At Tandem IMS, we pride ourselves on constantly breaking new ground in education and creating innovative opportunities for our students. Therefore, we are excited to announce the latest chapter in our educational journey - the opening of the Tandem IMS Gymnasium (grammar school) in Küsnacht starting in August 2025. This exciting project offers a unique opportunity for language and thought enthusiasts to embark on the path to obtaining their Matura.
At our school, we take immense pride in the remarkable success of our pupils in a range of standardised tests and assessments. It is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our students, teachers, and parents, who work together to foster a culture of excellence. In this blog, we will delve into the strategies and factors that contribute to our pupils' outstanding achievements in tests across various subjects.
«…no school can work well for children if parents and teachers do not act in partnership on behalf of the children’s best interests. Parents have every right to understand what is happening to their children at school, and teachers have the responsibility to share that information without prejudicial judgment…. Such communication, which can only be in a child’s interest, is not possible without mutual trust between parent and teacher.» - Dorothy H. Cohen
First things first: every child is unique and language acquisition proceeds at varying speeds and in different ways for each child - regardless of whether the child acquires one or more languages at the same time. However, regarding multilingual education, there is a persistent prejudice that the brain (and thus the child) would be overburdened with more than one language. Those who defend this theory see proof for it in situations where children seem to switch back and forth between languages randomly. Actually, this phenomenon is quite harmless, since it also happens in monolingual language acquisition, for example between dialect and standard language - only there, it is not noticed.
In order to understand how these blends occur during speaking and how to actively support bilingual or multilingual acquisition (we basically refer to two and more languages at Tandem IMS), we take a look at the language centre of the brain and focus on the linguistic characteristics of multilingual children.
The Swiss school system can appear confusing (and even intimidating at times), especially for parents who have not gone through it themselves. The path your child can take after primary school is more like a network of branches reaching high for success. Success and the routes along the branches come in many forms, all wonderfully interconnected. Although the path to the treetop does not always appear simple and direct, many possibilities can open up along the way. The Swiss school system is more permeable than one might think at first glance.
We will show you how flexible your child's path from primary school to graduation can be and answer the most frequently asked questions that many parents ask us.
Since Covid-19 pandemic forced schools to close and children to learn from home, the idea of returning to a ‘normal’ life has been on everyone’s mind. As one of the first steps, children will return to school in the coming days and weeks. While being excited about this prospect, parents and children may also have some concerns. Therefore, preparing your children for this transition will certainly help them to have a great start back at school.