Canadian International School of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) is a leading international school in Aberdeen, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, CDNIS ranks as one of the city’s most esteemed and well-respected international schools, and is recognized as one of the leading schools in Asia. Operating as a “through-train” school, CDNIS provides an education for over 1,800 students representing more than 40 nationalities from Pre Reception to Grade 12. An International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, CDNIS is fully authorized to deliver the Diploma Programme (DP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Primary Years Programme (PYP). In addition to the IB Diploma Programme, CDNIS students are also eligible to receive the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The Head of School is Dave McMaster.
For four consecutive years, CDNIS was recognized as the Leading International School in Hong Kong, by Hong Kong Business magazine’s High-Flyers campaign. In 2008 and 2009, the Fraser Institute Report Card awarded CDNIS with a 10 out of 10. CDNIS was one of only three school out of more than 700 delivering the Ontario curriculum to achieve this ranking in 2009 and the only school to achieve this ranking for two consecutive years. The school has also been chosen as one of the top private international schools in Hong Kong in the Top 10 Private International Schools in Hong Kong list in the China Service Mall site.
Students as young as three and four-years-old attend CDNIS in the Pre Reception and Reception classrooms. These half-day programmes are designed to provide the youngest students with an introduction to school life. Students participate in a wide variety of activities and experiences, which promote steady growth in their social, behavioral, physical and cognitive development. While the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) is not officially used until Grade 1, students in Pre Reception and Reception are exposed to its Learner Profile. As part of the curriculum, students also take part in regular Mandarin, Music and Physical Education classes, which are taught by specialist teachers.
Students from Prep to Grade 6 attend school all-day. From Grade 1 to 6, students are taught following the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). This programme focuses on the development of the whole child and strives to prepare children to be world citizens and lifelong learners. Students study Language Arts, Mathematics, Mandarin, Social Sciences, Science, Computer Literacy, Art, Music and Physical Education with French being introduced in Grade 5.
CDNIS is fully authorized to deliver the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Diploma Programme (DP).
Students in Grades 7 and 8 study Drama, English, French, Health, Mandarin, Math, Music, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies and Visual Arts. Before entering Grade 9, students can choose to study either French or Mandarin for their remaining time at CDNIS, while some students study both.
Along with the IB Diploma Programme (DP), students in Grades 9 to 12 also follow academic credit courses leading to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The cornerstone of the school’s success is its rigorous academic programme, which is why 100 percent of its graduates have gone on to pursue post-secondary education at some of the world’s top schools including Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, London School of Economics, McGill, NYU, Princeton, Queen’s, Stanford, UBC and Yale.
When the school first opened its doors, its campus was a small rented facility in Causeway Bay and was home to just 81 students. The school continued to grow and relocated to its present location in Aberdeen in 1998. The school produced its first graduates at the end of the 1998/1999 school year.
As the school expanded, its campus was completed in three phases. The first phase, often referred to as the main building and used mainly by the Upper School, includes floors one to nine. Along with numerous classrooms on every level, a swimming pool is located on the first floor, two gymnasiums and an outdoor playground are on the third floor, the main school cafeteria and another outdoor playing surface, which is covered in artificial turf, is on the sixth floor and the main school office is on the ninth floor.
The second phase, which was finished in 2002, is used mainly by the Lower School and includes floors nine to 14. Besides numerous classrooms, this area also includes the school library and a computer lab on the 10th floor, a covered playground on the 11th floor and a cafeteria on the 12th floor.
The third and final phase, the Leo Lee Arts Centre (LLAC), was completed in the spring of 2008. The LLAC is a HK$100 million facility completely dedicated to music, drama, dance and visual arts. This unrivaled, state-of-the-art facility is used not only by CDNIS on a daily basis, but also by members of the Hong Kong community.
Canadian Architect Norman Grey-Noble designed the unique and innovative campus. Imported materials such as Canadian native cedar wood were incorporated into the design to ensure a truly Canadian experience.
