American International School of Guangzhou

American International School of Guangzhou
Address
No3 Yan Yu Street, Ersha Island, Guangzhou, China
No19 Kexiang Road, Luogang District, Science Park, Guangzhou, China
Information
Type Private School
Established 1981
Head of school Bernadette Carmody
Enrollment ~960
Color(s) red, white & blue
Athletics conference APAC
SDRC
PRC
ACAMIS
Mascot Rams
Affiliations
Website

Founded in 1981, AISG is the oldest international school in South China. We are a multicultural, private and non-profit day school, offering an international curriculum guided by American educational values and principles. AISG is the school of choice for expatriate families in Guangzhou who are seeking an exceptional education in a truly international environment.

History

The school was founded in 1981 to educate the children of the staff of the US Consulate. It was then based in the Dong Fang Hotel. Students of other nationalities were later admitted and the school relocated to the Garden Hotel in 1985. In 1987 the school received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges to teach Kindergarten to Grade 8. In 1994 AISG moved into a purpose-built school in the Greenery, a housing estate in the Tianhe District. Enrollment was then 102 students from 21 different nationalities. The high school was accredited and added in 1996-97. AISG became an International Baccalaureate World School in 2001.

It moved to its current location in Ersha Island in 2002. Rapid growth fueled the need to identify a larger site able to accommodate the school’s size over the long term. In 2007 the Middle and High School moved to a more spacious purpose built facility in Science Park, north east of the city center. Construction of a new Elementary School and complementary facilities have been planned as a second phase of construction on the Science Park Campus.

Academic Accreditation and Memberships

AISG is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is registered with the Chinese government as a School for Foreign Students. It is a member of the Council of International Schools, the East Asian Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS), the Asia Pacific Activities Conference and the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS). The school is an authorized provider of International Baccalaureate (IB) programs at primary and high school levels. The school also offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses for students who entered an AP course before 2010. AP courses are only offered to these students as the school has decided to phase out Advanced Placement classes and to fully embrace the IB program. AISG has also won hundreds of school awards around Asia and is known for its sports.

Facilities

Elementary Campus on ErSha Island

Elementary Campus (Ersha Island)

Middle and High School Campus (Science Park)

New Middle and High School Campus

Student life

At the Elementary School, there are various activities such as arts, sport, community or academic thread. Some of the after school activities include drama, choir, sudoku, chess, a Service Learning Club, and a newspaper organization.

Middle and High School students are involved in many extracurricular activities, from student government to a strong performing arts program. Student have opportunities to be members in active Music and Drama Clubs as well as in Model United Nations groups. Community service initiatives include Habitat for Humanity, Roots & Shoots, and working with mentally challenged adults in Guangzhou. There are also opportunities to participate in a wide range of both recreational and competitive sports such as football, basketball, badminton, tennis, and volleyball. High School and Middle School students also participate in China Trips where each grade of students travel to an area in China (including Hong Kong, and Macau).

Exchange programs in Asia

AISG is a member of the Asia Pacific Activities Conference. Participating international schools include International School of Beijing (ISB), Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS), Shanghai American School - Puxi (SAS-PX), Shanghai American School - Pudong (SAS-PD), Hong Kong International School (HKIS), Brent International School (BISM), Taejon Christian International School (TCIS), Canadian Academy (CA), Seoul Foreign School (SFS) and United Nations International School of Hanoi. APAC sponsors many athletic and fine/performing arts events throughout the school year. For each event, competitive high school students from all participating schools travel to a designated school for the year's event, housed by volunteer families of the host school and competing as well as enjoying the culture of their destination. The APAC athletics activities are Basketball, Volleyball, Football, Badminton, Tennis, Swimming and can include others such as Baseball, Cross-country, Rugby etc. The arts is represented by Band, Choir, Drama, Forensics and Orchestra.

Clubs

Club involvement is considered an integral aspect of the educational experience at the American International School of Guangzhou. As of the 2014-15 school year, AISG has many clubs to join, with an especially strong focus in community service. Some clubs include:

Student publications

The Beacon The American International School of Guangzhou's student-run newsmagazine, is published regularly throughout the academic year.

The Mosaic is the American International School of Guangzhou's yearbook.

Artistic License (Literary Magazine) publishes poetry, prose, and artwork by members of the AISG community. It is published annually.

"LIPHY" (Magazine with articles and word definitions aimed at distribution to local students learning English.

Athletics

Soccer
Touch Rugby

Elementary

At the Elementary School, after school sports include volleyball, soccer, floor hockey, taekwondo, table tennis and badminton.

Middle and High School

AISG fields sports a large number of teams at the High School and Middle School level. Some of the sports that many students participate competitively in are volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis and badminton, in which they play against other International Schools and Chinese Universities in the region. AISG has recently been invited to join APAC, the Asia Pacific Activities Conference. This allows the students to compete against the top International Schools from China, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. APAC also includes activities such as Drama, Forensics and Debate, Orchestra and Band. AISG has withdrawn from ACAMIS for the high school teams since it is member of APAC. The middle school has become member of the Southern Delta Region Conference (SDRC), which provides opportunities to play other international schools.

AISG has hosted these APAC events

Middle School Sports

High School Varsity Sports

Non Varsity Sports

  • Basketball
  • Badminton
  • Cricket
  • Dance Club
  • Soccer
  • Table tennis
  • Tennis
  • Touch Rugby
  • Volleyball
  • Rock Climbing

E-Technology and 1:1 Laptop and iPad Programs

Both the Ersha Island and Science Park campuses are wireless environments and are equipped with computer labs for student use. Technology is introduced starting from kindergarten.[1] The use of the touch sensitive SmartBoard has been implemented into science classrooms.

AISG’s technology coaching staff, one per division, along with their technology director, work with teachers directly on a daily basis to plan learning experiences, as well as helping the teacher deliver and refine the experience over time. AISG's technology program is based on the six standards of the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Standards for Students.

The school maintains a 1:1 Laptop Program from the Grades 6 to 12. The program expanded gradually from a pilot program in 2009 and now runs through middle and high school. The school’s 1:1 iPad program has now expanded to Grades 4 & 5, and students in Grades Pre-School 4 to Grade 3 all use tablets on a daily basis to make their learning come alive by creating content and sharing it with the classmates, parents and students in other schools.[2]

Students blog with partner schools in other countries, developing ePortfolios to show their learning across multiple years and routinely collaborating with classmates, peers in other schools and experts in the field. Whether via Skype, Wordpress, Office 365, Moodle or any of other resources tapped by AISG faculty and students, technology integration supports learning in both new and traditional ways at AISG.

You can learn more about the technology program at AISG and the role that technology plays in the curriculum at the school's Digital Initiatives web site, AISG Digital Initiatives.

Catering

Catering services on both campuses are provided by Eurest. Students have the option to bring food from home or to purchase foods from Eurest at lunch. Catering is available in a cafeteria and at the cafe. Eurest arranges different menus for every day in the school year. However, many complaints have been filed by parents and students about the poor quality of the food.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.aisgz.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=70&Itemid=143
  2. ↑ http://www.aisgz.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55:technology&catid=36:about&Itemid=63

External links

Coordinates: 23°06′35″N 113°18′15″E / 23.109793°N 113.304212°E