Major Program Components

International Studies is a comprehensive approach to learning encompassing all grades at our school. It embraces these components:

More about the program:

• Program Highlights
• Program Components
• Meet Our Staff

• Systematic planning and coordination across Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools to weave global perspectives into the curriculum
• Students gain an in-depth understanding of the history, culture, economy, and politics of various parts of the world
• International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in grades JK-4
• International Baccalaureate in 11th and 12th grades

Foreign Languages

• French and Spanish in Lower School (K-4)
  
• French, Latin, and Spanish in Middle School (5-8)
• Chinese, French, German, Latin, and Spanish in Upper School (9-12)

Study Abroad
School-sponsored exchanges for Middle and Upper School students with sister schools in

• Canada
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• England
• France
• Germany
• Mexico
• CCDS-led study trips (to China, Costa Rica, England, Italy, South Africa, and Spain)

International Students and Families

• Enrollment of more than 115 students from nearly 40 countries
  
• Support and assistance assimilating to Charlotte region
  
• International Parents' Group (within CCDS Parents' Association), which meets monthly

English as a Second Language (ESL)

• Program in Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools to assist international students in acquiring fluency in English
  
• Only independent day school in North Carolina with a full-time English as a Second Language program

Hosting
Opportunity for CCDS families to interact with foreign visitors either:

• Short-term (2–3 weeks)
  
• Semester
  
• Year-long

International Visitors

• Each year, foreign dignitaries and international business and education leaders visit our campus to meet with faculty and students.

Teacher Exchanges

• Each year faculty members participate in teacher exchanges and summer travel grants to immerse themselves in areas of study that relate to the curriculum.
• In 2007, CCDS began a full-teacher exchange with our China Sister School, the High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University (NSNZ) in Nanjing.

Community Links

• Faculty and students attend events sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, International House, the Charlotte Sister Cities Committee, and area colleges and universities