Santa Monica International School

[EduCativ]

SMIS philosophy is to provide a positive, safe, academically engaged environment that provides an effective educational program with a balanced progressing curriculum allowing each child to grow and develop according to his/her age. Our goal is to create a community of learners that grows together with their parents and teachers. SMIS will help the children grow as individuals by educating them in partnership with their families. SMIS aspires to create an atmosphere where the school is an extension of the family and where teachers, parents, and the children's interactions involve strong connections.

The school envisions that all its students will grow to their fullest potential. SMIS anticipates the students to develop self-worth, self-confidence, independence, love of nature, leadership, good manners, and right conduct to create a strong sense of citizenship. Santa Monica International School places high value on professionalism in its teachers, faculty, parents, and students. Moral values are taught in etiquette, manners, and good citizenship in the classrooms. Individual values in harmony with societal values are strongly encouraged. School is the center of expertise in learning. SMIS expects students, parents, and teachers to place value in education and value commitment towards our students’ future.

SMIS’ purpose is to ensure that our students finish school or graduate to the next grade better educated, better mannered, better socially adapted, better mentally, and a better all-around world citizen. For our students to enhance these traits, SMIS focuses to ensure that the student is taught how to be:

• Effective Communicators
• Literate in Educational/World Thinking
• Critical Thinkers
• Motivated Productive Learners
• Constructive Community Members

In this area, the goal is to develop in every child a strong and realistic sense of independence and self-reliance. This area in the curriculum focuses on developing skills that would allow every child to effectively control and deal with social as well as with the physical environment in which he/she lives.

Physical Development and Health program aims to still in the mind of young children the value of their bodies’ health and safety. Through first-hand experiences provided for each child, the ability to understand and control their bodies is increased. In a supervised environment, children experience growth in gross motor development and learn to use small muscles to improve a variety of fine motor skills. The program helps the children to have concrete knowledge about age-appropriate healthy choices in daily life.

Our classrooms promote an environment that is stimulating, challenging, and non-competitive, allowing each child to get ahead at their own pace. At this stage of child development, the school seeks to aid in the development of the child’s vocabulary, reading skills, and command of language.

Through an integrated curriculum, each child will be freely exposed to an environment that will stimulate or challenge him/her to gradually grasp simple mathematical concepts. This program aims to develop in each child the skills of comparing and classifying objects, relationships, and events in their environment. It seeks to develop the ability to explore and discover simple ways to measure, which leads to the development of an understanding of numbers and exploration of simple mathematical processes.

Through supervised activities, each child is given special attention aiming to aid his/her development of fine motor skills necessary for pencil control. The traditional emphasis on handwriting is stressed at the school and children are encouraged to take pride in their printed/written work.

This area seeks to foster a positive attitude toward science through a program that allows active hands-on experiences among the children. The preschool science program aims to develop among the children the awareness of simple scientific knowledge related to living and non-living things. Further, it fosters awareness of simple scientific knowledge related to the earth.

At an early age, children begin to be aware of the components of the social environment where they live. Through this program, children will eventually acquire the skills and attitudes required to live in a society. This program seeks to aid children in understanding and interpreting their relationships and place within their environment. Japanese LessonJapanese class is held once a week from 3 years old class up to Kindergarten class.

Okinawa is the birthplace of Karate and Santa Monica International School’s professional karate sensei teaches our students to develop their self-control and self-discipline. The Okinawan culture of Karate is a wonderful physical education that strengthens mind and body control and further develops individual coordination.

Santa Monica has professional ballet teachers from established ballet schools in Okinawa to teach ballet to our students. Our students may choose to attend this extra-curricular physical activity time during school hours. Ballet’s gracefulness and body control provide Santa Monica’s students an additional way to further develop self-discipline and coordination.

The beautiful island of Okinawa is surrounded by the ocean making swimming an essential activity to learn. Santa Monica’s students can learn how to swim or become better swimmers by choosing this extra-curricular activity. Our students attend Chatan Sports Center swimming lessons where professional swimming instructors provide world-class swimming lessons.

Children release their extra energy by doing this aerobic dance program with the inclusion of Latin American music. This extra-curricular activity will surely keep the children develop creativity while exploring the rhythms of different cultures!

View full school