“Together we learn by heart,head and hand”

DSK International (DSKI) is a German school abroad andan IB World School for children ages 2 to 12. At DSKI, weprovide an exceptional, innovative education anchored by
our German heritage and recognized for embracing therich diversity in our learners and our world. We approacheducation holistically in order to ensure that students learn
using their heart, head and hands.
Our mission is built upon our German heritage andinternational values and beliefs. As a school community
we strive to be lifelong inquirers inspired by and challenged
through authentic and meaningful learning experiences.
Being committed to providing an exceptional education, wefoster international mindedness, critical thinking, inclusion
and respect for diversity and the willingness to act withintegrity and compassion.

The Evolution ofDSK International
In 1909, our school was founded as a German
School in Kobe to serve German, Austrian andGerman speaking Swiss expatriates, tradersand missionaries living in the area. After along and proud history of teaching the German
curriculum we changed our programme in 2002
and started offering classes in English throughthe International Baccalaureate (IB) PrimaryYears Programme (PYP). We felt our school’s
identity and community was evolving to be moreinternational and our change of programme
reflected this. We are also proud to say that
we were the first IB World School in theprefecture of Hyogo approved to run the PYP.
Although we have always offered Japanese
language classes, since 2009 we have put
much more emphasis on the Japanese language
programme. This was another step in our school’s

evolution in becoming a truly international trilingual
school with our English programme gaining more
and more popularity.
For more than 15 years we were operating andserving our community as a truly international
school however we were still called the Deutsche
Schule Kobe. Due to our international programme
and growing international community we felt
we needed a name and logo change in order tobetter reflect who we are as a school. After a lotof careful thought and deliberation we changed
our name from the Deutsche Schule Kobe to DSKInternational. We are proud of our German heritage
and this is still a core part of our identity, however
moving forward we are excited to embrace our newlogo and name as we feel it better represents theinternational education we are providing in Kobe.

Community
Community is important. In 1909 we were acommunity for the German speaking expatriates
and their growing Japanese connections andfamilies to come together, learn and socialise.
Over our more than 100 year history ourcommunity has slowly grown to include andsupport students and families from all over theworld. Our core community values of supporting
each other, lifelong learning and enquiring about
the world haven’t changed but our community
has changed to become much more international.
When you enrol your child at DSK International,
your family is joining a wider community. This
has always been the case ever since the foundingof the school in 1909. For more than a century,

DSKI has taken great pride in the important
community partnerships, relationships andconnections which provide a support networkand enable students to achieve their learning
outcomes. DSKI is a part of the German Schools
Abroad Association, the IB Association of Japan,
the Foreign School Association Kobe and havea close relationship to Canadian Academy, St.
Michael’s, Marist Brothers, Osaka International
School, the Deutsche Schule Tokyo/Yokohama
and is also an IB World school.
We are very passionate about our community
and we encourage you to visit us and experience
the warm and caring atmosphere.

AcademicCurriculum
A Multilingual IB World School
DSK International is proud to be an IB World School. We provide
an environment that nurtures the academic, emotional, social,physical and creative growth of children of all ages, cultural
backgrounds and experiences. As an IB World School, we strive
to ignite a passion for lifelong learning and a desire to makepositive change in the world.
DSKI has two main programmes: the Programme for Germannative students and the International Programme (Englishlanguage). Though learners spend most of their day together
in an integrated classroom with both English - and Germanspeaking homeroom teachers, mathematics and language
instruction occurs in either German or English.

Your child will be placed into either the Programme for German
native students or the International Programme. The German
Programme is usually for native German speakers or for parents
who would like their child to have core subjects in German(maths and German language classes).
The International (English) Programme is for parents whowould like all of their child’s lessons to be in English. Please
note all students also take compulsory Japanese lessons
taught either as JFL (Japanese as a foreign language) oras KOKUGO (Japanese as a native language). All students
in the International Programme also have two German
lessons a week.
Languages is an area that is very unique to our school. We offer
three languages in primary school with English and German(curriculum) and Japanese as JFL (Japanese as a ForeignLanguage) and KOKUGO (native Japanese Curriculum).

Grade Programmes
Playgroup Programme
The Playgroup at DSKI is a fun and interesting one hour class on Thursday
afternoons for native and non-native English speaking children from 1 to 3
years old. Using many songs, picture books, stories, puppets and other props,games, role-play and more fun and stimulating activities, children will learn
target language such as greetings, colours, shapes, numbers, action verbs
and short sentences.
The class activities are widely acknowledged effective methods of motivating
young children to understand and learn language. Educators emphasize that
repetition is the key to success in learning a language, and that songs are
effective, entertaining tools for mastering pronunciation and rhythm.
As parents will accompany their children to the class, parents can learn
the songs, activities and also the target language meaning they can practicewith their children at home.

Early Years Programme
The Early Years programme at DSKI consists of two primary groups:
Pre-Kindergarten (children 2-3 years old) and kindergarten (children 3-5 yearsold). The department is equipped with facilities and resources which were
designed with younger children in mind, and created to provide them withan accessible and engaging space to flourish.
The Pre-Kindergarten curriculum follows four units inspired by the IB
philosophy of “inquiry-based learning.” These help children to build vocabulary,strengthen their developing social and motor skills, and prepare them for entry
to kindergarten.
Over the course of two years, students in kindergarten explore 8 unitsof inquiry, providing a foundation for the development of the skills andapproaches to learning contained in the PYP.
In addition to unit experiences in the classroom, kindergarteners embark
on a number of exciting excursions throughout the year. Children also enjoy
a rich weekly schedule filled with challenging and fun subjects including art,
physical education, German as a foreign language, music, and more!
Teachers aid children as they begin their journeys to become Lifelong Learners,
providing a safe and support-filled environment where questions are welcome
and play is the most important part of the day.

