Yanbu International School
 |
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
|
| Yanbu International School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Yanbu, Saudi Arabia | |
| Information | |
| Established | 1979 |
| Principal | Mr. Paul Thompson |
| Color(s) | Black and White |
| Mascot | Stallion |
| Website | School web site |
Yanbu International School (YIS) is an American-accredited school located in the residential area of the coastal city of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia and the only one situated on the western side of the country. Accredited by the Middle States Association, it is part of the International Schools Group, an organization that runs eight schools across Saudi Arabia. It is directed by the head district and the Board of Trustees in Dhahran and licensed by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education, YIS is committed to providing a high standard of education to the expatriate community of Yanbu, open to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The student body of 338 students is divided into three levels: elementary (grades K-6), middle school (grades 7-8), and high school (grades 9-12).
Contents |
[edit] History
Yanbu International School was established by the Royal Commission of Yanbu in 1979 and was administered by International School's Services, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A. In 1988, YIS became a member of Saudi Arabian International Schools, Dhahran District (SAIS-DD) and a part of the International Schools Group in 1998.
[edit] Facilities
[edit] Cafeteria
The Y.I.S. school cafeteria can hold around 150 students. To incorporate variety, the menu changes everyday, serving students and staff members different foods. In addition, the school is extremely strict for the foods that sell in the cafeteria; the staff members sell and healthy foods for everyone with a lower cost than the original price.
[edit] Library
The school campus includes a library that contains approximately 30,000 volumes covering all genres and audiences. It includes an informative non-fiction section, an entertaining fiction section, and a section that contains books targeted towards younger students. The library contains five research computers, a photocopier, a printer, and six computers that run an advanced catalog software system that helps students locate books. Each individual YIS student and teacher has a library ID and can check out books for pleasure and research purposes.
[edit] Physical Education
There is a weight-lifting room equipped with the essentials for working out, including everything from dumb bells to treadmills. The school campus includes a gymnasium that holds equipment for many sports including football, American football, hockey, basketball, table-tennis, cricket, badminton, baseball, volleyball, and track and field. The gym includes a changing room for girls and boys. The school ground has a 100 meter sprinting track, a sandy playground area, and a hard court. The sand area includes swings, seesaws, slides, and monkey bars for the younger students, while the hard court includes bleachers and the facilities for a variety of different sports.
[edit] Technology
The school has three constantly-upgraded computer labs with printers, scanners, and Intel Core2 computers. The school has provided laptops for the students to use in one of the computer labs. The school has a cyber equivalent that is powered by the Moodle engine. It uses online classrooms such as NVS (NESA Virtual School) and Moodle for students to communicate with their teachers when they are not physically present.
[edit] Fine arts
The school has a music room equipped with a variety of musical instruments, including autoharps, xylophones, recorders, pianos, guitars, drums, flutes, tambourines, triangles, etc. It also has an art room that has a complete supply of arts and craft materials.
[edit] Safety and security
At least once a month, YIS holds emergency drills like fire drills, lockdown drills, and earthquake drills to teach students how to react in the case of such events. The school is protected by strong security, including cameras, police, guards, surrounding walls, barbed wire fencing, and barricades. The school nurse is available to administer medication and any other necessary medical assistance during school hours.
[edit] Other
YIS also provides a nursery in which staff members' youngest children are cared for during school hours. The school has an auditorium with a sound system, air-conditioning, lighting, and the capacity to hold more than 1,000 people. The school provides free bus services for students and staff members to go to and from school.
[edit] Students
Yanbu International School is a small but diverse school. It has a total of 338 students, with an age range of 4 year olds to 18 year olds. The school is divided to 3 levels: high school, middle school, and elementary school. Yanbu International School's students are mostly of four different nationalities: Pakistani, Indian, Filipino, and Malaysian. The school also has Iraqi, Korean, Canadian, and American students, but they are small in number.
[edit] Faculty
Y.I.S. has thirty teachers from Canada, United States, New Zealand, India, Iraq, South Korea, Lebanon, Britain, and Jordan. They are assisted by twelve teacher assistants who also provide supervision in the work room, cafeteria, hard court, and playground. The administration also includes a business office manager, an administrative secretary, and a nurse who provides medical assistance when necessary during school hours. The school has a network technician who takes care of the technological aspects of the school.
