Primary School Organisation

There are three levels within the primary school:

Preschool                3 to 5 year olds

Kindergarten           5 to 6 year olds

Grades 1 to 4          6 to 10 year olds

The Pre-school caters for our three and four year old students. There are two three year old classes; A3, K3 and there are two four year old classes; A4 and K4.

Kindergarten caters for our five year old students. There are two KG classes: KGA and KGB.

In Grades 1 to 4 we have a slightly different structure. In each grade there are options for students to work in Kazakh, Russian or English as their language of instruction.

Summary of Class Organisation

Grade	Russian/English Language of Instruction	Russian Language of Instruction	Kazakh Language of Instruction	English Language of Instruction
Pre-School		A3, A4	K3, K4
Kindergarten	KGB	KGA
Grade 1		1A,1B	1C	1D
Grade 2		2A, 2B	2C	2D
Grade 3		3A, 3B	3C	3D
Grade 4		4A, 4B	4C	4D

Class Size

Primary school classes including Kindergarten usually have no more than 22 students, in Preschool – 20 students.

The School Day                                                                                                              

Preschool

The school is open for preschool students from 08:00 until 18:00.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students start the day at 08:00 and finish at 15.30. On Wednesdays school finishes at 14.30 to enable all teachers to participate in professional development sessions.  Starting from the third week of September, Kindergarten students enter the building independently.

Grades One to Four

Grades One to Four students start at 08.00, finish at 15:10 and should be collected at 15:25 after snack. On Wednesdays school finishes at 14.40 to enable all teachers to participate in professional development sessions.  Starting from the third week of September, Grade 1-4 students enter the building independently.

Admission Policy                                                                                                         

The school has an admission policy that gives clear guidelines for student admission. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 4 are assessed in the main language of instruction and mathematics. They must also achieve a grade appropriate level in English. Student placements are made primarily on the age of the child as at or before October 1.

Grade                                                         Age as at October 1

Preschool - Nursery    3 years old

Preschool - Junior       4 years old

Kindergarten  5 years old

Grade 1           6 years old

Grade 2           7 years old

Grade 3           8 years old

Grade 4           9 years old

After School Activities for Grade 1-4

After school activities are offered twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday, from 15.30 till 16:20.

A variety of clubs that have been offered in the past include: art, crafts, sports, computers, dance, drama, choir, public speaking, foreign languages. Some activities continue for the whole year whilst others are offered term by term or for a semester. Parents and students will be notified of the after school activities on offer and these will start within the first month of the new term / semester.

Assemblies

School assemblies are held from time to time during the school year to celebrate student learning. Parents are welcome to attend.

Celebrations and Events

There are traditional events in the school, such as the First and Last Bell ceremonies, Nauryz celebrations, New Year celebrations. Specific events in the primary school include Women’s Day Concert (March) and the Grade 5 Exhibition (April/May).

Communication

Presentations for Parents

The School holds regular presentations to keep parents informed. Presentations include information regarding content of programmes, teaching and assessment methods. We strongly recommend that you attend these presentations.

Parent Teacher Meetings

We encourage close contact between parents and teachers and you are encouraged to arrange meetings with teachers when the need arises. Meetings are more effective if they are planned in advance with a time set which suits both parent and teacher. Please arrange meeting times after the school day; teachers are not able to meet with you during school time.

 

 

Dress Code

All students from grades 1 to 5 are required to wear school uniform. Details on the cost and how to purchase the school uniform may be obtained from the school office on request.  Preschool and Kindergarten students are not required to wear uniform.

Students are required to wear caps outside on sunny days and they should bring indoor shoes.

There is a special uniform for PE, dance and swimming classes.

• PE class: sports footwear, shorts, T-shirt
• Swimming class: swimsuit/swimming trunks, swimming hair cap, rubber shoes
• Dance class: shorts/skirt/gymnastics suit, dance shoes.

