Makuhari International School

[EduCativ]

The MIS vision is first, to be able to offer top-quality education and give parents real choice – the choice to attend a bilingual school, where English and Japanese are valued equally, and whose diploma allows transfer to Japanese junior high schools as well as international schools. Second, to be in the vanguard of creating a new generation of internationally-minded students, primed to become future leaders in an ever-changing society. Third, to serve and make a lasting impact both locally and globally.
Makuhari's new city was originally planned to develop a commercial and residential zone built on the reclaimed land in Makuhari by Chiba Prefectural Government. Within this zone, sectors were identified for commerce, education, housing, and recreation. In anticipation of the influx of international businesses to the area, the idea of creating an international school to serve this new community was explored. Chiba Prefecture and Chiba City subsequently asked the Ministry of Education to endorse a school model with a flexible curriculum and a core commitment to nurturing internationalism. In 2006, MIS’s establishment was finally accepted under the School Education Act. Chiba’s long-awaited dream came true when Makuhari International School opened its doors in 2009, at once becoming an attraction for returning Japanese families and the international community alike. MIS is pledged to continue to be true to this dream.
Our world-class, award-winning facilities on a spacious campus coupled with richly resourced learning environments – including integrated technology – provide our staff and students every opportunity to achieve academic success in nurturing surroundings. Buildings and classrooms are purpose-built to foster collaboration and exploration. The school was designed with large outside learning areas (including a large grass field), specialist rooms, open classrooms, and collaborative spaces for children to work in, as well as an expansive media center in the heart of the school. Additionally, our open floor plans and natural wood interior provide for a comfortable, safe place to learn. A truly unique and enriching learning environment.
Makuhari International School follows the objectives from the Japanese Curriculum. However, we expand upon these as well as supplement them with objectives and content from various other curricula. This makes our curriculum extremely rich and diverse and very international in flavor. It is also important to realize that what we teach and how we teach it are separate concepts. We not only follow the recommended number of ‘minimum hours’ from the Japanese Ministry of Education but supplement this with extra learning time to ensure consolidation and extension. Extra sessions are also allocated for English and Maths, ensuring that children are taught these key subjects at least once a day. Additionally, in Grades 5 and 6 we teach Social Studies not only in English but also in Japanese.
As part of our belief in developing the whole child, we are proud to offer a wide variety of after-school clubs and activities daily at MIS. These include offerings that enrich students learning and engagement in art, music, drama, athletics, games, crafts, homework support, culture, languages, nature studies, cooking, technology, and design. While clubs are largely offered free of charge by the MIS teaching staff, several other clubs are led by external providers at a fee. Students are welcome to sign up for multiple clubs and activities throughout the week. Our students repeatedly share how much they enjoy and grow as a result of these engaging opportunities.
At MIS, we celebrate several events throughout the year. Our students start the year with an Opening Ceremony and by participating in the regional Sakura Medal Book Bowl followed by the School Bazaar filled with food, entertainment, booths, and vendors. Three times during the year, students hone their skills during Calligraphy Week.
Additionally, students enjoy various inter-house challenges to build teamwork across the grades, including our much-anticipated annual Sports Day. All children at MIS take swimming lessons for one term taught by professional coaches at a local indoor swimming facility. Staff and students celebrate their love of reading during Book Week which is full of various activities all promoting literacy.
Of course, there are also opportunities for parents to connect with their child’s teacher at Open Day and Parents’ Evenings. One of the school community's favorite events is our Kindergarten and Elementary Winter Performance which are spectacular performances by each of our grade levels. Additionally, to support our global citizenship while fostering students’ Japanese heritage, all students celebrate both Japanese and international holidays such as Setsubun bean throwing, Halloween, and other cultural celebrations. Besides celebrating our students at weekly assemblies via our Student of the Week Awards, we culminate our year recognizing our students’ achievements at awards ceremonies and both the Kindergarten and Grade 6 Graduations.
We offer a wide variety of after-school clubs and activities for students to participate in, including art, athletics, language, culture, drama, and music. Clubs are not only run by staff at the school – but we also use outside specialists at a fee where possible and convenient. Clubs, where organized by the staff, are free for children at the school and run from 3.30 pm to 4.10 pm!

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