ISP Fund Impact Report October 202024 by International School of Prague

ISP FUND Impact Report

ISP FUND

A Message of Gratitude

We are deeply grateful to the ISP community for their unwavering support of the ISP Fund. Your donations, no matter the size, have a profound impact on our students‘ learning experience, enabling us to provide them with world-class resources and opportunities that tuition alone cannot support.

Last year, one in three members of our community contributed to the ISP Fund, raising a record 4.1 million CZK. Together, these gifts enrich our students’ education, providing exceptional programmes and state-of-the-art resources that set ISP apart as one of Europe’s premier international schools.

We invite you to read this report and see firsthand how your philanthropy is transforming our students‘ experiences. We also hope that you will continue to support ISP in the years to come, helping us to maintain our commitment to excellence.

Dr. Chip Kimball,

Monica Stanciu,

ISP Director Director of Advancement

ISP FUND Impact Areas

DIRECTOR‘S INNOVATION FUND

Our goal is to allocate funds to support emerging and innovative new projects driven by ISP faculty and students.

DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY, AND ROBOTICS

Our goal is to spread the real-world tools of robotics, design, interactive technology and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) into the hands of our students at every grade level.

ELEMENTARY OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Our goal is to enhance the existing Elementary Outdoor Education Programme, providing experiences for students to become more connected to the natural world and inspiring them to think deeply about the environment, sustainability, and ways they can become changemakers for our planet.

PERFORMING ARTS

Our goal is to complement in-class music-making with the experience of practising, performing, and watching live music on stage.

CHANGEMAKER STUDENT GRANTS

Our goal is to support our students with the financial resources to plan and execute projects that will positively impact our local and global community. Interested students will apply for a Changemaker Grant and will be guided by their teachers and mentors to bring their ideas to life.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Our goal is to inspire students across the school to strengthen their leadership skills and develop their capacity to actively participate in Student Council (STUCO) by attending specialised trainings and workshops.

LEARNING SUPPORT

Our goal is to strengthen the executive functioning skills of learners, ECF to Grade 12, and offer more teacher and parent training in our Learning Support programmes.

New 2024/25 programmes supported by ISP FUND

Improved Sound for All: Main Theatre Upgrade

With new, high-quality microphones, the sound capabilities of ISP‘s Main Theatre have been significantly enhanced. These upgrades have improved both the clarity and range of sound, making performances and presentations more dynamic and professional. Our performers and audience are now experiencing a more immersive, real-world sound environment.

Safe equipment for Elementary School Design and Innovation classes

Thanks to age-appropriate equipment, Elementary School students will explore technology and design tools safely. In the past, younger students had limited access to such tools due to safety concerns, but with equipment designed specifically for them, they can engage in hands-on learning and creative problem-solving without limitations. These tools open up new possibilities for students to experiment, design, and innovate with confidence.

New 2024/25 programmes supported by ISP FUND

Double or Nothing: Frankie is Back!

Frankie, our mascot, has taken on a new and improved form, and this time, there are two of him. The taller Frankie is for Middle School and Upper School, while the shorter Frankie is for Early Childhood Foundations and Elementary School. Now Frankie can be in two places at once, and he can make Friday mornings and social gatherings two times better.

Live Stream Camera for the Big Gym: Bringing Sports Events to Everyone

A live stream camera for the big gym will allow us to capture and broadcast sports events in real-time. This new addition ensures that games, matches, and tournaments can be streamed live, enabling families, friends, and the wider community to enjoy and support our students’ athletic achievements, even from afar.

What makes this initiative even more special is that students will be at the helm of live streaming production. This hands-on experience equips them with valuable skills in broadcasting and media production, while they share the excitement of ISP sports with high-quality video and sound. The live stream camera brings the energy and spirit of our teams directly to your screen, making every event more accessible to everyone.

Design and Technology for ECF and ES: Expressing Creativity Through Innovation Could not be Easier

Gifts to the ISP Fund have helped to purchase equipment for the new addition in the ECF and Elementary School - the Wonder Lab. This is a dedicated Elementary and ECF maker space for ideas, questions, experiments, dreams, prototypes, technology, taking risks, designing and more! Students can build and create with special tools and materials that will empower them to problem solve, innovate, build, and creatively communicate their ideas within this space. Every day brings a new surprise, and the space is filled with projects and materials that spark curiosity and wonder. Located in the Elementary School, this new “hub“ replicates the great aspects and resources of our Idea Lab in a space that is even more accessible for our primary students.

New mobile recording booths, equipped with professional-grade microphones, allow students to record their vocals at a much higher quality. The mobility of the booths gives students the flexibility to record wherever they need, enhancing their ability to produce polished, professional-level recordings.

Mobile Vocal Recording Booths

New 2024/25 programmes supported by ISP FUND

Grade 5 Band Instruments

We are keen to promote the learning of wind instruments for 5th Graders. With the addition of flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, and trombones, students who join the After-school Activities programme will have a fantastic foundation which will prepare them for Grade 6 Band.

Furniture for Learning Support: Improving the Learning Environment for our Students

ISP’s Learning Support staff aims to help students feel safe in an environment that has been made just for them. One way to do this is by providing the right furniture that uses the design of tables and benches to support a collaborative approach to learning. Teachers also use this space to consult with students on an individual basis.

New 2024/25 programmes supported by ISP FUND

Electronic Music Production Development for Upper School Students

ISP is committed to expanding opportunities for students to explore their creative potential. With the addition of five new Push2 devices, students can now create electronic music and perform live without being tied to a computer. This new equipment is opening up exciting possibilities for students to learn music production and bring their compositions to life.