Field trips                                                                                                                       

To enrich the curriculum, educational field trips are organized to take full advantage of the resources in and around the city. MIS has vehicles to transport students and provides security guards to accompany students on field trips. Teachers explain safety rules to the students prior to the trip. Parents will be notified of proposed trips at least one week prior to the trip and a letter is sent home detailing date, time, destination and cost of the trip.  Parents must give written permission for their child to attend each scheduled school field trip. Without this written permission teachers are not permitted to take a child outside the school.

Health

The Medical Staff

A doctor and nurses are in attendance at the school daily and can be found in their offices in the basement floor of the main block for Primary School Students, in the Preschool Medical Room and in the Kindergarten Medical Room. When a child is enrolled at the school parents must submit medical records noting illnesses your child has previously suffered, allergies, chronic diseases, food intolerance etc. In compliance with the order issued by RK Ministry of Health there is a schedule of vaccinations every year. Parents will be informed about vaccinations and asked for permission beforehand.

If your child has an intolerance to the vaccination or it cannot be given because of poor health, please immediately inform the school doctor and the homeroom leader. If your family doctor advises your child to take medicine during the school day, please give the medicine to the school doctor with an accompanying letter. Specify in your letter the following:

1. Student’s name and grade
2. Medicine, dose and time
3. The expiry date should be written on the medicine.

If a child is injured or has any pain, the school medical staff will render necessary first aid.

Homework

Homework is a part of the learning process and may support academic achievement. However it is recognized that the most valuable ‘homework’ that students can have is discussions with adults, and being read to by parents. We recommend that you spend time talking and reading to your children.

Homework may be given for the following purposes:

Mathematics - to help students develop automatic recall of mathematics facts, and develop skills appropriate to the student’s stage of development.

Spelling - to help develop and apply knowledge of sight words and patterns in spelling, and to develop strategies to become proficient spellers.

Handwriting - to help develop fluent and legible letter formation and penmanship.

Reading - to help students to become enthusiastic, proficient, independent readers.

Grades 1-4: All written work is done at school at the end of the day. Students may take some reading and oral work home (vocabulary, interviews, poems, etc.)

Library   

The primary library has a collection of fiction and non-fiction books in Kazakh, English and Russian languages. Students can borrow three books at a time for one week. In case of loss or damage of a library book, parents are required to reimburse material damage or cost of the purchase of a new book.

Safety and Security

MIS takes all reasonable and recommended measures to ensure the safety of the students and the facility. Security guards are on duty 24 hours a day and have specific job descriptions. There are video cameras in the school. If there is a security issue please contact the security guards immediately.

 

 Security cards

All families are issued with electronic security cards for parents and other adults who are given permission to collect your child. You will be permitted to enter the school grounds when you show this card to security personnel at the gates. This card will open outside doors of the Primary school buildings.

Earthquake and Fire Drills

There are regular earthquake and fire drills held at school. To familiarize students with evacuation

routes in case of an emergency, the emergency evacuation procedures are posted in every classroom. If you are visiting the school during an emergency or an evacuation drill, it is imperative that you follow the instructions given to you by teachers or office staff and assemble in the area marked for visitors in the front assembly area.

Student Council

The Student Council is an important feature of student life in the school. Its purposes are to:

• encourage student-led initiatives and activities
• represent the view of students through a democratic forum for the discussion of ideas
• provide a channel of communication for students with the school administration
• support school and local community service activities
• organise student social activities

The Primary School Council has an elected representative from each homeroom class from Grades 2 to 4. They meet every two weeks with the coordinator.

Swimming:

Students from Grades 1 to 4 have swimming lessons. Students must produce a medical certificate to the school doctor to verify that s/he is fit to go swimming.

Miscellaneous

Outside Play

Outside play is important for students’ health and wellbeing and students have daily scheduled outside play times. If a doctor recommends that a student be indoors during break time, then the student can remain in the library. However, parents must provide a medical certificate together with this request in a letter to the homeroom leader and specify the number of days the student will need to be indoors.

Curriculum

This is a brief overview of the curriculum. More detailed information is given in the curriculum guides that include learning objectives and expectations in different subject areas for each grade level. A copy is sent to all parents at the beginning of the year.

