Chinese International School
Encyclopedia
Chinese International School (漢基國際學校, pinyin
: Hànjī Gúojì Xúexìao) is a private
school offering the years Reception-Year 13 (K-12
) in Hong Kong
. It is famous for its bilingual programme taught in English and Chinese
(Mandarin), outstanding academic programme and excellent matriculation. Students come from diverse backgrounds, with over 30 nationalities represented. At the Secondary level, students pursue the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years
and Diploma programmes. The campus is located in the residential neighborhood of Braemar Hill
in North Point
, adjacent to country park
green areas. It is a member of the prestigious G20 Schools
.
.
In 1986 and 1989, the school expanded to additional sites at 10 Borrett Road and 26 Kennedy Road
. In 1991, the school moved to the current campus on Braemar Hill
.
of approximately fifteen members, chaired by Geoffrey Mansfield. Dr. Theodore S. Faunce joined the school as Headmaster at the start of the 2006-07 school year.
At the Secondary level, students also have the option to study French
(up to IB level) or Spanish
.
CIS has adopted an innovative approach to the teaching of the Primary curriculum in English and Chinese. This approach involves collaborative teacher-partnerships, ensuring that students receive close teacher attention while also learning both two languages in a balanced and integrated way.
Every homeroom is led by a pair of teachers with combined native language abilities in both English and Mandarin, and at every year level, teachers of the two languages collaborate to plan and teach outcomes from the school's inquiry-based integrated program.
Subjects are taught through age-appropriate units of study that fit into broader categories, such as "Understanding Our World" and "Understanding Ourselves".
The school has recently placed a large investment in the primary school. Starting in school year 2010-2011, the school has put substantial backing into the technology infrastructure and has adopted Apple Macbook / Macbook Pro's as its Digital Toolkit.
and "Diploma" (IBDP)
programs have been adopted as the framework for the CIS curriculum because of their convergence with the mission which places a strong emphasis on critical thinking and inter-cultural understanding, as well as the internationally recognized qualifications those programs confer.
All students in Years 7-11 pursue the Middle Years Program (IBMYP) and all students in Years 12-13 pursue the Diploma Program (IBDP). At the end of Year 13, students sit internationally administered exams. To complete the MYP, students are assessed internally based on their work throughout Years 10 and 11, including the hallmark "Personal Project" - a year-long undertaking involving research, reflection and writing about an area of interest selected by the student.
CIS was one of the first schools in Hong Kong to offer the IBDP, having done so since 1992, and in 2005, was the first school in Hong Kong to offer the MYP. Chinese International School has consistently produced spectacular MYP graduating grades, with an average grade of 6.03 most recently. In addition, 2 students received full achievement levels. In IB, it achieves exceptional results annually, with both top marks obtained by individual students as well as consistently strong average point scores, well exceeding the world average, achieved by large cohorts of students. More than 36% of the graduating class of 2010 achieved grades 40 or above, securing a placement in the leading universities in the world.
Those who do not satisfy the IB requirements, or jump too much, are given a certificate for exams completed. An IB diploma guarantees, but is not necessary for, graduation.
curriculum and as after-school activities. Students typically have two classes of PE per week and all students take part in annual sports day
s and swimming gala
s, which emphasize participation and generally focus on friendly, inter-"house" competition.
At the intermural level, CIS fields over sixty teams in fifteen sports and continues to build a reputation as a force to be reckoned with. In 2006-07, CIS moved up to 5th place in the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation (HKSSF) league tables of 150 co-educational schools – its highest ranking ever. This was due to the three Boys’ Athletics teams and three Girls’ Table Tennis teams which won the school the title of Overall Division Champion in both sports, as well as to division wins by the Girls' A-Grade Netball
Team and Boys’ B-Grade Cross Country
Team.
Sports in which CIS competes:
Sports offered recreationally, apart from many of the above, also include:
in the school year 2008 - 09 with a series of events including a school musical
, open day, and parent and alumni gatherings.http://mycis2.cis.edu.hk/cis25a/
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Hànjī Gúojì Xúexìao) is a private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
school offering the years Reception-Year 13 (K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It is famous for its bilingual programme taught in English and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
(Mandarin), outstanding academic programme and excellent matriculation. Students come from diverse backgrounds, with over 30 nationalities represented. At the Secondary level, students pursue the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years
IB Middle Years Programme
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme is an educational programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 . Thus, in the United States the programme is often taught throughout the middle school years and the first two years of high school...
and Diploma programmes. The campus is located in the residential neighborhood of Braemar Hill
Braemar Hill
Braemar Hill is a hill at the south of North Point on the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The hill was likely named after the Scottish village of Braemar by the British officials....
in North Point
North Point
North Point is a mixed-use urban area in the Eastern District of Hong Kong. It is the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island, adjacent to both Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay, and projecting toward Kowloon Bay. Fortress Hill occupies the western end of the North Point area.-History:In 1899, The...
