Welcome
Yokoso! Welcome to Yokohama International School. Founded
in 1924 and arising out of the spirit of internationalism that prevailed
following the formation of the League of Nations in Geneva, YIS is a pioneer of
international education. Today, we remain committed to providing the highest
quality, balanced education to internationally minded students in an inquiring,
supportive and exciting learning environment.
YIS serves the educational needs of the international
community in the greater Yokohama/Tokyo metropolitan area, in particular the
children of foreign nationals, but also children of Japanese bicultural
families and Japanese nationals educated overseas who are committed to an
international education. We are a non-sectarian, not-for-profit school governed
by a community elected Board of Directors and fully accredited by the Council
of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and
Colleges.
YIS is truly an international school. Our students
represent 50 nationalities, and our excellent, highly qualified teaching staff
is also very multinational, coming from 15 different countries. Moreover, our educational programs and
approach to learning reflect the best practices in international education
today. This starts in our early learning center, where we introduce the
inquiry-based Primary Years Program (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate
(IB), complemented by the child-centered, experiential principles of the Reggio
Emilia Approach. The PYP is also
the framework for our elementary school, through which we promote the
integration of academics, values and attitudes across all curriculum areas
while challenging students to become active and thoughtful inquirers about the
world in which they live. In
middle school our curriculum seeks to extend the inquiry-based approach of the
PYP and foster multicultural awareness, while also preparing the students for
the demands of our high school. Beginning in the 2010-11 school year, we are
starting the phased implementation of the IB Middle Years Program (MYP), starting
with grade 6. This process will continue a grade level each year until we reach
full implementation, covering grades 6-10, in the 2014-15 academic year. Our
academic program in high school, which offers a wide variety of courses for a
school of our size, presently centers on the IGCSE in grades 9 and 10 and the
IB Diploma Program in grades 11 and 12.
The school’s academic record is strong; our high school
external examination results, for example, are consistently well above
international averages and our graduates matriculate to leading universities
around the world. At the same time, we emphasize the importance of balance in
students’ lives, and we offer a wide array of extracurricular activities and
promote community service initiatives. However, what I believe distinguishes
YIS is its friendly and genuine family-like atmosphere. I warmly invite you to
visit and get a first-hand sense of our school community.
James MacDonald
Head of School
