Suzhou Singapore International School

Suzhou Singapore International School
Simplified Chinese 苏州新加坡国际学校

Suzhou Singapore International School (SSIS) is an international school located in Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. SSIS offers education from Pre-Nursery up to Grade 12, offering programs of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and High School Diploma (HSD). The school offers lessons conducted in English, and teaches Chinese, Korean, German, Japanese, Spanish and French as second language options, though students are able to take self-study second language courses of their choice with their private supervisor. SSIS is an IB world school and offers all three IB programs, the Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Years Program (MYP), and Diploma Program (DP).

The school includes a section for German students.[1]

(Suzhou Singapore International School is unrelated to the Shanghai Singapore International School, which shares the abbreviation SSIS.)

Overview

The school was established in September 1996 as an integral part of Suzhou Industrial Park's development, and has students from over forty-seven countries. The school's education system from Nursery to Grade Five is based on the IB PYP. Grades 6-10 are taught using the MYP, and students who meet the official MYP requirements upon completing the 10th grade receive an MYP certificate, after completing their Personal Projects or Exhibition Projects. Students entering their junior year choose to take the HSD, a system which is roughly analogous to North American high school programs; or to take the two-year IB Diploma course. Students enrolled in the High School Diploma program may take some IB classes, but are not eligible to receive an IB diploma upon graduation; instead, they receive IB certificates for their particular courses.

The school moved from its old site at 82 Xing Han Street to its current campus, at 208 Zhong Nan Jie, in 2005.

The school year at SSIS generally begins around mid-to-late August and concludes at the end of June. Summer holidays are generally 50–60 days, with a three-week break in December–January for Christmas, and another two-week break around January–February for Chinese New Year.

Mission statement

The school's official mission statement is as follows:

"Suzhou Singapore International School (SSIS) provides an excellent international education to the children of expatriate families."
"The staff, students and parents of Suzhou Singapore International School work in partnership, creating a learning environment that encourages and enables students to be self-motivated, lifelong learners, who value other cultures and are responsible, meaningful participants in the international community."

SSIS, as an IBO school, emphasizes and promotes the thought of 'multiculturalism'. Students learn how to service the community by experimental actions. SSIS attempts to foster students' independence, creativity, cooperation, and leadership.

Admission and tuition

(for 2015-2016)
Application to SSIS requires a non-refundable fee of 1,500 RMB.

Pre-Nursery 48,000 RMB

Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten 108,000 RMB

Kindergarten 150,000 RMB

Grades 1 to 5 159,000 RMB

Grades 6 to 8 170,000 RMB

Grades 9 to 10 179,000 RMB

Grades 11 to 12 188,000 RMB

German Department, Grades 1 to 4 165,000 RMB

Facilities

The Zhong Nan Street campus includes:

Important faculty members

Secondary/High school Principal Nicholas "Nick" Little (British)

Assistant Secondary Principal Richard Bruford (British/Australian)

MYP Co-ordinator Aubrey Curran (Dutch)

HSD/IBDP Co-ordinator Kevin Ritchlin (American)

Elementary Principal Neil Marshall-Inns (British)

Elementary Assistant Principal Becki Clentworth (NZ)

PYP Coordinator Yoon-Ah Lee (Australian)

High School Student Council

The High School Student Council (HSSC) is a form of student government led by one teacher supervisor and four student leaders. For the 2012-13 academic year, the council is made up of Executive Officer Ayaka Tham, Director of Operations Annika Hsu, Communications Ambassador Su Bin Park, Finance Director Dong Hyun Lee, and approximately twenty-five council representatives from grades nine to twelve.

The council is responsible for organizing various student events (though high school-targeted, many are available to all Secondary students), passing student opinion to the school administration, and participating in other activities to boost the overall communal experience in the school.

Apple 1-to-1 program

All students from Grade 5 to Grade 12 are required to own an Apple laptop.

Sodexo

School meals (snack and lunch) are provided by Sodexo. They also run the Edu-Café (located in the foyer), selling snacks and beverages.

Nationality distribution

As of 2015, 29% of the students originated from Korea, 9% originated from Germany, 8% originated from the United States, 6% originated from Taiwan, and 4% originated from Malaysia.[2]

SSIS students come from 45 different nationalities. The top 11 nationalities of enrolled students in SSIS include (not listed in order): Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

University and college matriculation

The class of 2012 saw a growth in students applying and matriculating in Hong Kong institutions. More notable acceptances of 2012 graduates include: Imperial College London, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong U. of Science & Technology, McGill University, University of British Columbia, Queen's University, University of Toronto, Savannah College of Art & Design, Vassar College, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of California at Berkeley, and University of California at Irvine.

The class of 2011 had more applicants to American and UK universities and colleges. Acceptances include: University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, University College London, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong U. of Science & Technology, McGill University, University of British Columbia, University of Guelph, Emily Carr School of Art and Design, Boston College, Boston University, Franklin and Marshall College, Lawrence University, Northeastern University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Ohio State University, Rutgers University, University of California at Berkeley, Los Angeles, and San Diego, and University of Wisconsin at Madison.

IB Diploma subjects offered

Group 1: English Group 2: World Languages Group 3: Individuals and Societies Group 4: Experimental Sciences Group 5: Mathematics Group 6: Arts & Electives
English A Literature (HL/SL)

English A Language & Literature (HL/SL)

English B (HL/SL)

 Chinese Literature (HL/SL)

Chinese Language & Literature (HL/SL)

German Language & Literature (HL/SL)

Japanese Literature (HL/SL)

Korean Literature (HL/SL)

Chinese - Mandarin B (HL/SL)

Spanish B (HL/SL)

Language ab initio

Chinese (SL)

Spanish (SL)

History (HL/SL)

Economics (HL/SL)

Psychology (HL/SL)

Business and Management (HL/SL)

Biology (HL/SL)

Chemistry (HL/SL)

Physics (HL/SL)

Environmental Systems & Societies (SL)

Computer Science (HL/SL)

Mathematics (HL/SL)

Math Studies (SL)

Visual Art (HL/SL)

Music (HL/SL)

Design Technology (HL/SL)

Biology HL

Business & Management HL

Chemistry HL

Chinese -Mandarin B (HL/SL)

Economics HL

Mandarin ab initio SL

HL = Higher Level

SL= Standard Level

References

  1. ↑ "Deutsche Schulen in China" (Archive). Vertretungen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in der Volksrepublik China. Retrieved on October 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ Kim, Hyung Min. "The Role of Foreign Firms in China's Urban Transformation: A Case Study of Suzhou" (Chapter 8). In: Wong, Tai-Chee, Sun Sheng Han, and Hongmei Zhang. Population Mobility, Urban Planning and Management in China. Springer Science+Business Media, March 24, 2015. ISBN 3319152572, 9783319152578. Start: 127. CITED: p. 139.

Coordinates: 31°19′12″N 120°45′26″E / 31.3200°N 120.7572°E / 31.3200; 120.7572

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