, adjacent to country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
green areas. It is a member of the prestigious G20 Schools
G20 Schools
All the schools claim to have a commitment to excellence and innovation of some sort. The G20 Schools have an annual conference which aims to bring together a group of school Heads who want to look beyond the parochial concerns of their own schools and national associations, and to talk through...
.
History
The school was founded in the early 1980s, and had its first intake of 75 students in Years 1 to 3 in September 1983. Its first location was at 7 Eastern Hospital Road in Causeway BayCauseway Bay
Causeway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, located on the Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road...
.
In 1986 and 1989, the school expanded to additional sites at 10 Borrett Road and 26 Kennedy Road
Kennedy Road, Hong Kong
Kennedy Road is a road in the Mid-levels on the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Starting from Garden Road in the west, it goes past St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre, Hong Kong Park and Hopewell Centre and ends at the junction with Queen's Road East near Morrison Hill in Wan Chai.At...
. In 1991, the school moved to the current campus on Braemar Hill
Braemar Hill
Braemar Hill is a hill at the south of North Point on the Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The hill was likely named after the Scottish village of Braemar by the British officials....
.
Administration
The school is overseen by a Board of GovernorsBoard of governors
Board of governors is a term sometimes applied to the board of directors of a public entity or non-profit organization.Many public institutions, such as public universities, are government-owned corporations. The British Broadcasting Corporation was managed by a board of governors, though this role...
of approximately fifteen members, chaired by Geoffrey Mansfield. Dr. Theodore S. Faunce joined the school as Headmaster at the start of the 2006-07 school year.
Facilities
The school's campus consists of 7 "blocks" connected by open-air walkways. Facilities include:- Specialised labs and studios for the sciences (8), information and design technology (12) and the arts (9)
- A 200-seat auditoriumAuditoriumAn auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
- Classrooms with computers available for students to work on. Students and teachers are able to save files on network drives and access them at home via a "NetStorage" service. Students, parents and teachers can share important information and documents at a module named "Moongate". Also, students and teachers have been given a gmailGmailGmail is a free, advertising-supported email service provided by Google. Users may access Gmail as secure webmail, as well via POP3 or IMAP protocols. Gmail was launched as an invitation-only beta release on April 1, 2004 and it became available to the general public on February 7, 2007, though...
based e-mail to send and receive homework and assignments online. - LCD televisions displaying high-tech features while providing students information on the school curriculum and global news
- Sports:
- Four gymGymThe word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasia - A 25-meter indoor swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, fitness room and outdoor climbing wallClimbing wallA climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors as well. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used is a thick multiplex board with holes drilled... - An outdoor sports field sharing with The Hong Kong Japanese School containing Football, tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, basketball, volleyball and netballNetballNetball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
courts - Smartboards/Interactive Whiteboards
- Macbooks (Primary Only)
Curriculum
Students are organized into separate Primary and Secondary "schools" but share a campus, similar school day and linked curriculum. The Primary division has about 600 students aged 4 to 12 in Reception to Year 6, while the Secondary division has about 800 students aged 11 to 18 in Years 7 to 13.Bilingual education
A defining characteristic of the school is the fact that all students pursue a single program taught in both Chinese (Mandarin) and English - that is, there are no separate language streams. The Chinese-language component continues up until graduation in Year 13, although the main language of instruction remains English.At the Secondary level, students also have the option to study French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(up to IB level) or Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Primary School
The Primary curriculum is designed to encourage early development of personal responsibility, mutual respect, and freedom of expression.CIS has adopted an innovative approach to the teaching of the Primary curriculum in English and Chinese. This approach involves collaborative teacher-partnerships, ensuring that students receive close teacher attention while also learning both two languages in a balanced and integrated way.
Every homeroom is led by a pair of teachers with combined native language abilities in both English and Mandarin, and at every year level, teachers of the two languages collaborate to plan and teach outcomes from the school's inquiry-based integrated program.
Subjects are taught through age-appropriate units of study that fit into broader categories, such as "Understanding Our World" and "Understanding Ourselves".
