelong learning is necessary. Children and youths of today must be equipped to face the challenges of tomorrow when they graduate from schools, colleges, or universities. By cultivating the habits of lifelong learning at a young age, students can enhance their personal effectiveness and capacity to adapt nimbly to changes. This prepares them to be future leaders, poised to stay competitive and relevant in the evolving world.

Overview of CIAC

CIAC is an international subsidiary of Canadian Operation by an elementary school teacher who earned an award of achievement for Excellence in Early Childhood Education from Prime Minster of Canada, Justin Trudeau, in 2015.

CIAC attention is focused on providing an educational experience that would be a positive influence on students’ lives and helping them build a solid framework to be used in all aspects of their lives. CIAC is a provider of premier education service to the families in the community and is proud to be a part of today’s educational system.

Mission of CIAC

CIAC is an outstanding school providing exceptional educational service to the society. We are a team of professionals devoted to the following mission statement:

“To provide students with high quality educational environment, while respecting the child/parent socio-cultural perspective, to enable students to develop intellectual, physical, social, and academic framework for success socially, within a family relationship, and a future career path.”

To fulfill this mission, CIAC offers:

• A positive environment where the exceptional needs of each student are recognized and cared for;

• Individual classrooms for each age group with security, safety and cleanliness in mind;

• Innovative Canadian curriculum for each age-specific classroom developed and implemented by a professional team; and

• Carefully designed and selected educational technology and equipment to enhance students’ learning.

The Knowledgeable Leader

The person leading CIAC from the front is none other than Ms. Nicky. She is the School Principal earned an award of achievement for Excellence in Early Childhood Education from Prime Minster of Canada.

Ms. Nicky shows that children are her number one priority not only by the activities she leads and the love she provides but also the care she takes of the facility to ensure children have a clean and safe environment in which to learn and play.

Philosophy of care-

Recognizing that each child is different, Ms. Nicky helps children develop at their own pace while addressing any developmental needs they may have. She provides love and affection, alongside discipline, with clear explanations of what is right and wrong.

Support of child development-

· Prepares children to move on to school with a comprehensive curriculum involving science, math, reading, geography and art; enhances her lessons using a SMARTboard.

· Introduces children to a variety of languages, including French, Mandarin and Spanish, as well as movement and dance, as part of the centre’s fine arts focus.

· Builds learning about various cultures into the curriculum, transforming holidays such as Chinese New Year into Chinese Friendship Week to not only celebrate but also learn about Chinese culture.

Involvement with parents, families and the community-

· Emphasizes that parents must be actively involved in their children’s learning and growth: parent participation in many activities is mandatory.

· Capitalizes on the celebration of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day by having parents come to the centre on those occasions to participate in one-on-one and group activities with their children.

· Organizes a food drive each Thanksgiving: families are encouraged to bring in non-perishable goods for donation to a local food bank.

A Wide Variety of Programs Offered

Early Learning as a Leverage for Future Success

· CIAC provides a practical program, based on the Canadian Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT) framework, which seeks to maximize child’s future well-being.

Elementary School for the Twenty-first Century

· CIAC elementary school supports high-quality learning while providing every child the opportunity to learn in the way that is best appropriate for each child’s individual strengths and needs.

Literacy and Language

· Literacy is not only about reading or writing but also about how we communicate in society. It is also about social practices and relationships, knowledge, language and culture. Literacy development lies at the heart of the CIAC language curriculum that is devoted to teaching knowledge and skills in listening and speaking, reading, writing, and viewing and representing.

Native Language

· The ultimate goal of the Native language program is to inspire students with pride in their ancestral language and to motivate them to use it to communicate as a living language that is part of their culture.

Second Language

· The second language program at CIAC has been designed to provide a curriculum that helps students to not only strengthen their ability to communicate in different language, but also develop their capacity to understand and respect other cultures. In this way it prepares students to participate more effectively in the workplace and in the global economy, and provides them with a distinct advantage in a number of careers, both in Cambodia and internationally.

Mathematics

· CIAC’s mathematics curriculum is designed to create flexibility to respond to the diversity that exists among students. It is based on the belief that all students can learn mathematics and deserve the opportunity to do so. It supports equity by promoting the active participation of all students while recognizing that each student learns mathematics differently and sets expectations that meet each student’s learning style.

