International School of Indiana Blog

English Lessons in Pre-K and K for the 2012-13 School Year

Alastair Kay — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:19:52 +0000

In response to questions raised by parents of pre-elementary children who are native or otherwise fluent speakers of the school’s target immersion language (French, Mandarin or Spanish), but who are not fluent in English, we have begun offering a small amount of English teaching during the school day to children in Pre-Kindergarten classes. We intend to offer this opportunity again in the 2012-2013 school year, and also to extend this into our Kindergarten classes.

The Pre-K lessons are for a maximum of 40 minutes per day. They are voluntary, and are primarily intended for children who are native speakers of the immersion language, but not yet fluent in spoken English. The intention of the lessons is to help the children develop greater fluency in spoken English.

Children in this year’s Pre-K English trial program will continue to receive additional English lessons as Kindergarten students in 2012-2013, on a similar basis, so that they will receive some English instruction each day. This program will supplement the existing Kindergarten English lessons.

These additional English lessons are currently free of charge and will continue to be free of charge in the 2012-13 school year. We will, however, continue to review the effectiveness of the program along with the costs and reserve the right to introduce additional fees in the future.

In summary: for the 2012-13 school year:
For students who are native-speakers (or equivalent) of French, Spanish or Mandarin:
Pre-K: One English lesson per day of approx 40 minutes after lunch, utilizing part of what is currently naptime.
K: One English lesson per day, including two lessons per week of early reading skills offered to all students, and three additional lessons on the other three days.

Interested parents should request a form from the Lower School Administration.

Your child’s bilingual development is very important to us. While we know from experience that our young students who are non-English native speakers develop a full mastery of English over time, we do understand that some parents of students who are not proficient in English would value an earlier opportunity for more formal English lessons to take place.

Alastair Kay
Lower School Principal

Edline

Rick Bedel — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:52:58 +0000

For the 2012-13 school year ISI will have a new and better way to communicate with parents and students. Edline will give parents and students their own logins to see information that pertains specifically to them. Each class will have its own page where the teacher will be able to place class notes, homework assignments, anything that they believe the student will need for the class.

The move to Edline is the next step in our new laptop program. This will help bring everything together so students will have everything they need for their classwork right on their laptops.

Edline will replace:

The website that parents login to with general information
iCal for homework online
Paper copies of report cards, unless otherwise requested

Edline will give students:

One place to look for all class assignments
An easy way to turn in assignments
Access to class work from anywhere with an Internet connection

We are planning on testing Edline starting mid to late April with a few different grade levels. This will help us work out any bugs and get a better understanding of how to make it work well with the school and our classes. Stay tuned for more information. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Insurance for Laptops

Rick Bedel — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:32:03 +0000

A few parents have asked about insurance for the laptops. There are quite a few options. Depending on your homeowners insurance company it may be possible to add something to a policy you already have for a small fee.

A company we have recommended before is Worth Ave Group. We have had a couple parents use the company this year and they received a check with in a couple days for their student’s lost/broken laptop. Their child was without a laptop for less than a week. Depending on the coverage you select it will cost approximately $100 a year to cover a broken or lost laptop.

You can find more information about this company from http://www5.worthavegroup.com/

Blocking Websites from Students

Rick Bedel — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:31:11 +0000

One of the best applications I have found to block categories of websites is called K9 Web Protection. It is a free program that I use myself at home. Here are some of its features.

Web site blocking by category, including pornography, illegal drugs, personals/dating, violence/hate/racism
Easy pre-set levels to choose from depending on the age of your children
SafeSearch enabled on all search engines to show cleaner search results
Time restrictions, including NightGuard(tm), to disallow internet access during designated times
Custom “always allow” and “always block” lists for your personal preferences
Ability to override a block with the parent password
Tamper resistant for more savvy kids
Reports showing activity to categories of web sites
Real-time categorization of new web sites
Compatible with Windows or Mac machines

It is one of the best and free web protection programs I have found. You can download and learn more from http://www1.k9webprotection.com/

ISI at a Glance

Sarah Harrison — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:07:37 +0000

