News from Kyoto International School

May 18th KIS Festival・5月18日フェスティバル

Come along for a day full of fun, food & drink, games, performance, and connection.

Date: 18th May 2024, Saturday, 11:00am to 4:00pm
Venue: Kyoto International School
317 Kitatawaracho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, 602-8247

The day will include:
International food booths, game booths, children’s market, face painting, bake sale, performance & music – KIS’s Got Talent!

出店、ゲーム、パフォーマンスなど、地域の皆様と集い、催し物あふれる一日を過ごしに、是非誘い合ってご参加ください。

日時: 5月18日(土)11時ー16時

場所: 京都インターナショナルスクール

    〒602−8247 京都市上京区北俵町317

イベント内容:

世界の料理&ドリンク、ゲーム、子供マーケット、フェイス・ペイント、ベーク・セール、タレントショー・パフォーマンス(KIS’s Got Talent!)

Annual Report 2022-23


Previous annual report 2020-2021 can be found here.

Relive the Cultural Delights of the 2023 KIS Festival

Here are a few captured unforgettable moments from the 2023 KIS Festival, the beloved annual event organized by Kyoto International School’s dedicated Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Immerse yourself in a vibrant tapestry of international flavors, captivating art, a bustling children’s market, and the wonderful participation of local shops. This extraordinary festival was a celebration of diversity, uniting the local and international community.

The festival showcased breathtaking student artwork. Parents and children were delighted by the lively children’s market, where young entrepreneurs had handmade crafts, recycled toys, interactive games, and engaging activities filled the market.

The participation of local shops added an extra flair to the festival, highlighting the strong bond between the school and the surrounding community. Attendees engaged with local vendors, discovered their products, and experienced the warmth and hospitality that make Kyoto such a remarkable city.

The 2023 KIS Festival was more than just an event; it was an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to come together, fostering cultural understanding, friendship, and unity. The festival created lasting memories and celebrated the power of community, culture, and togetherness.

IB Education Symposium (Online Event)

IB関係者各位

「第8回国際バカロレア推進シンポジウム」を3月26日(日)にオンラインにて開催いたします。

今回は「なぜ日本において国際バカロレア教育が必要なのか?」をテーマに、
基調講演、トークセッション(登壇:IB修了生、IB教員、大学関係者)、IB教育実践共有、IB教育に関する研究成果発表等を予定しています。

主 催:文部科学省

協 力:国際バカロレア機構

運 営:文部科学省IB教育推進コンソーシアム事務局

開催日:令和5年3月26(日) 9時30分~ 16時15分

開催方法: オンライン開催(Zoom Webinar)

対 象:国際バカロレア教育に関心を持つ学校、教育委員会、自治体、教育関係者、保護者、生徒等

費 用:参加費無料(〆切 3月24日 17時)

申 込:下記リンクの申込フォームより受付中
https://www.bbt757.com/svlEnquete/jsp/user/top?id=8thsymposium0326

The 8th International Baccalaureate Promotion Symposium, sponsored by MEXT, will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2012. The symposium will be online via Zoom Webinar.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “Why is the International Baccalaureate Education Necessary in Japan?

The contents will include keynote speeches, talk sessions (speakers: IB alumni, IB teachers, and university representatives), sharing of IB education practices, and presentations of IB education research results.


Date : 2023 March 26th (SUN) 9:30~16:15

Place : Online (Zoom Webinar)

Subject : Schools, school boards, local authorities, educators, parents, students etc, with an interest in IB education

Fee : Free of charge (Advance registration required)

Apply : Please apply from IB Consortium Website Form


The event will include keynote speeches, talk sessions (speakers: IB alumni, IB teachers and university staff), sharing of IB education practices and presentations of research findings on IB education.

(This event will be held in Japanese)

Please visit the IB Consortium website for further details.

PYP Grade 6 – from August 2023

I hope everyone is enjoying some holiday and family time together. It’s always a long trek for the students from August to December, so they really need this break!  

