Elementary School Program
Nurturing Learning
Serving students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 5 between the ages of 3 and 10
The ISK Elementary School builds an inclusive learning community with students between the ages of three and ten, from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5. ISK's Elementary School is dedicated to providing a nurturing learning environment that is engaging, challenging, relevant, and learner-centered. Through our Educational Aims, we develop lifelong learners and global citizens with effective communication, creative thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills who can make a positive difference.
What learning looks like in the Elementary School
Messy Day!
Mud Kitchen
Outdoor Makerspace
Our child-friendly program, with its small class size and personalized attention, provides each child with the tools necessary to attain their academic potential and to be happy and compassionate members of our learning community. ISK’s Elementary School is a center of inquiry, creativity and joyful learning, with all curricular and co-curricular programs designed to fulfill ISK’s Mission, Vision and Educational Aims.
Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox, Elementary School Principal
Elementary Learning Designs
Learning to Be
At the International School of Kenya (ISK), the whole child's development is at the heart of how we learn. Learning in the Elementary School (ES) is designed around reinforcing ISK’s educational aims, personal, emotional, and social skills. Together, we learn about who we are and who we want to be by exploring our passions, unique creativities, and ambitions. We design our learning to nurture the curiosities, interests, and capabilities that each child brings to our community. We work with every learner to create an experience driven by their passions and motivations. We build on each student's strengths to empower resourceful, self-determined, confident, and resilient learners.
Learning to Do
In the ES, we design experiences to help children find their purpose by honoring their voices and unique, personal significance. We encourage all students to consider how they are contributing to their world and communities as they make a difference to those around them. We learn to be responsible and engaged members of our school community as well as citizens of the world. At ISK, we are learning to be globally minded people who actively learn, create, solve, and engage in our world. We inspire and nurture children to feel empowered to develop solutions for a better world.
Learning About
Children are natural learners, and our role is to help nurture these interests to develop lifelong learning skills. In the ES, we support all children as they learn how to learn. Our teachers design experiences that are personalized, experiential, and integrated; these learning opportunities foster inquiry and conceptual understanding. Our students continuously advance their skills in literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, physical education, and languages through a learner-centered approach. Each day is designed to create experiences that allow children to learn how to learn. Together, we learn skills through the lens of our own unique interests. This provides a responsive approach to designing our curriculum and learning pathways by building the skills needed to learn within our school and the world beyond.
Learning Space
The architectural design at ISK takes advantage of both indoor and outdoor spaces. Our environment is spilling over with green, natural spaces integral to inquiry within the science, math, writing, and art curricula. The classrooms include flexible learning spaces where children and teachers learn together as collaborators, problem solvers, researchers, mathematicians, authors, storytellers, artists, and makers. As a school community, we have designed timetables and schedules that shape our day. We begin the day with a soft start to promote connections, inquiries, and play. This leads to a morning meeting where relationships and communities are built. Throughout the day, learners participate in sustained workshops and projects integrated within areas such as math, literacy, science, and social studies. Every child's inquiries are honored, cultivated, and celebrated on the eighth day of the schedule.
Learning Together
At ISK, we learn together. Our students, teachers, and families collaborate on the learning journey; they design experiences, reflect on learning, and celebrate successes. Communication and collaboration skills extend to peer partnerships as children teach children and learn together. This powerful practice promotes teamwork and prepares the children to be true collaborators. Learning does not stop in childhood, and we value our adult learning community through continued professional development and family workshops. We are committed to sustaining productive partnerships with parents to help our students succeed. We have designed time and space for conferences, open days, parent teas, and workshops to further shared understandings of ISK's educational philosophy and approaches to learning and teaching.
Elementary School Voices
