Mission & Vision

Our Story

The American International School of Zagreb is a mission and vision-driven school. We are a Professional Learning Community where our success is achieved through collaboration and interdependence; we work together as a community to achieve the best results possible for all our students.

Each child comes to us with her or his own particular strengths, personalities and passions. We see each of them as a ‘story of possibility’, filled with promise. We build on that promise, working together to develop them into highly educated learning experts. As we map their learning journeys, we show them exceptional care, making sure that every student is known, challenged and supported. By personalising their learning we work towards realizing the futures our children imagine for themselves. We believe that each one of those futures can be truly extraordinary.

The American International School of Zagreb offers an academically rigorous international curriculum from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. At the youngest grades, our program is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach while Grades 1 to 10 are anchored in the Common Ground Collaborative framework. Students in Grades 11 and 12 consistently achieve above world average results in the International Baccalaureate Diploma. We offer a rich and engaging learning environment based on current research and best practice. Our learning engagements are future-oriented and focused on acquiring the interdisciplinary skills and character dispositions necessary for a successful future in the age of innovation. We look to what is to come and ground our actions on the belief that learning is for now as well as the future. We also believe that balance and fun should always be present.

We believe in all of our students and that the futures our students have before them are filled with remarkable opportunities. Learning at American International School of Zagreb prepares capable and empathetic students with the skills competency and character to be equipped for an ever-changing and dynamic future where the large majority of employment opportunities have yet to be invented. We believe that the attributes of a successful international citizen are empathy, the making of ethical choices, a service-minded attitude to others, a concern for our environment and resources, a commitment to integrity and the personal resilience to learn from disappointments and failures.

Our Learning Principles

As AISZ began to examine the new culture of learning we wanted to build as a result of our Community Summit we believe that our school like any social group of people works best when we share a small set of common principles rather than a collection of complex rules.

These principles were developed through collaborative workshops involving complex discussion, active listening and collaboration between students and teachers over the days of October 2-5, 2017.

Our AISZ Learning Principles are based on those of the Common Ground Curriculum framework:

• Common learning cultures need to construct common meaning through a common learning language.
• Learning is both cognitive and emotional / personal and social activity.
• Learning environments have a significant impact on our learning.
• We can all learn, and have a right to do so.
• Transfer of learning happens best in rich relevant context.

As American International School of Zagreb learners we strive to be:

INQUIRERS
We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research.
We know how to learn independently and with others.
We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.

KNOWLEDGEABLE
We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines.
We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

THINKERS
We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems.
We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

COMMUNICATORS
We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways.
We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.

PRINCIPLED
We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere.
We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

OPEN-MINDED
We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others.
We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.

CARING
We show empathy, compassion and respect.
We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.

RISK-TAKERS
We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies.
We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.

BALANCED
We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others.
We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.

REFLECTIVE
We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience.
We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

1. A school community united around our Mission and Vision and more connected to the local and global community.
2. Create learning opportunities indicative of a concept school for the future.
3. Facilitate each students' growth through personal self-directed, authentic learning.
4. Become a place that provides opportunities for emotional, physical and psychological balance.

Embedding Strategic Student Impact Goals within three cultural contexts will result in positive school change inspired by our mission and vision.

EXPERTISE

Every student will become an expert in his or her own learning

EXTRAORDINARY CARE

Every student is known, advocated for and supported

THE IMAGINED

Every student personalizes learning and pursues dreams