The school has recently placed a large investment in the primary school. Starting in school year 2010-2011, the school has put substantial backing into the technology infrastructure and has adopted Apple Macbook / Macbook Pro's as its Digital Toolkit.
Secondary School
In the Secondary school, the International Baccalaureate's "Middle Years" (IBMYP)IB Middle Years Programme
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme is an educational programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 . Thus, in the United States the programme is often taught throughout the middle school years and the first two years of high school...
and "Diploma" (IBDP)
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
programs have been adopted as the framework for the CIS curriculum because of their convergence with the mission which places a strong emphasis on critical thinking and inter-cultural understanding, as well as the internationally recognized qualifications those programs confer.
All students in Years 7-11 pursue the Middle Years Program (IBMYP) and all students in Years 12-13 pursue the Diploma Program (IBDP). At the end of Year 13, students sit internationally administered exams. To complete the MYP, students are assessed internally based on their work throughout Years 10 and 11, including the hallmark "Personal Project" - a year-long undertaking involving research, reflection and writing about an area of interest selected by the student.
CIS was one of the first schools in Hong Kong to offer the IBDP, having done so since 1992, and in 2005, was the first school in Hong Kong to offer the MYP. Chinese International School has consistently produced spectacular MYP graduating grades, with an average grade of 6.03 most recently. In addition, 2 students received full achievement levels. In IB, it achieves exceptional results annually, with both top marks obtained by individual students as well as consistently strong average point scores, well exceeding the world average, achieved by large cohorts of students. More than 36% of the graduating class of 2010 achieved grades 40 or above, securing a placement in the leading universities in the world.
Those who do not satisfy the IB requirements, or jump too much, are given a certificate for exams completed. An IB diploma guarantees, but is not necessary for, graduation.
Student life
- Model United NationsModel United NationsModel United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
(HKMUN/SEOMUN/BEIMUN) - Music Club
- Serious Business
- Science Adventures
- Science & Math Society
- Science Illustrated
- Science Study Group
- Speech Festival-English
- Stormy Chefs
- Stretch-n-Grow
- Tapestry-Making
- World Wildlife Foundation
- World Vision Group
- Yearbook Committee
- Xiao Hua Magazine
Sport
Competitive and non-competitive options exist both within the regular physical educationPhysical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
curriculum and as after-school activities. Students typically have two classes of PE per week and all students take part in annual sports day
Sports day
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and offices in which people take part in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes...
s and swimming gala
Swimming gala
A swimming gala is a swimming competition between clubs or groups of swimmers, usually of young people. This term is primarily used in the UK and South Africa; in Australia swimming carnival is the norm....
s, which emphasize participation and generally focus on friendly, inter-"house" competition.
At the intermural level, CIS fields over sixty teams in fifteen sports and continues to build a reputation as a force to be reckoned with. In 2006-07, CIS moved up to 5th place in the Hong Kong Schools Sports Federation (HKSSF) league tables of 150 co-educational schools – its highest ranking ever. This was due to the three Boys’ Athletics teams and three Girls’ Table Tennis teams which won the school the title of Overall Division Champion in both sports, as well as to division wins by the Girls' A-Grade Netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
Team and Boys’ B-Grade Cross Country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
Team.
Sports in which CIS competes:
- Archery
- Athletics/Track Field
- Badminton
- Canoe Polo
- Basketball
- Golf
- Cross-Country
- Field Hockey
- Football/Soccer
- Netball
- Rugby
- Girls Rugby (Top team as of 2010-2011)
- Sailing
- Squash
- Swimming (Top Hong Kong Island D3 Boys team as of 2010-2011)
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Equestrian
Sports offered recreationally, apart from many of the above, also include:
- Aquathon
- Sport Climbing
- Fencing
- Hiking
- Dance
- Dragon Dance
- Gymnastics
- Martial Arts
- Taekwondo
- Yoga
- Lacrosse
Student council
Serving as chief representatives of the student body are the Head Boy and Head Girl, who are selected annually from among applicants from the rising Year 13 class. The Head Boy and Head Girl are supported in their roles by an elected Secondary Student Council. In the primary school, students in Years 5 and 6 elect a Primary Student Council, one representative and one deputy from each class.Recent developments
The school celebrated its 25th anniversaryAnniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
in the school year 2008 - 09 with a series of events including a school musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, open day, and parent and alumni gatherings.http://mycis2.cis.edu.hk/cis25a/