EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN VERBIER © VERBIER St-Bernard_YG 1 MISSION We aim to provide our students with a first class, well rounded education while being immersed in a beautiful and safe mountain environment. Learning at our school is inspired by critical thinking, creativity and an open mindedness to the cultures and beliefs of others. With a strong emphasis on sports and the arts, we believe in developing the personality of each student and helping them to become principled global citizens. 2 SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY Enabling each child to fulfil their potential Choosing your child’s education is one of the We teach our pupils to be self-confident, creative most important decisions you will ever make. and critical thinkers determined to do their best. Lemania-Verbier International School delivers a We place a strong emphasis on sports and the first-class education in a truly unrivalled location. arts ; we want to inspire our children to become We are a bilingual international school in English independent young people, ready and well and French, for children aged 3 to 18 years of age. prepared for the next stage in their school career. Our school is located in the heart of Verbier in the beautiful Val de Bagnes region of the Swiss Alps. Our aim is to enable each child to fulfil their intellectual potential, whilst encouraging them to find genuine enjoyment from participation in the many artistic, sporting and cultural activities that our school has to offer. 1 © Mark Shapiro © Mark Shapiro KINDERGARTEN, PRIMARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL We believe in small classes and in providing our We follow the English national curriculum throu- students with a tailored education. Our teachers ghout in order to ensure continuity in learning. implement up-to-date teaching practices and are well resourced allowing them to help children deve- Our children benefit from unique features, such lop to their full potential. We are fortunate to benefit as : from an international teaching staff who are highly motivated and bring with them a broad spectrum of – the teaching of sciences in small groups teaching experience. – a focus on the quality of handwriting in all languages – access to IT from the early years – full integration of sport in the curriculum set in our extraordinary mountain environment OO SCH L E L M h a s D i t HO l D h C Og I Ss L Y n M E A R h – Kindergarten : 3 - 4 rt A nc s re M GART F I R E – Primary School : 5 - 10 E N R D – Middle School : 11 - 15 P Sci N c ences I Musi K Top ic ( ort Hi pp stor Su y y a ing g nd lo Ge arn o A og e n ra L n o r ph h i t y c t a ) e a n T c d n u C o d ti r E a a l ft m a r c o i f s n y I h P 2 © Mark Shapiro © Mark Shapiro HIGH SCHOOL Passport to higher education. PREPARATORY YEAR PROGRAMME THE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME The Preparatory Year Programme is desig- One of the best characteristics of the IB Diploma ned to answer the needs of a wide range of Programme is the balance between academic lear- students. It is the bridge between our Middle ning and the development of social awareness in School and the International Baccalaureate students. Diploma Programme (DP). Academically, the Programme is designed to pre- Like the DP, the Preparatory Year Programme pare students for the various challenges they will aims to provide students with a balance between face at University and beyond. There are six core their Academic and Social lives. Academically, the subject areas and students must choose one sub- Programme comprises of two English Courses, ject from each group. This ensures breadth of Mathematics, Sciences, Computer Sciences, and knowledge and understanding. Each subject can French. Socially, we teach our students to play be taught at two levels, high or standard. A great an important role in and to have responsibilities strength of the DP is its Extended Essay (a self towards their community, on local, regional and based research paper). global issues. The IB Recognition Team strategically partner with PREPARATORY YEAR : INTAKE COURSE universities and governments to help develop IB recognition policies. Currently the IBO consists This Programme is designed for students who wish of around 3'600 IB World Schools in over 147 to improve their English and Mathematics skills and countries throughout the world. The IB diploma is a competence. In addition to this, the course aims to passport to higher education. create awareness among students of global issues. The Intake Course is delivered twice a year, Sep- Lemania Verbier International School is a candidate school* for the Diploma Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB tember-December or January-June. World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy – a com- mitment to high-quality, challenging, international education – that we believe is important for our students. * Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes : the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes visit http://www.ibo.org. 3 SPORTS AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Confidence boosting We are passionate about sport and proud of the Skiing, ice-skating, ice hockey and climbing form opportunities we provide for all our children. the core of our Autumn and Winter terms sports programmes. In the summer term we focus on We are fortunate to be situated at the centre of tennis, golf, athletics and swimming. one of the world’s finest ski resorts and we take full advantage. During the Winter term, children ski two Art and music both play key roles in the develop- afternoons per week with « École Suisse de Ski ». At ment of imagination, creativity and self-confidence weekends we run a Ski Club for all abilities. A ski- in our students. We nurture and develop artistic racing programme is also available for enthusiastic talent and encourage students to let their natural and talented skiers. instincts guide them. We have regular sports events that can be a real Music is also at the heart of Verbier and Lemania- confidence booster for children of all ages, as well Verbier International School. Every summer Verbier as helping children to keep fit and encouraging a hosts the internationally renowned Verbier Festival, healthy life style. a showcase of classical musical excellence. The Festival is just one source of inspiration for the mu- Our team sports encourage children to develop sical and cultural development of our students. teamwork and leadership skills and to learn a sense of fair play and sportsmanship. The school’s ever growing competitive sports pro- gramme is for all levels of ability. THE ARTS PROGRAMME AT VERBIER INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL INCLUDES : – Musical instrument instruction – Photography – Singing – Sculpture – Pottery – Museum visits & cultural excursions – Painting – Circus training – Theatre AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO : – Horseback riding – Basketball – Ice hockey – Dance – Football – Swimming – Ice skating – Handicrafts – Ballet – Climbing – Chess club – Art – Tennis – Snowboarding – Singing – Russian, Chinese and – Volleyball – Skiing – Choir other language lessons 4 © Mark Shapiro © VERBIER St-Bernard_YG 5 6 © Valais Tourisme Valais © 7 8 © Mark Shapiro © VERBIER St-Bernard_YG © Mark Shapiro BOARDING SCHOOL Authentic mountain cosiness. From September 2014 we will be offering the Our balanced approach between academic opportunity for full-time and weekly boarding. achievement, the arts and sport will be reflected in boarding life. At weekends, optional activities It will be a very cosy boarding experience in a fun will compliment the sports and extra-curricular and relaxed environment where children can feel programme offered during the week. safe and comfortable whilst benefiting from the wonderful opportunities that our beautiful and Our boarding house is located near the school healthy environment has to offer. in Verbier's old village, surrounded by authentic and rustic mazots and immersed in quiet village Boarding develops independence, social skills, life. self-motivation, respect for others and above all self-confidence. Every effort will be made to make the children feel at home with the security and comfort of living arrangements supervised by our caring and very attentive housemasters. 9 © VERBIER St-Bernard_FP VERBIER Nurturing education through a unique mix of culture and sports. Perched on a sunny plateau in the heart of the München mountains, with its slate-roofed chalets, Verbier Hamburg Bruxelles München has carefully maintained its charm as an alpine village. Verbier is the gateway to the 4 Vallées ski Basel Zurich area – with nearly 100 ski lifts and more than 400 km Wien St Gallen of ski runs for all levels of expertise. Mont-Fort, the London highest point of the ski area (3'330 m), offers a Paris Bern Luzern panorama over the Matterhorn, the Combins and the Mont-Blanc ranges. Lausanne Gstaad The Val de Bagnes stretches for more than 25 Brig Sion kilometres, from Le Châble to the impressive Geneva Mauvoisin Dam. This is a veritable kaleidoscope Lyon VERBIER Lugano Barcelona of surroundings – from picturesque villages to eternal glaciers. The region is one of Switzerland’s Torino Milano greatest nature reserves. Milano The language of the region is French but the ma- jority of residents speak English. German is also widely spoken. The views of the surrounding mountains, forests and valleys are spectacular and most properties in Verbier are built in a tra- ditional style, incorporating locally-sourced wood and stone.