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| 1. What has Taihu got to offer me and my children? |
| Taihu has excellent teacher to student ratios. The ideal class size is 16 but many classes are smaller than this. In the middle and high school class sizes vary from 3 to 7 students per class. This means your children get the individual attention they need. We can cater for students joining us with no English as we have a strong ESL department with two experienced staff members, both licensed teachers and both with ESL qualifications. The school is located in a quiet residential area close to Taihu lake, the new wetland parks and environmental centres. The school is developing a strong reputation in the performing arts. Many students are involved in learning musical instruments, we have an active rock band and the we put on two musicals each year. Last year saw the whole school involved in versions of "Frosty the Snowman" and "The Lion King" which were both very well received by parents. The school has a strong tradition of visual arts and is developing associations with local artists and parents with an artistic background. The teaching of Chinese language is another strong part of our programme with students being taught in groups of between 3-6 in ability groups by a team of experienced teachers. The academic side of our programme is monitored closely by a team of experienced curriculum managers ensuring that our teaching and learning meet the highest standards required by the IB, CIS, WASC and NCCT accreditation organisations. But the schools strongest asset has to be its warm, friendly, safe atmosphere where students and parents are always welcome. People know each other and parental involvement in school life is high. If you would like to become more involved with our school please drop in and talk to us about how we can work together. |
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| 2. Where do Taihu students come from? |
| Students at Taihu come from all around the world. We have students from many European countries including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the Czech Republic. Asian students come from Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore. African students from Burundi and Rwanda. North American from the USA. Australasian from New Zealand. We welcome families from a wide range of countries, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. |
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| 3. Where do the teaching staff come from? |
| Our teaching staff are all qualified education professionals with excellent levels of spoken and written English. Many are from the English speaking countries of the UK, New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Canada but we also have staff from Korea, China and Burundi all with excellent qualifications, experience and English levels. The IB organisation recently congratulated the school on having such a diverse international staff. We interview extensively to find the best teachers available and always make background checks to ensure our staff meet the highest standards. |
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| 4. Can Taihu cater for older students? |
| Most certainly! We currently have classes up to grade 10 and will open grade 11 next year. We can and will open classes to grade 12 where demand exists. If you have children who require the older classes come and talk to us about how we can meet their needs. We have a team of 10 specialist teachers with specialist rooms for computers, music, PE, Chinese, English, humanities, maths, science lab, technology and art rooms. Our small class sizes mean it is easy for older students to get the individual attention they need. English support is given to students who are new to the language. |
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| 5. Can Taihu prepare students for university? |
| Taihu offers a first class education for all. Grade 12 students will be issued with a high school diploma accredited by CIS/WASC and NCCT by May 2010. This will have the same value as high school graduation in most countries. Also, all non-native English speaking students are required to take courses in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) which is a pre-requisite for most students entering an English speaking university course. Next year we hope to apply for IB Diploma candidate status which is an internationally recognised diploma for university entrance to the top universities around the world. Senior students and their parents are given guidance on university options and entrance requirements. If you would like more information about how we can prepare your children for further education around the world or in your home country please arrange an informal talk with the school Principal. |
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| 6. Do you have admissions testing? |
| We do not currently have a formal admissions test. Acceptance to the school is by interview and application. On admission students are tested to determine their English language level and their need for English support. Families should bring copies of the latest school reports. For older students an interview with the principal is required to determine their level of English, their acadmeic ability, their long term aims and the school's ability to assist their preparation for university entrance. |
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| 7. Can students join anytime? |
Although it is preferable for students to join the school at the beginning of a semester this is not strictly necessary as we do cater for admissions all year round. |
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| 8. Will the International Baccalaureate (IB) be recognised in my home country? |
| The International Baccalaureate PYP, MYP and Diploma programmes are well-recognised world-wide and many countries prefer to admit IB students rather than those from their national systems. For more details about the IB programme go to www.ibo.org |
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| 9. Can the school accept students without English? |
We have an English as a Second Language (ESL) programme specifically designed for the needs of students learning English. Generally students will join their mainstream classes for many regular lessons and will also receive additional English language support at other times. It is difficult for us to admit students who have no English at all to our diploma programme, because of the academic demands at this level; in such cases we would usually offer a year in M5 first to enable the student to acquire a good standard of English.
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| 10. What age students does Taihu accept? |
We take students who are three years old on the first of September. We have a second intake in February for children who have turned three by that time. The February intake are required to attend P1 for one and a half years. We take students up to the age of eighteen. |
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| 11. What do the school's class names mean? |
As all countries have their own classification systems for classes we have adopted an international style of naming based on the IB programmes:
P1-8 means classes in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) ages 3-11
M1-5 means classes in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) ages 11-16
D1-2 means classes in the IB Diploma Programme (DP) ages 16-18
US equivalent would be P4 = grade one
UK equivalent would be P4 = year two
French equivalent would be P4 = Cours Préparatoire
Japan P4 = Primary 1
Korea P4 = Primary 1 (Korean age 8 on 1st Sept) |
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| 12. Where does your curriculum come from? |
| The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers a truly international curriculum framework for its Primary (PYP), Middle (MYP) and Diploma (DP) programmes. The framework has been developed from the best international curricula requirements and places the emphasis firmly on the aquisition of skills in inquiry and research. At Taihu this framework has been supplemented by the Texas standards for Kindergarten through to grade 12 from the USA to ensure that students have the basic knowledge required by most educational systems. |
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| 13. Do you offer any languages other than English? |
| All our students are required to learn Chinese for one lesson per day. Occasionally entry to Chinese classes is delayed for students who do not have any English. Currently in the MYP years we offer French as a second and first language and Korean as a first language. The availability of language courses can change from year to year depending on staffing levels and availability in the timetable. We strongly encourage parents to offer after school language courses to students where demand exists and the school supports parents in the delivery of these courses. |
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