[edit] Curriculum
Learning at the elementary stage at Y.I.S. revolves around the principles of integrity and character development, providing students strong knowledge and the ability to think, socialize, and communicate effectively. Middle and high school students are instilled with the developmental skills of independent thinking, test-taking, and the study skills required to reach respected universities.
Yanbu International School offers a great high school program to prepare the students for further education. A student must pass this program to earn a high school diploma. The program is helpful in preparing individuals for a four year college or university course of studies. The academic plan for middle school and high school includes math, science, social studies, specials, and elective classes. High school math covers algebra, geometry, and calculus. In English, students study different works of literature, grammar, usage and composition. High school science comprises biology, chemistry, and physics, while high school social studies includes an in-depth study of U.S. History, World History, Ancient History, and Economy. High school special courses include Global Languages, Physical Education, Saudi Arabian History and Geography, Literacy, Community Service, and CALM.
[edit] Assessment
At Y.I.S., assessment occurs not only in the form of unit tests and exams per semester, but also as homework, projects, essays, and other assignments in which students are required to apply their critical thinking skills and go beyond the evident. Report cards for middle school and high school are sent home at the end of each quarter, while elementary reports go home every trimester. Any letter grade above an F is considered a passing grade for high school and middle school courses. Besides the quarterly report, high school students get a report per semester based 80% on achieved grades and 20% on semester exams. Each letter grade has a corresponding grade point, which is then averaged out to determine whether the student is eligible for the Honor Roll or High Honor Roll. Students with a high grade point average demonstrating the attributes of integrity, honesty, and character are placed on the Honor Roll/ High Honor Roll. A student must receive a grade point average of 3.5 to receive the Honor Roll and a GPA of 3.75 to be eligible for High Honor Roll.
[edit] Tuition fees
The tuition fee for pre-kindergarten enrollments in the current school year of 2009-2010 is 10,070 Saudi riyals. The tuition fee for enrollments in Kindergarten-Grade 6 is 41,870 riyals. Each enrollment in Grade 7-8 costs 43,355 riyals, while the high school tuition fee is 46,680 riyals. An initial registration fee of 1,500 Saudi riyals should be deposited for each new enrollment made.
[edit] Activities and events
Yanbu International School hosts a variety of activities for its students. These activities, usually done during lunchtime or after school, allow students to learn and enhance different skills and abilities, such as communication, leadership, art, sports, languages, and music. Y.I.S. also hosts tournaments, and has a team called The Stallions. The players of the team might, if the school is hosting a tournament, host other players from other cities and vice versa. The Stallions has won many tournaments and has been awarded with gold medals as well.
[edit] Celebrations
Each school year, the school observes and celebrates different occasions, such as Dr. Seuss’ Birthday, and 100th Day of School.
100th Day of School is celebrated by the younger students at Yanbu International School. After 100 days of school, students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 2 participate in activities and spend an entire day understanding how much the number 100 is.
Dr. Seuss day is celebrated by the elementary students. It includes readings and related activities of the famed children's author on his birthday. Also, they watch a movie and eat food based on the book Green Eggs and Ham. Because the majority of the students are Muslims, the ham is replaced by chicken. For vegetarians, they have a different menu which consists of eggs and other vegetables.
Further, because it is an international school, the school always organize the "UN Day." There are approximately thirty-two different nationalities in this school. Therefore, the school does this as a routine to help each individuals in the school to understand and respect other beliefs and culture. As a result, their student always shows their courtesy to everyone.
[edit] Talent shows
Held a couple of times each school year, these events give the students at Yanbu International School an opportunity to help others appreciate music and dances. Talent shows are generally shown to the entire school in a dress rehearsal a day before the actual talent show. The talent show features both modern and cultural songs/dances. The drama club may also perform in these shows. The students from classes K-6 go on stage and sing songs as directed by the teacher. Students in grades 7-9 may also perform in these shows, but it depends on whether these classes have music in that quarter/semester.
[edit] External links
