Kodaikanal International SchoolOver 100 years in global education

KIS… a global educational experience

Kodaikanal International School (KIS) combines an ambitious, challenging academic program and a rich range of extracurricular activities within a Christian values framework that draws on a variety of cultures and prepares students for global citizenship. In keeping with KIS philosophy of caring, guided holistic self-development, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and independent decisions. Self-expression and creative thinking is valued. KIS encourages spiritual growth - regardless of what one’s faith background might be - through an inter-disciplinary, values-based education.

KIS is a school with a ‘holistic’ philosophy of education evident in its curriculum, with emphasis on awareness or extension / enrichment programs. The importance of educating the whole person is an integral part of all KIS programs and our students achieve in a wide variety of arenas from academic to music, art to cultural, social service and environmental commitment

Milestones

1901 - Established as an American boarding school for the children of missionaries in India. 1968 - Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools (Philadelphia). 1976 - The first school in India to adopt the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. 1981 - KIS High School Diploma recognised by the Association of Indian Universities. 1994 - First school in India to own an outdoor campus for camping and environmental education. 2001 - KIS celebrated 100 years of service in international education. 2006 - Authorised by the IBO to offer Middle Years Program. 2012 - Authorised by the IBO to offer Primary Years Program.

Unity in Diversity

The student and staff community consists of about 500 students and 300 academic and non-academic staff from over 30 countries. Understanding different cultures thus becomes an intrinsic part of the global education KIS offers. KIS draws on the richness of all its constituent cultures and has been educating global citizens for over 100 years.

The overall student to teacher ratio is approximately 8 to 1.

Music

Music has been a unique feature of KIS academic life for over 100 years. This is evident amongst KIS alumni in the number of distinguished composers,

professional musicians, as well as those with a lifelong appreciation of music. KIS presents instrumental students for Royal Schools of Music (RSM, London)

examinations in Music, Practical and Theory. Lessons are also offered in traditional Indian instruments: veena, tabla, Carnatic vocal and Indian

dance.

Visual Arts Performing Arts (VAPA)

Drama, film, fine arts, and photography are all powerful communication mediums as well as art forms. The VAPA department seeks to meld the Arts programs into an arcing and comprehensive curriculum which looks at the arts in historic, cultural and social light.

The various Arts subjects provide students with a forum to study the various artistic lenses through which knowledge, skills and attitudes from

different cultural traditions are developed, assimilated and transmitted.

Outdoors program

Hiking The best of Kodaikanal, the views, waterfalls, wildlife and jungles are all beyond the confines of the school campus and town. Students are encouraged to sign up for hikes to get a taste of the vistas and countryside and experience the wilderness environment of the Palani Hills region of South India.

Camping KIS has a 92 acre wilderness campus at a rural location called Poondi. Poondi is a well-established outdoor and camping program. The camp site is surrounded by national reserve forest and remains in pristine environmental condition.

Sports

Physical Education Curriculum at KIS provides a program of instruction for the development of the whole individual through physical activities. This is done by emphasizing the relationship between the physical, intellectual and emotional well-being of the students.

Health & Fitness

The Lochend Fitness Centre is outfitted with a fine commercial quality multi-station gym, treadmills, elliptical, upright bikes and rowing machines. The fitness centre has an open area surrounded by mirrors and a bar to accommodate dance and aerobics classes.

Our commitment to service

Medical Care KIS Dispensary provides 24-hour health care 7 days a week to all members of the KIS community. KIS has a full-time doctor and registered nurses on staff that is available to patients at all times. Food Services KIS Food Services department is led by highly experienced catering professionals; preparing all meals in a well equipped kitchen. The dining hall caters to students, staff and families. The menu is planned to maintain variety and norms of nutritional value on a 15-day cycle. The menu includes multi-cuisine dishes; a mixture of Indian, Continental, Oriental and a unique KIS style.

Travel KIS Travel Office coordinates all student, staff and community travel. The Travel office is responsible for arranging all student and staff travel. Four times a year over 500 students and family members are transported from over 30 countries to and from KIS. Airport, railway and bus station transfers are available to students and their families on request.

