CIS Prospectus and Annual Report 2017

Prospectus & Annual Report 2016–17

Abi Man, Grade 2

Welcome to Copenhagen International School

VISION

EDUCATING CHAMPIONS OF A JUST AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD

MISSION LEARNING TO BUILD COMMUNITY CIS will develop the potential of each student by offering educational excellence in a stimulating environment of cultural diversity and mutual respect.

Founded in 1963, CIS is the premier international school in Greater Copenhagen with students and staff from 82 different countries. CIS is one of the original IB Diploma Programme schools and we have offered the program since its very beginning in the mid–1960s. As an IB World School we offer the IB Primary Years Programme, the IB Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programme to students aged 3 to 19.

GOALS LEARNING

BUILD

CIS is a member of the European Council of International Schools and accredited by the Council of International Schools as well as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Accreditation by these agencies provides access and transition for CIS students to other top international schools in the world.

STRATEGIC PILLARS

Staff Recruit and retain the best staff in an increasingly competitive global education market.

Teaching & Learning Provide a high–quality, varied educational programme for a diverse student population.

Sustainability Promote long–term sustainable practice.

CURIOUS

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COMMUNITY

Leadership Provide clear direction in the execution of the CIS vision and mission.

CIS Build an effective, life–long network to support students, parents and staff.

Management Create and document policies, procedures and practices to ensure the smooth functioning of the school in the service of its vision and mission.

Local Build connections with the local community that promote mutual support and collaborative learning.

Facilities Provide a safe venue that ensures academic, physical and social growth and well–being.

RESOURCEFUL

RESPECTFUL

International Build connections with the international community that promote mutual support and collaborative learning.

RESPONSIBLE

The CIS Board Our school has had a historic year, with the completion of the new campus in Nordhavn as a major milestone.

Two campuses were reunited under one, purpose–built roof, spanning 25,000 square meters of space for the next generation of teaching and learning. Aside from the stunning interior facilities, many classrooms boast views of waterfront scenery that make some adults wonder how much little boys, in particular, will manage to concentrate.

And as a mum of four (now big) boys, I do understand.

Another milestone was the arrival in August of Jennifer Weyburn as our first female Director. Coming in from Shaghai International School with her family, Jen wasted no time embracing the Nordic climate in all its facets and together with her strong leadership team steered us

expertly through a move that was exhilarating and hair– raising in almost equal measure.

The Board meanwhile acted as sparring partner for the Director and her Administration. Lars Krogsgaard and Caroline Banerjee from the Finance Committee liaised with CFO Birgitte Høgh for the school’s financial health. Sylvia Scharf and Heather Stevenson advised our Communications Director Thomas Nielsen on matters of Marketing & Strategy. Rosalind Gibbons and Dimitri Griffioen ran the Governance Committee, and Jay Watkins and Jesper Møller ensured a productive dialogue with ECIS, our property foundation responsible for the building project. Last but not least, Laura Lochman joined the Board as the US Embassy representative.

This year no Board election was called because apart from the Chair, all Board members are staying in Copenhagen. The Chair position will pass on to another Board member and so this is the last time that I write a piece for the Annual Report.

Serving on the CIS Board for the past six years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The opportunity to actively support a vibrant, healthy school community has taught me, amongst many other things, the privilege of giving back and the strength of collective commitment.

Long live CIS! Brit van Ooijen Board Chair

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The Director We now find ourselves, after the intense effort of moving out and settling in, as one community in a miraculous new space.

As an educational community, our central focus is powerfully stated in our Mission: CIS will develop the potential of each student by offering educational excellence in a stimulating environment of cultural diversity and mutual respect.

How does our new campus support each of our students in developing their potential? The answer is: in a great many ways! The building was conceived with student learning at the center. Our total facilities have gone from 11,000 to 25,000 square meters. The multiplicity and variety of spaces all serve learning: •• Library and cafeteria serve as a community hub for students, staff, and families; •• Classrooms, courtyard areas, and furniture are tailored for age-appropriate instruction; •• Specialized science, design, technology, and arts facilities enhance subject-specific learning; •• Extensive physical education facilities include four gyms, a dance studio, a fitness center, two outdoor playgrounds, and multiple outdoor courts; •• Grade-level ‘home’ floors create a sense of belonging.

Court-yard areas on each floor allow for studying and socializing;

“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.”

Philip Johnson American architect

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•• Teaching kitchen provides opportunities for curricular food technology lessons as well as co-curricular offerings for students and families; •• Team offices and meeting rooms enhance professional collaboration; Building design, materials and systems provide opportunities for exploring aspects of sustainable communities.

It has taken time to get used to the new campus and our new neighborhood. Now however, every day, kids, staff, and parents are engaged in the rituals and rhythms of “business as usual”. This, in itself, is remarkable.

We are on the cusp of a new chapter for CIS. Anders Smith, ECIS Board Member, who led the new campus vision, says that the question, from the beginning, has been: “How do we build a sustainable school, both in the social sense and energy-wise?” Now, as inhabitants, we must take on this challenge at the educational level, learning and exploring together. We are striving to truly realize our Vision: educating champions of a just and sustainable world.

