Empowering Students to Grow into Passionate and Active Global Citizens: Shu Ren International School San Jose Campus Open for Enrollment
Shu Ren International School proudly announces its second campus, located in San Jose, is open for enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year. Shu Ren continues its mission of delivering a unique blend of the inquiry-based International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme and a Mandarin Immersion education to young learners. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Shu Ren International School – Berkeley has been offering an immersion education in Chinese and English to children in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 13 years. The well-established IB school now has a second campus located at 540 Sands Drive in San Jose, CA. This second campus aims to bring their approach to families in the South Bay who value an inquiry-based, Mandarin immersion program.
Shu Ren’s combination of Mandarin immersion and the IB curriculum has earned them numerous nominations and a winning spot in Parents’ Press Best of 2022 in three separate categories. Voted by Bay Area parents, Shu Ren placed in the top five in the following categories: Foreign Language Classes, Bilingual Pre-School, and Foreign Language and Cultural Immersion Summer Camp.
“Our main goal has always been to prepare students with the core skills needed to thrive in an evolving global society,” said Chip Miller, CEO of KSS Immersion Schools Inc., the parent company of Shu Ren. “We give them an education that opens both the heart and mind, using enriching and engaging opportunities that focus on three critical components: inquiry-based learning, multilingual and multicultural education, and the development of the whole child.”
Shu Ren: Chinese and English Immersion Program
“One of our co-founders originally saw a need as a young mother in the Bay Area, back in 2008,” said Deron Marvin, Co-Head of Shu Ren. “As a daughter of a Kiwi father and Chinese mother, Dr. Jie Moore wanted her daughter to grow, learn, and thrive in an international community filled with a vibrant culture, traditions, and experiences. When she couldn’t find a school that provided this approach, she founded one – utilizing expansive and inclusive education programs to embrace and support families from unique cultural backgrounds”. Beginning with 100% immersion at the preschool level, Chinese and English-speaking teachers at Shu Ren utilize a two-way/Montreal model:
• Preschool: 100% Mandarin
• Grades K-1: 20% English, 80% Mandarin
• Grade 2: 40% English, 60% Mandarin
• Grades 3-5: 50% English, 50% Mandarin
Abiding by the IB curriculum, teachers at Shu Ren focus on Units of Inquiry – broad subject matter and conceptual understandings – before moving on to “stand-alone” Chinese language teaching practices using “Easy Steps to Chinese” resources. Later instruction includes more nuanced speaking skills and intricate areas of Chinese, like Pinyin, high frequency/daily use vocabulary, and character stroke order.
“By developmental skills, we mean more than just high academic achievement,” said Yi Que, Co-Head of Shu Ren. “We fully encourage our students’ active participation in a complex and rich world, asking them to ponder questions, do research, and present their findings in Chinese and English. Starting early, we are training the next citizens of a truly interconnected world.”
Shu Ren: International Baccalaureate Program
In addition to being a Mandarin Immersion school, Shu Ren is also an International Baccalaureate World School, following the world-renowned educational approach to not only provide academic structure centered around inquiry-based learning but also to go beyond, emphasizing and embodying the IB learner profile which develop socio-emotional learning. The inquiry-based curriculum centers around six transdisciplinary themes, connecting students to the real world, exploring and analyzing how they relate to themselves, their community, and the world around them. Using these themes, teachers, and students actively engage and develop flexible units of inquiry that promote play, collaboration, discussion, exploration, and reflection.
About Shu Ren International School
Shu Ren is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Chinese Language School offering a fully immersive education for students from PreK through Grade 5. Shu Ren is also exploring the possibility of developing a Middle School. With a vision committed to empowering students to become internationally-minded critical thinkers and lifelong learners, the Shu Ren curriculum emphasizes inquiry-based learning with interactive, creative projects, and field trips that link academic lessons to practical life skills. Learn more at ShuRenSchool.com and stay updated with Shu Ren on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
