Shanghai Community International School

About SCIS

SCIS is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the National Council of Curriculum and Textbook (NCCT), as well as authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum World School. Additionally, SCIS is a member of the East Asia

Regional Conference of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) and the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS).

With over twenty years of rich tradition, SCIS offers a truly unique international experience. The SCIS community is unparalleled, consisting of a diverse mix of outstanding teachers, students, and parents representing over sixty nationalities and thirty-five languages, across six continents. SCIS leverages this unique community to provide a personalized approach to holistic education, ensuring all students have the opportunity to be successful.

As an IB World School, SCIS provides a full continuum of programs from Nursery through Grade Twelve, including the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP). The IB is an academically rigorous, college-preparatory program which is balanced by an emphasis on personal development and fostering artistic, athletic, and global

citizenship endeavors. Under the aegis of the IB, the SCIS Mission is to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring learners who contribute positively to their communities.

This mission has propelled SCIS to the forefront of education in Shanghai.

Primary Year Programme (PYP) prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both within and beyond the classroom. (Age 2-10/Nursery to Grade 5)

Middle Year Programme (MYP) is a challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. The MYP is a five-year programme, which can be implemented in a partnership between schools. Students who complete the MYP are well-prepared to undertake the IB Diploma Programme (DP). (Age 11-15/Grade 6-Grade 10)

Diploma Programme (DP)
is designed as an academically challenging and balanced program of education with final examinations that prepares students for success at university and life beyond. (Age 16-17/Grade 11 and Grade 12)

World-class facilities 

Our purpose-built facilities reflect our school mission, allowing us to provide a wide range of spaces for our students to pursue personal and academic excellence. Our innovative classrooms are all equipped with developmentally appropriate resources and technology and were designed to be flexible to support a variety of learning experiences.

SCIS features a centralized state-of-the-art indoor air filtration system across all of our campuses. Our three campuses feature: 

·       6 lanes, 25-meter length swimming pools

·       Two-story, 700 seat auditoriums

·       10,000 square foot Black Box theatre

·       Art Gallery

·       Rock Climbing walls

·       Indoor Basketball Courts

·       Strength and Conditioning Weight Rooms

·       Full health clinic staffed by professional nurses from WorldPath clinic

·       Dance Halls

·       Art Studios

·       All-weather outdoor soccer pitches

·       Outdoor Jungle Gym Playgrounds

·       Indoor Fun Center: ball pits, sand pits and slides

·       Science and Computer Labs

·       Audio Visual Media Lab

Early Childhood Education (ECE)– Nursery to Kindergarten

The Early Childhood Program at SCIS immerses children in an atmosphere of wonder and growth.  It focuses on the development of the whole-child by providing opportunities for children to learn and practice newly acquired skills.   Our program challenges students just beyond their level of present mastery and provides opportunities for them to take risks and try new things in a nurturing community where they feel safe, happy and valued.

The academic component of the early childhood program is based upon 38 objectives for development and learning that are distributed into four overarching areas: social-emotional development, physical development, cognitive development and language development.  

Subjects taught in ECE:

·       English Language Arts

·       Mathematics

·       Science

·       Social Studies

·       Mandarin

·       Performing Arts (Music)

·       Information Communication Technology (ICT)

·       Physical Education

Lower School (GRADE 1 – 5)

At SCIS, Lower School students learn all the basics – reading and writing, math and science, social studies and spelling, but it is the spirit of the schools that make it such a special places.  The intangibles are what set our program apart and inspire our students, parents, and faculty.  The spirit resides in the special relationships students form with their teachers, in the unique approach our educators take to basic materials and bring to each classroom, and in the special programs that involve families and the community.

From the art room to the theater where creativity can be limitless, to hands-on science experiments that have students clamoring to be novice scientists, we offer an educational environment that stimulates each student’s creative and academic interests, encouraging an early love of learning.  Based on the best standards and practices used around the world, our curriculum meets the wide range of learning needs and backgrounds of international students.  The balance in our curriculum between academics and the arts, technological and experiential, fun and challenging, exposes each curious child to the endless possibilities for lifelong learning.

In the Lower School, most subjects are taught by the homeroom teacher, except those mark (*) which are taught by specialists:

English (Language Arts)
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Mandarin Language and Culture*

Physical Education*
Integrate Computer Education*
Music*
Visual Arts*
Rhythm and movement*

Upper School (GRADE 6 – 12)

Welcome to the Upper School of Shanghai Community International School. Our mission is to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring learners who contribute positively to their communities. SCIS is an amazing place to learn – as an educational community we have a diverse student body, a dedicated network of supportive parents, a world-class curriculum, and fantastic facilities.

We are a 3-Programme IB World School with a successful IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12, and IB Middle Years Programme for Grades 6-10. As such, the IB mission statement and the IB Learner Profile pervades everything we do in the Upper School – developing students who will make the world a better and more peaceful place is not something we take lightly!

