GIS The International School of Monza

At GIS The International School of Monza learning focuses on the development of skills and attitudes that young people require to become active participants in the world of tomorrow. It is an international experience that the students experience both as national and global citizens.  Learning at GIS is structured on the most prestigious international programmes, the Reggio Approach in Early Years and the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

For our Early Years sections we inspire ourselves on the Reggio Emilia approach. An innovative and inspiring philosophy to Early Childhood Education which values the child as strong, capable and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge. Every child brings with them deep curiosity and potential and this innate curiosity drives their interest to understand their world and their place within it.  For GIS educators this means visiting Reggio centres and considering the connections between the Reggio Approach and the PYP.  Our school prides itself on documenting inquiry and sharing this with the families.

In our Primary Years section, we believe in inquiry-based and transdisciplinary learning. Concepts are explored from a local and a global perspective through the lenses of the different disciplines. The child develops the necessary skills to ask relevant questions and find evidence based answers to fulfil their curiosity and reach their own conclusions. They also develop social skills, learning how to work with others in cooperation, to reach a common goal, and develop the necessary confidence to share their ideas and thoughts. Through these different elements, children are prepared to foster their love for learning that should permeate throughout their entire lives.  For GIS educators, being a PYP school allows teachers to use inquiry based learning and to draw from educational research to allow thinking to be made visible in multiple ways.

The GIS Vision is founded on two essential principles we intend to be a Boutique School based on the five GIS Values.  Central to our idea of boutique education is how we set out to tailor learning to each individual child.  This means we provide accessible class sizes and a higher ratio of educators to children than almost any other school in Italy.   This truly allows educators to put the child at the centre and focus on creating personalised learning experiences.  

The five GIS Values underpin our planning in everything we do. We believe children should grow up with a global awareness, a principled outlook, the capacity to communicate and interact with others and the resilience to be life-long learners in an ever-changing world.