Special Disciplines
Our international education system offers a rich field of choices, approaching a wide variety of classes in different subjects. In the first years the aim is that our students´ achieve a general knowledge, to form a solid foundation, of several subjects prior to focusing on a specific field of study. The High School program is composed of elective subjects, some mandatory and others that that students can choose to take in order to obtain credits. Check out RIS special disciplines:
College & Career
Our 12 ° grade students attend meetings where they search for colleges and learn how to apply to institutions that match their academic profiles and career goals. They are also provided assistance with: college transcripts, application essay writing, letters of recommendation, information regarding financial aid and scholarship opportunities. 11° grade students have College & Career classes, a required subject that fulfills graduation requirements for International diploma.
Career Orientation
Career orientation class brings a set of tools to give specialized guidance to students, providing conditions and clarifications so that they can awaken interests and skills, learn about different careers and segments of activity, being able to make decisions about a possible career with a greater degree of certainty about what to expect from the future.
Career Pathway
The Career Pathway subject is focused on the High School student's area of interest, functioning as a true educational roadmap to the future career. Starting in Grade 10, students will earn credits each school year by taking electives in one of six Career Pathways that are: Business, Marketing, and Management; Fine Arts and Humanities; Health and Natural Sciences; Language and Communications; Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology; Social Sciences and Human Services.
French
French language classes are offered to 1st to 8th grades as a required class but as an elective option for 9th to 12th. The teaching of the French language is approached in an interdisciplinary and contextualized way, focusing on the students' cognitive development. In this way, it is adaptive to the learning styles of all students. For the 1st and 2nd grades, the content is presented through playful activities, with a focus on creativity, and mixes arts, drawing, mathematics, letters and numbers. From the 3rd grade, students learn the language through educational games. And in High School, it works almost like a language course.
Art
Art provides mental, emotional and educational benefits, like: enhancing creativity, improving language and reading skills, strengthens critical thinking skills, builds confidence and self-respect, creates cultural and personal connections. Arts is offered for Early Childhood, Elementary and Middle Schools as a mandatory subject and as an elective choice for High School Classes. 9° and 10° students have Intermediate Arts classes and 11° and 12° students take Advanced Arts classes.
Music
Music provides mental, emotional and educational benefits, like: builds language skills, makes students stronger academically, teaches discipline, supports muscle development and motor skills, promotes emotional development, enhances auditory skills, improves creative thinking, develops teamwork spirit, helps kids understand culture. Music is offered for Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st to 8th grades as a mandatory subject and as an elective choice for High School Classes. 9° and 10° students have IntermediateMusic classes and 11° and 12° students take Advanced Music classes.
Digital Life
Students from preschool up to grade 8 have mandatory classes, while 9-12 are elective classes. The curriculum goes from the basics of computer operation to the handling and assembly of a computer, learning how each piece of the computer works. The aim is to guide students towards a better use of the technology that is in front of them every day, and to develop a healthy and safe awareness of the use of these tools.
Economics & Personal Finance
Financial planning is not just about money, it’s about developing a lifelong skill. With this class, RIS students create a strong foundation in economics and personal finance to function effectively as consumers, workers, savers, investors, entrepreneurs, and active citizens.
Comparative Government
This discipline, typically taken in 12th grade, teaches students the tools and methods that political scientists use to analyze governments in different countries. While learning about the structures and functions of government the countries, students also evaluate how the trends of globalization, democratization, and marketization are influencing countries around the world.
Health
RIS Health class is a required elective for our Secondary students. Typically taken in 9th grade our health class covers topics like: the impact of healthy and poor nutritional choices, the effects of tobacco, alcohol, inhalants, and other drug use, strategies to reduce and prevent violence, administration of emergency care, recognition of tendencies toward self-harm, and among other topics the impact of technology on the health status of individuals, families, communities and the world.
Physical Education - P.E.
Physical activities effectively contribute to character development, providing an opportunity to help students develop team work and relational skills such as sharing and using kind words during play. RIS students learn through our Physical Education classes and our sports events (Sports Day and Fitness is Fun Month) how to work collaboratively and also learn to solve conflicts working together for a resolution.
Journalism
Journalism is a elective class for our Secondary Students that accurately simulates a work environment – because it is one. This class teaches students higher level analytical thinking skills, prepares them to deal with stress, gives them opportunities to work as a team, meet deadlines, problem solve, write, shoot and edit. With an emphasis on the ethical and legal responsibilities of communicating in a digital world, Journalism helps students to discern the appropriate time and place for technology.