Science and Technology

· Through a comprehensive curriculum, the primary goal of CIAC’s science and technology program is to help students to understand the relationship between the nature and human-designed worlds. The CIAC science and technology program helps students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to connect to nature responsibly, and is based on the following three goals:

1. To relate science and technology to society and the environment;

2. To develop the skills, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific inquiry and technological problem solving; and

3. To understand the basic concepts of science and technology

Social Studies, History and Geography

· The social studies curriculum at CIAC helps students to have an understanding of identity: who they are, where they came from, where they belong, and how they contribute to the society in which they live.

· The history curriculum at CIAC helps students to have an understanding of time: who are we, who came before us, and why we care.

· The geography curriculum at CIAC helps students to have an understanding of place: what is where, why there, and why we care.

Fine Arts

· CIAC’s arts program recognizes that education in arts is essential to students’ intellectual, social, physical, and emotional development and well-being. Children will have opportunities to think and feel as they explore, problem solve, express, interpret, and assess the process and the results.

Health and Physical Education

· The health and physical education curriculum at CIAC is designed to provide a balance approach. This curriculum not only provides opportunity to students to develop an understanding of what they need in order to make a commitment to lifelong healthy and active living but also develop their social skills and emotional well-being.

Focus on Students’ Development

At CIAC, we integrate the traditional education with real life experiences through healthy living, active learning, and career building. Students have the opportunity to apply their learning to the real life and real world. We support young children to make positive choices that enhance their personal, physical, mental and spiritual health. We encourage students to actively participate in process of learning while supporting them to become independent learners. We help young children to reach their full potentials and develop fundamental skills to become successful in their future career paths.

We encourage students to actively participate in process of learning while supporting them to become independent learners.

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American Intercon School

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American Intercon School - A tropical learning climate surrounded by creativity

1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

American Intercon School was founded by Oknha Dr. Mengly J. Quach on October 10, 2005.

Vision: American Intercon School (AIS) is a general education school accredited by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport with a Khmer-American curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school is making great effort to ensure its refined quality, discipline and services so as to fully contribute to the development of the community and remain competitive on the international stage.

Mission: To achieve this vision, American Intercon School has been implementing a wide range of plans from elementary to high school, including environmental, general management, administration, teaching and learning outcomes. In addition to the classroom curriculum, there are competitions, sports, all disciplines, seminars, and programs for less fortunate students. There are laboratories, computer labs, home-economic rooms, especially the use of modern technology, giving students the opportunity to exchange experiences between students. AIS also works with related institutions responsible for organizing study-tour programs to introduce students to natural culture, history, factories, enterprises, handicrafts and agriculture.

The school provides students with a good, equitable curriculum that is up-to-date on all subject levels. In addition, the school also provides services such as transportation, health care, library, bookstore, cafeteria, convenience store and other services that facilitate student’s learning.

2. Kindly mention the competent teachers and staff of AIS and their role in the development of the school.

American Intercon School has a clear policy for all teachers who come to join the team of intelligent, skilled, clear and talented professionals who have worked hard to actively participate with teachers in achieving great quality of education in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Factors that make American Intercon School successful:

· Competent leaders and well-structured school structure with a clear vision for education.

· The school provides comfort to teachers and staff.

· Teachers and staff have clear skills and high professional ethics.

· Teacher training linked to practice with adequate materials.

· Open and encourage teachers and staff to improve their skills on a regular basis.

· Conduct and participate in many charity events.

· Providing comprehensive educational services and many available services.

· Provision of competitive salary, accident insurance (NSFF, Forte 24 hours), health insurance (NSFF and MJQE), scholarship and many more.

· Teachers and staff are hard working, cooperative and friendly.

· No corruption, rigorous exams, accurate scores, fair level practical student ability

· The school is spacious to support overall development needs of students.

· Regular collaboration between parents and guardians of students.

3. Kindly describe the various courses offered by the school and their important features.

American Intercon School offers a rich education through the Khmer-American Curriculum from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten

AIS provides education for students to acquire morality, physical development, memory, language balance and clear knowledge through various curricula such as social studies, pre-writing, pre-mathematics, songs, poems, stories, drawings, observation, English and educational games. In addition, there are extracurricular activities for young people, swimming lessons, life skills, creativity, study tours, sports activities, camping in order to encourage young people to enjoy reading by providing storybooks every week.