Jennifer Weyburn Director

•• Professional-quality theatre spaces (auditorium, black box theatre) and music facilities (classrooms, practice spaces) support curricular and co-curricular learning; •• Breakout spaces for study and collaboration allow for flexible learning groupings; •• Roof greenhouses enrich science, design and technology learning, as well as community sustainability initiatives;

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Early Years Learning is at the heart of everything that is done in Early Years (age 3–7) at CIS. From learning to share and take turns to addition strategies including ‘five groups’ and number partners from the new Math Expressions program to learning to ‘break the code’ and read, our children in Early Years enjoy time with dedicated teachers who work to help each child meet his/her individual potential. We strive to offer an inquiry and play–based program where teachers provide provocations for children and then listen to and observe student understandings and misconceptions in order to present learning engagements that move students to the next level. One recent inquiry began after daily observations through the school windows of containers being moved here and there and included building of containers and an expert visitor who was able to answer many of the student questions.

Primary School To Build capacity in our students, we use the environment as the ‘third teacher’. This year we are enjoying the larger classrooms and common areas that the new building in Nordhavn provides. Students now have more space in their classrooms for various learning areas including more space for imaginative and creative engagements. Small groups are free to use the common areas for quiet, dedicated learning. These common spaces are also used for larger group activities such as listening to a recent visiting author, enjoying one of our own storytellers or even housing specific materials needed to build a home for a unit of inquiry.

Community abounds in the Early Years at CIS. Everyday classroom communities are strengthened through a Morning Meeting or assemblies. Morning Meetings are an opportunity for children to be greeted individually, to learn about each other as well as to practice academic and social skills, while assemblies give children the opportunity to connect with children outside their classroom.

The kindergarteners share time together in assemblies, while the grade 1 students gather with the children through grade 5 for assemblies. Opportunities also abound for gathering across classes and grades. Children in Early Years enjoy Open Doors where they are free to engage with friends from other classes in various learning experiences. Special events such as Peace Day, Motionsdag and Fastelavn offer children the chance to work with children in other grades while Play and Explore mornings and grade level Open Houses involve parents in the community as well. Each of these enhances and strengthens the various communities of the children within CIS. Sabrina Manhart Primary School Deputy Principal / PYP Coordinator

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The 2016–2017 school year will be remembered in the Primary School as one of change. This change was not just the typical moving to a new classroom or the normal changing of the Units of Inquiry from one grade to another.

Our change was much more dramatic––the move to Nordhavn. While we appreciated the coziness and charm of the Hellerup Campus, our return from the Christmas break was dramatic. Suddenly everything we knew was different. A new playground on the second floor, large classrooms, vast common spaces to work collaboratively, a new lunchroom, expansive gyms, additional art rooms, and all new procedures. We are very proud of our students and how quickly they adjusted and are thriving in Nordhavn.

Much of this is due to the dedication of the staff in preparing them for the move and also our vibrant school community.

The community was the one constant part of our school and familiar and friendly faces all joined together again in January helping to re–establish our warm community.

Our most ambitious curricular initiative was adding Responsive Classroom to the Primary School program that focuses on the strong link between academic success and social–emotional learning (SEL). We believe that a high– quality education for every child is built on the foundation of a safe and joyful learning community.

Each day begins with a Morning Meeting where students take part in a special greeting, sharing, a group activity, and a morning message. We also start each week with a Monday Morning Assembly led by the homeroom classes.

This school year saw continued growth in student numbers necessitating new teachers and assistants joining CIS. We were also able to expand our Counseling program by adding a second Counselor. This has provided additional support and programming for our students.

Along with new activities, the Primary School continued its support of “Motionsdag” with each student involved in some sort of physical activity either off–campus or at school. Before the Christmas holidays we enjoyed the Festival of Lights Assembly where all students and staff came together to usher in the holiday season. In February students enjoyed the annual “Fastelavn” with an opportunity to learn more about this Danish tradition as well as take part in the fun barrell bashing!

Students were challenged academically each day through their IB Units of Inquiry. The school continues to implement MAP Testing (Measure of Academic Progress) analyzing the results to review and enhance the curriculum. We implemented a new Mathematics program in Grades 1–5 entitled Math Expressions and early feedback and analysis suggests it is having a positive impact on our Mathematics program. All teachers took advantage of many professional development opportunities on campus as well as travelling internationally to various educational conferences and training.

Our Primary School students were also actively involved in athletics and team sports through various local games and tournaments as well as participating in NECIS Tournaments (Northwest European Council of International Schools) throughout Europe.

As we reflect on this school year we also look forward to developing new opportunities for our students to enrich their experience during their Primary School years.

Mark L. Hansen Primary School Principal

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High School

Middle School The Middle School has strong teams of adults and programs designed to address the specific academic, social and emotional developmental needs of each student.

lifelong learning skills. The MYP Approaches to Learning and Learner Profile are key ingredients in our curriculum and advisory programs.

The CIS Middle School’s vision and mission serve as a beacon for program decisions. Our hope is to empower students to be champions; the best version of themselves, where they can explore and find their interests through the breadth of curricular and co–curricular activities. The IB MYP relies on connecting classroom pedagogical practices and content to the outside world through the Global Contexts and the Learner Profile. Students study nine content areas, but more importantly, concurrently develop

Our new Nordhavn campus is the perfect backdrop for enhancing our students’ learning. Each subject has dedicated learning spaces. The building’s light and interior open common spaces adjacent to the classrooms facilitate collaboration amongst students and adults. The tower also provides grade levels the space to connect as a grade level while developing a Middle School identity. In the morning, afternoon and during breaks, the common spaces hum with positive student interactivity.

