International School of Zug and Luzern

In what town or city is this school located?

Zug

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

International School

What grade levels are represented at this school?

Pre S - Grade 12

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Children are by public transport, the school bus or are being brought by the parents. The older the children get, the more likely they are to use public transport. The schools are easily accessible by public transport.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

ISZL operates on three age specific campuses in the Cantons of Zug and Luzern.

The Zug Campus (Primary and Middle School, Pre-School to Grade 8)

The Zug Campus is located on the outskirts of Baar in the Canton of Zug. The main building, the Wettinger House, was constructed in the late 17th century and is surrounded by modern spacious classroom buildings. The facilities include two gymnasiums, a computer centre, science laboratories, two libraries, music rooms, a cafeteria and dining hall. Additionally, the school has two fully equipped outdoor playgrounds and an all-weather playing field.

The Luzern Campus (Primary School, Pre-School to Grade 5)

The Luzern Campus is located in Kastanienbaum on the outskirts of the town of Horw, ten minutes from the city of Luzern. The main school building, Villa KrXmerstein, is set in its own grounds on the edge of Lake Luzern. With modern classrooms, fully-equipped playground and library, the Luzern Campus provides an excellent international primary school education for students living in Luzern and its surrounding areas.

The Riverside Campus (High School, Grades 9 to 12)

The Riverside Campus is located in the heart of Zug in a beautiful 18th century lakeside villa. The facilities include three science laboratories, a computer centre, two art studios, music room, dance/drama studio as well as a vaulted library. Additionally the school has an all-weather hard court and its own fully equipped boat house with direct access to the lake of Zug.

Outdoor Education Centre

In the summer of 2008 ISZL bought Chalet Bergheim, a beautiful purpose-built wood chalet located in the famous mountain village of Wengen, in the heart of the Berner Oberland. Chalet Bergheim has numerous generously sized en-suite rooms, a lounge, a multi-purpose classroom, lecture theatre and dining area. With spectacular mountain ranges, 213 kilometers of prepared ski slopes, hiking trails, waterfalls, glaciers and the Lauterbrunnen gorge all in close proximity, Chalet Bergheim offers our students endless opportunities for class trips, winter sports, exploration and outdoor learning. The school offers a wide variety of extra curricular activities for all ages.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

The school is a IB World school. It guarantees a seamless transfer from one international school to the next. It offers the PYP, MYP, DP programs of the IB as well as Advanced Placement Courses.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

The ISZL Parents Association is an active body of parents and guardians involved in many aspects of school life and its annually elected PA Boards work closely with the School's Leadership Teams for the benefit of the school community. All parents and guardians are automatically members of the Parents Association and there are many opportunities to get involved (both with long time and one-off events).

The PA is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization whose main objective is to foster the schoolXs community spirit.

The ISZL PA is comprised of three main groups:

- the Zug Campus PA (Early Years, Primary Years and Middle School )

- the Luzern Campus PA ( Early and Primary Years)

- the Riverside Campus PA (High School)

There is one overall PA President, a Head Treasurer and a Campus Liaison Officer to unify operations at all three campuses, but each campus, due to the difference in locality and the age of the attending students, has a Chief Executive who, together with a Campus PA Board, is responsible for the running of the campus PA.

The main aims of the ISZL PA are to help foster the school spirit, to welcome new families to the school community and at the same time maintaining support for already established families, to arrange and sponsor social and fundraising events for both parents and students (eg: class parties, Quiz Nights, Craft Fair, Festive Shop, Ski weekends, International Day and many more) and to help the staff organize class room activities (eg: reading parents, library helpers, field trip chaperones etc).

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

You should apply early as the school has long waiting lists.