| Almaty International School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 185 Auezov Street, Auezov District Kalkaman Village, Almaty, 050006 Kazakhstan |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Private, non-profit |
| Established | September 1993 |
| School district | Quality Schools International |
| Director | Dr. Kenneth Rigdon |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Enrollment | approximately 505 (as of November 2011) |
| Color(s) | Blue & White |
| Mascot | Snow Leopard |
| Nickname | AIS |
| Website | [1] |
Almaty International School, a private non-profit institution that opened in September 1993, offers education in English for preschool (3–4 years), elementary, middle, and secondary students. The school year consists of 3 terms extending from late August until mid-June. The school, a purpose-built facility that opened in January 2003, is located on nearly seven hectares of land on the edge of Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan.
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Students come from many different countries. South Korea, Afghanistan, Russia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Turkey, Croatia, and the United States, just to name a few. The School offers a mastery-learning program with a curriculum similar to that of U.S. public and private schools. Instruction leading to individual mastery, takes advantage of small class sizes and the diverse educational backgrounds of the students. Instruction is in English. Students are required to speak English among each other and they learn many things by encountering many multiple and unfamiliar cultures. While instruction is in English, classes are provided in French, Spanish and Russian, and for Kazakh students instruction is given in Kazakh language. Students learn various subjects, including Literature, Ancient and Modern History, Mathematics, Biology, Geography, Chemistry, Technology and many more. AIS is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Between 2009 and 2011, the number of teachers at AIS slightly decreased. A number of teachers relocated to some other QSI schools.Previously, there were about 80 teachers. However, now, there are only about 65 of them. Nevertheless, most of the students are still successful.Most of the educators come from the United States or Canada.
At the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year enrollment was 504. There are 169 local students, and 268 from other countries around the world.
Activities for elementary students include outdoor sports, indoor games, creative drama, dance, model making, sewing, needlepoint, crochet painting, drawing, art and craft activities, storytelling, puzzles, board games, science activities, computer simulations, and bookmaking. Older student can also become involved in drama, basketball, soccer, tennis, gree cross country and track after school. There are also clubs in AIS. "Clover" is one of those clubs. Basically "Clover" is an environmental group, where members collect paper once a week and send it to a recycling company. The recycling company makes tissues of the school paper. Thus "Clover" helps the school to be more environmental and save trees. It is a student run group.
The Evaluation System is designed to support the school's educational philosophy and success-oriented model of education. Thus, all students are expected to achieve mastery grades of "A" or "B". The school does not accept mediocre work. Student evaluations, called "status reports", are issued five times each year at the end of each "Quintile". However, data is entered in the computer daily and a parent may request a status report at any time.
Evaluations written on "Status Reports"
All essential parts of the unit were mastered at an appropriately high level. The student consistently demonstrated noteworthy achievement of a high quality, particularly in the higher order thinking or performance skills.
All essential parts of the unit were mastered at an appropriately high level in which the student successfully engaged in higher order thinking or performance skills.
The student is "in progress" in the unit.(Normal)
The unit is "on hold" for a legitimate reason. The student has begun the unit but is currently not pursuing it.
The student has not made reasonable effort and is therefore "deficient" in attaining mastery of the unit.
'Exposure'. The student made a reasonable effort in the unit and attained a level of mastery consistent with his/her capabilities. (Elementary classes only, but not in the areas of mathematics, reading, or language arts.)
The student has withdrawn from this unit.
GPA- GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It is a standard way of measuring academic achievement in the U.S. The highest number of GPA is 4.00. To get the highest GPA, your grades should be all As. The lower grade you get, the lower GPA is. GPS effect to the only secondary students
The first QSI school was founded in 1971. AIS was opened in September 1993. After 10 years, the school moved to a large purpose-built facility on a large piece of land on the edge of the city. The new school has two main buildings and one annex. In addition to that, AIS also has tennis courts and a professional soccer field with a running track.
Almaty International School has been accredited through Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Pennsylvania, USA.
At A.I.S. there are several classes that students can take or choose not to take. When a child becomes a Secondary 1 student, they can choose elective courses such as Ap courses, Music, Art, and Drama. You are only required to take two of those three courses. You can take the third one for additional credits. Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, Kazakh language, history, and geography classes became mandatory for all Secondary 1 and 2 Kazakhstan citizens.
In the 2010-2011 school year, approximately 90% of the School’s income derives from tuition. Annual tuition rates are as follows: PK: $7,000 (until 12:30) and $8,500 (until 15:40); grades K-12: $17,400. There is a one-time registration fee of $300. The annual capital levy fee is $1,600. These fees are payable in U.S. dollars. (All fees are quoted in U.S. dollars.)
We continue to find ways to make our school safer. We are in the process of creating “safe havens” for the eventuality that students need to find a more secure and less obvious place in time of crisis.