Middle School students each bring their own IT device to school. Students are moving from consumers of information to creators of authentic demonstrations of their learning.

Students are empowered to be creators of content and use a variety of tools to demonstrate their learning. The students have endless opportunities to communicate with peers and collaborate on projects across all subjects.

It is quite easy to consider the past year and remark on the significant events as one such event seems to have dominated all others: the move to the new campus in Nordhavn.

We started the academic year at the school’s City Campus.

The building had a great deal of character, charm and a close sense of community amongst the staff and students.

These qualities were evident to any newcomer, as was the fact that the High School had outgrown the building. The move to the new campus was much anticipated.

CIS goals are learning, build and community. There are many examples that point to these goals when thinking about the Middle School.

Interdisciplinary grade level teams meet in regularly scheduled collaborative times, seeking opportunities to support students with their affective and academic needs;

Despite its shortcomings and the evident need to move, wonderful learning took place in the campus and great opportunities were explored. In the arts we saw the High School drama production, an adaptation of Aristophanes’ The Birds with much comment on the political situation in the US in November 2016. Other arts events included the wonderful Winter Concert and a student led concert in aid of Doctors Without Borders which was a great success.

Subject teams collaborate to articulate a rigorous written curriculum, common assessments and consistent learning activities; Small group challenges (e.g. fashion challenge) and advisory activities to create a community that recognises that we are all the same, yet different;

It has also been wonderful to see High School parents for organized presentations and meetings and also contributing to events such as the Grade 9 Career’s Week.

Similarly, our community events such as the IB Diploma Visual Arts exhibition and the High School Charity Club’s Trivia Night were fantastically supported by parents from across the school.

We eagerly anticipate the rich community experiences that will emerge over the coming months and years at the new campus as well as the wealth of learning opportunities that will take place. Though our charming building in Østerbro was well used, a new chapter has begun.

Stephen McIlroy Principal

The Hall in City Campus, though idiosyncratic, was a lovely venue for these performances and also for the guests that came to speak to our students. We welcomed the maker of Danish documentary Ung, nøgen og udstillet (Young, naked and exposed) whose recounting of the experiences of teenagers he met was very powerful, as was the talk given

by Irish Ambassador Cliona Manahan on what Brexit and other events might mean for Ireland, Denmark and Europe at large.

Activity Week and Social Overnight allow students to challenge themselves and to forge connections with students that they might not otherwise see on a day–to– day basis. The building of relationships helps create a sense of belonging within the grade level; To further develop our partnership with parents, the counselor and principal facilitate parent roundtables on high–interest topics with time for open conversations.

Our move in January was very welcome and the sense of space and light was immediately recognized and appreciated. However, it was also important that the sense of community was maintained and to that end each student grade level has its own floor and common areas

Karen Rohrs Middle School Principal

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for socializing and working. This enables students to feel a sense of belonging to their space in the building and it will be interesting to see how they these areas evolve.

“Tessa’s Hidden Happiness”

by Jorrit van der Baan Grade 12

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May 2016 Exams

CIS IB Diploma Sixty five students graduated from CIS in June 2016. Of these, 61 were registered to take the full IB Diploma, and the remaining four worked towards receiving a High School Diploma. These four students took some or all of their subjects as IB Courses and received an IB Certificate in addition to their High School Diploma. One student who had originally taken her IB Diploma in another school joined us for Grade 12 to retake Visual Arts.

Therefore in total, our IB examination registrations amounted to 66; 61 Diploma, four Course and one Retake. This was the largest full Diploma registration in CIS history.

Of the 61 students taking the full IB Diploma, 57 passed, and four failed, giving us a pass rate of 93%, an increase on the 90% of 2015 and above the global pass rate of approximately 80%. Our top scoring students (three students) achieved 44 points out of a possible 45. (0.6% of IBDP candidates achieved such an outcome in 2015). Twenty students scored 36 points or above; (35% of our students as opposed to the 22% who achieved this globally in 2015). Nine of our students scored 40 points or above, 16% of our DP students as opposed to 7.4% worldwide in May 2015. (Statistics for May 2016 are not yet available). Our average grade was 33.4 points, two points below that achieved in May 2015, but similar to that achieved in 2014, and three points above the world average of 30.08.

Our graduates will be attending universities in countries including the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Latvia, Portugal and the United States, studying a range of subjects including Management, Physics, International Relations, Geography, Psychology, Law, Biochemistry, and Eastern European Studies. Universities which our students will attend include the London School of Economics, University College London, King’s College London, the University of Glasgow, Northeastern University, Rutgers University and the Hotel School in The Hague.

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CIS 2016

CIS 2016

School Statistics

University Acceptance

Number of candidates registered in the session

66

Number of Diploma Programme candidates registered

61

Number of Diploma Courses candidates registered

4

Number of Retake students registered

1

Number of Diploma candidates who passed the Diploma

57 (93%)

Average points obtained by candidates who passed the Diploma

33.4

Highest Diploma points awarded to a candidate

44

Average grade obtained at the school by candidates who passed the Diploma

5.28

Number of subject entries

511

London School of Economics, Management King’s College London, Spanish with Marketing (deferred for a year) Gap Year University College London, Geography Danish Technical University, Physics and Nanotechnology University College London, Economics University of Glasgow, Law University College London, Physics (deferred for a year) Gap Year Rutgers University, New Brunswick, Communication Lund University, Engineering University of Surrey, Business Management University College London, Eastern European Studies and International Politics Queen Mary University, UK, British and European Law Boston University, Liberal Arts Northeastern University, Biochemistry University of Warwick, Biomedical Science University of Kent, Politics and International Relations Gap Year followed by Wheaton College, USA University of Leiden, Archaeology San Diego State University, Psychology Hotel School, The Hague Nova SBE Portugal, Business and Economics Kingston University, UK City University, London, Law Glasgow Caledonian University, Electrical Engineering University of Toronto, Commerce Berlin Business School, Business Psychology Suffolk University, USA, Liberal Arts Middlesex University, Professional Aviation Pilot Practice University of Latvia, Computer Science University of the West of England, Philosophy St. Andrews University, Psychology The Manchester College, Graphic Design and Advertising

Student Support Services The Student Support Services department consists of three distinct, but related, services at CIS. Each branch provides services in accordance with the area of expertise.

•• Learning Support •• School Counseling •• Nursing

Learning Support The learning support branch represents the largest branch within the department serving the 10% of our students who require specialized learning support or accommodations to successfully access the curriculum. Students eligible for Learning Support receive an International Individualized Learning Plan (IILP) developed by the educational team identifying specific skills development for the upcoming year. Accommodation Plans are developed for students to provide an equal opportunity to participate in the general education curriculum and/or demonstrate mastery of the standard on an assessment. Early Intervention is provided to targeted students in the Early Years program to promote early literacy skills. Our goal is to provide a well–defined continuum of services to meet the needs of all students, including a self–contained primary program or individualized programs for students with intensive needs.

Focus in the 2016–17 school year has been building and refining collaborative practices between learning support and grade level/content area teachers. Student Study Teams in all divisions have been working toward collaborative problem solving and the delivery of immediate interventions for students. A speech and language therapist has been added to the department effective August, 2017 to not only provide

Alina Debyser, grade 8

direct therapy for students but to also consult with classroom teachers and provide staff information about language development. In addition, parent focus groups have provided input into the philosophical development of the program and a representative for parents of students receiving learning support has been added to the PTA leadership team.

School Counselors School counselors promote educational, career, and personal/social development for all students through targeted support for students, parents, and teachers.

School Counselors align standards from the International School Counselor Association standards and models of instruction with teachers through primary morning meetings, units of inquiry, classroom lessons, and advisory programs. In August of 2017, an additional counselor was added at the primary level to provide a lower ratio of students to counselors. The current average ratio across all

divisions is approximately 1:200 and even lower in the high school program where university planning and application require individualized attention.

School Health Nurse The primary role of the school health nurse is to support student learning by implementing strategies that promote student health and safety. In January 2017, a full–time school health nurse was added to the staff. The school nurse assists students, families, and staff in providing information to promote student health and connect them with resources to meet the varied health needs of students.

School health nurses from Copenhagen Kommune are available to conduct required student health screenings and provide additional resources to families and staff.

Kristen Koehler Director of Student Support Services

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Official Opening On March 7 2017, we celebrated the official opening of our New Campus in Nordhavn. The event was attended by HRH Princess Benedikte as well as representatives of all the major stakeholders in this magnificent building project.

Truly a day to remember!

Our Major Donors are

“Many have called this new campus the “new school”. But that is a misnomer.

We are the school; the people who work here, study here, laugh here, do sports here… We are a community, regardless of where we are. But a campus can, and this one indeed does foster the CIS community. The two campuses have now come together into one, and students of all ages are together again, in one campus.”

• The Moller Foundation

(A.P. Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond til almene Formaal)

• Novo Nordisk Fonden • Villum Fonden • Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S // D/S Orients Fond • Hempel Fonden • Augustinus Fonden

Nicolai Hækkerup CIS Student

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“With the new CIS Campus here in Nordhavn, the city of Copenhagen can now offer an international school of the highest standard. I am convinced that Copenhagen International School will be a magnet for attracting international companies and talent to our city. Furthermore, CIS will be a driving force in the development of the Nordhavn area as a carbon neutral, green urban area for 40,000 residents and another 40,000 workplaces when fully developed.”

“It’s important that we educate and prepare our children to take part in the international world. Everyone is talking about the current disruption in the world, about globalization. Indeed, the world seems to be changing very quickly these days.

Technology moves at a dramatic pace, too… This all creates a very specific demand to the education that we provide to our youths – and this is where CIS plays a major part, and where you hold a unique responsibility and talent: As an international school, you prepare your students to navigate the entire world.”

Frank Jensen Lord Mayor of Copenhagen

Merete Riisager Minister of Education

“The Board and I are pleased that the Foundation by its donation to CIS has contributed to the furthering of the cause of international cooperation and understanding – together with many other good people present. In conclusion, I should like to appeal to all you young people, all the students of this new school: Use it with all your might. Take good care of it and make the world a better place to live in through your learning. You hold the future in your hands!”

