School outline

The original name of this school was "the Japanese Language School in Zurich" which was founded on October 20, 1975. The number of pupils totaled fifteen and the teachers also took on the job of the principle. The establishment as an educational foundation was permitted by the State of Zurich in 1986, and the status as a private school in Switzerland was therefore gained. The following year, 1987, a teacher was assigned from the Japanese government to serve as the vice principal for the time being. The decision to approve the renting of the school building was made by the Uster City Assembly and the preparation for opening the school was completed in November of the same year.

Four teachers from Japan in addition to the first principal and one secretary (employed in Switzerland) took up their posts, and the opening ceremony of the school was held on April 23, 1988. The Japanese School in Zurich started with fifty elementary school students and seven junior high school students, fifty-seven students in total.

This school is located in the center of Uster City near Zurich. Uster is the third largest city in the Zurich area and is situated in a rich natural environment. The school stands at the foot of Uster castle which is more than one thousand years old. We use the first and second floors of an old five-story building which was a textile factory in the past. Besides normal classrooms, some rooms were specifically altered for subjects like home economics, fine-arts and industrial art, science and music as well as the library. There is also a large gym and a sports ground outside. We strongly believe that this environment is highly satisfactory in the education of our students.

We are striving to create the best education possible not only through the use of the school's excellent facilities but also the local advantages (rich nature, close to city halls, stations, post offices, banks, shopping districts, local schools, municipal pools, etc.).

In addition to these, German and English classes are also taught from the first grade onwards. We therefore strongly believe that considering the above factors our school is providing an exceptional educational experience.

Management Rules (Day School)

Article 1 (Name)

This school is called the Japanese School in Zurich: Day school ("Day School" from now on).

Article 2 (Purpose)

1. The main purpose of this school is to teach general elementary and middle school education based on the Fundamental Law of Education, the School Education Law, and the Government Teaching Guidelines which the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology established in Japan for the applicants of Japanese children who live in Zurich and on its outskirts. The related statute of Switzerland and the conditions of the Swiss authorities on the establishment of the school must also be taken into consideration.
2. If a foreign student wishes to enroll in this school, the school committee will make the final decision under the recommendation of the principal.

Article 3 (Established Grade and Curriculum)

1. There are six grades at the elementary level and three grades at the secondary level.
2. The curriculum is established by the principal's adherence to the Governmental Teaching Guidelines.
3. The curriculum and the number of hours of subjects are shown separately.

Article 4 (Management)

The management of the school is conducted by the Committee of Japanese school in Zurich; ("School Committee" from now on).

Article 5 (Staff)

1. The school staff consists of a principal and vice principal, teachers, a clerical employee and others.
2. A Cabinet minister from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology appoints the new teachers from Japan, while the Management Committee carries out the appointment and dismissal of the local staff based on a report from the principal.
3. The principal manages the school affairs, supervises the staff and engages in the education of the students as the need arises.
4. The vice principal assists the principal, adjusts school affairs, and engages in the education of the students as the need arises.
5. The vice principal will step in as the principal at any time when the principal was involved in an accident or is absent due to other reasons.
6. The teacher engages in the act of educating the students.
7. The principal can make the staffs allot school affairs.
8. The office regulations are provided separately.
9. The staff organization is listed separately.

Article 6 (Grade, Term, and School Days)

1. The new school year starts on 1. April and finishes on 31. March of the following year.
2. Each school year is divided into the following three terms.
   1. term : 1.April - 31.July
   2. term : 1.August - 31.December
   3. term : 1.January - 31.March
3. The number of school days is set from 195 to 200. However, if the standard number of lesson hours specified in the course of study has been reached and local holidays must be taken into consideration, the number of school days may be less than this number with the approval of the School Committee.

Article 7 (Holidays)

1. A holiday is defined as the following
   1. Saturday and Sunday
   2. Holidays
      Holidays for the substitution of the school year (about 3 weeks from late March to early April)
      Summer holidays (5 weeks from late July to early August)
      Autumn holidays (1 week in October)
      Winter Holidays (about 2 weeks from late December to early January)
      Sport Holidays (1 week in February)
   3. Local public holidays
      May Day (1. May)
      National Foundation Day (1. August)
      Christmas Day (25. December)
      Saint Stephan Memorial Day (26. December)
      The dates of the following differ every year
      - Saint Friday, Easter, Easter Monday, Ascension of Christ, Pentecost Monday, and Uster Markt
   4. Japanese public holidays
      New Year Day (1. January)
      The Emperor's Birthday
2. When necessary, irrespective of any of the regulations of the preceding clauses, the principal can carry out a class or an event during the holiday and can specifically set a holiday, after the approval of the School Committee.

Article 8 (Procedure of admissions, transference and leaving etc.)

