Parent Involvement

Home Learning

Home learning at ZIS is different for every child according to their needs. This is what you can expect for your child:

• Reading is the cornerstone of home learning. Teachers will help monitor that students are reading developmentally appropriate material. Reading at home includes being read to, children reading by themselves or with parents, and children discussing the content of the texts they read. It is expected that students will read at home daily. Children may read in any language.
• Differentiated learning tasks to be completed at home will only be given by the teacher where there is a specific educational need based on teacher assessments completed at school.
• As part of their preparation for the transition to Middle School, Grade 5 students may receive additional home learning in Semester two.
• We encourage children to participate in the Swiss community.
• We strongly believe that all Lower School students should have the opportunity to play in structured and unstructured contexts at home or in the community

Parent Volunteers

What can I do as a parent?

If you would like to share a skill, attend Beyond the Classroom trips, assist with science and social studies units, listen to children read, or simply help out in your child’s classroom, please contact the class teacher.

A number of parents also coach our sports teams or teach a specific activity. If you wish to coach or teach an after school activity, please contact our After School Activities Coordinator at ls_atac@zis.ch.

Room Parents

The Room Parents liaise between the class teacher, the Parents’ Association (PA) and parent community.

Room Parents encourage the integration of new parents into the ZIS community, and help organize classroom or grade level celebrations. They also arrange morning coffees, parent evenings or other social gatherings for the classroom or grade level. Please let your child’s teacher know at the beginning of the school year if you are interested in contributing in this way. We try to have two Room Parents for each class, ideally one with experience of life at ZIS and the other newer but eager to be involved.

Parents' Association

The ZIS Parents’ Association (PA) consists of volunteers who wish to work together to enrich the program for students and to support our families. Upon the arrival of a new family, Parents’ Association members will contact you. Over the years, our proactive PA has raised funds for a wide variety of equipment, organized multiple social activities, supported school events, and provided various orientation and social opportunities for new families. You can contact the Lower School PA representatives at pa_cc_LS@zis.ch.