Ane Uggla Chair of The Moller Foundation

Builder: Ejendomsfonden Copenhagen International School Architect: C.F. Møller Engineer: Niras A/S Main Contractors: Per Aarsleff A/S, Eiler Thomsen Alufacader, Konsortiet KT DTEK. Page 13

2016-17 PTA Leadership Team (L-R) Suzanne Colclough, Sonja Elleby, Lyra Espineli, Anette Bratteberg, Amanda Vo, Jay Watkins, Erna van Zanten, Jennifer Douclef, Kari Andersen. Not shown: Juggu Mehdwan, Carrie Cooper

PTA 2016-17 has been a year of exciting transformations, as CIS moved from the Hellerup and City Campuses to the new state-of-the-art Nordhavn facility. The Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) has been privileged to be involved with bringing our wonderful community culture to the new campus.

This school year, the PTA focused on community building, while also doing projects to ignite our students’ potential.

The PTA’s objectives for this year include: 1. Strengthen community; 2. Spur creativity and entrepreneurial thinking of Middle and High School students by offering the first PTA Student Entrepreneurial Grant; 3. Help our community settle into the new campus; 4. Streamline and automate back-office processes.

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With dedication and collaboration from our parent volunteers, we are proud to report we have been successful in these areas.

Fundraising provides the foundation for us to support the community building events that create CIS’s welcoming culture. This year commenced with the Activities Fair in August, followed by the popular Wine and Cheese social event, where new parents are introduced to other parents and staff in the community. In October, CIS families celebrated Halloween Fest – a one-of-a-kind trunk-or-treat experience, complete with a haunted house, a monster mash dance, and a costume contest! December arrived with bitter-sweet emotions as our community bid farewell to the old campuses. The combined Farewell to Campuses ceremony and Holiday Fair marked the end of a wonderful journey and the beginning of another.

January launched a new chapter for the PTA, as we settled into our new home at Nordhavn. While the campus still feels

new, our community is re-establishing routines. PTA coffees give parents a place to gather and meet others in a social setting. In February, the Newcomers Committee organized a Parent and Staff Social to celebrate a unified campus and community. Parent volunteers are now busy planning a Staff Appreciation lunch to thank teachers, administrators, and the support staff for their commitment to our students and school. And this May, the PTA will unveil its new event – the inaugural International Festival to celebrate the cultural diversity at our school represented by over 80 nationalities.

Our community is blessed to have so many parent volunteers who have spent countless hours planning events and helping our students in many ways, including manning a crosswalk in the rain and snow. They all deserve a tusind tak (a thousand thanks) for their commitment to create a welcoming and friendly community at CIS. Amanda Vo CIS PTA Chair

CIS Mural Project A Puzzle of People and Places This past year at CIS provided me with the opportunity of a lifetime. I coordinated a mural project for CIS Nordhavn, which now hangs proudly just inside the main entrance of the school. As an artist, this project was a privilege and a joy for me. I gave it the title, ‘A Puzzle of People and Places’ as a reference to the several hundred members of the CIS community who participated in its creation, and an homage to our two previous CIS campuses, Hellerup and Østerbro.

Among the many contributors were CIS students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12, CIS Staff, many CIS family members, and even some alumni and previous directors.

The mural depicts one continuous Danish landscape scene, which wraps around the four walls of the meeting room opposite the reception desk, making it one of the first things one notices upon entering the school. I have seen students excitedly pointing out their contributions

to friends and family members, and visitors to the school carefully examining the mural’s details. And although I am very proud to have designed the image and coordinated the project, I can not take all the credit; it is the myriad of personal contributions from CIS students, staff, and family members, that make this artwork exceptional. Befitting of an International School, the mural also exhibits text in dozens of languages, some in the form of popular and recognisable quotations, some in longer narrative forms, stories and reflections from students and their families.

I hope that visitors and prospective new students will discover something in the mural that appeals to them, wherever they may be from, and makes them feel welcome at CIS Nordhavn.

from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12, had a table at the CIS Holiday Fair, attended a gathering of alumni, and presented the project to a full staff meeting, after which many staff happily contributed. I am enormously encouraged by the enthusiasm I met from everyone, and am incredibly appreciative of having been a part of this wonderful community. The CIS Family is a large and diverse group of people, from all over the world, but they all have at least one thing in common: the love of everything CIS. It was my intention for the art project to serve as yet another form for this love to be displayed, and I could not be happier or more satisfied with the result.

Brendan Dean Artist

The process of designing and making the mural was challenging and exciting. I visited with every art class

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Finance

Source of income

CIS has experienced continued growth in student numbers in recent years and expects an increased demand for international schooling in Copenhagen in coming years.

In order to be able to continue to serve the Copenhagen area with international schooling, CIS moved into a newly built campus in Nordhavn with state-of-the-art learning facilities, and a heightened focus on sustainability.

Other income 9%

Government subsidy 27%

The new campus will be able to accommodate approximately 1,200 students from Pre-Kindergarten through High School.

The fiscal year 2016 ended with a profit of DKK 9.8 M, compared to a profit in 2015 of DKK 15.8 M. The total income amounted to DKK 166.1 M. Costs were DKK 155.3 M and financial expenses DKK 0.9. On average 199.4 full time employees were employed in 2016.

The main part of the school revenue in 2016 was tuition, but another major source is the subsidy from the Danish Government.

The focus of the school’s administration remains to be to ensure a sound approach to the operational and fiscal management of the school while committing to deliver a consistently outstanding educational experience for our students. The aim is to continue to allocate the main part of our revenues to our core activity: student learning. In 2016, 72% of the school’s costs were connected to this area.

