International School in Yokohama, Japan

Yokohama International School:
Yokohama International School is an international school located in Yamate, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan catering primarily to the expatriate community in Yokohama. It consists of a pre- school (Early Learning Centre), a kindergarten/ elementary school (grades K-5), a middle school (6-8) and a high school (9-12), a total of 13 academic years. Founded in 1924, YIS is the 2nd oldest school to have 'international" in its name and the school opened only a few weeks after the first international school, International School of Geneva. The language of instruction is English though Japanese, French, Spanish and Chinese are also taught. The school offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Education in its first 2 years of high school and then an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in the latter 2 years of high school. The SAT is another major external exam offered at this school.

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Our mission is to provide the highest-quality, balanced education to internationally minded students in an inquiring and supportive environment. We seek to inspire students and to provide them with the academic and social skills that will enable them to fulfill their human potential as responsible global citizens.

Our Values:
* We shall be mindful of the needs and rights of others
* We shall be honest in our dealings
* We shall be peaceful in our intentions
* We shall be responsible in our actions
* We shall be supportive of each other

Our Aims:
1. Maintain a school culture of excellence in teaching, achievement, innovation and self-improvement
2. Maintain a supportive, healthy and secure environment for learning and teaching.
3. Deliver a balanced and holistic international education program centered on the learner and the goals of the IB learner profile.
4. Integrate technology as a meaningful and effective part of the educational process.
5. Deliver enriching co/extra-curricular opportunities for students.
6. Provide world-class, environmentally responsible facilities and resources.
7. Attract and retain excellent faculty and staff.
8. Heighten student awareness and engagement in social, environmental and intercultural activities.
9. Ensure wise and effective school governance.
10. Engage parents, alumni and the local and foreign community in support of the school.
11. Ensure a financially sound and operationally efficient organization.

The following areas reveal the most valued aspects of our approach:

Time: unhurried time for the children to experience their hours at school

Space: ample space for the children to leave unfinished work, to be continued the next day; space which inspires the children to work; space that fosters natural light, harmonious colors; space for comfortable, child-sized areas

Climate: a classroom atmosphere reflecting adult encouragement and acceptance of mistakes, risk-taking, along with certain amounts of mess, noise, and freedom

Occasions: for adventures

IT: use of computers for creativity, and not only for functional purposes
Natural Resources; provide the children with recycled goods and natural resources from the environment, whenever possible

Our approach also takes into account the following principles:

* The different rates at which children learn, and the wide range of normal variation which can occur in an age group
* Learning is a balance between the intellectual, the social, and the personal; each is important and each is interlinked with others
* Children must be given the opportunity to speak and be listened to in all the many languages – art, music, physical activity, dramatic play are woven into the daily experiences of learning with and through others

Preschool; Elementary School; Middle School, High School programmes. We offer Primary Years Program and Reggio Emilio Pre-school, International Baccalaureate Diploma and Certificate, International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). The language of instruction is English though Japanese, French, Spanish and Chinese are also taught.

Student Support Services at YIS is a collaborative cross-divisional team that provides a support structure to ensure the well-being of students and the broader YIS community with regard to health, social-emotional growth, learning, English language proficiency, and college and career counseling. Team members teach programs throughout the school to promote identified aims and support students, teachers, and parents as needs arise.