Primary Years Programme (PYP)
The International Baccalaureate is a non-profit organisation based in The
Hague, The Netherlands, with international branches worldwide representing
5000 schools in 153 different countries. It provides an educational philosophy
and framework to ensure that schools all over the world are providing
stimulating, relevant and balanced programmes for their students.
As an authorised IB World School since 2006 and a German School Abroad,
DSKI uses the educational plans from the Thuringia curriculum and thevery successful British Columbia curriculum. The two curriculums are usedwithin the framework of the PYP to create a comprehensive, inquiry based
programme from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The resulting programme focuses
on delivering a holistic curriculum encompassing the academic, social,emotional and physical aspects of learning.
The school year is organised into six units of inquiry under themes about ourworld and who we are. Through these units, the classroom teachers integrate
language, mathematics, science, personal social education, social studies,
drama and ICT, while single-subject teachers integrate music, physicaleducation, German/English language and Japanese language.

Much more thanjust a school
At DSKI we are much more than just a school. We offer an
enjoyable and stimulating journey from one year old up totwelve years old. We strive to develop our students into wellrounded, multilingual global citizens who will have a passion
for learning for life and a desire to make a change in the world.
Under the expert guidance and care of our teachers, yourchild will flourish in an environment incorporating a wide
range of subjects through our programmes and extracurricular activities.
We offer a well-planned assortment of pursuits, activities andservices to make sure your child’s development and yourfamily’s experience is world-class.

Swimming lessons at DSKIAt DSKI, all students take swimming lessons untilage 10. Swimming is a skill for life and we placea strong emphasis on safety and fun in the water.
The swimming lessons are incorporated into thetimetable and students get used to this as partof their weekly schedule. We have fully-trained
instructors teaching swimming at the Entente
Building Swimming Pool which is a short bus rideaway. Students are required to bring swimwear
and a towel on their swim days.

An Award-Winning
Eco-Friendly Campus
The unique and eco-friendly DSK International
schoolhouse was completed in 2009. It isconstructed out of a sustainably sourced timberto create a two story wooden modern schoolbuilding. The classrooms are wonderfully designed
and fully-equipped providing an ideal learninglearning space. There is a library, a Maker Space,a multifunctional room that has a stage for drama
productions and performances, an outdoor sports
area, an English as an Additional Language (EAL)
support room and further rooms to cater for
specialist classes and project related work.

Performing Arts

Languages at DSKIAt DSKI, students have the opportunity to learna classical instrument that can help children
strengthen their creativity and self-expression.
Music can enrich a child’s educational experienceand we are proud to facilitate this at DSKI. We
offer piano lessons to the early years students
then piano and violin lessons to the primary years
students. Being involved in the arts and music is
wonderful for children’s development and we hope
to welcome your child to our music lessons.

At DSKI we are proud to offer three languages toall of our students: English, German and Japanese.
We are a true multilingual school and the only
primary school in Japan offering three languages
with Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) andKOKUGO (native language). Research has proventhe many benefits of studying and speaking otherlanguages and we are very happy to offer this toyour child.

Saturday School
Saturday school at DSK International is a Saturday
morning school open to children with English,
German or French speaking backgrounds from theages of 5 years to 12 years.
There are three regular programmes: English,
German and French (Language Based Programmes)and one learning and movement based programme:
Move to Learn. The 2018 – 2019 year programs
start in September 2018. Applications are mainly
open from February to June but are also accepted
during other months of the year.
We offer unique and educational learning
programs not only in English, but in threelanguages: English, German and French all under
one roof. Our teachers in each programme arenative or native equivalent, experienced, qualified
and or professional language teachers.

After School Extra-Curricular
Clubs at DSKIAt DSKI we offer a range of after school
extracurricular​​activities​. From performing arts,sports, crafts, calligraphy, coding, cooking andMakers Club we hope we can offer something
stimulating, fun and healthy for your child. Thereis a minimum number of students required in orderfor the club to run so please let us know the club
you would like to join and hopefully we can run it.

Holiday Camps at DSKIAt DSKI we offer Summer and Winter camps
offering a variety of different activities for yourchildren to take part in. The camps are educational,social, stimulating and a lot of fun! Some of theactivities offered are construction challenges,
coding, sports and arts. The Summer camps
usually run for three weeks and the winter camps
are usually a week in duration.

Information Communication
Technology at DSKI
Our commitment to the 21st Century Learning and
ICT skills development has led the school to invest
in a range of new multimedia technologies andhardware. These skills, concepts and competences
will be embedded in the units of inquiry toenhance learning and presentation opportunities.
Hand in hand with these practical skills will be
an appropriate Digital Literacy and Citizenshipcurriculum to explicitly teach the students about
Internet safety, security and the issues related tothe use of Social Media Technologies.

Admissions
Early enrolment is recommended. Your first step to enrollingat DSKI is filling in the application form. You can do thisby downloading and submitting the form or by completing
our online application form on our website from theAdmissions page.
We will contact you to let you know we have received yourapplication, inform you of the next steps, and organise a dateto visit the school for a meeting with the principal.
We also have Open Days three times a year, usually in February,
May and November. These are one of the best chances to visit
us, meet our leadership team and see how students spend theirdays at school. We have presentations about our school, enjoya school tour, visit classrooms and have time to ask
management and the PTA questions.
Please check our website for more details about the next open
day or get in touch for more information.
We look forward to seeing you at our school!

DSK International
Deutsche Schule Kobe International
078-857-9777
078-857-9775
mail@dskobe.org
Rokko Island 3-2-8 Koyochonaka
Higashinada-ku Kobe city