Tuition 63%

Donations 1%

Gala 2017

Admissions

With a new fundraising committee chaired by two parents, Jo Britton and Isabella M. Smith, CIS held its first Fundraising Gala Ball in our new campus on April 1st. Guests attending the Venetian Masquerade themed event were treated to a high quality evening including a three-course dinner, entertainment from both professionals and students, a raffle, silent and live auctions and a wealth of community building fun. The event raised over DKK 250,000 thanks to the support of sponsors and parents’ generosity.

The academic year 2016/17 came off to a great start in August welcoming 237 new student to our community.

We are very proud to showcase a Return Rate of 79% – 80% over the past years, at the same time as welcoming more than 310 new students throughout the year over the past five years.

The school opened with 910 students, showing an increase in the student population of 2%. The capacity increase to a total of 1,200 students following our move to Nordhavn will be warmly welcomed.

Property mgmt 16%

Copenhagen International School’s student body represents over 80 individual nationalities, making CIS Copenhagen’s most nationality diverse school.

Growth in average student numbers

Administration 12%

Returning

CA 3% Asia 6%

New

259

199 752

813 232

837 246

885 237

Others 28%

631

40%

US 14% US/dual 9%

100% 80%

Christiane Louise Conradt-Eberlin Head of Admissions

Majority Nationality distribution

60% 539

623

598

646

673

2012/13

2013/14

2014/15

2015/16

2016/17

DK 13%

20%

Salaries, teaching 64% Page 16

The Copenhagen International School Admissions Office operates with rolling admissions, receives over 350 applications a year, and conducts over 600 admissions meetings and tours a year.

82% of the new students join CIS from another international or local school abroad, and 12% are transferring from another international school here in Copenhagen. 6% of the new students join CIS from local Danish schools, seeking a more challenging curriculum and an international setting.

Distribution of cost

Other teaching cost 8%

For the academic year 2016/17 we will close for the summer with > 940 students, expecting to open for the academic year 2017/18 with 960 students in our new campus in Nordhavn.

0

UK/dual 6%

DK/dual 10% UK 10% Page 17

Sport

Significant Results May 2016 to March 2017

Building Resilience, Team Spirit and Integrity!

NECIS U15 Girls Soccer – 2nd Place Cup

After School Activities

Guided by our belief that sports provide our students with essential life skills that both complement and transcend the classroom, the Athletics Department has worked assiduously to develop programs that give all of our students the opportunity to play organized sport. To achieve our core aim, which is in alignment with the school’s mission statement, we have worked with both Danish and international communities.

Outstanding Golfer Award – 1st Place Team Trophy

Competing against the Danes

U12 Boys Basketball – 4th Place Cup

Tennis – 1st Place Level 1 Girls, 2nd Place Level 1 Boys, 1st Place U14 Boys, 2nd Place Girls Level 3, 3rd Place Girls Level 4, 1st Place Mixed Doubles Level 1, 3rd Place Girls Doubles Cross Country – 3rd Place Overall Team Trophy U12 Girls Basketball – 4th Place Cup

U14 Girls Basketball – 1st Place Cup

Through our CIS Sports Club, certified by Gentofte Municipality in August of 2015, our young athletes in grades 1-12 are competing in basketball and volleyball Grand Prix and KidsVolley tournaments. Additionally, we continue our relationship with Skjold, a local Danish football club, where our students have been playing in Denmark Football Union tournaments since 2012.

Swimming – 104 PBT, 42 medals with 8 Gold, 9 Silver and 4 Bronze. 4 new NECIS records Skjold Hawks U10 Boys Centennial Cup – 1st Place Nordic Network International Schools Sports League Basketball Tournament

The International Connection NECIS continues to be an important international connection where our students compete in 20 tournaments in a variety of sports during the school year. Comprised of 11 internationals schools from Northwest Europe, NECIS remains an important tradition that many alums fondly remember! To add to the international connection, this year CIS has joined the Nordic International School Sports League, participating in tournaments in Oslo and Helsinki. CIS also continues to collaborate with Denmark International Schools Network Athletics Conference. While still very much fledgling organizations, NISSL and DISNAC will become important sources of tournaments where our students will have further opportunities to build resilience and team spirit.

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Varsity Girls – 1st Place Varsity Boys – 2nd Place Robert Reynolds Athletics Director

Our After School Activities Program has had an exciting year so far! With the move to our New Nordhavn building, we have many more opportunities to run a diverse range of programs. Last season saw an ever increasingly popular Hip Hop Club and this program has found its home in our new Dance Studio. They look forward to showcasing their routines in one our new performance spaces.

Our Parkour group is also excited about the move. Our high tech and amazingly designed school building allows for some fun and interesting climbing experiences. Our new playground is also quite popular with our young Parkour enthusiasts.

This school year we have introduced several STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) after school

The Arts activities. In relationship with SmartFun.com, we are starting to build a wonderful and exciting program involving coding, programming, robotics, game development and soon to come: 3D printing. We are excited about the potentiality of our Nordhavn campus!

Some of the other activities our program has run this year are: Baking Club, Lego Club, Yoga Club, Chess Club and many more.

For our final season of after school activities, we look to add Bollywood Dance and Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music!

Sarai Halliday After School Activities Coordinator

It has truly been a landmark year for the Arts at Copenhagen International School. Just as for the whole community, the move to the new campus, with its purpose built facilities, has been a major focus, and exciting times await the Arts.

