International School of Curitiba

The International School of Curitiba (ISC), founded in 1959, is located in Curitiba, Brazil. It is a school with a co-educational college preparatory school enrolling students from toddler (age 2) through grade 12. ISC is also the only international school in the state of Paraná that offers an education with American, Brazilian and IB diplomas. The ISC educational program is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in the USA, the Brazilian Ministry of Education and Culture and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) headquartered in Switzerland.

Demographics

Students at ISC represent approximately 22 nationalities. ISC attempts to maintain a mix of between 40% and 60% of international and Brazilian students in order to maintain both its international and Brazilian cultural identity.

ISC facilities

ISC has two campuses, both in residential areas close to downtown Curitiba.

Santa Felicidade Campus Completed in 2001, the ISC Santa Felicidade campus provides educational services for grades 1 through 12. It is located in a pastoral setting and, in addition to classrooms, the campus provides science and computer labs, a cafeteria, a library/media center, a track, a soccer field and covered gymnasium. Plans include investing R$5.7 million in an International Cultural Center with classrooms for art, music, and drama; a performance auditorium; and library/media center with recording studio and video conferencing capabilities.

Vila Schaffer Campus The ISC Early Childhood Center (ECC), located at Vila Schaffer, houses the toddler, nursery, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten classes and provides a learning environment for young children. The Vila Schaffer is a historical monument that was leased to ISC by the city of Curitiba in 1974 in recognition of the important role of the school in the development of internationalism in Curitiba. In 2001, upon the completion of the new Santa Felicidade campus, it was redesigned into a learning center for Early Childhood Center students. It is located only 10 minutes away from the Santa Felicidade Campus.Vila Schaffer houses classrooms, a science room, a library, a covered gymnasium, a toy room, a psychomotor room and a large outdoor play area. A music room and reception area also provide a venue for indoor activities for children and parents.

ISC faculty

All ISC faculty must hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree or equivalent, however, many have also earned advanced degrees. The faculty consists of a mix of overseas and local hired faculty including teachers from the United States, Brazil, and Canada, many of whom are native English speakers.

Early Childhood Center ECC

Toddler, Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten - Ages 2 to 5The Early Childhood Center has small classes. The ECC program focuses on early stages of learning in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, music, fine arts, health and physical education. Early learning in technology is included in instructional activities. Portuguese is also introduced at the kindergarten level.

Elementary - Grades 1 through 5

The ISC Elementary School follows U.S. and Brazilian accredited programs that emphasize the basic subjects. A major part of the program is directed toward the development of reading, writing, and mathematics. Students are taught by grade level classroom teachers with support from specialists in music, art, physical education, Portuguese, Portuguese as a second language (PSL), Brazilian history and geography, English as a second language (ESL), computer studies and library instruction.For students in grades 1 through 5, the development of computer skills and the use of technology are integrated into the regular classroom instruction. Students make use of classroom computers as well as computer lab instruction.

Middle School - Grades 6 through 8

The middle school core academic program includes instruction in English, reading and social studies. To support the transition from elementary to high school, middle school students have one teacher for these core classes. Middle school students also continue instruction in music, art, physical education, and Brazilian history and geography. Depending on their language ability, students will be enrolled in Portuguese or Portuguese as a second language (PSL), and English or English as a second language (ESL) classes.

High School - Grades 9 through 12

ISC provides a four-year, college preparatory program for its students. Typically 100% of our graduates enter four-year colleges and universities either abroad or within Brazil to pursue a wide variety of professional studies. ISC offers high school students three diploma options. All graduating students complete requirements for American and Brazilian diplomas. Students also have the option of completing requirements for the International Baccalaureate (IB). The IB program is a demanding pre-university course of study designed for highly motivated students in grades 11 and 12. Upon entering university, students scoring well on the IB examinations may receive university credit for these courses.

Graduation requirements

Students must earn 24 credits to graduate. Generally, credits are earned at a rate of 0.5 credits per course per semester. Credits are granted only upon successful completion of each course with no credit given for a failed course. All ISC 11th and 12th grade students are required to complete 150 CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) hours for graduation. Students have a choice of activities in which they can participate, in order to fulfill their CAS requirements. All ISC students are required to write a research-based extended essay as part of their graduation requirements.

Graduates

The following is a partial list of colleges and universities where ISC graduates have been accepted:

Native Language Program

The ISC Native Language Program is an optional program which provides our non-Brazilian students in grades 1 to 10 with instructional time to study their native language.

Extracurricular Program

ISC offers extracurricular activities for its students in the areas of athletics, music, drama, art, service and academic clubs. Most activities are held after school but some take place during regular school hours.

The school mascot is a wildcat.

External links

* [http://www.iscbrazil.com International School of Curitiba website]