About us
The DIS Preschool offers a full-day programme focusing on the whole child in a supportive, enriching environment where play-based inquiry is facilitated by highly skilled teachers. Our programme is the first step of the internationally-recognised Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate.
We commit to creating and nurturing an environment where all children and adults:
Feel loved, safe and welcome
Engage in playful learning
Are motivated to grow
Live new unexpected experiences
Are inspired to inquire
Practice inquisitive learning
Share happiness
Invite the extraordinary
... and we encourage the above in everyone with whom we work.
Our preschool programme accommodates Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten children (1-6 years). Our inquiry-based approach encourages children to explore the physical and social world around them. The Primary Years Programme (PYP) curriculum is adaptable to state standards which gives our teachers the freedom to tailor their lessons to meet the specific needs of our students.
The Preschool programme at DIS is child-centered, play-based, and allows children to explore the world and follow their own interests.
At our Preschool, we support the development of children through carefully created learning spaces, and we use the environment around us to inspire children's curiosity about the world.
Each Preschool child has her/his own journal at the online platform Seesaw which can be accessed by the parents. It is regularly revised with weekly photos and descriptions of learning and events of the week. There is also timely information from the office, and general information for parents. For the three- to five-year groups, the journal also includes information about the Units of Inquiry (UoI).
Each classroom group has one or two parents who serve as Room Parents.
The Room Parents serve as contacts for the teachers when volunteers are needed, they may also organise occasional playdates for the class group, and welcome new families.
The DIS Preschool strives to establish a solid foundation for partnership between parents and teachers and facilitate healthy relationships in our community. Opportunities to come together and communication are two of the essential elements in building relationships.
We keep channels of communication open through web pages, conferencing, parenting classes, parent coffee mornings, and semester reports. Several times throughout the year, we invite families to join events such as picnics, holiday celebrations, and performances.
Several times a year, our preschool community comes together for cosy picnics and colourful entertainment programmes.
Each September, we host the Fall Potluck Picnic for all of our school families. The event begins with parents gathering together in their child’s classroom to have an opportunity to meet each other and engage in an ice-breaker activity followed by the picnic in the school garden. Parents are welcome to bring food to share.
Our Spring Family Picnic usually begins with a musical performance by the students, followed by the picnic, and ending with a play produced by and starring the teachers. We also invite new families who will be joining our preschool in August to join the picnic and start meeting our community.
On Sundays during July, we host picnics for all DIS community members and friends from both campuses. The Summer Picnic Series gives families the opportunity to meet during the traditional school vacation period.
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