Especially the semi-professional Theatre and Concert Hall promises to be a great boost both to the curricular as well as the co-curricular and community-based activities.

Across the three curriculum-based art forms of Visual Arts, Music and Drama, a continued commitment to the delivery of excellent instruction has been paired with a number of projects and events that further the students’ exploration of artistic expression. The Music Department attended its first AMIS (The Association for Music in International Schools) Solo and Ensemble Festival, at which several students achieved Honors or Distinctions for their performances.

The Drama Department attended a handful of festivals with students exploring diverse and artistically challenging themes such as the High School Festival in Prague, which explored the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Another major project was a student-directed production of Aristophanes’ The Birds. The end of the year saw the first Visual Arts exhibition in the finished campus, using the spaces on the ground floor in an innovative way to show the powerful and poignant work of the students.

Daniel Sarstedt Theatre Teacher

With almost 800 participants anticipated by the end of the 2016-17 school year, our young athletes are well on the way to building the core values of our program. And thus the Athletics Department continues to foster resilience, team spirit and integrity!

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Team Peru

Charity Club

We started the year with our biannual trip to Peru with a team of 13 students and three teachers. Our first point of call was at the Mama Cocha children’s home in Los Organos in northern Peru. Water is very limited in the area and therefore water is brought by trucks and filled into large tanks behind the compound fences, so our first important task was to dig underground trenches for water pipes. This made it possible to refill the tanks directly from the street.

Our second job was building a wall inside a very small house consisting of only one room, in order to create some privacy for the various members of the family. Whilst these two projects were going on, another group was working on painting the outside fence to protect it from the fierce sun plus create awareness of the center itself.

Charity Club is a club run by students with help from teacher supervisors. It has been a very successful year: Our fundraising ranges from Bake Sales, to Valentine Roses, and even to an awe-inspiring Charity Concert. But perhaps the favorite among parents is Trivia Night!

After a long week in the north we travelled to the Rainbow Center in Urumamba (the Sacred Valley) where we ploughed by hand a field and fenced the area to create a mini farm within the school grounds. In the village we worked in the outreach program to enhance the living conditions of a single mom family.

Here at school, we meet every Tuesday to discuss and implement various fundraising activities. Some of these activities have already been completed e.g. the Fun Run, Wine & Cheese Evening, Halloween, Craft Days, Salsa Night, Winter Fair and Parents & Staff Social plus we have hosted sports events for the younger students while parents at the same time enjoy a class of Zumba. We still have lots of events to complete like the Charity Concert, Spring Fair, selling Team Peru water for Track & Field and so on – never a dull moment for the members of Team Peru!

Charlotte Zeeberg and Lorraine Wykes

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This year’s concert was held at the Swedish Church and included a variety of classical pieces played by students, teachers, and performers from outside our school. The delightful music was for piano, strings, brass, and lyrical voices.

Our famous Trivia Night consisted of several rounds of fun questions answered as a team on each table. With several breaks in between, parents had plenty of time to socialise and participate in the lottery.

All funds go to the Talented Women’s Club in Ghana, the Charity Club’s microcredit and nutrition initiative in a slum near the capital Accra. They are a self-sustained group who own a plot of land bought with funds from Charity Club.

Now they are taking it to another level and will begin rabbit and egg production. This will both give much needed protein to the poor families and generate funds for microcredit all can use. It is very unusual for women south of the Sahara to own land, and a group of women running their own farm is almost unheard of.

They are so proud, and so are we!

Victoria Jaded Grade 10

ESL and Mother Tongue Conference “If you want students to emerge from schooling after 12 years as intelligent, imaginative, and linguistically talented, then treat them as intelligent, imaginative, and linguistically talented from the first day they arrive in school.”

– Jim Cummins

The beginning of March brought the ECIS (European Council of International Schools) ESL and Mother Tongue Conference to Copenhagen, featuring pre conference events and workshops hosted at Copenhagen International School’s new Nordhavn campus. This conference is held every three years and brings the leading researchers in the field of linguistics and language acquisition together with international school teachers and administrators from all over the world. Over 500 participants convened at the Tivoli Hotel and Conference Center in central Copenhagen for three days of engaging and informative talks and demonstrations from the likes of veritable “superstars” of the field, Stephen Krashen, Jim Cummins, Fred Genesse and Paul Kei Matsuda, to name just a few. CIS was well represented with opening remarks from Director Jennifer Weyburn, and Danish teachers Josefine Rosenqvist and Tine Balck. EAL teacher Ron Rosenow and primary teacher Karen Serrtislev offered a well-received workshop titled “Home Language Integration: Our Journey’s Highlights and Challenges.”

of actively utilizing them in all classrooms. International schools are unique in that most are characterized by a student body that represents an incredibly diverse patchwork of culture and language. Furthermore, a significant portion, if not a majority, of our students come from a linguistic background that is different than the language of instruction. Many of these students plan to return to their home countries for further education at some point. This presents particular challenges for teachers and students alike when the maintenance of the home language, for a myriad of reasons, is as crucial as the acquisition of academic English. Instead of seeing these linguistic challenges as a problem that needs to be solved, international schools should see this diversity as an asset to be acknowledged and celebrated. This year’s conference aimed to address these specific challenges and provide research based, best practice strategies for strengthening students’ proficiency and competency with not only the language of instruction (English), but also the home language(s) of each student.

