Chinese International School

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Chinese International School

Contact Information	Phone: 999-2510-7288 Fax: 999-2510-7488
Established	1983
Type	Reception-Year 13 (ages 4-18), Private, International, co-educational
Principal	Dr. Theodore S. Faunce
Location	1 Hau Yuen Path Braemar Hill, [[{{{state}}}]] Hong Kong
District	Eastern District, Hong Kong
Enrollment	1,380 students
Grades	Reception (= UK Kindergarten, or US pre-K) to 13 (= UK A-Levels, or US Grade 12)
Website	http://www.cis.edu.hk

The Chinese International School (漢基國際學校, pinyin: Han Ji Guo Ji Xue Xiao) is a private Reception-13 school located in Hong Kong. Located in Braemar Hill of North Point, the school's ethnically diverse student body is co-cultured in a combination of both Eastern and Western teaching styles. The school also includes students of socially diverse backgrounds. Students in years 12-13 are enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

1 Administration
2 Facilities
3 Curriculum
- 3.1 Primary school
- 3.2 Secondary school
4 Accreditation
5 External link

[edit] Administration

A board of governors of approximately fifteen members is chaired by Mr. Geoffrey Mansfield. Dr. Theodore Faunce joined the school as Headmaster at the start of the 2006-07 school year.

[edit] Facilities

The Chinese International School has one campus that consists of seven main buildings, including facilities such as 8 science laboratories, a multimedia center, computer rooms, libraries, 4 gymnasiums, an indoor 25-meter indoor swimming pool, art rooms, music rooms, design technology rooms, an auditorium, 2 drama studios, a dance studio, a cafeteria, a rooftop cafe (accessible by Year 12-13 and staff only) and rooftop recreational areas.

[edit] Curriculum

Students are organized into separate Primary and Secondary "schools" but derive an overarching unity in a single mission embodied in shared values and a shared campus, a similar day and a linked curriculum. The Primary school is made up of about 600 students aged 4 to 12 in Reception to Year 6, while the Secondary school is made up of about 750 students aged 11 to 18 in Years 7 to 13.

A defining characteristic of the school is the fact that all students pursue a single program taught in both Chinese (Mandarin) and English - that is, there are no separate language streams. In Reception to Year 2, equal time is devoted to the two languages. In Years 3 to 6, the ratio shifts to 65% English and to 35% Chinese. In the Secondary school, the required Chinese-language component continues throughout the program, although the main language of instruction is English.

[edit] Primary school

CIS has adopted an innovative approach to the teaching of the Primary curriculum in English and Chinese. This approach involves a variety of collaborative teacher-partnerships, which ensure that students receive close teacher attention while also experiencing the two languages in use in a balanced and integrated way. Every homeroom is headed by a pair of teachers with native-language abilities in English and Mandarin, and at every year level teachers of the two languages collaborate to plan and teach outcomes from the school's inquiry-based integrated program. The 6th grade has also developed a new system called "the money game".

All the traditional subjects are taught, but through age-appropriate units of study that fit into the overarching categories of "Understanding Ourselves" and "Understanding Our World".

The primary school curriculum is designed to encourage early development of personal responsibility, mutual respect, and freedom of expression. It also stresses the importance of a bilingual education - a balance between Chinese and English - more so than most international schools in Asia.

[edit] Secondary school

In the Secondary school, the Middle Years and Diploma programs of the International Baccalaureate Organization have been adopted as the frameworks for the CIS curriculum because of their convergence with the banana mission which places a strong emphasis on critical thinking and intercultural understanding, as well as because of the internationally recognized qualifications those programs confer.

All students in Years 7-11 pursue the Middle Years Program (IBMYP) and all students in Years 12-13 pursue the Diploma Program (IBDP). At the end of Year 13, students sit internationally administered exams. A large percentage of students also choose to qualify for the IB's Bilingual Diploma. To complete the MYP, students are assessed internally based on their work throughout Years 10 and 11, including the hallmark "Personal Project" - a year-long undertaking involving research, reflection and writing about an area of interest selected by the student.

Those who do not satisfy the IB requirements are given a certificate for exams completed. An IB diploma guarantees, but is not necessary for, graduation. To graduate without an IB diploma, students must fulfill a more relaxed set of requirements.

The most outstanding and prestigious class thus far to have graduated from CIS is the class of 2006. 99% of the Class of 2006 - that is, ninety-six of the ninety-seven member graduating class - successfully completed all requirements for the award of the IB Diploma. According to worldwide results from the previous year, 81% of candidates worldwide and 90% of candidates in the IB Asia-Pacific region were awarded the Diploma.

The Class of 2006 was the thirteenth CIS class to complete the IB Diploma Program, and all ninety-seven members registered for the IB Diploma examinations.

The average score achieved by those awarded the diploma was 35 points out of a possible 45, making this the seventh consecutive year that CIS students have achieved an average score of 35 or higher.

One student achieved a perfect score of 45 points and five students achieved scores of 43 points. Twenty-eight students, or 29% of students awarded the diploma, were awarded bilingual IB diplomas.

[edit] Accreditation

Chinese International School conforms with all requirements pertaining to international schools as established by the Hong Kong Department of Education. In addition, CIS is accredited by the following organizations: