Welcome to a school that responds to the needs of 21st century expatriate students. We are living in an international community, so our school must provide a learning environment that cultivates the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to compete in an increasingly global society. Right from the embracing arch at the entrance of CIS, students, parents, teachers and staff know that they are walking into a facility that has been purposely designed for a community of learners to meet the demands of our international world.
At CIS, the Alberta Program of Study provides the internationally renowned standards and curriculum framework to support Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL), a student-centered educational philosophy that has proven to increase students’ abilities to problem-solve. Students are presented a guiding question, and then must use their prior knowledge and skills to build direct and meaningful correlations to solve the problem. Math, English, Social Studies, Science, Information and Communication Technology, Fine Arts fuse as they are explored in real life contexts that demand and allow for multiple intelligences to shine.
The more involved students are in the process of learning, the greater the depth and scope of understanding. Engaging students’ minds in the whole process means they are learning how to learn and how they learn. They are learning more about themselves and their world, and ultimately developing a sense of security and belonging.
Understanding that we are global citizens brings added responsibility and challenges. Our children must be able to think, communicate, and succeed on an international scale. Our expectations of them are high and broad, so our educational delivery must reflect and model these demands.