Aspects of this post were shared at Nishimachi’s Open Campus event in September where over 300 parents visited to learn more about how our historic school, located in Central Tokyo, is developing excellence in our learners.
It’s that time of year where Kindergartens begin opening registrations and families in general start applying for their child’s first, or next, school. As parents chose a school what factors into their decision? It may sound obvious but they want their child to have a strong foundation of learning in reading, writing and math. A strong understanding of science, geography, history, while also learning how to express and develop their creativity skills through fine arts classes and PE. Finally, they are hoping for more opportunities for their child to engage their curiosity in learning beyond the classroom walls. At the end of the day all parents want their children to be safe, challenged, supported, connected and future ready.
Nishimachi International School has a strong and proud legacy in the holistic education of students. Established in 1949, Nishimachi has been living the school’s mission by creating learning experiences that ensure students have the opportunity to achieve their personal best, and understand their ability to positively impact the world around them.
To develop learners and leaders who know, care and take action to bring value to others and to make a positive impact on the world.
Through the creation of the most recent strategic plan, seven principles of learning rose to the top of what Nishimachi does, and aspires to be. These principles arose out of research into what skills and competencies are going to be needed in the future of work, best practices of top international schools, and a reflection of the current practices at Nishimachi. These seven principles have been categorized into the Three Pillars of Nishimachi learning.
Our learning is inquiry driven: curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, communication as well as opportunities to overlap subjects for greater understanding and application of learning is valued.
Our learning is personalized: we have small classes and great adult to student ratios. This means our teachers really get to know your child. We use a number of assessments tools that not only allow us to see each child’s progress, but most importantly where they need to be supported and challenged the most.
Our learning is community oriented: learning is a social activity so we do our best to make is collaborative. Whether that is in the classroom, with buddy classes, going on trips into the real world or bringing people in, we strive to make learning relevant. By doing so are able to ensure our students develop their learning and character in a manner that demonstrates Nishimachi excellence.
We have a wonderful elementary program and our small class sizes ensure a personalized experience for all. Two new areas for our elementary school and middle school has been the addition of our Health class, and a STEAM teacher who will work with classes to integrate STEAM into classroom learning.
The advantage of being at a school the size and design of Nishimachi is the overlapping experience between Middle School and Elementary School. We have a wonderful Middle School program that truly builds on the success of elementary. In fact, a lot of time is built into the transition between elementary and middle to ensure a seamless move for our students. One initiative we are particularly proud of is our Exploratory Program where students study fencing, robotics, photography, chess, podcasting and more. We personalize the academics for students, but also want to provide opportunities like Exploratory for students to dive into their own interests.
Finally, in elementary and middle school we have a very robust and renowned Japanese language program. Each new student, if needed, begins in our “starter program” for 4 weeks where our very experienced teachers teach them the foundational beginnings of Japanese language learning, while also ensuring that learning is engaging and inspiring. All students in the regular program are assessed along a continuum based on their abilities, and our Japanese department ensures each child is challenged and supported in their language acquisition. This learning happens 5 days a week. In middle school our students engage in Japanese Social Studies which is an examination and understanding of this beautiful country.
There is so much to Nishimachi and whether it be classroom learning, after-school activities, outdoor education, sports teams or fine arts performances, the faculty and staff at Nishimachi International School continue to foster excellence in academics, arts and athletics for our learners from across the globe.
As a new leader, and parent, to the school, Nishimachi has proven to be an excellent choice for strong academics, extra-curricular opportunities, future focussed programs, and a strong sense of community belonging.
We are Nishimachi
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