Middle School Assessment
Tsukuba International School is a *candidate school for the Middle Years Programme (MYP) of the International Baccalaureate (IB). We are pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy – a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Tsukuba International School believes is important for our students.
Here at Tsukuba International School, the middle school has been granted ‘Candidate Status’ for its first year of operation. The 2010/2011 academic year has begun with a Grade 7/8 class working on the new curriculum. This means that students will be receiving a new style of report card geared to the objectives of the Middle Years Programme.
In each subject students will receive a level of achievement for the assessment criteria which will then be collated to determine the final grade. Each subject has different criteria and grade boundaries. Please refer to Assessment in the Middle School for specific details including the ‘General Grade Descriptors’.
Prospective parents are encouraged to click the admission procedures tab above, attend an open school day, or contact us for more information about the school and its programmes. Our MYP Coordinator, Mr. Shaun Beilby, will be happy to answer your questions.
See also: Tsukuba International School to Launch Middle School in September 2010
*Note: Only schools authorized by the IB organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (DP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit the International Baccalaureate website.
Important Dates in August and September 2010
Here are some important dates that are coming up in August and September.
August 27 (Friday): Parent Orientation Meeting (2pm)
August 31: (Tuesday) First Day of School
September 15 (Wednesday): Open School Day
September 18 (Saturday): Kamiyamori Concert
September 20 (Monday): School Holiday
September 23 (Thursday): School Holiday
September 27 to October 1 (Mon-Fri): Parent-Teacher Conferences
TIS Open School Day: September 2010
Tsukuba International School has an Open School Day once per month to allow people to come and visit the school, observe some classes, and talk to the school staff. If you would like to have more information about the school, these Open School Days are a perfect opportunity for you to see the school in action. Click here to make a reservation to attend one of the Open School Days.
The Open School Day for September 2010 will be held on
Wednesday, September 15, 2010.
Schedule
9:30am: Introduction to Tsukuba International School
10:00am: Visit Language Arts Class
10:30am: Talk to off-duty teachers during recess time
11:00am: Visit Science or Social Studies Class
11:30am: Finish
Reservation
If you are interested in attending one of our Open School Days, please fill out this form to make a reservation. Or, if you would like to see the school, but you are not available on any of these days, you can use the form to request a private tour on another date.
Future Dates
- Tuesday, October 5, 2010
- Wednesday, November 10, 2010
- Tuesday, December 7, 2010
- Wednesday, January 12, 2011
- Tuesday, February 8, 2011
- Wednesday, March 16, 2011
- Tuesday, April 12, 2011
- Wednesday, May 18, 2011
- Tuesday, June 7, 2011
These dates can also be seen on our school calendar.
TIS Open School Days
Tsukuba International School has an Open School Day once per month to allow people to come and visit the school, observe some classes, and talk to the school staff. If you would like to have more information about the school, these Open School Days are a perfect opportunity for you to see the school in action. Click here to make a reservation to attend one of the Open School Days.
Open School Days in 2010-11
- Wednesday, September 15, 2010
- Tuesday, October 5, 2010
- Wednesday, November 10, 2010
- Tuesday, December 7, 2010
- Wednesday, January 12, 2011
- Tuesday, February 8, 2011
- Wednesday, March 16, 2011
- Tuesday, April 12, 2011
- Wednesday, May 18, 2011
- Tuesday, June 7, 2011
These dates can also be seen on our blog and on our school calendar.
Schedule
9:30am: Introduction to Tsukuba International School
10:00am: Visit Language Arts Class
10:30am: Talk to off-duty teachers during recess time
11:00am: Visit Science or Social Studies Class
11:30am: Finish
Reservation
If you are interested in attending one of our Open School Days, please fill out this form to make a reservation. Also, if you would like to see the school, but you are not available on any of these days, you can use the form to request a private tour on another date.
TIS Now Accepting Students for September 2010 Academic Year
Tsukuba International School develops critical thinkers and lifelong learners by providing opportunities for inquiry, creativity, and discovery, where respect for self, others and the environment is a core value.
Tsukuba International School (TIS) is currently accepting applications for students to start in September 2010.
TIS is located in the western area of Tsukuba, in a forested area which lets the natural environment become a part of the classroom. The school is a 15-minute drive from the center of Tsukuba, a nine minute drive from Kenkyu Gakuen Station (site of the new Tsukuba City Hall government building), and a seven minute drive from Banpaku Kinen Koen Station. We offer bus services from various locations in Tsukuba, including Banpaku Kinen Koen Station on the Tsukuba Express Line and Arakawaoki Station on the Joban Line. Please inquire for more details.
TIS is a full-time elementary school (Grades 1 to 6) and junior high school (Grade 7) for children of all nationalities. We will introduce a Grade 8 class in September 2012 and eventually offer up to Grade 10. The school was founded in 1992 in response to the need for an English-based educational opportunity for students in the Tsukuba area.
All of our homeroom teachers are native English speakers who are certified teachers in their countries of origin. Our staff consists of six homeroom teachers (from Australia, Canada, and the US), six part-time teachers (from Japan and the US), one school administrator (from Canada), and a principal (from Japan).