Elementary School

AIS provides education with a focus on integrating basic knowledge and include a child-friendly curriculum. Teachers have good teaching methods, experience and a high level of professional standards. Student counseling, health and medical services are available. In addition, AIS has modern learning environment with quality, discipline and service which encourage students to achieve knowledge, skills, creativity, living in dignity and ethics.

Junior High School (Grade 7 to Grade 9)

AIS provides education through hands-on experiments, study tours, research through a wide range of documents at all levels and specialties in libraries and on the Internet. AIS educates students to become disciplined students, responsible children, better friends and good citizens in accordance with the pillars of education; to have knowledge, experience, good morals and live together in harmony.

High School (Grade 10 to 12)

Below are some strategies which prepare high school students for college:

Motivate students at all levels to research online and through a wide range of documents in a large library equipped with state-of-the-art technology and facilities.

Inspire students to join competitions and participate in various social activities.

Students gain a clear knowledge of both science and social sciences to prepare for the general education degree and have the ability to continue to advance their skills and specialties in higher education.

Encourage students to develop themselves to become human resources full of ability, talent, morality and high social responsibility.

4. Please mention the steps being taken beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students.

The school has added extra curriculum, including:

· Life skills and elective courses with a wide range of options such as drawing, dance, music, poetry, home economics, handicrafts, physical education and sports such as karate-do, basketball, volleyball, baby football, table tennis, tennis, swimming and other sports.

· Computer courses with internet access, library full of documents for different levels and fields.

· There are research rooms, classrooms and labs equipped with modern and comfortable facilities.

· Teachers have a high level of professional standards, pedagogy and teaching experience linked to practical activities both in the classroom and outside the classroom, which makes students easy to understand, remember well and highly creative.

· Provide educational counseling, health and treatment services.

· Safe and comfortable transportation service.

· Study tour programs and training sessions.

· There are many competitions such as sports competitions and social activities, including charity events, fundraising events and more.

· Promote students’ ability to have courage, leadership, cooperation, ownership, seriousness, good health, solidarity, communication and experience.

· Encourage students to have sufficient ability in general knowledge, practical skills and English speaking skills.

5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the student’s interest towards education?

There is a clear and diverse curriculum, providing real and clear knowledge to students through educating students to become good students and better citizens in accordance with the pillars of education. In addition, the school is not only a nursery for students, the school is also a place to provide warmth to students by providing counseling for students with learning difficulties, especially those who are experiencing family problems and personal crises as well. The school has counselors who specialize in counseling to help weak students to improve and help solve problems for students who are experiencing problems of not feeling like coming to school to

continue their studies. At AIS, we have teachers who are highly qualified and creative in making their students enjoy learning.

6. How are you providing financial assistance to the students in need?

AIS provides financial assistance to less fortunate students who struggle to pay for tuition fees by offering scholarships. Besides financial support, the school also provides study materials until they graduate from high school and college through Mengly J. Quach Foundation established by Oknha Dr. Mengly J. Quach.

7. What are the career opportunities available for students after completing their courses at AIS?

The school generally has a policy that students from high school onwards or students who have completed 12th grade can apply for an internship at the school. Students who are still in school can work part-time and graduate students can work part-time or full-time to get first-hand experience before landing a proper job.

8. Please tell us about the school’s major awards/achievement, its accomplished alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

American Intercon School (AIS) has received awards and certificates of international standard from a number of institutions, including:

· 20th ASEAN Youth Day Award and 9th TAYO ASEAN Outstanding Organization Award 2014 in Bandar Seri Megavan, Brunei

· Outstanding Overseas Enterprise Award in Singapore

· Corporate Social Responsibility Award for Corporate Social Responsibility in Singapore

· Excellence Award 2018 in Cambodia

· Education Partnership Leadership Certificate in Hong Kong, China

American Intercon School Success 2005-2006 to present:

· Grade 9 students pass the lower secondary school diploma exam with a high percentage equal to 99% every year.

· Grade 12 students pass the high school diploma exam with a high percentage and many students get A grade every year.

· AIS students receive the Phnom Penh Student Sports Championship Award in all disciplines every year, as well as national, national and international student sports awards.

· 9th and 12th grade students received certificates of appreciation from the competition to select the best students in Phnom Penh and throughout the country.

· Winners and awards from national and international drawing competitions, math brainstorming competitions in various awards both domestically and abroad.

· Won awards and prizes at the National Children’s Music and Song Festival.

