Community days & Experiential Learning

Community Days (Day 0)

We have 5 days throughout the year where students are engaged in activities that are not through regularly scheduled classes. Two of these are full school events that have been celebrated for many years: Zambia Day & Worldfest. In Secondary, we also have three community days where we introduce (Aug) and conclude (June) our Pod Challenge system. Participation in these events is expected as it is an important aspect of developing an inclusive and fun learning community.

Field Trips within Zambia

Academic field or study trips are scheduled throughout the year to take advantage of unique opportunities for learning about Zambia, to develop strong friendship bonds between teachers and peers and to provide students with leadership opportunities. Participation in field trips is compulsory unless there are documented medical reasons that preclude participation.  Students who are legitimately unable to attend field trips may be required to stay at home during each day of the trip if there are no academic alternatives offered by the school. 

The school does not offer general medical coverage for each student, so parents are advised to consult their medical insurance policies for applicability prior to all field trips.  The school does provide emergency evacuation coverage for all students from the field trip location to Lusaka.

International Travel

Prior to the commencement of any ISSEA or external travel that requires significant time and energy commitments such as Arts Ensembles, Sports teams, Model United Nations, Global Issues Service Summit, teachers in charge of these activities will distribute to subject teachers a list of participating students. Should a student be struggling in their academic school work or be demonstrating poor ATLs in classes they may be excluded from this activity until significant improvement occurs. In these cases a plan will be created with the student and their parents to make the necessary changes required. The Secondary Principal & Activities coordinator will make the final decision whether the student can participate. 

Experience Zambia

We have co-created meaningful experiential learning opportunities for our students connected to our AISL mission, vision & values. These take place within Zambia and are an integral part of our educational program at AISL. Students who are legitimately unable to attend will be required to stay at home during each day of the trip as there are no academic alternatives offered by the school.