International School in San Francisco Bay Area

International School of the Peninsula (ISTP):
International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) in Palo Alto in Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, is an accredited, co-educational, bilingual immersion school offering French & Chinese (Mandarin) immersion programs to pre-school, elementary school and middle school students. One of the most meaningful gifts you can give your child is that of an exemplary education; one that opens doors and provides opportunities for success in an interconnected world.

Early Years French Program:
The Early Years are when students are learning how to be a member of a school community as well as a time for laying the foundations for learning skills and concepts. At ISTP, students are learning both aspects of school in two languages. Our Maternelle (Early Years Program) allows students to learn, grow and be challenged in a nurturing and inspiring environment. The students discover, create, think, learn, and play in both French and English.

Early Years Chinese Program:
Bilingualism and bi-literacy are considered curricular goals in themselves, while they also strengthen students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and creative thinking skills. In addition to acquiring skills and knowledge in Chinese and English, students also develop and expand their perspective on the world through their interactions with diverse people and ideas. This facilitates more productive and meaningful participation in multicultural and international settings.

Elementary French Program:
Students enrolled in our French Program will spend 70%-80% of their time immersed in French. Our program is comprehensive with French and English teachers complementing and reinforcing each other’s teaching strategies and content in a proactive way. Teachers also jointly determine and address our students’ needs. Students enrolled in our elementary school enjoy specialty courses in art and music taught in French. In addition to these courses, our curriculum seamlessly integrates technology into the program. Our full-time Technology Coordinator assists teachers in creating projects that are completed in both languages starting in the first grade.

Elementary Chinese Program:
Our Elementary School immersion program is rich and challenging and is designed to build on the bilingual foundation that was laid during our (Early Years Program). To gain entry into our elementary school, students must already be proficient in Chinese. For children without experience in the second language, entry may only be made during the early years (nursery, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten). A language proficiency test may be required for entry into our elementary school.

International Middle School Courses:
- English Language Arts
- American History
- Physical Education
- French Language Arts
- Chinese Language Arts
- History and Geography in French
- History and Geography in Chinese
- Music in French
- Music in Chinese
- Visual Art in French and Chinese
- Mathematics in French
- Mathematics in English
- Science in French
- Science in English
- Spanish Taught in English
- French Taught in English
- Chinese Taught in English
- Spanish Taught in French
- Latin Taught in French

Summer Camps (Chinese, French, Spanish, ESL):
The International School of the Peninsula’s Language Immersion Summer Camp is designed to give children entering nursery through middle school a unique opportunity to spend their summer break having fun learning or improving in a second language. Students are grouped according to both grade level and language proficiency.