· Received commendation from the Department of Education, Youth and Sport of Phnom Penh for excellent work in school administration, environment and teaching techniques every year.

· Many AIS students have been selected by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to represent the Kingdom of Cambodia, participate in many competitions and receive many awards and prizes in return.

9. Kindly elaborate the future plans of AIS.

In the future, AIS plans to establish more campuses in Sen Sok, Battambang, Toul Sangke, Chbar Ampov, Chamkar Doung, Siem Reap, Takeo and Kampong Cham.

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Malaysia’s 10 Best International Schools in 2020

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Sri KDU International School

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Sri KDU International School : Learning Through Exploration and Discovery

1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

Sri KDU Schools are more than just educational institutions. They are centres of development where students learn through exploration and discovery. Students move towards global citizenship through a range of local and international experiential learning opportunities. Students are empowered so that they may continue to grow beyond the classroom.

Sri KDU Schools consist of Sekolah Sri KDU which offers the Malaysian National Curriculum and Sri KDU International School where the National Curriculum of England and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) are taught. Our school mission is shared by all Sri KDU Schools: “Transforming Lives Through Education”.

At our international school, we also have a vision to create “Tomorrow Leaders – Here and Now!” as the school recognizes that students who graduate from our school will become the future leaders of Malaysia and globally, in any sphere they excel in. This starts in the classroom where our pedagogy “Learning Power Approach” encourages all students to lead their learning. We believe in a growth mindset which means that every student has the capability to achieve and to be a leader. Our purpose-built modern facilities on the 12-acre campus in Kota Damansara enable us to provide the best holistic education possible and to deliver on our mission and vision.

2. Kindly mention about the prominent personality of the school and his/her role in the development of the school.

The most important person in the development of our school to date has been our founder Dato’ Teo Chiang Quan. It was his wish to contribute to the nation-building of Malaysia and his great foresight which led to the addition of an international school to the well-established group of educational institutions which were under the Paramount Education umbrella. He has been our guide and moral compass ensuring that the very best education is provided to all our learners until February 2020. Since then, Y.A.M. Tunku Ali Redhauddin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz of the Negeri Sembilan royal family has taken the helm as our chairman. He is also passionate about education, being Harvard and Cambridge educated himself, he wants to ensure that the quality of education in Sri KDU Schools continues to prepare our young people to join the best universities around the world.

3. Kindly describe about the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

At Sri KDU International School (SKIS), we offer the National Curriculum of England from Year 1 to Year 9 with some adaptations to ensure we nurture “Malaysian Hearts” as well as

“Global Minds”. This provides the learners with a broad and balanced curriculum which would allow them to transfer to the UK or any British international school around the world if the need arose. For Key Stage 4 students, we offer a full range of IGCSE courses, all from the Cambridge examinations board which allow our students to gain the Cambridge International Certificate of Education (ICE). Our Pre-University offer for the Sixth Form is the International Baccalaureate Programme (IBDP); we are an IBO world school accredited to offer this course. We offer IBDP as it is the best preparation for entry into elite universities around the world.

4. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students?

We strongly believe in holistic education. So we make a wide range of opportunities available to our students in sport, the performing arts and academic enrichment programmes. We are members of the Federation of British International School in Asia (FOBISIA) and offer the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.

5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

The best way to motivate students in learning is to ensure that they experience success both academically and in any other talents and interests, they have. From Year 1 onwards, our teaching ensures that children experience success but also challenges which ensure that they become resilient learners. We also make sure that all students have the opportunity to be included in the enrichment programmes on offer to nurture their talents.

6. How are you providing financial assistance to the students in need?

There are Sri KDU scholarships offered each year for those below a certain financial threshold who demonstrate that they would benefit from the education on offer at SKIS. Scholarships are also offered to the highest performing students in Year 11 in order to follow the IBDP in our school. These are based on academic performance rather than financial need.

7. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

Students graduating from Year 13 go on to study a wide range of courses in the most prestigious universities around the world including medicine, dentistry, law, engineering, Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE), Business Management, the Arts such as fine art, dance, music.

Students graduating from Year 11 usually follow A level courses at excellent schools in Malaysia or the UK. A smaller number take up Foundation Degrees in universities in Malaysia or the UK. Students at SKIS are well-prepared to be life-long learners and to follow any career path they wish.

8. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

We are accredited by the Education Development Trust (a UK inspection body) using the International School Quality Mark (ISQM). In February 2017, we were the first school in Malaysia to achieve ISQM Gold, with an outstanding grade in every section of the award. In January 2020, we were shortlisted for the Community Initiative Award by the International Schools Award of ISC Research. This award is open to international schools around the world, with hundreds of applications received. We were one of only five shortlisted and the only school in Malaysia to achieve this, enabling us to attend the prestigious award ceremony in London. It felt like being nominated for an Oscar!

9. Kindly elaborate about the future plans of the school in the same.

In February 2021, we will be re-accredited and are aiming to be awarded BSO (British Schools Overseas) status which indicates that we have met the standards of the Department for Education in the UK as judged by the Ofsted inspection standards. We are making submissions for the new round of International School Awards in the categories of Innovation in Digital Learning and Ethical Values Education.

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Westlake International School

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Westlake International School: Transforming Minds and Lives Through Excellence

1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

Vision: Westlake International School’s vision is to transform minds and change lives in the pursuit of excellence as a responsive, relational and reflective school

Our mission is to provide the B.E.S.T education experience through:

· Boarding that develops independence, integrity and emotional intelligence

· Excellent and holistic Education

· Sports that builds determination discipline

· Recognising and nurturing Talents

Facilities

20 acre integrated school with on-campus boarding facilities with full security that provides a safe and secure environment.

Boarding facilities: Single room air-conditioned room with attached bathroom, spacious chill-out area, boarding sickbay.

School Facilities: Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH), auditorium, courtyard, cafeteria

Academic Facilities: science laboratory, 2-story library

Fine Arts Centre: Dance room, music room and symphony room

Sports Facilities: 3 sports field, courtyard, swimming pool, 3 basketball court, 2 tennis court, gym

2. Kindly mention about the prominent personality of the school and his/her role in the development of the school.

Mr Hew Fen Yee, Founder and Executive Director

Mr Hew is a civil engineer by profession and is the managing director of the Huges Group which is involved in property development. He upholds the belief of old saying: “Train a child in the way he should go; when he is old he will not turn from it”. He hopes Westlake International School will be recognised not only for academic excellence but also for the positive impact it has on the lives of its students.

Ms Hew Fee Voon, Founder and CEO

Having been educated abroad since the age of 10, Ms Hew knows the importance that parents’ place on quality wholesome education. She was trained as a chartered accountant in the UK and spent 5 years in the corporate finance sector, before joining the family business. Now a mother of 3 kids, she is excited that she can contribute towards the education of not only her kids but the community as a whole. She hopes that Westlake International School can contribute to impact lives and prepare students to be a positive influence on their country.

3. Kindly describe about the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

Westlake International School (WIS) is an affordable British curriculum school with purpose-built boarding facilities located in Kampar, Perak. Students here are nurtured to their fullest potential through the B.E.S.T. (Boarding, Education, Sports, Talents) experience. The anchor of teaching at Westlake International School is based on 21st Century Learning. Student outcomes are defined in terms of skills, knowledge and expertise needed to succeed in the work and life in the 21st Century. Our focus for the classroom is to develop the 4C’s of 21st Century Learning; Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking.

Breakdown by Key Stages:

Key Stage 1 (Early Years, Year 1, Year 2): The focus in KS1 is to provide students with rich and authentic learning experience through a rigorous curriculum. It is an approach that allows students to be actively engaged in learning while developing fundamental personal social skills and environmental awareness.

Key Stage 2 (Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6): Learning in KS2 expands with subjects that allow students to try out their ideas and learn by experience. There is a consistent focus in the classroom on sharing ideas, communicating confidently and collaborating in teams. Students are provided with a range of active, challenging and engaging learning opportunities that allow them to develop the core traits of a Cambridge learner.

Key Stage 3 (Year 7, Year 8, Year 9): In secondary school, a broad and balanced curriculum provides the basis to develop a range of essential critical thinking skills, knowledge of key concepts and an aptitude for continuous learning. Students are challenged to investigate and respond to complex questions, problems and themes through Problem Based Learning tasks. There is an increasing focus on social-emotional wellness and decision making skills to develop resilience when meeting new challenges.

Key Stage 4 (Year 10, Year 11): In KS4, the focus pivots to preparation for IGCSE examination. High expectations and the pursuit of excellence underpin our approach to learning at this level. The curriculum at KS4 prepares our students to be critical, creative and independent thinkers. Students are supported in these crucial years through tailored learning plans and targeted intervention.

