IST Culture Book 2021
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Contents 1
IST Core Values •
Integrity
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Respect
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Tolerance
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Teamwork
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Guiding Statements
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Essential Agreements
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Leadership at IST
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4Rs
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How we are international and IB
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The History of IST
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Telemark and Norway
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Membership and partners
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Our Core Values
Integrity We will promote and reward honest and principled behaviour. We will think, listen and communicate. We will encourage academic honesty, the freedom to express ideas, personal integrity, and taking responsibility for one’s actions. We will be courageous risk-taker. We will nurture integrity through openness, approachability, strong values and a safe environment.
Respect We will lead by example and be open minded. We will be polite, listen to others, use positive body language, be caring, include everyone and have strong values. We will provide opportunities for students to explore and discuss different points of view in a respectful manner. We will model respect consistently in all communication, and choose face-to-face rather than electronic where possible.
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Tolerance We will be open to other people’s views and accepting of different cultures. We will be patient and understanding. We will be open-minded and appreciate and celebrate our differences. We will raise awareness of cultural diversity, encouraging respectful disagreement.
Teamwork We will be inclusive, look for the compromise, contribute, work for a common goal or aim and take responsibility. There is no “I” in team. Everyone has a role to play and is included, valued and listened to.
If you model and live with respect, integrity, tolerance and teamwork, these will permeate the whole school community. IST…. Inspiring Students Together
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IST Guiding Statements
IST´s mission is to develop knowledge and understanding of subjects, global issues, people, countries and cultures utilising the International Baccalaureate philosophy and programmes of learning. Our Core Goal is to provide quality student learning and wellbeing. Our Core Values are Respect, Integrity, Tolerance and Teamwork. Our Core Learning Outcomes IST learners will • develop the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and understanding in order to succeed as life-long learners; • be internationally-minded and embody the attributes of the learner profile; • aim to achieve high standards in all areas; • be active, independent and resilient; • be a valued, contributing member of our community; • be given the opportunity, support and encouragement to achieve their full potential, academically and socially.
Inspiring students together….
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Behaviour at IST
All staff at IST are dedicated to and skilled in providing an excellent and professional service to our clientele, be they students, parents or visitors. We expect, in return, that all our clientele are polite, supportive and cooperative to IST staff at all times. Everyone at IST has the right to work in a safe and secure environment, and to be treated with respect.
IST has very high expectations of behaviour from all the community, and all staff and students model the IB Learner Profile attributes, the IST 4Rs and the IST Guiding Statements. All of us are ambassadors for the school, the IB and for the principles of international education. We are always focused on our core values of respect, integrity, tolerance and teamwork.
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Leadership at IST
What are the important values of leadership at IST? • • • • • • •
What is leadership at IST? •
Integrity Fairness Consensus seeking Democratic Trust High quality learning Wellbeing of everyone
• • • • • What does it look like? • • • • • • • • •
IB Learner Profile attributes: o Caring o Knowledgeable o Principled o Open minded o Balanced o Reflective o Thinkers Visionary Purposeful and decisive Organised Interactive and engaging Proactive and reactive
What does it sound like? • • •
Distributed Shared leadership Visible Friendly/polite Responsible Modelling behaviours Tough/resilient/assertive Time-orientated Consequential
• • •
Can I help you? Good morning. How are you? “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress.” (Kofi Annan) “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” (Marie Curie) “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” (Nelson Mandela) “I have not failed. I have just found 10 000 ways that won’t work.” (Thomas Edison)
How do we do this? • • • • • • • •
Learning walks Taking cover lessons Prep for the next academic year Timetables Calendar (basic and events) Modelling the IB Learner Profile, IST core values and guiding statements, 4Rs Collaborate regularly together Being visible at whole school events
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The 4Rs
Over the last four years, four key words have been used to give agency to all in the school community. There are called the 4Rs and indicate four action words that we as a school value and incorporate as individual and whole school actions.
These key words are part of the uniqueness of IST and of its mission and history.
