How will I know if my child is progressing?

Parents as partners

Your child’s happiness and progress is highly important to us and we see ourselves as partners in this learning journey.

Campus meetings, parent cafes, MyZIS Weekly News posts in the community portal and other parent educational opportunities will be offered throughout the year. All parents are invited to attend to learn more about the Lower School work being done aligned to the ZIS strategic plan.

Individual appointments to talk to your child’s teacher are always possible. Contact your child’s teacher by email, using an address made up of their initial followed by their surname (check the faculty directory within the Community Portal).

All administrators in the Lower School have an open office policy. Please feel free at any stage to make an appointment to discuss your child by directly contacting the Lower School Office to set up a meeting.

How will I know my child is progressing?

• Meet the Teacher Night: At the beginning of the school year we have a Meet the Teacher Night. Teachers share grade level learning and expectations with all parents and answer any questions you may have.
• Beginning of the Year Snapshot Conference: At the beginning of the year you may sign up for a brief “snapshot” conference. At this conference, you can share relevant information about your child with their teacher.
• Family Conferences: There are two family conferences where the teacher will discuss your child’s progress and share next steps in their learning. One of these conferences is optional for Grades 1–5.
• Student-Led Conference: There will be a student led conference in the spring in which your child will have the opportunity to explain their learning, teach concepts and reflect on their learning behaviors.
• Written Reports: A mid-year and end of year written report is shared with you. These reports are formal student records which address your child’s progress, focusing on “what your child can do now”. Preschool and Kindergarten students only receive an end of year written report.
• Seesaw Journal: Class and student-specific information is available on your child’s Seesaw journal. When your child joins a class, you will gain access to their Seesaw journal. These are updated regularly to keep you up-to-date with developments within the class and your child’s learning. Once you have gained access to the Seesaw journal, you will receive notifications when a new post is made.
• Assessment Folder: Your child will bring home an end of unit checklist and evidence of your child’s learning, corresponding to the checklist. The assessment folder is sent home at least four times a year.

In addition to these opportunities, specific grade levels complete external assessments. ZIS participates in these assessments in order to have an international academic comparison, thus maintaining our high educational standards.

• Measures of Academic Progress (MAP): Specific grade levels complete the MAP assessment in mathematics and reading up to twice per year. Results of the MAP are shared in the assessment folder. Please refer to our Lower School curriculum at www.zis.ch/our-school/lower-school/curriculum for more detailed information on assessment and how your child’s teacher continually monitors their academic progress.

Please refer to our Lower School curriculum at www.zis.ch/our-school/lower-school/curriculum for more detailed assessment information and how your child’s teacher continually monitors their academic progress.