Lower School:

Date of Orientation: Thursday, January 18

On Orientation Day, families can look forward to:
Principal’s welcome, meeting homeroom teacher, touring the facilities, and completing orientation tasks (i.e., pick-up school uniform, confirm transportation info, setup parent email account, create parent ID cards, etc.)

English Language Learners (non-native English speakers) in both the Lower School and Upper School may be asked to attend a formal assessment session on the day. If required, the divisional administration will contact you in August with further details.

For English Language Learners (non-native English speakers), who are not able to attend the formal assessment session on New Family Orientation, please know that course schedules may not be available on this day. In this case, the divisional administration will work with these students individually.

Upper School:

Our Registrar, Echo He, will contact Upper School Families to arrange a day to visit before the semester begins on Monday, January 22^nd. During this visit, parents and students will have the chance to tour the facilities, and complete other orientation tasks (i.e., pick-up school uniform, confirm transportation info, setup parent email account, create parent ID cards, collect student technology, etc.)

• A backpack that fits an A4 size paper
• Shoes appropriate for Physical Education and outdoor activities (no flip flops or sandals)
• Healthy snack and water bottle (more info coming from classroom teacher)

Lower School class placements will be sent to parents by divisional secretaries prior to New Family Orientation and your child’s first day of school. The classroom teacher will send a communication by early/mid January. During New Family Orientation, you will be able to visit the classroom and meet the teacher.

English Language Learners (non-native English speakers) in Lower School may be asked to attend a formal assessment day prior to New Family Orientation. If required, divisional administrators will contact you in January to invite you to the assessment date.

The SCIS-Parent Email Account is the primary communication tool between the school administration and your family. Before your child’s first day of school, the Admissions Office will have your SCIS-Parent Email Account ready, send the account credentials and a temporary password to you, as well as instructions on how to setup your account. All school communications are directed to your school email account. For this reason, you are encouraged to setup your SCIS-Parent Email Account as soon as possible after receiving your account credentials. If you need support with this process, please review the SCIS Parent Email Account Guide for Parents or contact one of our campus-based IT Help Centers.

The Parent Portal is your personalized access to all school related information relevant to your child and family. Once authenticated, parents will have access to weekly bulletins from divisional principals, important handbooks, contact information, event calendars, weekly lunch menus, weekly photo galleries, etc. To access the SCIS Parent Portal Website, you will need to use your SCIS School ID and the password you have reset when setting up your SCIS-Parent Email Account. For an introduction to the Parent Portal, please watch this SCIS Parent Portal Tutorial. SCIS Hongqiao Parents can access their Parent Portal here. SCIS Pudong Parents can access their Parent Portal here.

Seesaw is a student-driven, digital portfolio application that empowers students and teachers to document what they are learning throughout your child’s educational journey with SCIS. It is also a platform used to communicate with your child, as well as your child’s teacher, and provide constructive feedback on your child’s learning. Seesaw is used for all students enrolled in Early Childhood (Nursery-Kindergarten) and Lower School (Grades 1-5).

• Once you child’s homeroom placement has been confirmed, their teacher will provide you with a QR code that can be scanned within the Seesaw app to connect the parent with the child’s classroom profile. Please download the Seesaw Parent and Family app on your personal devices and create an account. Please note, we encourage you to use your SCIS-Parent Email Account to create this account; however, any personal information can be used. Please refer to the Seesaw Introduction document for more information

Download Seesaw using the following links:

NOTE: Should you encounter difficulties downloading the Seesaw application on your mobile device, please contact our Technology Team.

ManageBac is a leading online learning platform for International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools, such as SCIS. This platform allows your child and you to review your child’s class schedule, download school reports, and facilitates communication of the school curriculum planning and assessment. ManageBac is primarily used by students enrolled in Upper School (Grades 6-12) but is also used to access school reports for students enrolled in Early Childhood (Nursery-Kindergarten) and Lower School (Grades 1-5).

Once your child has started school, ManageBac will be accessible through your SCIS School ID. Please download the ManageBac application on your personal device and sign-in using your SCIS School ID and password. Please note, your ManageBac access will only be granted after your child’s first day of school, and not before. To access ManageBac and learn more about navigating this learning platform, please visit www.managebac.com. To use ManageBac on your mobile device, please refer to this “Getting Started” with ManageBac Guide to learn how to download and navigate through the platform.

For Early Childhood and Lower School Students, ManageBac is used for:

·       Accessing school reports.

·       Managing student attendance and requesting leaves of absence.

For Upper School Students, ManageBac is used for:

·       Facilitating communication of school curriculum planning, assessments, and school reports.

·       Communicating with subject-specific faculty, coordinators, counselors, and administration.

·       Reviewing all assessment reports.

·       Managing student attendance and requesting leaves of absence.

The SFO platform is used by the school administration and office of admissions to gather important student and family specific information from the family. You will need access to SFO to share important updates such as local phone number update, emergency contact information update, re-enrollment of the student. For support using this platform, please review our SFO Tutorial. To access the SFO, you will need to use your SCIS School ID and the password you have reset when setting up your SCIS-Parent Email Account.

School Cloud is an application used to schedule parent meetings such as Parent-Teacher Conferences, as well to sign up for After School Activities (ASA). More information regarding this signup platform will be sent by divisional coordinators and your child’s teacher as needed. SCIS Hongqiao Parents can access School Cloud here. SCIS Pudong Parents can access School Cloud here. To access the School Cloud, you will need to use your SCIS School ID and the password you have reset when setting up your SCIS-Parent Email Account.

Although WeChat is a useful tool for connecting with other parents in your child’s homeroom and cohort, as well as with our Parent and Friends Association (PAFA), and may be used for various school events, committees, etc., please note that WeChat is not a recognized communication tool between parents, students, and SCIS staff. Please only use your SCIS-Parent Email Account, as well as the platforms listed above, to communicate with your child’s teacher and school staff.

Founded in May of 1996, PAFA coordinates parent involvement with the school and is a source of strength and support, knowledge, experience, and a place where many of our families find lifelong friends. Throughout the school year, PAFA organizes events and activities that encourage parent and community involvement. It meets regularly to communicate ideas for the betterment of SCIS; working with the school administration to plan and implement a variety of events that support teaching and learning, and celebrate the diversity and unique culture of our school. You can join the PAFA committee on your campus if you wish to help out with our many events. New parents should expect an introductory email from PAFA prior to the start of school.

To learn more about PAFA and the committee, click here.