NIS Voices

What’s Ahead for NIS in 2024 In this episode of the NIS Voices podcast, we interviewed our School Director, Mr. Laurie McLellan, to discuss upcoming events and developments for 2024. First was the excitement surrounding the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year and how our inclusive celebrations foster a deep engagement with Chinese culture and traditions among all our students. We’re also looking forwa...

In this special episode of the NIS Voices podcast, hosted by an AI chatbot named “Nissa”, guests Kasson Bratton, Director of Learning, and Dr. Shannon Doak, Director of Technology, discussed the current state and future of AI in education. The conversation highlighted the varied applications of AI across educational systems, the need for adapting educational practices to the rapid evolution of AI,...

In the ever-evolving landscape of international education, the concept of 'joyful learning' is gaining increasing prominence. For example, UNESCO's "Happy Schools" initiative emphasises the importance of happiness in learning, viewing it not as a trade-off with academic achievement but as a vital component for broader and more effective learning experiences and outcomes. But...

Join us for our first student takeover of the NIS Voices podcast! Cindy from Grade 11 hosts Kyle Bueschlen, Head of Communications & Marketing at NIS to get an inside look at the launch of our new school website.

With our re-accreditation visit just around the corner, join us with Kasson Bratton, NIS Director of Learning as we discuss the importance of accreditation at international schools.  “So when we're thinking about ‘are we living up to our mission?’ ‘Are we making decisions that are aligned with our guiding statements?’ accreditation gives us a very concrete and internationally recognised way to...

Join us with Niels Loos, our new NIS Aquatics Director! Learn more about him and what’s next for our inclusive swimming programme. “Students, my athletes become co-pilots in their own learning process and have a say and a choice in what they do.”

Join Laurie McLellan, our School Director, for a very special end-of-year podcast where we recap milestones and memories of 2022-23 and our 30th anniversary. Looking ahead to next year, we discuss leadership, the HUB project construction, sustainability, and much more! “It's hard to believe that we're coming towards the end of what has just been a momentous 30th year for the school. The ac...

The Primary Student Council truly has voice in what happens in our Primary School over the course of the year. Join representatives Jihwan and Rina as they discuss this year’s accomplishments as well as student voice and leadership at NIS. “And it feels like we have a voice and we can tell the school what we want. And we can also, like, bring the voice of others students into the student council a...

NIS is anything but a teach-to-the-test school. We’re an inclusive school. But learning evaluations and diagnostics are still important tools for our educators. Learn how we approach testing differently from Kasson Bratton, Director of Learning at NIS. “It’s more of a guide to help us ask the right questions about learning than it is some sort of definitive answer about how a student is growing or...

Learn more about the preparation and process behind this year’s NIS PYP Exhibition, a capstone event in Primary School where our 5th Grade students explore, research, and share their understanding of a real-life issue or topic related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “It's just a fabulous opportunity for people to really see the PYP is a beautiful programme, and this is the end result...

Join Kalei, G10 and co-founder of the Non-Straight/Straight Alliance, and Ken Brady, Tech Coach and Design Teacher, as we take a look at allyship from another perspective: how to be a male ally at school and support inclusion.   “This is my privilege. And I think as men we need to recognise this and use the privilege that you have in a positive way to help stand up for women. And that's really...

As a school with a holistic, student-centred approach to learning and life, we strive to promote wellness and help our learners and community find balance. Join Ruben Joyner, Secondary Counsellor, as we discuss mental wellness for students and how to manage stress. “That continual process – talking with them, showing them that you care, showing that you see them, is huge for the student.”

This International Women’s Day, join Kelly Holmes and Trina Ryan, NIS Secondary Teachers and members of our JEDI Taskforce to learn how we celebrate women today and every day in our inclusive learning community. “International Women's Day is about inclusion, and that includes our boys and our men and our girls and our women and everybody in between and outside and around and that it's for everybod...

NIS worked with NoTosh years ago to create our transformative and innovative school strategy of “Student Voice and Student Choice and Burst the Bubble.” Today, it’s the award-winning approach to everything that we do. Join us as we discuss school strategy with very special guest Ewan McIntosh, founder and CEO of global consultancy NoTosh. Ewan is a highly regarded keynote speaker at events around...

No conversation about artificial intelligence in education would be complete without discussing AI-generated art through platforms like Midjourney. Join Dr. Shannon Doak, NIS IT Director as we look into the implications and opportunities of these tools in and beyond the classroom.

Join us with Ms. Ginna Daza, Learning Support Teacher in our NIS Primary School. In this episode, we discuss our unique and collaborative approach to supporting each individual learner, why learning support is a pillar of inclusion at NIS, and how our community is involved. “We're here to be that bridge between the barrier and the learning. We're here to make that connection happen. We're here to...

Join us as we get to know Nanjing International School's new PYP Coordinator, Ms. Debs Tellis. Ms. Tellis has an expansive career which includes working at Shanghai American School, Dulwich Shanghai, Utahloy International School Guangzhou, and SSIS Suzhou, as well as Stonehill School in India. Ms. Tellis comes to NIS after teaching in her native Australia. She has extensive experience in PYP and M...

Join us with Ms. Jacqui Patrick, NIS Primary Principal, for the final part of our miniseries “Inside NIS”. This episode is all about the magic and importance of learning in Early Years, and what makes our Reggio-inspired approach so special. “Our Job is to provide a context that maximizes their learning in ways that are engaging and developmentally appropriate – and in ways that are respectful of...

Join us with Kelly Holmes, Secondary ELL Teacher and member of our JEDI taskforce as we discuss fostering allyship at school and in our community on our journey of inclusion. “What we are seeking to do when we are cultivating allyship is that we’re looking to disrupt that marginalisation. We’re looking to seeing it, owning it, changing that, and then also living it so that everyone can be their be...

Join Mr. Kasson Bratton, Director of Learning, and Dr. Shannon Doak, IT Director, for a very special discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence in education – specifically ChatGPT. Learn why we’re embracing disruption and looking forward to harnessing the power of AI as a learning tool at NIS. “For us it’s exciting,” Mr. Bratton said. “It’s something we want to bring to light, it’s what w...

Join us for the second installment of Inside NIS with our new Primary Principal, Ms. Jacqui Patrick. In this episode, we learn more about the IB Primary Years Programme at our school. “Good inquiry takes children on a journey where they’re really personally invested in finding out. On that journey, they learn the skills they need to be inquirers. It builds in children a sense of them as learners.”

Join us as we explore the holistic NIS approach to supporting student futures with University Counsellor Dr. Iryna Shuvalova. From student voice and choice to care from the entire community, learn how our inclusive school is helping NIS seniors prepare for life after graduation – including joining top universities around the world. “The goal is to guide and support every student in figuring out wh...

Join us for our first mini-series of our podcast, Inside NIS! Our first installment is all about Primary School, where we are joined by our new Primary Principal, Ms. Jacqui Patrick. Discover more about life and learning for our youngest students at NIS. “Our days are really grounded in the needs of our kids, but with really purposeful and deliberate routines that we build in to build community an...

Join us with Ms. Tanya Farrol, Secondary Learning Support Teacher at Nanjing International School and Founding Board Member of SENIA – the Special Education Network and Inclusion Association. Learn more about Learning Support at NIS, as well as the recent finalisation of our membership with SENIA and what it means for our ongoing commitment to inclusion. "Inclusion means that all students are prov...

Join us for a very special episode of NIS Voices with Mike from Grade 12 with his inspirational speech about life with cerebral palsy to an audience of over 40 Secondary teachers. A student at NIS since Grade 6, Mike looks forward to studying Microbiology at university after he graduates this year.