Miras International School merges the Kazakh State standards and the IB Primary Years Programme standards (PYP) to create a curriculum for students from three to eleven years of age (Preschool to Grade 4). The PYP is an international curriculum framework that focuses on the development of the child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It encourages international-mindedness in students and a positive attitude to learning so that students become life-long learners.  It emphasizes through the learner profile, the development of the whole child – physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically. The IB Primary Years Programme guides us in what we teach, how we teach, and how we assess students’ learning. The main approach to teaching and learning is through inquiry, a process initiated by the student or teacher, which moves the student from his/her current level of understanding to a new deeper level.

To achieve a balanced and coherent curriculum, we focus on five essential elements that are incorporated into classroom practice across all subjects.  

1. conceptual understandings:
2. acquisition of knowledge
3. acquisition of skills
4. development of positive attitudes
5. opportunity for action

Language

 

Language is developed across all curriculum areas. It is recognised as a key factor in intellectual growth. All of our language programmes strive to achieve a balance between learning the language (reading, writing, speaking), learning about the language (grammar, word usage etc.) and learning through the language (learning important concepts in science, maths, social studies etc. through language).

At Miras there are three languages of instruction: Kazakh, Russian, and English.

Kazakh is the language of instruction in one class in each grade level from Preschool through to Grade 4. Other classes learn Kazakh as an additional language. Both programmes aim to develop competency in oral, written and visual language - speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and presenting. The programmes also include study of the Kazakh culture including significant national holidays and ceremonies, art and oral folk art, literature, drama etc.

Russian is one of the languages of instruction for students from Preschool through to Grade 5. Both programmes aim to develop competency in communication skills - speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and presenting. Students learn to express ideas and opinions clearly in oral and written forms and learn about the language, studying phonetics, script, word-formation, morphology, syntax and lexicology. In literature, students read and develop an appreciation of texts in different genres. Russian is also taught as an additional language in Kazakh and English taught classes.

English is one of the languages of instruction for students from Kindergarten through to Grade 4. English is also taught as an additional language. Students acquire communication skills in speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and presenting. They are encouraged to read a broad range of genre both fiction and nonfiction. Grammar, spelling, handwriting, punctuation and paragraphing are taught within the context of reading and writing.

Mathematics

The learning  objectives  are  the  same  within  each  grade  level  irrespective  of  the  language in which students are taught mathematics. The school has combined Kazakh state standards and International Baccalaureate learning outcomes to produce a set of outcomes for all classes in the Primary School. Students acquire knowledge and skills and develop understanding through: data handling; measurement; shape and space; pattern and function and number.

 

Social Studies and Science

Social Studies and Science are taught within a Programme of Inquiry. Each grade level programme of Inquiry is set out in the curriculum guides.

 

Curriculum

 

Specialist Subjects

Students attend classes with specialist teachers for art, music,PE, including swimming, dance and information computer technology.

Support Programme

Psychologists  and  speech  therapists  work  in  the  school  to  support  students  in  their  social development and learning. Parents can request such support for students.

Homeroom and additional language teachers provide extra learning support  for  students when needed.

Assessment and Reporting

Assessment plays a central role in improving student learning and raising achievement levels. We use data from assessments to inform our teaching and evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. The PYP approach to learning requires a range of assessment, recording and reporting strategies to be used.

 

Progress reports

You will receive your child’s progress reports 4 times a year: brief progress reports in October and

March, and more detailed reports in December and May.

Parent Conferences

There are three conferences for parents during the year when students’ academic progress and social development are discussed. You can get detailed information about your child’s achievements through consultation with teachers and specialist teachers as well as the psychologists and speech therapists. Three-way conferences are held in the first semester, student-led conferences are held in the second semester.

  

 Students’ Daybooks

All students from Grades One to Five are issued with a diary in which they must keep a record of their daily schedules and homework assignments. The diary is also an effective means for parent/teacher communication. Teachers check students’ diaries each week.