Respect comes from our IB origins and for nature, for ourselves and for others; important themes that have been part of the school since it began. The wave links IST to its location by the sea and also symbolises the water as a powerful symbol that needs respect. Telemark is known for its lakes, rivers and coastline, so the wave is a useful symbol of our physical location and local cultural landscape.
Responsibility as about the agency and need for all in a community to take part, collaborate and act as a team. IST has got where it is today by our teamwork and everyone taking responsibility. It is the idea of the dugnad in Norway, and the responsibility we have to our school, our environment, the climate and the beautiful nature in Telemark.
Reliability is symbolised by a natural symbol of the bee; the hive collective where all of us in the IST community have to be reliable and work together to survive and prosper.
Finally, Resilience is a critical theme in present times. Norway is a tough outdoor landscape reflecting a history of using the land and resources. It is about having the strength to succeed and not give up. Like many international schools, IST started small and grew slowly to over 200 students. This takes guts and hard work, which reflects the qualities needed by all of us in life. The image of the castle on a mountain means strength, purpose and is linked to the rocks and mountains of Telemark.
The colours chosen for each of the 4Rs comes from research and writing into how colours can reflect certain words and in what way colour has meaning.
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Here are the 4Rs in the three languages of IST: English, Norwegian and Spanish.
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Respect
Respekt
Respeto
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Responsibility
Ansvarlighet
Responsabilidad
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Reliability
Pålitelighet
Confiabilidad
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Resilience
Resilient
Resiliencia
The IST 4Rs Logo
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How are we international and IB
The IB Learner Profile consists of ten attributes that define how students, staff and the whole IST community are IB learners. We are also international minded in our outlook and are global citizens of the world.
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IST uses two IB programmes of learning:
PYP - Primary Years Programme (Grades 1-6)
MYP - Middle Years Programme (Grades 7-10)
Each uses a common set of approaches to learning: thinking skills, communication skills, research skills, self-management skills and social skills. These ATLs and the IB Learner Profile act as a continuum of learning between the IB programmes.
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The History of IST
The school was opened in 2004 and has steadily grown over the two decades to have 200 students from Grade 1 to Grade 10. IST was established in 2003 as a project led by Vekst i Grenland. Several large companies wanted to establish an international school in Grenland to support economic development and educational quality. The school was originally located at Herøya.
In August 2012 IST moved to its current location at Hovet skole in the southern part of Porsgrunn near
Eidanger Fjord.
IST is part of a growing number of international schools in Norway and the increasingly widespread use of the International Baccalaureate in the Norwegian private and state sectors. The school has financial support from the state and student fees make up the rest.
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Telemark and Norway
Vestfold-Telemark is a county in South East Norway with close to half a million inhabitants. The county is large and scenically varied, with a long coastline and maritime environment as well as extensive industry, culture and high mountains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemark
IST is located in the region of Grenland, an important centre of industry, commerce and trade with over 122 000 inhabitants. The region, which is part of the wider Oslo and SE Norwegian suburban area, includes the large towns of Skien and Porsgrunn.
Photos of Telemark: • • •
https://www.telemarkcanal.com/ https://www.visittelemark.com/ https://www.visitnorway.no/
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Membership and Partners
IST is an active member of a number of international and national organisations. IST believes in positive and collaborative teamwork, and actively looks to partner with and join organisations with similar values and aspirations. After the successful CIS evaluation and IB re-evaluation visits in the autumn of 2020, IST is a fully evaluated and authorised IB World School, and a member of CIS, the largest international school association in the world. IST is now authorised with the following quality assurance international and national agencies: •
International Baccalaureate (IB)
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The Council of International Schools (CIS)
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The Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS)
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The Nordic Network of International Schools
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Utdanningsdirektoratet (Norwegian Ministry of Education)
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Abelia (NHO, The Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry)
https://www.ibo.org/ https://www.cois.org/ https://www.ecis.org/
https://www.nordicnetworkonline.net/
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https://www.udir.no/ https://www.abelia.no/