This message is about a change to our school curriculum that we have been considering for some time. From August 2023, we will be continuing the IB PYP into Grade 6 and in future our MYP programme will begin in Grade 7. Many schools do this and there are a number of benefits to students from this approach. 

One of the main reasons for this change is that Grade 6 students are still quite young and can sometimes struggle with the transition to the MYP. Schools that continue the PYP approach in Grade 6 often find that the students benefit from working with fewer teachers. By contrast, the challenge for many students when Grade 6 is taught with an MYP approach is that they will usually have four or five additional teachers to work with and each subject has a separate schedule of assignments and assessments. 

In practice, what this change will mean for our Grade 6 students is that they would be taught with a similar approach to Grade 5. The students would have one main homeroom teacher and the main subjects would be integrated through Units of Inquiry. To ensure the academic level is correct for Grade 6, our MYP team will be working closely with the PYP teachers to ensure an appropriate progression of learning in each subject area. We will also continue to use MAP Growth testing twice a year to externally monitor and check progress. At the end of Grade 6, the students will then transition to the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) when they start Grade 7. The MYP will run from Grade 7 to Grade 10, as a four year programme, finishing with the MYP E-Assessments and receiving an MYP Certificate at the end of Grade 10.  

The consultation process leading to the decision to extend the PYP to Grade 6 has included all staff, the KIS board, our current Grade 5 parents, and also information gathered from other schools and the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation). After a process of looking at the pros and cons of this change, we are agreed that a PYP Grade 6 would be the best way forwards for KIS and the board has now approved this change. Our admissions information, handbooks and so on will be updated in due course.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday! 

Kyoto International School is now offering the MYP

The outcome of our recent MYP verification visit is that KIS has now been approved for authorisation as an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) school. We can now say, ‘KIS is an MYP school’. This framework is designed for students aged 11 to 16 to make practical connections between what they learn at school and the world they live. The goal is preparing them for success in further study and in life. This official addition enhances our schoool mission of ‘inspriing active learners, developing global citizens‘ from Pre-Kindergarten right up to Grade 10.

We can all be very proud of this achievement and the school Principal, Myles Jackson, would like to thank everyone who took part in the process. There has been so much effort put into this over an extended period of time by our MYP teaching team. As the trailblazers who have been implementing this programme for many months, our teachers have had to adapt and modify and make so many changes to planning, teaching, learning and assessment, in order to achieve this ensure this success. They have delivered an outstanding result for improving learning in the school. Thank you all so much.

We are particularly grateful to our MYP Coordinator, Ms Smita, who arrived in August and has been non-stop on this since then, bringing deep levels of expertise and commitment to guide us all through the challenging final preparations and this has been key to the school’s success.

In addition, our MYP students and parents have also been deeply engaged in ‘learning to learn’ in an MYP school and their participation in the authorisation process has been outstanding. We should also recognise the shining example of the PYP team and their implementation of the programme, along with the steadfast support of our office team, and the firm support and guidance of the school Board. All have played an important part in achieving this milestone for the school now and for many generations of students to come.  

Congratulations everyone! 

Invitation to the ‘Horikawa Regatta’!!

It has been a few years since the KIS Horikawa Regatta was held but the time has come to bring the house event back! Please come and join the students who will be finishing off the first week back to school with a fun community activity. ‘Regatta’ is defined as a sporting event consisting of a series of boat or yacht races… for KIS it will be handmade boats from Milk/Juice cartons.

When: Friday, Aug 26th, at 10:45 am.

Where: Horikawa River, across the street from Family Mart

Who: Whole school community, parents/guardians and other family members welcome!

Additional Note: Please provide an extra change of clothes as some students occasionally get wet. Everyone attending should wear a mask as we look to have a community time but limit risks of covid transmission. Non-enrolled children or family members are welcome to join but are under parent’s care and responsibility.