Yokohama International School

As you look though the site I hope you will get a sense of how YIS is a great place to learn and grow. We are proud of our heritage as the world's second oldest international school and of the reputation that YIS enjoys as a school with passionate and dedicated educators driven to keep YIS at the forefront of international education while still maintaining its small school feel and strong sense of community and culture. Everything that happens in the school is based upon a strong sense of values, guided by our mission - Live Learn Lead.

Live Learn Lead. Three simple and dynamic words that capture the essence of who we are as a school community and what we are striving for, and which serve as an ongoing catalyst for growth and for telling our stories - students’ stories, faculty and staff’s stories and families’ stories. The simplicity of our mission enables a common understanding of our shared purpose but at the same time allows interpretations as diverse as the individuals who comprise our international community. Check out the stories below for a glimpse of Live Learn Lead in action.

The purpose of the YIS strategic plan is to provide an overarching vision and focused pathways for the development of the school. The plan is grounded in our mission and values and driven by the fundamental desire to ensure all our students continue to make sufficient and appropriate gains in their learning. Led by the Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Directors, the plan was developed over the course of the 2017-18 school year through extensive research and an inclusive process involving faculty and staff, students and parents. Over the coming years, action plans underpinning each of the focus areas will guide our efforts to achieve the desired outcomes and ensure that YIS continues to grow and thrive.

As an IB Continuum School, offering the Primary Years Program, Middle Years Program and Diploma Program of the International Baccalaureate, we offer high-quality, international education across all grade levels. The IB is the most respected and widely followed academic program in the international school world, and it has become increasingly popular in many national education systems, with more than 4,000 schools worldwide offering IB programs. As such, it is well suited to meet the needs of our internationally minded and globally mobile community.

The PYP is a guided inquiry approach to learning and teaching. Inquiry-based units of study, known as Units of Inquiry, are the focus for learning in homeroom classes and when appropriate they are integrated into other curriculum areas. Students experience what it is like to think and act like a historian, scientist, engineer or a mathematician. Within each Unit of Inquiry, students and teachers identify together what they want to know, what they already know, what they need to know and how best they might find that out.

Skills are those things that students need to be able to do to succeed in a changing challenging world. Students need to master a range of skills to prepare themselves for their future education and for life in general. A comprehensive set of social skills, research skills, thinking skills, communication skills, and self-management skills are taught through structured inquiry experiences in the Units of Inquiry.

It is important that students recognize the importance of attitudes as an integral part of the curriculum. The PYP promotes: tolerance, respect, integrity, independence, enthusiasm, empathy, curiosity, creativity, co-operation, confidence, commitment and appreciation. There are many opportunities throughout the curriculum to develop and promote positive attitudes.

Through the Units of Inquiry we endeavor to create learning experiences which inspire students to actively apply new learning in their daily life. Students are encouraged to reflect, to choose wisely and to act responsibly with their peers, school staff and in the wider community.

Through our extensive activities offerings, enriching service learning program, local, regional and international excursions and facilities, YIS students have myriad opportunities to pursue their passions, discover new interests and develop lasting relationships.

Our library, acts as a learning and social hub for the entire school community and possesses an extensive catalogue including selections in a variety of languages. Our makerspace, the Creative Commons, is abuzz with students, staff and parents using technology and traditional craft materials to solve problems, innovate and create. Used for both curricular and extra-curricular activities, it is the venue for the PTSA's parent-child Maker Saturdays and Dragon Media's popular Elementary School news show.

We believe our students learn best in a supportive environment and we want to help them get the most from their time at YIS. Our counseling program supports the social and emotional needs of students to allow them to face challenges in their personal and academic lives by developing their skills and unique capabilities. University and career counseling is offered to our high school students to assist them in finding the best post-secondary path for them.

Our cafeteria is also a popular social venue due to the mouthwatering offerings by Dragon Dining. Exclusively at YIS, they prepare meals on site daily with a focus on fresh, regionally sourced ingredients – including vegetables and herbs grown on campus in collaboration with students. In addition to lunch, the cafeteria is open before school for breakfast, and serves healthy snacks at morning and afternoon recess.

Our Connected Learning Community leverages advanced technologies and progressive teaching approaches to enhance student learning, promote collaboration and facilitate the creation and sharing of knowledge locally and globally.

We aim to provide ever-present computing and network access for our students on a common learning platform, while further developing our educational practices to increase collaboration, enable flexible progression and differentiated instruction, and more actively reflect a real-world learning environment.