2024-2025 New Family Orientation

• Includes students from 46 different countries
• Includes staff from 25 different countries
• That 25% of CIS students are from the Cayman Islands
• Is the only Early Childhood to Grade 12 school in the Cayman Islands rated excellent
• Has CIS International Baccalaureate Diploma results 10% higher than the world average
• Is governed and owned by the non-profit International Schools Services (ISS)

Principal Welcome Letters

The welcome letters include helpful information to help with a smooth start to the school year. Please click on the different divisions below:

Early Childhood Phase-In Schedule (New and Returning Families)

phase-in schedule pdf

Student Class Placements (EC / ES)

Friday, August 16th

Your child’s class placement will be sent via email on Friday afternoon, August 16th. Should it be helpful to you, a detailed explanation of how the school develops the class placements is found below:

Class Placement Process

Class Schedules (MS / HS)

Friday, August 16th

Your child’s class schedule will be available on the CIS Student Portal from Friday, August 16th. The technology department will show new students during orientation how to access their schedule.

The First Day of School for Students

Wednesday, August 21st

Education and kindness are crucial for our world. The palpable anticipation of each new school year is like an annual renewal - a time of opportunity - perhaps even a mild reprieve from the world’s complexities. Whether the anticipation is in the form of excitement, trepidation or both, the words of wisdom below continue to ring true for children and adults alike, “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” - Maya Angelou

School hours can be found here.

*Please refer to the Early Childhood Phase-In Schedule for all students from Pre-K2 to Pre-K4

Civvies Days

For those families new to CIS, "Civvies Days" are held on the last Friday of every month. On Civvies Days, students can wear regular non-uniform clothes in exchange for a $2 CI donation. All money raised on Civvies Days goes to on-island charities.

The list of dates and charities for the 2024-2025 school year can be found here.

House Days

From the 2024-2025 school year CIS will be implementing a house system in all divisions for several reasons, all reasons aimed at enhancing the educational experience and fostering a sense of community. Some of the benefits of Houses in schools include promoting community and fostering a sense of belonging and school spirit, encouraging cross-age/division interaction, promoting healthy competition, encouraging team spirit and participation, providing additional avenues for pastoral care and individual connections to staff, providing opportunities for student leadership and responsibility.

When / how often will house shirts be worn?
House shirts will be worn every Friday, except on Civvies Days. So we would recommend just starting the year with one shirt each. 

How do I know in which house my child is?

You can see in which house your child is on the Parent Portal. Click here to see an example.

Where can I purchase the house shirts?

House Shirts can be purchased from Becky's Closet on island.

School Photos

Tuesday, September 17th - Friday, October 11th

School photos are scheduled within this time frame. More information will be provided at a closer date.

Back-to-School Nights

This is an important opportunity for all parents to get an overview of the school year from each divisional principal, visit their child’s classroom, meet their child’s teacher and learn more about our program. Please find the scheduled dates and times for each of the divisions below:

Parent Teacher Conferences

Thursday, November 7th & Friday, November 8th

Safety and Security

Safety is vital for schools. Each child needs to feel safe physically, socially/emotionally and intellectually to be as successful as possible. The world seems to increase in complexity each year – the notion that we might not remember what we were taught, but we remember how someone made us feel continues to be true.

Drills

The first week of school entails a lot of work related to habits and routines. One such routine is knowing what to do in an emergency. All CIS faculty and staff engage in emergency procedure training and review. During the first full week of school we will conduct our first fire drill. Thereafter we have a rotation of earthquake, tsunami, lockdown and fire drills.

Roads & Parking Lots

The first days of school also involve families setting and adjusting their routines of student pick-up and drop-off. Inevitably this means greater traffic in the parking lot and roads near CIS at the start of the school year. Please drive with care, watch for people and be patient with fellow drivers. The speed limit within and around our campus is 15 mph 24 km/h. Our security team and others will be visible in the parking area to assist with the safe flow of cars and people, yet ultimately we count on you to drive with care and courtesy.

Hurricane Season

Please note that CIS will be in line with recommendations and announcements made by the Governor, the National Hazard Management Council, and the Ministry of Education in the event that schools are to be closed due to tropical storm warnings and potential developments into hurricane conditions.

Health - Learning - Rest, Nutrition and Exercise

Edward Stanley noted that those who think they have no time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. Also related to health, it is highly recommended that students bring a filled water bottle to school. To support broader community health, if your child has a fever or is ill, please have them stay at home until they are feeling better. If you have health questions, please feel free to contact Nurse Ann Thomas at ann.thomas@cis.ky and Nurse Gema Martinez at gema.martinez@cis.ky

It is unequivocal that proper rest, appropriate nutrition and regular exercise help us learn and contribute positively to physical and social/emotional health. The above can be easier said than done. Nonetheless, please do all you can to ensure your child is well rested, eats well and engages in movement.

Contact Us

General Questions

For general information, please contact us at cis@cis.ky or 345-945-4664.

Admissions

For questions regarding the admissions process, please contact admissions@cis.ky. You may also visit the admissions section of our website.

ENROLLMENT

Please contact registrar@cis.ky with any questions relating to the Parent Portal or your child's enrollment at CIS.

Finance

For questions regarding school fees, payment, and invoices, please contact cis.billing@cis.ky. 

Employment

For questions regarding careers at CIS, please visit the employment page of our website or you may email hr@cis.ky

Activities

For questions regarding after school activities, please visit the activities page of our website.

Marketing/Communications

For any media related inquiries or questions about communications at CIS, please contact admissions@cis.ky

NURSE

For questions regarding vaccinations or other health related concerns, please email nurse@cis.ky