IB – Building Bridges For Your Child
Mark Beales
November 25, 2022
At OYIS, we are proud to be an IB World School that offers the PYP, MYP and the IB Diploma.
But what do those acronyms actually mean for your child?
Category: School Blog
Finding Our Ikigai
Mark Beales
November 3, 2022
When I started learning Japanese, I began with the basics.
Saying hello, thank you, ordering food. That kind of thing. And then I bumped into a word that made me
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) – Engagement, Value, Transformation
Vladimir Jocic
October 20, 2022
Studying, completing assessments, sitting the exams. Sometimes students may wonder if that is all there is to the IB Diploma Programme. This question can especially arise at the beginning of the
Fostering Independence in Children
Reese Ishmael
October 4, 2022
In late March of 2022 Japan’s hit program 初めてのおつかい was elevated to the global stage, re-branded as Netflix’s Old Enough. The premise is simple: a toddler, typically between 2 and
Multi-disciplinary Musings on Perspective
Jess Barga
October 1, 2022
It’s not a coincidence that so many of the courses designed by the IB place heavy emphasis on perspective: it goes hand in hand with the idea that learners should
Learning Essential Skills With Robotics
Patty Fawcett
September 27, 2022
From sumo to robot nurses, students at OYIS have a unique opportunity to learn foundational skills in engineering and programming. While Design is currently only offered in our Middle Year
What Makes an IB School Different?
Mark Beales
September 15, 2022
One of the most popular questions I am asked by parents is ‘what makes an IB school different from other schools?
Firstly, IB schools specifically aim to make students more
The Choices We Make: Building School Community
Claire Anderson
June 22, 2022
It was my goal that OYIS would be a safe space for young people and would aim to provide a community where they felt safe, supported, and engaged. I wanted
The Silver Lining
Claire Anderson
June 15, 2022
If there is any silver lining to the last several years, it has been that we have been given time to really understand what we value in life. For me,
Summer Intensives 2022
Emily Donkin
June 14, 2022
We’d love for you to join us this summer at the OYIS Summer Intensives. For three weeks, we will be exploring Art, Books & Authors, and Superheroes.
A Reflection…on Reflection
Jess Barga
June 10, 2022
This brings me to the most difficult question: do I conduct genuine reflection, as I so often ask my students to do?
日本語と英語と生きるということ
Kaori Ichijo
June 1, 2022
言語を学ぶことはその言語を文化理解するだけではなく受容することであるから、異なる見方や価値観に対して敏感かつ寛容になれるのは、異なる文化を行き来する間に経験する葛藤や混乱のおかげなのかもしれないとも思っている。
Be enthusiastic! 何かに夢中になろう！
Chieko Fukumoto
May 25, 2022
“The only thing that can truly move people’s hearts are the deeds and words that emanate from the person’s experiences. This is because knowledge alone is not enough for people
Sports Day at OYIS
Sim Evers
May 12, 2022
Sports Day was an event that brought togetherness to our OYIS community. Parent involvement and teacher collaboration made the day especially successful.
How I Learned English as a Kid
Isidro Montes
April 27, 2022
How do you “immerse” your child in English? As an educator I am tempted to post and quote research from different sources but I feel disconnected when I do that.
Social Media: Avoid the Hook
Thomas Hammerlund
April 20, 2022
Social media addiction is a serious problem, but by following the strategies in this blog you can evade the hook.
Trauma and Resilience
Pattarapan Pothong
April 13, 2022
My homecoming wasn’t some moral or spiritual victory. I had managed to escape where others couldn’t and I was lucky. I also worked really hard. I took advantage of the
Collaboration in STEM
Joy Biswas
April 7, 2022
The group 4 project is an interdisciplinary activity in which all Diploma Programme science students must participate. The intention is that students from the different group 4 subjects (Physics, Chemistry
Are Video Games Educational?
William Miller
April 4, 2022
What, if any, are the applications for video games in educational settings when they are created with the sole purpose of entertainment and making ever-greater sales and turning an ever
Making Projects Personal at OYIS
Patrick Anderson
March 23, 2022
Inquiry works best when people are pursuing something they are truly passionate about, and Personal Project gives them the freedom to do just that. Furthermore, because projects are often directly
Finding Connection: Suicide Prevention
Thomas Bell
March 16, 2022
Look around at the people in your life and ask yourself, do they have someone they can talk to about serious issues? Let’s prevent suicide by making connections with each
How to Build a High School: A Tale of Collaboration at OYIS
Jamie Riddalls
March 9, 2022
Building a school free from established rules and structures can be a very exciting project if you have a great team of people who share a similar vision.
Pink Shirt Day: I’m calling you out, OYIS!
Thomas Bell
February 23, 2022
It might just be very simple. Be kind. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Do small acts of kindness and practice empathy. Really practice empathy
Neurodiversity & Inclusion
Maya Krishnan
February 17, 2022
Neurodiversity is a term that came out of the Autistic Rights Movement and it was coined in about the late 1990s. Judy Singer, a sociologist in Australia, was autistic and
Let’s Hear it For the Things We Aren’t Good At
Chris Baier
February 9, 2022
What’s wrong with our work being hard? Why does a task being difficult cause stress? What’s so bad about not succeeding?
OYIS Spring Intensives 2022: Let’s Learn about Ocean Life and Animal Habitats
Emily Donkin
February 3, 2022
This year the focus of the Spring Intensives will be on two weeks of fun and enjoyable learning experiences for the students. Catering to the needs of differing student ability
What are my passion projects?
Rafael Buendia
January 28, 2022
“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it, we go nowhere.” – Carl Sagan
Performances of Understanding: What Makes MYP Assessment Different
IT Dept
January 5, 2022
Authentic assessment is a key driver in preparing students for the future as it allows students to apply their knowledge in novel, new, or unfamiliar situations which are set in
The TCK Mindset
Reese Ishmael
December 29, 2021
For the uninitiated, Third Culture Kids (TCKs for short) are individuals who have spent their formative years growing and adapting to a culture other than the one they were born
In Search of Balance with The Bacchae
Jess Barga
December 22, 2021
The IB Learner Profile includes the attribute of balance. Students have joked to me that it’s painfully ironic when teachers preach balance and in the same breath announce taxing summative