We recognize that the tremendous academic success of our student body would not be possible if we did not work so hard to make sure they were available for learning. We do this by focusing on approaches to teaching with our staff and approaches to learning with our students. Whether students leave us to go to pursue their post-secondary dreams or move with their families to other schools around the world, we try to make sure we provide them with a toolbox of learning and life skills – what we sometimes refer to as “learning to learn” and “knowing how to know”. These include skills in communication, thinking, self-management, research and social skills, including the so-called ‘soft-skills’ that we know to be some of the hardest for students to acquire – resilience, perseverance, self-motivation, and mindfulness.

Our core program in Grades 6-10 consists of Language & Literature, Language Acquisition (a choice of Mandarin, Spanish or French), Sciences, Individuals and Societies, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics, Design and the Arts (a choice of Music, Drama, Media and Visual Arts). These are delivered with the big picture in mind, purposefully contextualized to ensure students can see connections between their learning and the world around them, with some space to inquire and pursue their own interests, and with timely and actionable feedback built in to the process to ensure continuous growth. In addition, students have thirty minutes a day in Dragon Time – a fantastic opportunity to work in small groups with an advisor in a number of key areas including, social-emotional well-being, learning skills development, career-counselling as well as school and community spirit initiatives.

Our Diploma Programme caters to students in Grades 11-12 and is recognized as the gold standard in preparing students for the rigors of University and beyond into their future careers. We work closely with students to select appropriate courses that will lead to successful placement in the eventual programs of their choice in the University of their choice.

SCIS is not just about what happens in the classroom and we have a thriving and successful athletics program, a vibrant performing arts scene with performances in drama, music, and dance happening regularly as well a burgeoning service culture with students working in our community and taking meaningful action.

Language Learning 

The study of additional languages in the IB Programs provides students with the opportunity to develop insights into the features, processes and craft of language and culture, and to realize that there are diverse ways of living, viewing and behaving in the world.

SCIS creates a multi-lingual learning environment in which the language of instruction is English, while also fostering other languages, including mother tongue. The acquisition of additional languages provides students the opportunity to thrive within our culturally rich community. The ability to communicate in more than one language is essential to the concept of an international education that promotes intercultural understanding, and is central to the IB’s mission.  Language Acquisition (second language) in our MYP and DP programs provide the opportunities for students to study Mandarin, French, or Spanish.

Acquiring an additional language and exploring and reflecting on the cultural perspectives of our own and other communities:

·       equips students with the necessary multi-literacy skills and attitudes to communicate successfully in various global contexts;

·       adds proficiency in an additional language while supporting maintenance of their mother tongue and cultural heritage;

·       develops the student’s communication skills necessary for further language learning, and for study, work and leisure in a range of authentic contexts and for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Mandarin Program

The Mandarin Program is a unit-based language program and aligned, where possible, to the PYP Language scope and sequence. Students attend Mandarin for 40 minutes a day. Our program offers five levels: Novice 1, Novice 2, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, and Experienced. Students are assessed for level placement. All levels integrate listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students have a variety of ways to approach learning, such as project-based learning, story-telling, and other activities related to Chinese culture.

French or Spanish

French and Spanish are languages that will be taught in Upper School at various ability levels and across a number of grades. The aims of the study of modern foreign languages are to acquire the basis of a means of communication and an understanding of the linguistic, cultural, and social elements of the communities where these languages are spoken. In addition, we aim to develop an appreciation of a variety of literary and nonliterary texts, thus giving access to multiple sources of information. Finally, it is hoped that this activity will be life-long and enjoyable.

Danish

Danish School in Shanghai has existed for more than 9 years.  The teaching is structured around the rules and regulations stipulated by the Danish Education Ministry. They teach from 1 klasse through till 9. klasse and teaching isbased on Skrivevejen, Stavevejen and/or Sådansk. Classes are weekly 90-minute lessons.

Dutch

Language One is one of the largest official Dutch Language and Culture Schools (NTC) worldwide and has provided lessons in Dutch language and culture to Dutch and Belgian students in Shanghai for more than 15 years.  They host Dutch mother tongue and culture programs in Shanghai at SCIS Main Campus, ECE Campus, and Pudong Campus.  The mother tongue and culture programs follow the directives established by, the Dutch Ministry of Education, in order to offer the highest possible quality of education.

Finnish

The Finnish School of Shanghai is a language school for 3-18 years old children with relations to Finland. Most of their teachers are qualified Finnish teachers, and we always have an assistant teacher in the classroom. They provide all the school materials. Students are asked to bring along the homework they may have and a small, healthy snack with a water bottle. Students can register and start the Finnish School also in the middle of the term.

Swedish

The Swedish School in Shanghai (Svenska Skolan i Shanghai) was founded 2001. They offer education in the Swedish language for students aged 6 to 16 years old, following the Swedish School System Grade F – 9. The objective is to maintain and develop the Swedish language for students with Swedish as a mother tongue. At SCIS Hongqiao the Swedish School offers education after regular school hours every Wednesday.