When does the school year start and end?
School commences on August 28, 2008 for secondary students and September 1 for elementary students. School ends on June 26, 2009. The School year consists of 182 days. The TIS calendar consists of the same number of instructional days as Alberta schools, strives to provide a balance between Western and Chinese holidays.

What are your school hours?
PreKindergarten Students: morning session runs from 8:25 am to 11:25 am and the afternoon session runs from 12:05 pm to 3:05 pm.

Kindergarten and elementary classes begin at 8:30 am. Secondary students need to arrive before 8:25 am for homeroom. All classes end at 3:05 pm. The elementary students have lunch from 11:25 am to 12:10 pm. Secondary students have lunch from 12:15 pm to 12:55 pm. The office is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Are parents involved with the school?
As a parent, there are several ways you can get involved in your child's life at TIS.

In the Classroom
Ask your child's teacher how you can participate in the classroom. For younger Grades parents can participate in Book reading and class activities.

Class Representative
If you enjoy spending time with your child, you can enhance your child's school experience by choosing to be a Class Representative. This can involve a number of different activities such as, socializing with other parents and/or students from your child's class, encouraging other parents to participate in school activities or functions, distributing information to fellow class parents, and from time to time lending a helping hand. Ask your child's teacher for a clearer indication of his/her requirements for a Class Representative.

TISPA
Our parents' association is a vital and energetic association, which, as a parent in our school, automatically makes you a member. TISPA holds monthly meetings in TISPA Room 111, where topics are raised and answered by fellow parents and/or by our Head of School or Principals. TISPA organizes many social, fun and/or educational events - all by volunteering parents.

What happens if my child arrives and needs help to catch up with the curriculum?
Children come to TIS from all parts of the world and therefore from all levels of program and curriculum. Support staff are available for all subjects throughout the school to help new students get up to speed with curriculum developments.

If we see that a child is in need of extra support outside of what can be provided in the classroom, we will refer you to a homework club or a tutor to help bridge the gap.

At the older grades, homework clubs or peer tutoring can be helpful.

What amount of homework should my child expect?
Homework is an integral part of the School curriculum and is designed to emphasize what has been taught in the classroom and to give students an opportunity to practice those skills. Students are assigned a reasonable amount of daily homework that should be completed in an atmosphere free from distraction.

Each student has a homework diary to record the assignments for the day. The diary is to be used as a communication link between home and School. Parents are requested to review the diary and sign it daily or weekly as required by the class teacher.

Below are suggested daily time allotments of homework:

• Junior & Senior Kindergarten: 15 minutes
• Grades 1 & 2: 30 minutes
• Grade 3: 45 minutes
• Grades 4 - 6: 60 minutes
• Grades 7 - 9: 75 minutes

What is the average class size?
The average class is around 18 students.

Is your high school semestered?
Yes, high school is semestered. This means that students in grades 10 to 12 take 4 subjects in the first semester and 4 subjects in the second semester. Semestering allows students to focus on fewer subjects at one time. Students write half of their year-end exams in January at the end of the first semester and the other half of their exams in June at the end of the second semester.

How can I help my child settle into a new school?
• Settling your child (pdf)