ISI AT A GLANCE

Grades: Pre-Kindergarten (3-Year-Old) through Grade 12
Total number of students: Approximately 540 students, representing 45 nationalities
Class size: A Homeroom is typically between 12 and 16 students.
Students from central Indiana: 75%
Students from other countries, currently living in Indianapolis: 25%
Countries represented include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, England, France, Guatemala, India, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, Turkey.
Number of faculty: 100, representing 20 nationalities
Dedicated educators averaging 15 years teaching experience
Percentage of teaching faculty with advanced degrees: 50%
Percentage of faculty that are native English speakers: 60%
Percentage of faculty that are native Spanish speakers: 25%
Percentage of faculty that are native French speakers: 15%
Several faculty members are on secondment from the French Ministry of Education
Extensive professional development program
All faculty members, from pre-elementary to the High School, are trained IB (International Baccalaureate) practitioners for the relevant level
Teachers engage staff, parents and students as partners in the education of each student

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Overall student-faculty ratio: 9 to 1
All high school students (Grades 11 and 12) take the full International Baccalaureate Diploma
In 2011, ISI became the first school in Indiana to be authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization to offer all three IB programs, and only the second school in the entire Midwest to achieve this distinction.
ISI is the 14th school in the United States to be authorized for all three programs, and only the 8th private school.
High School Graduation Rate: 100%
College Attendance Rate: 100%
IB Diploma Results (Class of 2011) placed ISI among top performing high schools in the USA, and among the top performing international schools around the world
Our graduating class of 34 students in 2011 was offered $4.3 million in academic merit scholarships and these students are now studying at some of the finest universities locally, nationally and internationally
Language Tracks: English-Spanish, English-French and English-Mandarin
A unique combination of programs in the Midwest

LANGUAGES

ISI welcomes new students at any grade level except Grade 12 without any prior knowledge of a foreign language.
In the Upper School (Grades 6-12) all mainstream classes are taught in English. Students fluent in French or Spanish may continue humanities courses taught in those languages through Grade 9.
A strong world language immersion component in the Lower School (Pre-K to Grade 5).
Language Tracks: French, Spanish, and 50/50 Mandarin Chinese and English.
Rich opportunities for Upper School students (Grades 6-12) to continue their chosen language at a high level, or to learn a language from a beginner or intermediate level.
Overseas exchange visits in Grades 6, 9, and 10 allow students to deepen their insights into French and Spanish speaking societies, and practice their language in an authentic setting.

DIVERSITY

ISI maintains a strong commitment to economic and ethnic diversity
In spite of having no endowment, ISI commits at least 10% of tuition income to providing financial assistance to families who would not otherwise be able to attend ISI.
Amounts of assistance awarded range from modest to very significant.

GENERAL

Founded in 1994 as a non-profit secular, coeducational independent school with an emphasis on global learning and foreign language
International Exchange Trips: in Grades 6, 9, and 10
Number of interscholastic teams: 10, Growing and inclusive sports programs, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, tennis, lacrosse, track and field, cross country, golf, and crew.
Pre-elementary through Grade 3 classes are held in a traditional 1940’s school house at 200 W. 49th Street, in the desirable Butler Tarkington neighborhood on the edge of the attractive Butler University campus. Grades 4 through 12 buildings are housed on our new campus of 60 wooded acres at 4330 Michigan Road, north of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and bordered by beautiful woods and the banks of the White River.

ACCREDITATIONS:

Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)
Indiana Department of Education. ISI High School has ‘freeway status’ and all students meeting our graduation requirements receive the Indiana Honors (Core 40) Diploma
French Ministry of Education (elementary French program)
Spanish Ministry of Education. ISI is one of only approximately 100 schools throughout the United States to be recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education.

AUTHORIZATIONS:

International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for students in Grades 11 and 12
International Baccalaureate (IB) authorized to offer the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students in 6-10.
Currently a candidate school for authorization for the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).