A Level Programme

The Westlake A Level Programme is specialised and focused on STEM curriculum. Our range of A Level subjects provides the opportunity for our students to select the best fit according to their own abilities and admission into the top universities of their choice.

Foundation in English Programme

We have established a Foundation in English programme to help students with poor command in English improve their English before they integrate into the main school. This programme improves the students’ reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar and vocabulary. In every lesson, there are clear objectives that contribute to overall progress. Teachers will provide

feedback and guidance to help the students to be more confident and fluent when communicating in English.

Apart of our Co-Curriculum Activities (CCA) programme we also run Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) programme whereby external coaches come in to teach lessons. Students are offered classes such as ballet, Wing Chun, Taekwondo, piano, violin, drum, and swimming.

4. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students?

Students are given the appropriate care needed for them to fully utilize every potential.

One of the ways we do it is through Character and Career Coaching (CCC). The CCC is purposeful in its design to help students develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, explore their passions and build critical life skills. It provides the basis of personal growth and development to ensure a holistic, balanced educational experience.

Through the CCC, the cream of the crop are then chosen to be in the High Achievers Programme prepares Year 10 students by supporting them with regards to scholarship applications and admission to top universities. The programme is designed around AESE; Academic, Extra Curricular, Super Curricular and Enrichment. It aims to assist students to create a balanced portfolio of academic excellence that reflects their interests. Scholarships such as the OIC scholarship programme and Leap internship programme gives our students a better insight on preparing to enter top universities and to work in their preferred industry.

Boarding in Westlake is one of the key elements for students’ development as with the right guidance, students are allowed to pick up life skills that prepare them to be an independent individual. Students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities as their after school programme rather than spending their time on gadgets. The school also provides academic coaching, assertive mentoring, progress meeting with academic heads, sports and talents skills are part of our boarding framework.

The Duke of Edinburgh programme exposes the students to the global awareness of the value of non-educational skills such as resilience, problem-solving, improving self-esteem, building confidence and many more.

Education in WIS is centred to drive excellence, as well as knowledge and skills that are needed in the 21 Century. Our core subjects are English, Mathematics and the Sciences. Each subject is tackled with a different approach such as using phonics and authentic texts are used to build knowledge of the English language.

The early years in primary education are crucial as the students are nurtured and given the right guidance for progressive development. Understanding that each student learns and copes differently, we use the 9 Problem Solving Strategies for Mathematics such as look for important words in the question, look for a pattern, use a table or chart and so on. Many of our students are able to participate in international Olympiads such as the ICAS Mathematics, and Kangaroo Math Competition.

Meanwhile, we use the Inquiry-based Learning approach for the sciences as we want the students to get hands-on experience. Inquiry-based learning adopts an investigative approach to teaching and learning where the students are provided with opportunities to investigate a problem, search for possible solutions, make observations, ask questions, test out ideas, think creatively and use their intuition.

WIS invests heavily in its sports programme as a commitment to a balanced education that teaches perseverance, teamwork and confidence. We have weekly House Sports Rotation with 20 different sports. With the Talent ID and Development programme, each student are given the chance to exhibit their potential and skills that can further be developed with the right guidance.

WIS recognizes that all students have different Talents. It is crucial to foster an environment where they can explore and develop their talents fully.

5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

Here at Westlake, we designed a boarding framework that ensures the wellbeing of our students with a holistic approach of balancing between academic and extracurricular activities through programmes such as assertive mentoring, academic coaching, life skills, character development and sports coaching.

The Cambridge Global Perspectives curriculum provides the foundation of our Humanities programme as it gives the students the opportunity to develop transferable skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, research, communication and collaboration that they need to be successful at school, in university and their future careers. These innovative and stimulating skills-based programmes place academic study in a practical, real-world context.

Students work together to solve real-world problems through active inquiry-based learning. This exposes them to develop problem-solving skills, whilst developing creative and critical thinking which is aligned with 21st Century learning. We have also integrated STEM learning journeys into our curriculum which provides the students with the opportunity to link classroom learning with scientific concepts. Numerous studies have shown that learning outside the classroom has significantly increased factual knowledge and conceptual understanding.