Student Residences KIS has comfortable student residences and their names reflect the rich history of Kodaikanal and KIS century old mission foundation - Bartlett (East & West), Boyer (lower & upper) Bruton, Central House, Claverack, East House, Edmonstone, Kennedy, Lochend, Penryn, Phelps, Sherwood, Solvik, Swedish House (lower & upper), Westover, Wissy

Students have unique opportunities to belong to a community of young people where ideas, cultures and faiths from all over the world meet.

Life on the campus

Career Counselling KIS graduates continue their education in colleges and universities around the world. KIS provides a comprehensive

careers & college placement service to all students in grades 10, 11 and 12. Students are encouraged to consider a wide

range of courses, colleges / universities and countries around the world.

Mentorship Program Under the auspices of the KIS Alumni Office and the Careers and

Guidance Office, the KIS Mentorship Program assists senior and junior students. The Mentorship Program forms a liaison between the KIS alumni

community and seniors to help students with their transition into college.

Personal Counselling A Student Counsellor is available full time to assist students adjust to the academic, emotional

and social demands of KIS.

Learning Resources The Learning Resource Department is dedicated to enhance the quality of education for individuals with learning difficulty by providing appropriate strategies to make them independent learners. Support is also provided to help students with organization, time management and the development of appropriate study skills.

English as a Second Language (ESL) The ESL program works with students who has studied in a language other than English, before joining KIS. At times, there are students who have studied in English but continue to need the extra help and support.

National Honor Society (NHS) KIS has a long standing membership with this prestigious American organization which chooses those students in High school classes who have excelled in each of four areas; Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Character.

PEER Encouragers KIS Peer Encouragers encourage a supportive environment by providing a network of students willing to reach out in friendship to individuals and groups of our diverse student body.

KIS Exchange Program

The KIS Exchange program facilitates cross cultural learning experiences. The program consciously encourages students to develop academically, socially and spiritually. Through this program, KIS gives students the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture for up to one semester – studying, living and learning in a new and different environment from what they have experienced before. KIS participates in exchange programs in 4 countries; Germany, Australia, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Developing leaders for the future

Accredited in 1960 by the Middle States Association of Schools & Colleges, Philadelphia, KIS High School was the first international and first IB school in India with IBO approval of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program for grades 11 and 12 in 1974.

KIS prepares students for admission to colleges and universities throughout the world through two academically challenging programs: KIS Diploma and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

KIS Diploma is accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, Philadelphia and recognized by the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi, as equivalent to the Indian “+2” secondary certification. Requirements for receiving the KIS Diploma are defined in terms of credits, which apply to subjects in grades 9 to 12. All graduating year 12 students receive the KIS Diploma.

KIS also offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma program for grades 11 and 12. As the first school in India and the second in Asia to offer the IB Diploma, KIS now has an outstanding 30+ year track record of world ranking academic results.

Primary Years Program The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the total growth of the developing child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development.

Middle Years Program The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program caters for students aged 11-16 (grades 6 – 10) who are in an important age of transition. The program is devised to help students develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need to participate actively and responsibly in an increasingly interrelated world.

International Baccalaureate Diploma & Certificate The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is a two year pre-university course, to facilitate the mobility of students and to promote international understanding. It leads to awarding either the IB Diploma or IB Certificates in separate subjects. The full Diploma Program (DP) is comprehensive and designed to provide students with a balanced holistic education in preparation for tertiary study in colleges and universities around the world. At KIS the IB Diploma Program is optional and fully integrated into the US accredited KIS High School Diploma curriculum delivered to grades 11-12.

