Portland, February 6th, 2016. The International School gala raised nearly $240,000 for students and teachers. The International School (TIS) is Portland’s first International Baccalaureate elementary school. It was founded in 1990 and today educates over 480 students from age 3 through 5th grade. The school is in the middle of a big construction project.
This is the foundation for the new building which is south of Waterfront park near SW Sherman Street.
TIS families and friends have contributed over $2.85 million toward the project so far.
The total cost for the new building, including construction and soft costs like classroom furniture, is estimated at $6 million. TIS is able to finance part of the project, but most of the funds will come from philanthropic gifts.
The International School provides a multicultural environment where children are fully immersed in Spanish, Japanese or Chinese from preschool through 5th grade. Its small classes and inquiry-based, International Baccalaureate curriculum enable children to acquire language and culture.
Here’s a video about the new master plan:
From The International School:
The International School inspires children to become global citizens by providing a rigorous and comprehensive education within a nurturing, student-centered environment of full immersion in multiple languages and cultures.
Core Values & Guiding Principles
- Honesty. Honesty forms the foundation of our everyday behaviors.
- Respect. We will strive to understand others so that we may treat them in a way acceptable to them.
- Collaboration. We promote meaningful inclusion and participation in a team-oriented, student-centered, and cooperative environment. We work together in genuine partnerships to find creative solutions to problems with the goal of achieving superior results.
- Responsibility.We are accountable for our actions and their consequences.
- Diversity. We honor the uniqueness of each individual and embrace diversity in peoples’ backgrounds, values, and points of view. We are aware of a wider world and have a sense of our own place in it as individuals and as a community.
- Passion for Learning. We inspire enthusiasm for excellence, knowledge, and learning.
Vision
The International School will be recognized as a center of excellence in multicultural education. Graduates of the school are true global citizens who excel in a diverse and multicultural society. The International School fosters a culture that reflects its core values. Active and effective planning is the foundation on which the school achieves its success.
- Our FacultyMembers are passionate professionals and leaders in language immersion education who inspire our children and create a safe and nurturing environment for them to achieve excellence.
- Our Students excel academically; are fluent in another language and versed in different cultures. They attain leadership skills that enhance their confidence and self esteem and represent cultural, ethnic, economic and social diversity.
- Our Programs support academic excellence through small robust class sizes, year round enrichment programs, and international education.
- Our Facilities are clean, green, safe and welcoming in the centrally located urban environment.
- Our Finances provide long-term stability through non-tuition endowments and other sources.
- Our Leadership and Management demonstrate vision, transparency, and accountability.
- Our TIS Culture values our intimate and unique environment, global and local partnerships, and service to the community.
- Our Families and Alumni provide broad based support to the school through active volunteerism to sustain a positive learning environment
The Board of Directors is responsible for safeguarding the mission, values and vision of the school. Click here to learn about the TIS board.
