Where students are supported
Helping Your Family Transition
Whether you are joining us at the start or in the middle of the school year, we are here to help your family transition to ZIS. Our Admissions Team, School Counselors and Parents' Association are here to support you and your family.
Student Ambassadors
Lower School
All new students are matched with a student buddy from the same grade so they can communicate over the summer or before their start at ZIS. This will give your child the opportunity to ask questions and also provides a familiar face when your child starts at ZIS.
Middle and Upper School
Middle and Upper School children have the chance to connect with individual students during summer before they start at ZIS. At the new student orientation, Student Ambassadors are there to support your child as they start at ZIS.
Family Connections
Lower School Families
When our Lower School Counselor connects your child with a student buddy, this will also be a family connection for you as our Counselors will connect you with a family with similar aged children.
Middle and Upper School Families
The ZIS experience is not just for students; parents are an integral part of the ZIS community. The ZIS Parents' Association (PA) Welcome Committee will help your family feel connected even before you arrive, to help make your transition as seamless as possible, by giving you the opportunity to connect with a Family Buddy.
Our School Counselors are here to help you and your family to transition to and from ZIS:
Lea Richter, Early Childhood Counselor, lerichter@zis.ch
Jill Wagner, Lower School Counselor, jwagner@zis.ch
Karin Shipley, Middle School Counselor, kshipley@zis.ch
Katie Richardson, Upper School Counselor, crichardson@zis.ch
Ann Infante, Upper School Counselor, ainfante@zis.ch
Lower School Counselor, Jill Wagner, explains the Lower School Buddy program for new students and families:
Welcome Events
The Parents' Association runs a number of welcome events at the start of the school year to help your family settle into the ZIS community:
- Welcome BBQ (co-sponsored by the PA and ZIS)
- New Parent Welcome Coffee
- Nationality and Area Welcome Events (individual to each group)
There is also the opportunity to attend one of our "Meet the Director Breakfasts" organized throughout the year.
If you are joining us mid-year, you can connect with your local Area Representative and/or Nationality Representative and join events organized throughout the year. You will also be invited to a mid-year New Parent Welcome event.
Area & Nationality Welcome Representatives
The Parents' Association has a network of representatives within the parent body for different residential areas of Zurich and neighboring towns and villages, as well as representatives for different nationalities.
Area and Nationality Representatives offer new families and existing families a warm welcome to ZIS and host a minimum of two social engagements per school year for their respective group as well as participating in WorldFest (which is an annual celebration of international culture).
"From day 1, it was clear that our daughter felt welcomed and supported. We love seeing her confidence grow and can’t wait to see how her curiosity and resilience will be nurtured further.”
"ZIS is our daughter's fifth school. We were happily surprised by the warmest and most thorough welcome she — and our family — have ever experienced. ZIS made us feel at home from the start."
"We are very impressed by the positive mindset of the Director and the Upper School Principal, the time they invest in integrating new families and their open-mindedness for parents’ feedback. Our son easily made new friends and stresses the openness of the students"
"The school welcomed us very warmly and we feel delighted to be a part of the ZIS community and fully trust that the school will continue successfully managing the COVID situation professionally and efficiently."
New Parents' Portal
New families joining us at the start of the school year will be given access to the New Parents' Portal where there is lots of information to help prepare your family's start at ZIS, including:
- School services (lunch, bus, PE clothing)
- Campus contacts
- Individual campus information including the orientation program
- Information about the Parents' Association, including Welcome, Area and Nationality Representatives contacts
- and more...
You will also be given access to our Community Portal shortly before your start at ZIS.
Community Portal
If you are joining us during the school year you will be given access to our Community Portal prior to your start at ZIS.
The Community Portal is our central resource for all school-related information, as well as your personalized newsfeed from ZIS, your child's campus and grade.
There is also information about school services and further information about our Parents' Association.