For four consecutive years, CDNIS was recognized as the Leading International School in Hong Kong, by Hong Kong Business magazine’s High-Flyers campaign. In 2008 and 2009, the Fraser Institute Report Card awarded CDNIS with a 10 out of 10. CDNIS was one of only three school out of more than 700 delivering the Ontario curriculum to achieve this ranking in 2009 and the only school to achieve this ranking for two consecutive years. The school has also been chosen as one of the top private international schools in Hong Kong in the Top 10 Private International Schools in Hong Kong list in the China Service Mall site.
Lower School
The Principal of the Lower School is Dylan Hughes and the Vice Principals of the Lower School are Dean Croy (Pre Reception - Grade 2) and Linda Parnsalu (Grade 3-6). Students from Pre Reception to Grade 6 are part of the Lower School and make up just over 60% of the student body.Students as young as three and four-years-old attend CDNIS in the Pre Reception and Reception classrooms. These half-day programmes are designed to provide the youngest students with an introduction to school life. Students participate in a wide variety of activities and experiences, which promote steady growth in their social, behavioral, physical and cognitive development. While the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) is not officially used until Grade 1, students in Pre Reception and Reception are exposed to its Learner Profile. As part of the curriculum, students also take part in regular Mandarin, Music and Physical Education classes, which are taught by specialist teachers.
Students from Prep to Grade 6 attend school all-day. From Grade 1 to 6, students are taught following the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). This programme focuses on the development of the whole child and strives to prepare children to be world citizens and lifelong learners. Students study Language Arts, Mathematics, Mandarin, Social Sciences, Science, Computer Literacy, Art, Music and Physical Education with French being introduced in Grade 5.
Upper School
The Principal of the Upper School is John Jalsevac and the Vice Principals of the Upper School are Tim Kaiser and Christopher Coates. The Upper School includes students from Grades 7 to 12 and make up almost 40% of the student body.CDNIS is fully authorized to deliver the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Diploma Programme (DP).
Students in Grades 7 and 8 study Drama, English, French, Health, Mandarin, Math, Music, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies and Visual Arts. Before entering Grade 9, students can choose to study either French or Mandarin for their remaining time at CDNIS, while some students study both.
Along with the IB Diploma Programme (DP), students in Grades 9 to 12 also follow academic credit courses leading to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The cornerstone of the school’s success is its rigorous academic programme, which is why 100 percent of its graduates have gone on to pursue post-secondary education at some of the world’s top schools including Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, London School of Economics, McGill, NYU, Princeton, Queen’s, Stanford, UBC and Yale.
History
Canadian International School of Hong Kong was founded in 1991 by a group of Canadians living in Hong Kong who volunteered their time to establish an international school offering the Canadian curriculum. CDNIS was and remains to this day a non-profit organization.When the school first opened its doors, its campus was a small rented facility in Causeway Bay and was home to just 81 students. The school continued to grow and relocated to its present location in Aberdeen in 1998. The school produced its first graduates at the end of the 1998/1999 school year.
Facilities
The Canadian International School of Hong Kong is situated at 36 Nam Long Shan Road with stunning views over Aberdeen Harbour and towards the Lamma Channel. The school campus contains 31,420 square metres of floor space on 14 levels. The school’s main entrance is located on the ninth floor.As the school expanded, its campus was completed in three phases. The first phase, often referred to as the main building and used mainly by the Upper School, includes floors one to nine. Along with numerous classrooms on every level, a swimming pool is located on the first floor, two gymnasiums and an outdoor playground are on the third floor, the main school cafeteria and another outdoor playing surface, which is covered in artificial turf, is on the sixth floor and the main school office is on the ninth floor.
The second phase, which was finished in 2002, is used mainly by the Lower School and includes floors nine to 14. Besides numerous classrooms, this area also includes the school library and a computer lab on the 10th floor, a covered playground on the 11th floor and a cafeteria on the 12th floor.
The third and final phase, the Leo Lee Arts Centre (LLAC), was completed in the spring of 2008. The LLAC is a HK$100 million facility completely dedicated to music, drama, dance and visual arts. This unrivaled, state-of-the-art facility is used not only by CDNIS on a daily basis, but also by members of the Hong Kong community.
Canadian Architect Norman Grey-Noble designed the unique and innovative campus. Imported materials such as Canadian native cedar wood were incorporated into the design to ensure a truly Canadian experience.