1. Procedure of admission
   Those who wish to admit / transfer must submit the prescribed "admission application form" and obtain permission from the principal.
   1. Those who wish to transfer to the equivalent grade of our school from another school that complies with the curriculum guidelines established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology must submit an "admission application form" with proof of enrollment at the previous school and follow the prescribed procedures and obtain permission from the principal.
   2. Children with Japanese nationality who attended schools that are not in the Japanese education system, such as local schools and international schools, are allowed to enter the school with the permission of the principal. The children can not be further in their education than the 2nd term of the 3rd year of junior high school.
   3. If the admission / transfer is permitted, the guardian must pay the admission fee and tuition fee as specified as the school fee.
2. Procedure of withdrawal
   Parents/guardians of children, who leave the school must submit a formal notice to the principal at least 7 days in advance.
3. Procedure of temporary absence
   If a student cannot attend the school for more than three months due to an illness or of an unavoidable reason, the parents/guardians of this child are to send in an "application for the temporary absence" form to the principal, with the attached documents which prove the reasons, such as a doctor's medical certificate.
   1. The principal can agree to issue a temporary absence from school, when it is recognized that the reason of the preceding clause is reasonable and truthful.
   2. The temporary absence from school is set for no more than 3 months within one year.
   3. Those who were given temporary absence can return from the day after the expiration date of the temporary absence term. However, considering the parents/guardians wishes, the principal reserves the right to determine the level of the grade they will return to. Moreover, the temporary absence from the school will be cancelled as soon as the reason for it becomes no longer apparent.
   4. During the period of a temporary absence, only half of the school fee has to be paid.
4. Absence
   If there is a significant change in the parent or student's personal life, or if the child is absent due to illness or other reasons, the parent/guardians must notify the principal.
5. Suspension of attendance
   The principal can halt the attendance of or expel a student, when the child is seen as an interference to another's education or health.
   

Article 9 (Evaluation and Rating)

1. The staff of the school will evaluate and rate the results of the students with agreement from the principal.
2. Regarding special subject morals and foreign language activities in elementary schools, appropriate evaluations will be made in writing, taking the characteristics of the subject into consideration.

Article 10 (Completion and Graduation of the Course)

1. The completion of a grade is based on the meeting of the attendance conditions and on the results of the work.
2. Those who have completed the full course of the last grade will be recognized as having passed and the certificate of the completion of the school course will be conferred to them.
3. Relating to the authorization of the graduation, the students who are registered at this school and who attended the third term and completed the educational curriculums of thirty or more weeks per year, (including those at a former school) will be conferred the certificate of the completion of the school course. By that time, the school fee for March must have been paid.

Article 11 (Admission fee and School Fee)

1. The parents/guardians have to pay the school admission fee, the school fee and other school payments as specified. In addition, Family members of an expatriate staff from a Japanese company whose headquarter or origin is in Japan (excluding trainees with a period of less than one year), have to be a member of the "Corporation Japanese School in Zurich" and the "Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Zurich". Being part of these two is the condition for the admission and enrollment of their child. This is because the part of our school operation is covered by subsidies from the Japanese government and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Zurich.
2. School payments shall be defined separately.

Article 12 (Rewards and Penalties)

1. The principal can commend a student to be recognized as a role model for other students.
2. The principal can discipline a student when their actions are deemed harmful to the aims of the school education.

Article 13 (Dormitory)

The school does not set up a dormitory.

Article 14 (Revision)

These school rules can be amended after the resolution of the School Committee.

(latest Revision on 23th November 2019)

Characteristic Educational Activities

We are striving to develop various characteristic educational activities as the educational target of the school is to "allow the children to gain the experience of the pleasure of learning by their own free will; to cultivate a sense of respect for themselves and others and to develop a rich, creative mind with a keen ability to participate actively in the international society".

Throughout the Year

• To make linguistic classes satisfactory corresponding to the international setting, German and English are compulsory starting from the 1st grade in the elementary school. The number of classes per week is as follows.
  

*German and English classes are taught by a locally employed teacher.

• The school will deliver a lecture meeting called "The study of various people's way of life". This lecture is for the children and their parents/guardians, where people from various professions are invited to speak.
  
  
• A synthetic study
  The synthetic study is packed with taking advantage of the special features of Switzerland under various themes such as for example International Understanding, the Natural Environment and so on.
  
  
• Substantial teaching-materials and teaching-tools
  So that audio-visual aids, science teaching-tools, drawing-and-manual-arts, fine-arts teaching-tools, the books for pupils and guardians, and so on are satisfactory maintained, books may be borrowed by the student and the parent/guardian. A plant, and/or a small animal etc. is displayed in a classroom or corridor, to keep the mind calm and to provide a charming educational environment.
  
  
• Positive promotion of computer education
  The computers in the library are connected to the Internet. Our school also has enough iPads for the students.
  
  
• Emergency drills
  Although the public order in this area is stable at the moment, supposing that an unexpected situation (for example the school is invaded by an unknown group with hostages being taken and so on) were to occur, some standard training of the teachers to be prepared for such an event is carried out. The number one aim is to secure the safety of the children's lifes. In addition to this, periodical awareness training for an impending crisis in everyday life is also carried out.
  
  
• Extracurricular club activities
  Extracurricular club activities are offered to all the students twice a week after school. They are divided into two groups, elementary and secondary. This was decided after the students voiced their wishes and opinions.
  
  
• Event schedule

* Please note that the contents and the scheduled date of the educational activities mentioned
   above may be changed at any time.

Entrance and Transference

[Procedure]

• Please fill in the required items on the application form and submit it to the school.
• Please submit the admission / transfer application form as soon as possible once you have decided to enroll in our school.
• Please submit the certificate of enrollment at the current school.
• If your child needs special assistance, please consult us in advance. In some cases, our school may inquire about the situation of your child from related organizations such as the current school.

[School payment]

• Admission and tuition fees must be paid by the deadline stated on the invoice.
• For details, please refer to "School Payment for the Japanese School in Zurich".
  

[Text books]

All overseas educational facilities use the same textbooks. If you are transferring from Japan, please contact the following address to receive the textbooks.

Japan Overseas Educational Services
Main Office: Atago Toyo Bldg. 6F, 1-3-4 Atago, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105-0002, Japan
E-Mail: somu@joes.or.jp

[Notebooks]