Xiamen International School
| Xiamen International School 厦门国际学校 |
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 262 Xingbei San Lu, Xinglin, Jimei District, Xiamen, People's Republic of China |
|
| Coordinates | 24°35′03″N 118°02′45″E / 24.584242°N 118.045886°E |
| Information | |
| School Colour(s) | Blue, Gold |
| Mascot | Dolphin |
| Tuition | 18000 USD |
 |
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
Xiamen International School (XIS) is a private, international school for foreigners living in Xiamen, China. Only children holding foreign passports may enroll. The school was established in August 1997 and is located in the southern coast of China in Fujian Province, and is considered the most prestigious bilingual school there. XIS was the first international school to be established in Fujian Province by the Ministry of Education.
It is typical to hear a multitude of languages at XIS, including Arabic, Chinese, Korean, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, German, etc. XIS has an annual International Day, where everyone has a chance to express their own culture by bringing in their culture's food.
This school offers PreK–12th grade, with an American-based curriculum and has over 250 students from over 25 countries. XIS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
XIS also takes part in sports tournaments, Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS). Students are able to travel to other international schools to compete for championships and meet other international students.
Tuition fees range from $17000-$18000 USD per year. Additional fees include buses- $400 USD per year, activity fee- $250 USD per year, and registration fee (for new students only)- $200 USD.
Contents |
[edit] Elementary School Students
XIS elementary students learn English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. They also visit specialist classrooms where they learn Art, Music, Physical Education and Information Technology. Students also learn a second language – either Mandarin or English.
All of this is done under the framework of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, or IB-PYP. (XIS became an IBPYP authorized school in October, 2004.) PYP is designed for children between the ages of 3 and 12.
[edit] Middle School Students
XIS Middle School offers the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. (IBMYP) The MYP is a course of study designed to meet the educational needs of students aged 11 – 16 years. XIS was authorized to offer the MYP in 2004.
In addition to the core subjects - English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities - all students also attend classes in Art, IT, Physical Education, and a second language – either French, Mandarin or ESOL (English for speakers of other languages). Music is also available for all grades.
[edit] High School Students
For High School, XIS is in the International Baccalaureate Programme. Students grade 11-12 participate in the IB Diploma Programme. The first batch of students in this program completed their IB Diploma in May, 2008. Graduates of XIS now attend universities such as University of California, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, University of Southern California, New York University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Brandeis University.
[edit] After School Programs
Commonly referred to as ASPs, XIS offers volleyball, soccer, basketball, table tennis, taekwondo, badminton, swimming, track and field, peers tutoring, strategy board games, yearbook, Model UN, and many more.
[edit] Lunch
Lunch service at XIS is provided by Masako Curry House. Students or staff interested in purchasing lunch from Masako need to buy a lunch IC card. Recharging money to lunch cards can be done every day in the cafeteria with the Masako staff directly. The Assistant Teacher of each grade can help younger students (PreK-Grade 3) to reload their lunch cards.
Masako offers a small buffet. The choices include such items as spaghetti, sandwich, sushi, hamburger and curry rice, as well as vegetables, fruits and deserts. The cost of one lunch is 20RMB ($3.08 USD) for elementary students and 30RMB ($4.61 USD) for the middle and high school students.
Students can also choose to bring their own lunch (refrigerators and microwave ovens are available).
[edit] Facilities
Xiamen International School's new facilities opened in 2002. The new facility is 30,000 square meters in size. The school has a library of almost 11,000 titles, gymnasium, a soccer field, a running track, three basketball courts, an indoor swimming pool, library, science labs, and a large cafeteria which can fit all students and teachers. In addition to a full-sized gymnasium and swimming pool, the school offers a running track, outdoor basketball and volleyball courts and a fully equipped weight room.
In addition to a large number of regular classrooms, XIS also has two computer labs, a ceramics room, spaces for art and music and well-equipped science labs.
[edit] Transportation
XIS offers optional transportation service to all students who live in most areas of Xiamen. The buses pick up students in the morning and drop off students after school at the designated point each day. The routes on most bus services take a travel time of 20–50 minutes, arriving at school between 8:00 and 8:20am and departing in the afternoon at 3:25 and 4:45pm. The late bus at 4:45pm is provided for students who participate in after school programs. The later bus at 5:30 is occasionally for sports.
Each bus is equipped with a mobile phone and is supervised by a Bus Monitor. Bus monitors check students as they board/leave the bus and ensure they remain seated during their journey.
However, sometimes, due to uncontrollable weather problems, such as a typhoon, the buses may be delayed. In this case, the passengers may not arrive at their destination until much later. For some of the more distant stops, the bus may not be able to drop the passengers off until as late as 8:00 PM.
[edit] Faculty
XIS teachers come from the United States, Canada, China, Great Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Philippines, South Korea, Australia, and Russia. All teachers are certified. XIS has a combination of new and highly experienced teachers, with an average experience base of eleven years. In addition, they provide on-going staff development, so that most of the teachers have been trained in the International Baccalaureate Program, ESOL in the Mainstream and other recognized and well-known programs.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 24°35′03″N 118°02′45″E / 24.584242°N 118.045886°E
