56 graduates of ISR Neuss clearly exceed the worldwide average of the International Baccalaureate (IB) in the Corona school year 2020

Friday, 17 July 2020

ISR students averaged 36 points in their final report cards, 6 points above the global average / More ISR graduates than ever before / Ten percent of the degrees belong to the international top 3 % best list / Numerous study places offered by renowned universities abroad

Despite the adversities faced during this school year, Grade 12 IB graduates of ISR International School on the Rhine in Neuss have improved their grade point average this year, from 35 to 36 points. In fact, the 56 Grade 12 students who graduated this year scored 6 points above the global International Baccalaureate average of 30 points. “These excellent results of the students cannot be emphasized highly enough. After all, the pandemic with its continuing uncertainties and the special examination conditions was already a particular challenge and burden,” comments Emil Cete, Head of Upper School and IB Coordinator.

He continued, “The fact that the students mastered the situation so well was mainly due to what we at ISR call strong character: their own will to learn, their commitment and being robust. The comprehensive support from the teachers and the entire staff also contributed to this. It is also important for us that with this result we have confirmed our status as the leading international private school in NRW.”

In addition to the excellent results, having 56 students in the graduating class is also remarkable: in the two previous years the graduating class had less than 40 students.  “The increase in the number of students at ISR to a total of 1,000 is now making itself felt in larger graduating classes,” explains Peter Soliman, Managing Partner of ISR, “this is another sign of the school’s sustained popularity and quality.”

No matter which scale the results are compared with, they are excellent: when converted to the equivalent in the German Abitur system 40% of ISR graduates achieved a grade in the 1.0 to 1.9 range, and 10% achieved 40 IB points or more.  To contextualize this, in 2019 roughly 2% of IB graduates worldwide achieved 40 IB points or more! “These great results can only be achieved with a consistent effort during the entire year. A few outstanding students are not enough,” Mr. Soliman states, “to prepare the entire class for the exams in the best possible way, we, therefore, provide individual support through intensive lessons  tailored to ability and need.”

“Thanks to the results, graduates this year have been offered places at the best universities worldwide,” emphasizes Eileen Lyons, the Director of ISR.  In the USA these include full scholarships from Princeton University as well as offers from the University of Southern California, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Miami. In Great Britain, ISR students have offers from the University of Cambridge, Imperial College, London School of Economics, University College London and King’s College London. In addition to this there are offers from Canada (University of Toronto) as well as from universities in Japan, South Africa, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, and Switzerland. Ms. Lyons continues, “The fact that so many binding commitments have been made by international universities despite the corona uncertainty is a great sign of confidence in our work. Applications from our students are very convincing and universities have been extremely satisfied with ISR graduates in recent years.” It must be noted that even though about 75% of ISR students are likely to go to university in another country, ISR always recommends to all graduates a combination of subjects that will allow them to study in Germany.

“Advice on which university best suits the preferences, skills and career planning of young people is a key service offered by ISR,” adds Mr. Soliman, “that’s why our University and Career Counsellors, Ulrike Wacker, and Dr. Susan Wiltshire, start talking to students about their career plans at an early stage” As the counsellors explain, “our university orientation will continue in the coming months, even though graduation certificates have long since been distributed: due to the corona pandemic there is more to organize before the start of studies than in previous years.” This aside, ISR students, both past and present, can always seek advice regarding career steps, and the ever-growing alumni network is an increasingly vital tool for growing support systems.

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ISR International School on the Rhine to open a branch of its Kindergarten in Düsseldorf- Niederkassel

Friday, 22 March 2019

ISR International School on the Rhine based in Neuss is opening an English speaking Kindergarten in Düsseldorf-Niederkassel. The former ballet school of the Deutschen Oper am Rhein on Niederkasseler Kirchweg 36 has been torn down and will be replaced with a brand new Kindergarten by mid-2020, with a capacity for educating over 100 boys and girls aged three years and above. The educational philosophy and teaching methods practiced at ISR in Neuss will also be implemented at the site in Düsseldorf. The city council of Düsseldorf has approved of the plans for the new building, the legal change in the use of the property as well as the long-term lease of 50 years. ISR, with the support of the Düsseldorfer architect firm Leckelt, will now embark on building the planned premises.

Mr. Peter Soliman, CEO of ISR, places a high value on establishing an ISR branch in Düsseldorf, as many students, currently enrolled at ISR Neuss, live in Düsseldorf. Especially for students in Kindergarten, the interest from families from Düsseldorf has remained unabated. He says, “In the previous 4 years, we have already expanded our Kindergarten in Neuss twice. Currently, 139 children are enrolled in our Kindergarten. As we noticed a continuous rise in inquiries for Kindergarten spots, we decided against expanding our Kindergarten in Neuss for the third time and instead chose to open a new branch in Düsseldorf. Since there is an acute shortage of Kindergarten places in Düsseldorf, our opening also relieves some of the pressure on the state-run Kindergarten facilities. “

The location of the property in Düsseldorf is ideal. Both ISR Kindergartens are easily connected through the highways A52 and A57. The school expects some Düsseldorfer families currently enrolled in Neuss, to move to the new location in Düsseldorf. Mr. Peter Soliman remains confident that “due to the long waiting list at our current location in Neuss, we expect the vacant spots in Neuss to be filled immediately. “ Currently over 970 students are enrolled at ISR and are prepared for the IBDP (International Baccalaureate) school leaving certificate.

The open and green grounds of the former ballet school are perfect for the new Kindergarten building. The semi-circular building will enable each of the 5 Kindergarten classes to have direct access to the spacious playground. The modern building with generous rooms flooded with natural sunlight will be equipped with a kitchen, a Movement Room for dance, exercise and movement, and a parent conference room.