Our A Level students are provided with professional mentoring, internship programme, and Morrisby career profiling to strengthen their portfolio. As a part of the career guidance programme, CAT4 is integrated whereby a student’s cognitive ability is tested to assess their ability in verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning. Moreover, Morissby professional partnership provides students with interactive career and planning tools to help the students with what is best suited for them to achieve their goals.

6. How are you providing financial assistance to the students in need?

In Westlake, scholarships are provided based on the academic results and students’ participation in extracurricular activities. Scholarships that are available at Westlake are the Tan Sri Hew Excellence Scholarship, Governors Scholarship and Westlake Talent Scholarship.

7. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

Westlake has university placement over track record. Our students are at world-renowned universities such as Nanyang Technological University (NTU), University of Birmingham, University of Manchester, National University of Singapore (NUS), Yale University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Dalhousie University and many more. Our students have broad career opportunities and able to secure jobs in big companies having to enter top universities.

8. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

We are awarded 5 stars by SKIPS Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. In 2019, Westlake International School was the only international school in Perak to receive ‘Top in the World’ in the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards for Mathematics.

In June 2020, our students made us proud by putting us first in Malaysia among the 10 schools that were competing in the Education Perfect (EP) Humanities; our student achieved an excellent result and obtained the top Elite Award. In the EP Science Championship series, our students gained Emerald, silver and merit awards. The LEO club of WIS made us proud by receiving outstanding and merit awards organized by Lions Club International in district level.

Our major collaboration with tertiary institutions Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) provides an opportunity for our secondary and A Level students to engage in scientific research in world-class laboratories. Students experience simulations under a controlled environment with the guidance of field expert. They are given the opportunity to do an internship with these universities. This enables students to have increased self-esteem and become more engaged in education. Our students’ achievements have placed Westlake among the top schools in Perak and Malaysia with their strong track records of IGCSE and A Level results.

9. Kindly elaborate about the future plans of the school in the same.

As a premier boarding school, WIS delivers excellence in education at an affordable price. Our founder and CEO of Westlake International School, Ms. Hew Fee Voon is set to transform the school to be the best boarding school in Malaysia where boarders get to join our academic coaching programme and embark on a range of extracurricular activities that are relevant to enter top tier universities in the UK, US and other countries.

With the UTAR hospital being ready in a few years’ time, there will be an influx of medical professional and their families. WIS will be the top choice for their children’s education because of its excellence in holistic and wholesome education. With a strong foundation, she is confident that the school will grow strength to strength and WIS will continue to produce students who are confident, competent, compassionate and responsible global citizens.

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Pan-American School

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Pan-American School: Nurturing Global Citizens of Tomorrow

1. Please mention about the school and its mission/vision and various infrastructural facilities.

Pan-American School is the first IB continuum school offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Primary Years Programme (PYP) in Costa Rica. Our school mission, vision, and philosophy and our staff’s commitment are aimed at graduating well-rounded, responsible global citizens who are equipped with the skills and passion to make a positive impact in the world around them. Our educational program is based on core values which are essential in facing today’s challenges.

Since opening in 1971, we are known as one of the most prestigious mid-sized institutions providing fully bilingual English-Spanish education in Costa Rica. As well as being authorized to offer the IB Diploma Programme, we are approved for awarding diplomas by the Ministry of Education and have received international accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) of the United States. We partner with a range of national and international associations to provide for the widest range of opportunities for our students and staff, including the Association of American Schools of Central America (AASCA), la Asociación de Colegios del Bachillerato Internacional de Costa Rica (ASOBITICO), Association of Private Education Schools (ACEP), and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

Through the use of cutting edge technology and close contact with our environment, as well as direct involvement in service learning projects, our students are able to develop a sensitive and critical awareness of the world.

Our medium size (approximately 600 students) and our low 1:6 teacher to student ratio allows us to provide individualized attention and focus on building confident students with leadership skills. Our graduates leave prepared to successfully pursue higher studies in national and international colleges and universities.

Our campus was designed by a world-renowned architect to harmonize with the natural beauty of our setting and provide an ideal environment for learning. As the school grows, additional buildings of the Master Plan are constructed to accommodate our needs.

2. Kindly mention about the prominent personality of the school and his/her role in the development of the school.

Our beloved “Mister” visited the school and was a Board member until his last breath. He passed on Saturday, May 2nd, 2020. He is remembered as a great friend of students, always ensuring that all the principles that formed the school in 1971 are still the basis for our educational program.