This year’s conference was titled The Power of Multilingual Classrooms in International Education: Implications for Curriculum Design, Teaching and Learning. Consequently, many of the workshops and talks centered on the crucial importance of more than simply acknowledging the vast language and cultural backgrounds of our students, but

As usual the ECIS ESL and Mother Tongue conference was inspiring and beneficial for anyone teaching and working in an international school environment.

David Criden EAL Coordinator

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Student Councils Primary School Student Union Representatives have been very busy planning fun ways to celebrate our new building!

We recently had our first movie night and enjoyed watching them on our new Clever Boards. We raised over 1,000 DKK and we will donate it to a local charity.

Our most recent project is coming up with a design for our new buddy bench. We will all decide on a design and then work as a student community to paint this bench. We will present the idea and philosophy of a buddy bench to our peers during assemblies. Our idea is that the buddy bench can be used on the playground for new students or students who feel lonely and want a friend to play with!

An ongoing project we will be working on for school years to come is our EcoMatters project. Each class will compete each week to get the chance to win the Earth Matters Globe Award by completing an Earthy Friendly task that uses one of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We are proud of our new sustainable building and we want to celebrate it by increasing our awareness of Eco Matters.

Brianda Rodriguez & Sarai Halliday

Middle School The Middle School Student Council is in a time of evolution; we are considering the structure, role and focus to effectively meet student needs and provide leadership opportunities.

This year the student council has focused on continuing to build community. Middle School students love to spend time

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with friends, show their dance moves and play computer games! This year, students have helped to plan three activity afternoon/evenings. Students, in collaboration with CIS maths teacher Paul Donald, took the lead in organizing, planning and leading the events. Our dances have been hugely popular and provide students the opportunity to give back to the charities. Dances allow all grade levels to be involved in the planning of and taking part in the event. Student activities included gaming and movies, Middle School dances and pizza.

It was amazing to see students introduce karaoke at the dances and improvising in the open spaces to serenade peers, mimic popular performers and have a good time.

Money collected from the events is given back to the student body and charities. At the end of each school year student council identifies charities to support. Last year students supported “World Vision”, “Børn og unge i Nød”, Charity Club, Team Peru, High School Award and the PTA Refugee underwear project. As the Middle School continued to grow over the last year, the age groups represented have differing interests and time to commit. As we look towards next year, we are looking at various models for student leadership.

There are many opportunities for students to take the lead and we look forward to growing their responsibility.

These will include events, grade level activities and possibly ambassadors. We encourage the student council members to bring forth charities they feel are worth supporting and this is largely where the money is spent.

Paul Donald & Karen Rohrs

High School STUCO This past year we have had some very successful events.

Last year’s Sports Day was a big hit as the Student Council organized different games, teams, and times for all the grades to play. However, the main focus that we had as a whole this year was our transition to the new campus and making sure everyone was familiar and comfortable with the change. We did this as a Student Council by familiarizing ourselves with the school beforehand so that we were able to lead students where they needed to go.

In our individual grades we have also had some accomplishments. For example, our Grade 12 Student Council focused on stress relief as the students were working towards their end of High School. At the beginning of Mock Exams we offered cookies and hot chocolate for them to enjoy as a good luck token. Additionally a Valentine’s Day celebration was arranged where we gave out heart-shaped lollipops to the grade, and eleventh grade played love songs during the breaks.

Since the beginning, the Grade 11 Student Council has been working to make their year as inviting as possible. They had a lock-in on the 24th of February which was well attended with activities for everyone, encouraging the grade to be active as well as having a break after a long week of school.

Grade 11 also organized a prom committee which helps to involve more students in social related activities.

In the Grade 10 Student Council they shouldered the task of organizing a fastelavn celebration for the whole of high school the Monday after the actual celebration! Although not everyone attended the barrel smashing during lunch it was a wonderful way for students to relive their primary school celebrations and get a treat.

The Grade 9 Student Council has been great with volunteering and participating in various events. Such as speaking to a visiting teacher about the meaning of ‘hygge’, organizing student volunteers for the European Students’ Union conference hosted in Copenhagen this year, and lending a helping hand whenever needed.

smoothly, which we have done over the past year. At our official New Campus opening ceremony in March we made sure that the High School students were able to find seats in time as well as hand out flags which they could use as the ribbon was cut. Altogether the Student Council has had successful events – and there’s more to come!

One of our most needed roles is making sure assemblies run

Adela Martens

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Copenhagen International School Levantkaj 4-14 DK-2150 Nordhavn DENMARK Phone: (+45) 3946 3300 email: cis@cis.dk website: cis.dk Admissions Christiane Conradt-Eberlin Phone: (+45) 3946 3315 email: admission@cis.dk Communications and Advancement Thomas M. Nielsen Phone: (+45) 2724 4899 email: communication@cis.dk

PHOTOS: Adam Mørk, p. 4–5, 6–7, 8, 17, 21. Lars Krogsgaard p. 12–13. Claus Andersen: p.16. Thomas M. Nielsen p. 3, 10, 15, 22–23. Additional photos: Students, parents and staff at CIS LAYOUT: Kathrine Dahl Nielsen DESIGN: Inger T. Klixbull EDITOR: Thomas M. Nielsen Printed in Denmark by MVMedia Copyright CIS, April 2017