We are currently a candidate school for both the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and we are developing a curriculum that follows the standards and practices of the IB PYP and MYP. (Please note that our candidate status does not imply that we will automatically receive authorization from the IB.)
Please see the tuition page on our website for information about our fees. Also, if your children are in need of a scholarship to support their studies, please contact us to discuss your options.
If you are interested in learning more about Tsukuba International School, please have a look at our website or contact the school directly. We also have open school days (reservation necessary) once a month where you can observe the school in action.
Thank you for your interest in our school and we look forward to your visit!
Important Dates in June 2010
Here are some important dates that are coming up in June.
Jun 1 (Tuesday) – Open School Day
Jun 3 (Thurs) – PYP Exhibition
Jun 17-18 (Thurs/Fri) – International Baccalaureate Pre-Authorization Visit
Jun 20 (Sun) – Kamiyamori Concert
Jun 23 (Wed) – Last Day of Classes
Jun 24 (Thurs) – Summer Break, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Japan School News
Caroline Pover, the publisher of the Guide to International Schools in Japan and leader of the Being-a-Broad network (a support and information network for international women living in Japan), has recently launched a monthly newsletter and website called Japan School News (http://www.japanschoolnews.com/). The newsletter highlights various events and activities in the international school community in Japan.
Copies of the monthly newsletters are distributed to our students every month. Extra copies are available at Tsukuba International School and online (click here to download the latest issue as a pdf file).
Tsukuba Spelling Bee
Tsukuba International School is working together with the Tsukuba International Association to host a special event at Tsukuba Festival 2010: Tsukuba’s very first spelling bee!
Date: Saturday, May 15, 2010
Time: 3:30pm to 5:00pm
Place: Tsukuba City Hall (meeting room 3 on the second floor of the new building near Kenkyu Gakuen Station) — (map)
A spelling bee is a competition where students are given words to spell and they stay in the competition as long as they continue to spell words correctly. These kinds of events are very popular in classrooms in Canada and the United States, and there are even some very prestigious national-level competitions in some countries. (Japan recently held its first spelling bee thanks to the Japan Times. Two students from Tsukuba International School participated in the Japan Times Bee which was held in Tokyo in March.)
At the Tsukuba Spelling Bee, students from Tsukuba International School will compete together with students from other elementary schools in Tsukuba. Prizes will be awarded for participation and merit. If your child is interested in participating, please contact the Tsukuba International Association (029-869-9675, inter[at]tsukubacity.or.jp) to sign up.
Words on this list have been divided into four categories:
Great Speller
Super Speller
Fantastic Speller
Champion Speller
The Tsukuba Spelling Bee will start with the words in the “Great Speller” list and gradually get harder. In general, words in the spelling bee will be chosen from this list, but the judges may also decide to use words chosen from an English dictionary if the students’ spelling ability surpasses the words on the list and there is no other way to determine a champion.
Important Dates in May 2010
Here are some important dates that are coming up in May.
May 3 (Mon) – Golden Week Break (school closed to 7th)
May 9 (Sun) – Kamiyamori Concert
May 10 (Mon) – Classes Resume
May 15 (Sat) – Spelling Bee at new City Hall building
May 19 (Wed) – Open School Day
May 22 (Sat) – Kamiyamori Concert
Jun 3 (Thurs) – PYP Exhibition
Please note that the school’s Golden Week break is slightly different from the regular national holidays. May 6 and 7 are school holidays.
Also, here are some important dates that are coming up in June.
Jun 1 (Tuesday) – Open School Day
Jun 3 (Thurs) – PYP Exhibition
Jun 17-18 (Thurs/Fri) – International Baccalaureate Pre-Authorization Visit
Jun 20 (Sun) – Kamiyamori Concert
Jun 23 (Wed) – Last Day of Classes
Jun 24 (Thurs) – Summer Break, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Tsukuba International School to Launch Middle School in September 2010
In September 2010, Tsukuba International School will be launching its junior high school programme, starting with a Grade 7/8 class for the first year and eventually offering up to Grade 10.
Our school is now a *candidate school for both the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) of the International Baccalaureate. We are pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that we believe is important for our students.
The junior high school will eventually comprise Grades 6 to 10. In the 2010-11 academic year, the Grade 7/8 class will be working on the new curriculum. The Grade 5/6 class will do the final year of the Primary Years Programme before entering the junior high school in the following year.
Preparations are underway for the official launch in September 2010:
- The school has appointed a Middle Years Programme Coordinator.
- Staff are undertaking training in all areas of the Middle Years Programme.
- The curriculum framework is being developed.
- Policies regarding student life and well-being at the school have been written.
- A new timetable is under construction.
- New furniture has been added to the classrooms.
- A new student resource centre with computers, audio-visual equipment and a library is being finalised.
- The current grade 6/7 class has moved into a new, previously unused, second floor classroom.
Prospective parents are encouraged to contact us, explore the tuition page, attend an open day or click the admission procedures tab and follow the links.
*Note: Only schools authorized by the IB organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (DP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit the International Baccalaureate website.