The international pre-school Kindergarten in Niederkassel is located directly next to the Japanese International School- JISD. Mr. Soliman confirms “We held a lot of preliminary talks with the school and the consulate regarding this project. We have discussed every planning stage jointly and our cooperation with JISD has been very friendly and open. We are certain that both parties will mutually benefit from this project.”

Essential aspects of the educational philosophy currently practiced at ISR in Neuss will also be implemented at the new location. For instance, English will be solely taught by native speakers. Mr. Soliman states “At this age, the children learn by playing” German lessons are also mandatory. Apart from the multi-lingual lessons, the ISR pre-schoolers also familiarise themselves with numbers and letters and are thus optimally and bilingually ready for primary school.

The caregiver to child ratio is low. A team consisting of one fully trained teacher and one/two teaching assistants is responsible for a group of up to 20 children. This enables very individual and comprehensive care for 3-6-year-olds. In total, around 16 employees (including the Head of the Kindergarten) will be managing the 5 Kindergarten groups in Düsseldorf. In addition, a German teacher and a Music teacher will also join the team.

To ensure optimal childcare support before and after teaching hours, the Kindergarten will be open from 07:30 am to 6:00 pm. Catering will be provided by the well-known company Broich which has a specialized nutrition plan focussing on the needs and wishes of the children.

Kindergarten planning at Niederkasseler Kirchweg

Indian Consul General Visits ISR to Increase Cooperation with the School

Thursday, 14 March 2019

The Indian Consul General in Germany, Pratibha Parkar, visited ISR International School on the Rhine in Neuss on Tuesday, 12.03.2019.

The consul, accompanied by Mridula Singh, Education Officer & Social Secretary to Consul General, came from Frankfurt to the Rhineland to get to know the Indian community at ISR, which is now one of the largest country groups at the school.

“I am glad that my compatriots here feel so welcome at ISR and are now so strongly repre-sented.”, Pratibha Parkar emphasizes: “And now that I have visited the school and learned about the academic program at ISR, I have gained an understanding of our students and parents expe-riences at the school.” Consulate General Pratibha Parkar, who has served as a diplomat in vari-ous parts of the world since 2000, was welcomed by the children of the Indian community, their parents, and representatives of ISR’s Management Team. ISR’s Kindergarten children made a wel-come poster for the Consul General.

“As an international school, it is very important to us that international families from different cultures stay in regular contact with their diplomatic representatives,” emphasizes Peter Soliman, Managing Partner of ISR. “We, too, as a school, appreciate the exchange and are delighted that the Consul General has taken the time today to meet with our Indian community and the school.”

During the meeting, the group discussed various ways in which a cooperation between the school and the Consul General can be intensified. In addition, the Indian parents reported on their personal experiences at the school and in Germany.Seite 2 von 2

“This type of exchange is essential for us as a school and gives the different cultures represented at the school the feeling of appreciation for their home country”, emphasizes Eileen Lyons, School Director at ISR. “We are pleased that the talks were so positive today as we continue to learn from parents and their consular representatives what is important for the families. Despite more than 41 nationalities at ISR and our decades of experience, we always looking for opportu-nities to learn more and grow in our understanding of other cultures.”

In addition to the visit of the Indian Consul General, ISR has also recently welcomed the Turkish Consul-General, Şule Gürel, and the Japanese Vice-Consul, Shinsuke Toda.

20190312_visit_of_the_consul_general_of_india.pdf

ISR graduates of 2016 once again surpass the IB diploma world average

Thursday, 14 July 2016

ISR graduating class 2016 passed their International Baccalaureate (IB) with an average of 34 points, which is 4 points above the IB world average of 30 points.

The 2016 graduates of ISR once again delivered a very strong result: the average IB Diploma scores are again 4 points above the IB world average (30 points). “We are very proud of this; almost half of the group were also awarded a bilingual diploma. Enabling Great Minds and Strong Characters is the motto of ISR International School on the Rhine” as emphasised by Peter Soliman, proprietor of the school.

One ISR student achieved 43 points (out of a maximum of 45 points) equalling the best result for an IB diploma in the history of ISR, which corresponds to a 1,0 in a German Abitur. Less than 1,9% of the 150.000 IB Diploma students worldwide in 2016 achieved this remarkable score.

It is no wonder therefore that the doors to the best universities in the world are open to ISR graduates. Our class of 2016 with 34 students has received 107 offers from renowned universities, mainly in Great Britain, the Netherlands and the USA. The offers from German universities are not included as these will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
A selection of the universities are Imperial College London (GB), King’s College London (GB), the University of New York (USA), the IE University Madrid (Spain) and the University of Maastricht (The Netherlands). A few of the students have decided to have a supervised gap-year and will follow an internship or will travel during the first year after their graduation.

Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf Thomas Geisel has already praised the important economic and cultural location factor of ISR for the whole Rheinland region during his commencement address on 17th June at the Hotel Nikko in Düsseldorf. Additionally, Mr. Aguilera Aranda, acting Spanish Consul General at that time, reaffirmed that in these uncertain times a solid international education and a positive and open minded attitude is essential for a peaceful coexistence.

Ms. Lyons, long-term school director of the ISR, is thrilled: “I wish to congratulate all our students on their achievement! I’m very pleased that the hard work of our teachers and our IB students has paid off. They can be justly proud of their well-deserved success.”

The International School on the Rhine gGmbH (ISR) is a privately owned, non-for-profit school, which has invested heavily during the last two years in its facilities, such as IT equipment and of course its teachers. This investment in turn reflects a very high demand in quality standards and as a result a growth of over 30% in its student population within the last two years. The student count for 2015/2016 was 670; a continued increase of this number is estimated for the upcoming year.

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