Our School Day

Schedule

Early Years

Children in Nursery and Reception (Preschool and Junior Kindergarten) begin their day at 8:25 a.m. After their parents and caregivers drop them off in the classroom, they start with carpet time to talk about the day ahead and what they will be learning. During the morning, they have various academic and specialist lessons, plus a break outdoors and snack time.

The half-day Nursery children leave at 11:30 a.m., and the full-day Nursery and Reception children continue their day with lunchtime, expand on the morning's lessons and take part in another outdoor learning session. They finish the day with story time, and the school day ends at 3:40 p.m.

Primary School

Children in Years 1- 6 (Kindergarten-Grade 5) arrive at school from 8 to 8:25 a.m. and may be walked to the entry or dropped off by car. Lessons start at 8:25 a.m. Children spend the day learning about core subjects such as Math and English and also take part in specialist lessons such as World Languages, Art and Music.

Primary children eat lunch in our cafeteria and enjoy outdoor time on our soccer pitch. At the end of the school day, children may be picked up at 3:40 p.m. or stay to participate in a variety of after-school clubs that are run by our teaching staff.

Secondary School

Students in Years 7-13 (Grades 6-12) start the school day at 8:25 a.m. and follow a timetable that includes core academic subjects and a wide array of electives. Middle School students follow our international curriculum, and in the High School, students take part in International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses of their choosing.

Secondary students have a break and lunch during the day, and High School students are allowed off campus for lunch. When the school day ends at 3:40 p.m., students are able to remain after school to receive academic and homework support from teachers, or take part in sports and clubs.

Before and After School

Extracurricular Activities

Students may participate in an exciting range of sports and clubs before and after school. These clubs are run by our teachers and are free of charge four days a week.

On Wednesdays, we offer paid clubs facilitated by external providers, such as Ballet, Taekwondo and Fencing. From Science Olympiad, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, and Mindfulness to World Linguistics and Photography Pros, there’s a club for everyone.

We also offer an in-house basketball academy and Saturday soccer league.

As a member of the Illinois High School Association, we participate in competitive sports with schools across Chicago. All committed Middle and High School students are invited to join our sports teams, which include Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball and Cross Country. See Athletics for more details about our Athletics program.

Childcare

Before-school care is available each school day from 7 a.m. Children remain in precare with a Learning Assistant and are then escorted to their classrooms.

After-school care is supervised by our Learning Assistants from 3:40- 6:30 p.m. every day (unless noted otherwise), and children have the opportunity to participate in different learning activities.

The daily rate is $15 for mornings and $30 for afternoons, but care is complimentary for Nursery and Reception children.

Lunch and Snacks

Our lunch program provides fresh, wholesome food prepared right in our restaurant-style kitchen and is compulsory for students in Reception to Year 9. A lunch order includes an entrée (hot options, including vegetarian, or a deli sandwich), a beverage (water, milk or juice), unlimited access to the fruit and vegetable bar, and a serving of soup.

Parents of children in Reception to Year 6 can easily order meals in advance through an online portal, which filters meals by common allergens. Middle School and High School students can order from the available menu items during lunchtime. High School students may also take lunch off campus, with a release form signed by a parent/guardian. Nutrition information for all our well-rounded meals is available online.

Healthy snacks are provided daily to children in Nursery to Year 6 as part of our school lunch program. Students in Middle and High School may bring their own snacks to school or purchase snacks in the dining room We are a nut-free school, and all lunch and snacks brought in by students must be nut free to ensure the safety of other children.