If you are thinking about a new school for your child but are having difficulty choosing between all the different options, then help is at hand! Over the next week, 3 schools in the region – all of which offer both primary and secondary programs – will be holding special Open Days with the aim of informing local parents about their educational programs and helping them through what can be a trememdously difficult decision-making process.
The first of these will be held this week at Haut-Lac Bilingual International School. Taking place on Saturday, 23 November, from 14h00 to 17h00, at their secondary campus in St. Légier, this Open Day will provide an overview of the school’s academic programs for children aged 3 to 18 years, and will include: tours of the school; exhibitions showcasing different aspects of school life; and interactive sessions in Art, ICT, Sports, Science and Technology. There will also be a special presentation about the new primary school campus, which is due to open in September 2014. Click here for more information.
On 13 January, 2014, the Geneva English School will extend its provision for English-speaking primary school students by opening a new nursery school for children aged 3 years and above.
Open to a maximum of 25 children, the nursery will be housed in the historic main building of the school, which has inspirational views over Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. Teaching methods will follow the same English National Curriculum as the rest of the primary school, but with a strong focus on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which has a special emphasis placed upon the following areas: Communication and Language; Physical Development; Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Literacy; Mathematics; Understanding the World; and Expressive Arts and Design. Click here for more information on this stage, which is widely regarded as providing children with the necessary foundation for successful progress through school and life in general.
Parents are invited to bring their children to the GES nursery at least two mornings per week between 09h00 and 13h00, although provision can be made for those who need to be left earlier, from 08h30. The morning session will include lunch, vital to the social development of children this age. As soon as children are able to cope with a full day, they will be given the option to stay on in the afternoon, at no additional cost.
Work has now started on a major expansion program at the International School of Lausanne, situated in the town of Le Mont-sur-Lausanne on the northern edge of Lausanne.
Scheduled for completion by September 2015, the program will enable the school to improve its existing facilities, by increasing both its academic and co-curricular offerings to the local and international community. An extra class at all year levels will also enable ISL to benefit from a much wider and more diverse student body, with the intake increasing from its current level of 620 pupils, aged between 3 and 18 years, up to 990 students in 2015.
Founded in 1962, the International School of Lausanne moved to its current purpose-built premises in 2005, and has earned itself a worldwide reputation as a high quality, not-for-profit English-language day school achieving excellent academic results. Not only has ISL spent the last 50 years building up a strong pastoral program, but it has also created a diverse schedule of after-school activities, to ensure that pupils can work in a safe, stimulating and happy environment at all times. Equally important are the staff, who appear to be very happy at the school too, with a turnover of less than 5%!
Find out more at a special Open Day being held on 25 September, 2013
The International Cottage in Vevey is opening a second campus for its school in September 2014.
Located on the Quai de la Veveyse, alongside Lake Geneva, the new campus will enable the school to accept 145 children up to the age of 15 years old. In the future, the school plans to add the rest of the popular IB programme to their already existing Primary Years Programme, by including the Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme, and expanding their classes to grade 13. In addition, the curriculum will have a strong Green focus, based on the Green School of Bali model of sustainability.
Principal, Ms. Christine DeLuca, told us, “The outdoor space at The International Cottage will be a unique feature in Vevey. It will be an integral part of our teaching environment, bringing learning to life in an engaging way. The addition of a yurt to our outdoor area will provide students with an inspiring setting in which they can experience community and learn environmental studies.”
Image courtesy of stockimages, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Child psychologist, Alison Chowdhary, has recently opened a new practice in the region offering a range of support services for children with learning and emotional difficulties.
Helping children aged between 4 and 16, Alison’s practice is a welcome addition to the region, where it can often be difficult to find specialist support for children in English.
Alison told knowitall.ch, “My aim is to help children overcome their difficulties by teaching them strategies which can be applied both in the classroom and at home, and which will help to improve their self-esteem. However, these strategies will only work with the collaboration of parents, teachers and special needs staff, so I work closely with them also to ensure the best results for my young clients. Having lived in Switzerland for over 20 years, I am bilingual and work fluently in both English and French."