The IB is a rigorous program which involves studying a minimum of six subjects, three or four at higher level (HL) and three or two at standard level (SL). Examination papers are set by international experts and marked externally. KIS Diploma / IB certificate students must select subjects keeping only the KIS credit requirements of the core subjects and the additional requirements of VAPA. KIS Diploma / IB Diploma subjects are chosen from each of the following six groups below:

Group IB Higher Level IB Standard Level KIS course

Group 1 (one only) Pre-requisite

English LIT HL (grade10 Hon or B- in Advanced English), Korean HL

English Language and Literature SL Korean SL Dzongkha SL

Group 2 Second Language (Language B) (one only) Pre-requisite: should have had 2-5 years previous study of the language unless an Ab Initio course

Hindi B HL German B HL Korean B HL French B HL

French B SL Hindi B SL German SL Spanish Ab Initio SL Mandarin Ab Initio SL Korean B SL Tamil B SL English B SL

Group IB Higher Level IB Standard Level KIS courseGroup 3 Social Studies (not more than two SS courses can be taken) Pre-requisite: Humanities 10

Economics HL Business & Management HL History HL Geography HL Psychology HL

Economics SL Business& Management SL History SL Geography SL Psychology SL World Religions SL

Accountancy Political Studies (these one semester courses will give credits for electives)

Group 4 Science (More than one science course can be taken) Pre-requisite should have taken Bio/Physics/Chemistry 10

Chemistry HL Physics HL Biology HL Computer Science HL

Chemistry SL Physics SL Biology SL Environ. System SL Computer Science SL

Group 5 Math (one only) Pre-requisite

Math HL (Math Adv or 6 in Math 10)

Math SL (Math Adv or 5 in Math 10) Math Studies SL (Math 10)

Group 6 VAPA Music /Art /Film

Music HL Visual Arts HL Film HL

Music SL Visual Arts SL Film SL

VAPA

Theory of Knowledge TOK 1

Students may take one subject from each of the six groups, or one subject each from Groups 1 - 5 and a second subject from Groups 2 - 5.

KIS High School Kodaikanal International School offers a broad based combination of American and international curriculum to its students. Apart from the core subjects, students are expected to complete courses in Religious Education, Health, Fine and Practical Arts, Computer Education and Community Service requirements to be eligible for the US accredited KIS Diploma. Requirements for receiving KIS Diploma are

defined in terms of credits, which apply to subjects of grades 9 to 12 only. Each course is assigned either 5 or 2.5 credits per semester depending upon class hours per cycle. Students are

awarded these credits upon successful completion of required course work. Subjects allocated five or six periods in a six-day cycle receive 5 credits for a semester and

10 credits for a full year. (10 credits = 1 Carnegie Unit) For example 40 credits required in English means students must take 8 semesters of English over a 4

year period earning 5 credits per semester.

All students are assigned a homeroom teacher. Homeroom teachers monitor students’ academic program and progress, assisting them in

developing successful study patterns and effective relationships with teachers and other students.

Education with a Global Perspective

Situated in the peaceful Palani Hills of South India, KIS combines an ambitious academic program and a rich range of extracurricular activities. Set in a region known for its rugged beauty and cool climate, KIS is an independent, International, K-12 residential school of Christian foundation.

Unique International Education

KIS seeks candidates who demonstrate a positive attitude and a willingness to work independently. Admission is open to qualified students at all grade levels from Preschool to grade 12. The school is open for residential students from grades 3 – 12. The school year consists of two semesters; semester 1 from July to November, and semester 2 from January to May. Winter vacation runs from end November through beginning January and summer vacation from mid-May through to mid-July.

For direct enquiries and requests for application, contact;

Admissions Coordinator Kodaikanal International School, Seven Roads Junction, PO Box 25, Kodaikanal 624 101 Tamil Nadu, India

Phone: (91) 4542 247 500 (switchboard) (91) 4542 247 218 (direct) Fax: (91) 4542 241 109

Email: Admissions@kis.in

Web: www.kis.in

Caring, nurturing environment with 1:8 staff to student ratio, fabulous location

at 2200m in the Palani Hills, great learning environment with emphasis on

spiritual awareness in today’s world

Visit to see how great it is!

Kodaikanal International SchoolSeven Roads Junction, PO Box 25,

Kodaikanal 624 101, Tamil Nadu, Indiatel: (91) 4542 247 500fax: (91) 4542 241 109email: contact@kis.in

www.kis.in

A non-profit, multicultural, Christian organization registered # 181-6970 of 1996 under section 25 of the Companies Act 1956

KIS... over 100 years in global education

Prin

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2012