STEAM: Sensors for Elementary Scientists

Through the use of our new Labdisc sensors, our Elementary School scientists will be able to study aspects of their environment, such as the temperature, distance, light, humidity and more! As they gather data and make sense of their findings, our students will grow in their understanding of how the world works. Data collection and analysis are important skill sets for our students to develop and apply to so many of our PYP units of inquiry, math, and science.

New 2024/25 programmes supported by ISP FUND

Rigamajig 2.0: Expanding Creativity and Engineering Skills

We have purchased a second Rigamajig set, enabling more students to access this open-ended building tool, which nurtures creativity and collaboration while developing building and engineering skills. In addition, we now have new Rigamajig expansion kits. The “Chutes and Simple Machines” add-on kits equip students to build out their structures, creating functional machines that can explore scientific concepts such as force and motion. These extensions allow students to connect to real-life problems and challenges and offer an engaging way to solve problems and practice design thinking.

Learning Support: the First Step to Start Learning is to Sit

To support our students with classroom enhancements, the ISP Fund has provided low chairs, wobble stools, heavy pillows, balance discs, gym balls, and a variety of fidgets. These tools are instrumental in helping our students stay focused in class.

New 2024/25 programmes supported by ISP FUND

Elementary Outdoor Learning

Gifts from the ISP Fund have helped us purchase equipment for environmental scientists, entomologists, horticulturists, naturalists, and carpenters from ECF3/4 to Grade 5. This equipment has enabled more children to engage in nature research, exploration, and hands-on work with natural materials.

In previous years, the ISP Fund has also contributed to the purchase of gardening equipment, books, indoor composting systems, a small digital microscope, a greenhouse, and tools and resources for our ECF Outdoor Atelier/Workshop.

In 2024/25, we aim to enhance outdoor learning by acquiring several robust microscopes, hydroponic equipment, weather station materials, and other resources for outdoor learning and environmental science. These enhancements will further support experiential learning for all children and strengthen connections with the STEM initiatives throughout the school.

New tools for the Idea Lab

The Idea Lab is expanding its capabilities, providing students with even more opportunities to bring their creative visions to life. The addition of new tools is specifically aimed at enhancing hands-on learning, enabling students to work with greater precision as they cut, shape, and craft materials.

Part of the Learning Innovation Hub, the Idea Lab is a design and technology-focused makerspace that nurtures student curiosity and exploration. It supports hands-on learning by offering access to both traditional and modern tools, including 3D printers, laser cutters, computational embroidery machines, and robotics.

Expanding Musical Events Beyond the Main Theatre

Newly acquired speakers allow us to extend musical performances beyond the Main Theatre, bringing events such as open mic nights, formal concerts, and Kavarna gatherings to various locations across campus. These events foster a stronger sense of community, offering students, and our community more opportunities to showcase creativity and enjoy the arts together.

New 2024/25 programmes supported

Student Leadership Retreat: Empowering Tomorrow‘s Leaders

The Student Council members will participate in a leadership retreat, thoughtfully designed and led by our STUCO faculty advisors alongside student advisors. This retreat offers a transformative experience, fostering personal growth while strengthening the Upper School community. Through workshops, team-building exercises, and reflective discussions, students will develop essential leadership skills such as communication, collaboration, and empathy.

By interacting with peers from diverse backgrounds, participants gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their role in the school. This retreat serves as a catalyst for positive change, inspiring students to become proactive leaders in their classrooms, clubs, and extracurricular activities.

As they return to campus energised and motivated, they bring with them a renewed commitment to serve their peers with integrity and compassion, contributing to a more inclusive and supportive Upper School environment. The impact of this retreat will resonate well beyond the event, enriching the school culture for everyone.

New 2024/25 programmes supported by ISP FUND

A Step into the Third Dimension with the 3D Scanner

A high-quality 3D scanner will be available for student use in the Idea Lab. This cutting-edge tool captures precise digital images of physical objects, which can be manipulated using 3D software for adjustments and enhancements. Once finalised, students can 3D print their prototypes, eliminating the need to recreate objects from scratch. This innovative technology streamlines the design process, empowering students to explore new possibilities in creativity, engineering, and problem-solving.

We frequently receive requests to digitise physical items for repair, modification, or documentation. While iPads were previously used for this, their results were basic and lacked precision. The new 3D scanner offers a much more reliable and high-quality e xperience, greatly enhancing the accuracy and potential of students‘ projects.

Additionally, this tool will be especially valuable for events like the Grade 8 Curator Challenge and offers exciting applications in design classes as well as with our VR/AR goggles.

Tale Bots & Cubetto: Fostering Computational Thinking in Early Learners

Our youngest learners are incredibly curious and creative. We continually seek innovative ways to integrate technology and computational thinking into their learning journey, while ensuring our approach remains healthy and developmentally appropriate.

The new Tale Bot and Cubetto robots provide children access to screen-free coding where they can programme robots and develop their early understanding of sequencing and debugging. These resources are a big hit with our early childhood learners and beloved additions to our classrooms.

New 2024/25 programmes supported by

Middle School Students Attend the Solutionary Summit in Munich

Thanks to the ISP Fund, a group of Middle School students had the incredible opportunity to attend the three-day Solutionary Summit in Munich in May 2024. Alongside peers from over 20 international schools, they worked on developing solutions for local and global challenges, while exploring the transformative power of sustainable change-making.

Throughout the summit, ISP students participated in dynamic changemaker workshops, covering a wide range of topics—from facilitating social change and the relationship between brain science and service, to using modern storytelling as a tool for driving impact. These sessions equipped our students with practical skills and fresh perspectives on how they can make a meaningful difference in their own communities.

Learning Games to Support Young Learners

Literacy and maths are two difficult subjects for young learners to conquer, but with this new programme, Learning Support students can benefit from an app made just for them. This programme has been developed for students with dyslexia but it also helps other Learning Support students with their learning, as well.