On behalf of all of our community, I am delighted to welcome you to Tashkent International School (TIS), now in its 17th year.
Once again our enrollment has expanded. To date we have about 410 students registered in preschool through grade 12. The infrastructure of our buildings is continually being upgraded to accommodate our increasing needs. Likewise, we have added new teachers and support staff to ensure that the level of education we provide continues to be excellent and is constantly reevaluated and improved.
TIS is the only international school in Central Asia to be accredited by both the European Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Colleges and Schools. We are an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School and are authorized to offer all three of the IB programmes, including the Primary Years (preschool to grade 5); Middle Years (grads 6 to 10), and Diploma (grades 11 and 12). Our IB Diploma results from our graduating classes are consistently higher than the world average, which is a great achievement!
TIS has a lovely, wooded campus and modern facility. Our preschool opened on March 26, 2007 and our gym opened on March 5, 2008 with the opening ceremony of the Central Asian Basketball Classic Tournament. For the past two years, the school has acquired an additional five properties adjacent to the existing campus so our expansion needs can be met while maintaining the current open spaces.
Our sizable campus has appropriate facilities to support our academic programs, including three computer labs, a media center, two indoor gyms, an auditorium, three fully-equipped science labs, two libraries, and spacious, networked, climate-controlled classrooms. We also have a grass athletic field, soccer fields, outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, and landscaped and wooded general recreation spaces.
In May 2005 we welcomed the Tashkent International Medical Clinic to its newly-remodeled facility on our campus. The clinic is the best private, family practice medical facility in Uzbekistan and providing medical and emergency care for our staff, students and most of the international community in Tashkent.
We also have an extremely active and supportive Parent Teacher Association (PTA) which organizes a whole host of events and activities throughout the year for students and the larger community. The PTA has sponsored and built gardens, new play areas and donated educational equipment. It has also organized and coordinated Scottish dancing nights, pot luck supper socials, Spring and Fall bazaars, and a Spring ball, and other events.
Growing enrollment at TIS means that this year we will continue the expansion, not only in our academic offerings but also in our after-school, co-curricular activities program. Our school is a magnet for clubs, sports, organizations and events in the local and international community. We will continue to seek such partnerships this year and next.
International schools truly are exciting and interesting places for children to grow and learn. We have an experienced faculty with teaching staff from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Latvia, New Zealand, Turkey, South Korea, Australia, Armenia, South Africa, India, Mexico, and Uzbekistan.
This, together with students and professional families from more than 43 different nations, makes for a very diverse and multi-cultural community, indeed. Small class sizes, good facilities, supportive parents and motivated students help create a positive learning environment in the classroom – a place where students can achieve their potential.
We look forward to making this 17th year a great year in the history of our school and invite you to join us on our journey.
Robert Brindley