The curricular content and teaching at SIS Basel are the school’s most important aspects, but they are not the only ones. Over the years, our extracurricular programme has grown into an exciting adventure of after-school activities catering to students of all ages.
Every day of the week, SIS Basel offers a selection of classes which begin after our normal classes end. The school endeavors to make each semester’s roster of activities as stimulating and exciting as possible, and parents have come to appreciate the diversity in our after-school program and count on the engagement of our teachers and convenience and suitability of our offer.
If students enjoy sports and need to run around after school, they needn't look further than our balanced activities focused on action. From yoga to CrossFit, and from basketball to football, there is something for everyone. Particularly popular are the Running Club, whose participants actively join the region’s races, and our Climbing Club, where participants hone their skills on SIS Basel’s very own climbing wall. With routes from easy to difficult, the climbers can stretch their abilities to their heart’s (and muscles’) content.
What if the students are more into coding than climbing? No problem. We host a number of different computer skills classes to enhance computer knowledge. Among the most popular are coding, robotics and game design. We even have the externally sourced TechLabs staff that come in to focus on more advanced skills, giving the students an important edge when it comes to computer science classes in college.
For those students who enjoy speaking in front of their peers, we offer drama and public speaking courses aimed at mastering one of life’s most important skills – articulate persuasion. With a clear cross-over effect on the daily classroom environment, these lessons are taught in both English and in German, ensuring strong ties and effective cohesion with the SIS Basel’s bilingual curriculum. Some say that all the world's a stage, and those students who participate in our after-school drama club tend to agree!
Of course, no extracurricular program is complete without the necessary science and mathematical influence. In fact, our Maths Competition Club is one of the most popular on offer and the students strive to augment and train their skills in preparation for our annual Maths Olympiad and Kangaroo Maths Competition. For those particularly keen on showing off their mathematical prowess, we send teams to the International School Teacher’s Mathematical Foundation middle school competition. This has traditionally been one of the most frequented junior competitions in Europe and it pits math wizards from around Europe against each other, both in teams and as solo endeavors. The school is very proud to have returned to Basel one year with a first-place trophy which is satisfyingly displayed in the school’s front hallway.
Music is always a favorite as well. With the International Community Music School (ICMS) offering lessons after school, music is always in the air. This, coupled with our own music teachers’ love of the music jam class or our ever-growing choir, ensures that we are engaged in the meaningful art of sounds, stages and songs.
Whether the teachers pioneer a new club, or one of our close associates like Masterplan Academe, ICMS or TechLabs offer an activity, the strong extracurricular program in place at SIS Basel continues our illustrious reputation for providing our students with the best in recreational activity and extracurricular flair. Every semester is different but no less exciting as SIS Basel strives to give our students the best in after-school activities while still maintaining the strongest link with our bilingual curriculum.
Marie-Claude Gaëtan, Head of Preschool