Why Choose SCIS?

Why choose SCIS?

Ready for a new world – creating a global perspective

At Santa Cruz International School, we know that the children and young people in our care, need to be educated to be part of a global generation. More than any other generation before them, they will live, study and work across cultures and languages in an increasingly mobile and permeable world. Despite the dynamics of change, one thing is certain: our children’s futures will be shaped by the dramatic economic, political and educational emergence of Latin America in the future.
In this quest to make sure our students have a modern education that reflects this reality, it is our main aspiration at SCIS is to educate students who are intelligent, innovative and ready to embrace our international future. We offer an educational programme that complies with the norms and requirements of the Ministry of Education of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, under the educational law (Ley 070 Avelino Siñani-Elizardo Pérez), a learning plan with curricular contents of the Cambridge International Examinations, that is distinctive, dynamic and globally-oriented.

However, our core emphasis is the emotional and social well-being of our students. We firmly believe that students who have the orientation and support of a strong partnership between parents and the school, a caring, but firm approach to the teaching-learning process, and a beautiful environment, are more readily encouraged to achieve academic excellence.

An integrated curriculum from Pre-School to 12th Grade

In addition to offering the Bolivian High School Certificate, SCIS is a registered CIE Centre (BO005) since 1995 and offers the Checkpoint, IGCSE and AS and A Level programmes for high school students.
The school is in a constant process of reviewing and adjusting its curriculum to continue to build on our enquiry-based learning to create outward-looking, critical and creative thinkers as well as satisfying the demands of the Ministry of Education of the Plurinational of Bolivia.

Pondering the future

SCIS was founded in 1992 to provide quality English education using an international curriculum to local citizens in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. In its 25th year of existence (2017), it has a proud history of educating a second generation of young dynamic Santa Cruz and Bolivian leaders and we aim to play a leading role in education in the country.

The original plan was to solidly establish the school in its 20 years or so. And now, as we enter a new phase of consolidating our initial aims, the future of SCIS must be guided by the principal aspirations we hold for our students: that they grow in wisdom and strength, in happiness and confidence, striving for excellence, committed to caring for their world and for others, as new leaders of a growing society in a global era.

The education, the facilities and the opportunities we provide our students with, must prepare them for the active role they will take on in this rapid-changing world. It is our mission to equip them with the new, necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes so that they will consider challenges as opportunities, to make a real difference in whatever they choose to do.

The school constantly looks for ways for our students to generate motivation, to be organized and aware, to capitalize on their intelligence, to be innovative, to have open minds, to think “outside the box”, to be confident, creative and compassionate citizens.

The reality is that our students’ futures are being shaped by technological advances and environmental change in a globalized world. For this they need to be prepared in so many ways to be able to collaborate with fellow workers in Bolivia and abroad and in ways that we cannot imagine, solving problems, developing skills and using tools we have yet to think of.

To cope with these demands, and even excel, they must have the critical capacity to analyze complex information, the ability to communicate in multiple languages, a flexible/fluid creative attitude to find solutions, and the integrity to serve others always before self. It is therefore of the utmost importance that our strategic plans, our education programme and co-curricular programme support that.

Santa Cruz International School constantly ponders and adjusts its effort to nurture the intellectual, ethical, moral, cultural and physical dimensions of our students. We are confident when our students leave school, they will be powerful agents of change in this new world that awaits us.