MEMBERSHIPS:

Council of International Schools (CIS)
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
European Council of International Schools (ECIS)
Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger (AEFE – organization of French education overseas)
Indianapolis Non-Public Education Association
Indianapolis Private Schools Diversity Consortium, dedicated to increasing diversity in our school communities

DESIGNATIONS:

Confucius Classroom (under the auspices of the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis by the Chinese Language Council International, an affiliate of the Ministry of Education in China).

Grade 6 Heads to Canada and Costa Rica

Michael Urquhart — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:57:19 +0000

As I write this blog, I am still yawning a little from my early morning (3:45am departure from home) trip out to the airport to see a very enthusiastic group of Grade 6 students depart for their exchange trip to Canada! On Monday morning I did it all again to see the Grade 6 Spanish students depart for Costa Rica! Even at 5am, ISI students can make a positive impact! Delta Airlines were very kind and understanding to give Mrs. Wood and me passes to go through security to the departure gate with the group. Fellow passengers and airport security were intrigued to hear where the students were going and the reaction to our students speaking in French was priceless.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer Barbara Wood, our Exchange Coordinator a HUGE thank you for her enthusiasm, time and effort to make this and all our trips more than just another trip but a real and meaningful experience for the students. Many of you are aware of my ‘Tahiti Dream’ for the exchanges and whilst that one might not yet be a reality we are working really hard to look at alternative destinations that are safe yet interesting for our students to have a meaningful exchange experience. We are also working at more opportunities for school to school exchanges and are constantly reaching out to make connections with schools that will not only host ISI students but who will also travel to Indianapolis!

Best Wishes and thanks also to our Exchange Chaperones: Ms. Fartouh, Mr. Halas & Ms. Lovig (Canada) and Ms. Velia Goberna Rodriguez, Ms. Clinton & Mr. Tiefel (Costa Rica).

More confirmation that bilingualism is good for you!

David Garner — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:00:32 +0000

I have mentioned several times in articles and talks the mounting evidence that children raised and educated in two or more languages enjoy numerous cognitive benefits over their monolingual peers. These benefits do not only include the ease with which you can order your meal in a foreign city, or collaborate with fellow workers across the globe, but are also said to include a more ‘nimble’ brain, better creative problem solving skills, better tolerance of uncertainty and so on.

There is also emerging research into how bilingualism may make the brain more resistant to the onset of degenerative brain diseases. The media picked the following story up over the last few days, and I thank parents for bringing this to my attention.

(Source 2/22/11) http://www.suite101.com/content/research-bilingualism-significantly-delays-alzheimersdisease-a351405

Those who speak two languages, or more, and become stricken with Alzheimer’s Disease have cognitive impairment lessened and cope better with Alzheimer’s. A study from the University of York in Toronto which found that knowing a second language is a significant benefit in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease was presented at the annual meeting of the ‘American Association for the Advancement of Science’ in Washington D.C. on Feb. 18, 2011.

Originally published in November of 2010 in the journal Neurology, the study, “Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease: Bilingualism as a form of cognitive reserve” suggests that knowing more than one language significantly delays the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. The study says it delays the onset, on average, by five years.

The study looked at the data of 450 patients who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, with half bilingual and half speaking only one language. They took into account age at time of the diagnosis, work history and educationas well as language history.

The researchers, lead by Dr. Ellen Bialystok, found that those who spoke two languages had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, on average, four years later than those who spoke only one language. Further, for the bilingual people symptoms did not occur until five years further on than they did for those who spoke only one language.

Please refer to the link to read the complete article.

ISI Partners with West Ham United

Matthew Self — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:04:02 +0000

Excuse my bias, but a soccer partnership with West Ham United and their International Academy is a very exciting addition to the International School of Indiana.

A story may help paint the canvas. Back in the winter of 1996, my good friend and (now) Assistant Director of the Academy, Paul Heffer, brings a young West Ham youth team to our sports hall for a pre-Germany tour practice and a fun swim. Paul points out a young lad called, Glen Johnson. Paul says, “he’ll play for England’. Johnson did, does. Paul, in my book is a legend and how he coaches is special.