3. Kindly describe about the various courses offered by the school and their salient features.

Pan-American School runs the IB Continuum of education, with students in Early Years and Primary undertaking the Primary Years Programme (PYP); students in Grades 5-10 undertaking the Middle Years Programme (MYP); and students in Grades 11 and 12 taking the Diploma Programme (DP).

IB programmes encourage both personal and academic achievement, challenging students to excel in their studies and in their personal development.

Within the overarching framework of an IB education, we have developed and tailored our curriculum to ensure that it meets a wide variety of needs as well. Our team have aligned our curriculum with both the requirements of the IB programmes, the Ministry of Education of Costa Rica (MEP), and incorporated a range of international standards and benchmarks in different subject areas (such as Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards) to ensure that our offering meets a wide range of interests and needs, and prepares students for success in both Costa Rica and internationally.

4. Please mention what steps are you taking beyond the traditional curriculum to ensure overall development of the students?

Each semester a schedule of classes and clubs is offered after the regular school day according to student and parent interests and requests. These include artistic, gastronomic, sports, and intellectual activities for students at each grade level.

5. What steps does the school take to motivate and develop the students’ interest towards education?

Secondary School students start the day with a Fitness Program, in which students choose the activity that best suits their interests and needs. After a break for changing into the school uniform and having a snack, students are able to start their academic day with more energy and focus.

Our student life is varied and encourages student input in the school’s decision-making processes. We encourage involvement in the Student Council and National Honor Society. Both organizations carry out activities that encourage service and school spirit, and contribute to integration within generations.

Pan-American School has a staff of professional psychologists and learning specialists that support and offer guidance to students for their social, emotional and academic development through specialized services that provide information, intervention, and coordination of community educational resources.

6. How are you providing financial assistance to the students in need?

Pan-American School is supported by the Fundación PASaporte para la Educación, which provides for a number of annual scholarships recognizing student excellence in the areas of academics and sports.

7. What are the career opportunities available to the students after completion of their courses?

Pan-American High School fulfills its mission of forming well-rounded bilingual individuals thanks to our integrated approach that includes the curriculum, student life, and support services. Our goal is for our young people to achieve their potential not only intellectually, but also artistically, athletically, and morally, so that they may lead responsible and fulfilling lives as citizens of an increasingly globalized world. After completing Middle School, students enter High School (grades 9-12). The IB Diploma program is offered in years 11 and 12. Pan-American School is proud to be the only school in Costa Rica in which all students can opt for three certificates: the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, the U.S. High School Diploma, and the National Bachillerato en Educación Media diploma.

Theory is combined with practice through research skills, state-of-the-art technology, reflection in the sciences, critical reading and thinking, and oral and written communication – essential to success in college and their chosen professions. Field trips, laboratory work, individual and group inquiry are essential components of this process.

8. Other than traditional occupations, what other career field options are available for them?

Each semester a schedule of classes and clubs is offered after the regular school day according to student and parent interests and requests. These include artistic, gastronomic, sports, and intellectual activities for students at each grade level.

9. Please enlighten us about the school’s major awards/achievements, its accomplished/renowned alumni, remarkable collaborations, and major accreditations.

Pan-American School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and certified by the Ministry of Education of Costa Rica. It is also authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization as the first school in Costa Rica to offer the International Baccalaureate continuum of education, made up of the Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme.

Pan-American School is a member of the Association of American Schools of Central America (AASCA), the Association of Private Education Schools (ACEP) in Costa Rica , the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and the Asociación de Colegios del Bachillerato Internacional de Costa Rica (ASOBITICO).

As a NEASC accredited school, Pan-American School demonstrates its ongoing achievement of, and commitment to, the highest international standards of professional performance and school governance. With a long-standing and committed governing body, Pan-American School has been able to engage in long-term strategic planning thanks to its foundation of stability and continuity over time.

Graduates of Pan-American School have been accepted in more than 60 distinguished colleges and universities around the world including Costa Rica, USA, Australia, Mexico, Asia, Europe, etc.

10. Kindly elaborate about the future plans of the school in the same.

Since 2015, our strategic plan at Pan-American School has been guided by four pillars which provide the basis for current and future plans. These four pillars are:

●Pillar 1: Curriculum and Instruction

●Pillar 2: Values, Ecology, and Service

●Pillar 3: Technology, Innovation, and Investigation.

●Pillar 4: Sports, Health and Wellness