I am extraordinarily pleased to report that on November 17, 2011, Tsukuba International School became an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP). It has been a three-year long journey to get us to this point and the entire school community shares the right to be proud of this accomplishment.
Being an IB World School authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme means that we are dedicated to offering a world-class education to our students. Everything we do in a day is designed to foster students who can think critically, who understand the importance of a lifelong dedication to learning, and who take the time to reflect on their actions and decisions. We bring the world into our classrooms to help the students develop appreciation and respect for people of all cultures and all walks of life.
You can learn more about what it means to be an IB PYP school on the IBO website.
We are the 12th PYP school to be authorized in Japan and the 22nd school to become an IB World School in Japan. We are the only PYP school north of Tokyo in Japan and one of two IB World Schools north of Tokyo in Japan (Gunma Kokusai Academy offers the Diploma Programme). In total, there are 3,290 IB World Schools in 141 countries. The Primary Years Programme is offered at 846 of these schools.
I would like to thank all of the staff, students, parents, board members, and other members of the TIS community who helped the school reach this pivotal day in its history. It is important to remember that on April 1, 2008 (when our former principal, Mr. Kano, took over the school), we had 8 students and the school was housed in a remodelled garage. We now have over 80 students, an impressive 10-classroom school building, we are officially recognized as an educational institution (学校法人) by the government of Ibaraki Prefecture, and now we have received authorization to offer the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Programme. We are a school with a great deal of potential and we have only just started to show the world what we can do.
It is an exciting time to be a part of Tsukuba International School and I am delighted to be sharing the journey with all of you. I strongly believe that our location here in Tsukuba Science City is a major factor in our successes. Let’s build a better Tsukuba — and a better world — together, through education.
Ms. Shaney Crawford
Principal
プレスリリース：国際バカロレア・初等教育課程実施校に認定されました。 (pdf)