Through this friendship, an 8 hour drive to Atlanta and an $80 Hammers tattoo – I find myself at the brink of working with Mike Kelleher, manager of the US based International Academy, and ISI joins the fun. Then, during Mike’s visit to Indy, we work on a plan that could put Indy on the international youth soccer map. Mike is a smart guy and knows the US field re soccer. Indy is a city willing and able to bring people in to start something special.

Check out this link: http://blogs.indystar.com/preps/2011/01/28/international-soccer-coach-headed-to-london-training-session/

ISI is an Authorized MYP School

David Garner — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:29:52 +0000

I am delighted to inform you that we have received the confirmation letter from the International Baccalaureate office in Geneva announcing the immediate authorization of our Middle Years Program extending from Grades 6 through 10. Please join me in congratulating Michael Urquhart, the upper school faculty team and our wonderful students on this success!

There are three especially interesting points to note:

Firstly, it is common for authorization to be made conditional on a number of points to be addressed, so we have done particularly well to receive an unconditional authorization. Unconditional authorization in such a short time frame would not have been possible without the great commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of all concerned.

Secondly, we are authorized for the full 5-year MYP, extending from Grade 6 through to Grade 10. This is how the MYP was originally intended. Although many public schools locally are busy adopting the MYP, very few of them in Indiana, to my knowledge, will have the full five year program in one institution.

Thirdly, we are the only school in Indiana and one of very few schools in the Midwest to offer both the 5-year MYP and the 2-year IB Diploma within one school. ISI students entering Grade 6 can now look forward to seven years of world class International Baccalaureate education at ISI.

Our current Grade 8 students are in the unique position of becoming the first students at ISI, and I expect in Indiana, who will be eligible to receive official IB MYP certificates issued from Geneva at the end of their Grade 10. Students who graduate from the MYP this year and next will receive internal IB MYP Certificates issued by ISI.

ISI will also participate in what is called “monitoring of assessment and moderation”. This is external scrutiny and validation by the IB office of our assessment practices, and of the grades that ISI teachers award to their students. The IB office will also send a report to the school with commendations, recommendations and, if appropriate, matters that should be addressed. This is a very powerful process that gives specific feedback to our teachers and ensures that ISI is applying the same standards as other MYP schools around the world.

Achieving IB MYP authorization is an important milestone in our ambition to become the first school in Indiana to offer all three IB programs. Alastair Kay and the Lower School team are hard at work introducing the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) throughout the pre-elementary and elementary grades, and are currently waiting to hear the date of the authorization visit. Once PYP authorization has been attained ISI will offer a remarkable 15 years of world class IB education to students that join us from the age of three!

As you spread the good word about ISI in the wider community please mention these points and invite others to consider giving their own children the lifelong gift of an ISI education. We are pleased to consider new students for entry throughout our school with the exception of Grade 12, and applicants do not need to speak a second language. Our next Open house is at our 49^th Street location on February 10.

Please follow this link to the IndyStar website for more on our story:

http://newsfromyou.indystar.com/posts/international-school-of-indiana-receives-international-baccalaureate-middle-years-programme-myp-authorization-on-its-way-to-becoming-one-of-the-first-pre-elementary-through-grade-12-all-ib-school-in-the-midwest

With best wishes

David Garner

Head of School

International School of Indiana

“Classes in Action” Open House Season Starts October 11

Sarah Harrison — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:48:46 +0000

Prepare your child to be ready for the world stage at the upcoming ISI “Classes in Action” Open Houses.

As a school that is on its way to becoming one of the first pre-elementary through Grade 12, all-IB school in the Midwest for all of its students, ISI features a global and multi-cultural education program that will enrich your child’s opportunities in the world of tomorrow.

Pre-Elementary and Elementary “Classes in Action” Open Houses
Ages 3 – Grade 3

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Thursday, February 2, 2012

8:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
200 W. 49th Street, Indianapolis

Upper School “Classes in Action” Open Houses

Grades 4 -12

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tuesday, November 9, 2011

8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Taurel Building, 4330 N. Michigan Road, Indianapolis

Personal tours are available by contacting the Admissions Office at admissions@isind.org or at +1.317.923.1951 ext. 369