View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @tisa_azerbaijan

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @tisa_azerbaijan

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @tisa_azerbaijan

A warm welcome to TISA! We would like to help you immerse yourself into the TISA Community as smoothly as possible. TISA is small but we have a lot to offer - Sports, Arts, Speech & Debate, Student Council, Music, Drama, and Service-as-Action. We love to participate in multiple activities, and we support each throughout it all! Whatever your interest is, there will be something at TISA for YOU.

TISA has grown as a community throughout the years. We now serve over nearly 500 students all the way from the ELC (Early Learning Centre), to the Primary School, and Secondary School M1-M5, all the way up to IB Diploma level.

The TISA campus is made up of six main buildings: T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and the ELC.

TISA is in the heart of Royal Park (Stonepay), a residential community in Yeni Yasamal, Baku. A lot of students live close by, so you will always be able to find something to do with your classmates after school.

These are by the main entrance to the school. Here you will find our Director, Dr. Angela Romney. (Note:  You can get your school entrance pass from our lovely Security team at the main entrance.)

Students can start at TISA from Nursery, and in P1 they are introduced to PYP programme education in a purpose-built area for Nursery, P1, P2, and P3 students. Here, there are big open working areas where the students engage in inquiry. They have a fantastic open space outside with a garden, mud kitchen, sand pits and a climbing apparatus. P4-P8 students' classrooms are in T1 and T2 buildings, with P8 in detached classrooms ("Chalets / Dachas"). There are some 250 students in the Primary School.

The T3, T4, and T5 buildings are the main hubs for Secondary School. You can find the SRA (Student Resource Area) in the area connecting the T4 stairs and the TISA 3 corridor. This is an area of the school where students relax in a cosy environment with sofas, beanbags and tables. It is a commons area in which students can work independently and in small groups, talk with their friends during break times, and socialise after school. This is not a carpeted area, so students can feel free to enjoy food and drink!

T3 is the corridor where the English, Foreign Languages, Maths, Design and Arts subjects are based. It also has the Secondary Office--with secretaries, principals, and the MYP and DP Programme Coordinators.  It's a very important place!

T4 contains the Science Labs, Library and the IT department. Just outside of the building, you will find the detached Secondary classrooms called the "chalets" or "dachas" - in which most of our I & S (Humanities) classes take place.

TISA 5 is the school’s athletics complex, finished in 2015.  It is a fantastic facility for both TISA Physical and Health Education (PHE) and TISA Athletics!  Here is a description of the facilities:

At TISA we have a strong Student Council in both Primary and Secondary Schools. StuCo officers and representatives are elected each year - so feel free to join the fray!

The Student Council helps TISA students functions as a form of representative democracy, allowing students the opportunity to govern themselves and take responsibility for student actions.  The StuCo also organises events and social gatherings for students. They always begin the new academic year organising 'Buddies' to help you - and a get-together at the end of the first week. The StuCo supports the PTA with charity fundraising throughout the year.

StuCo meets weekly with class representatives, and the officers also have additional meetings.  To be a StuCo class representative, you are nominated by your classmates and then voted on by your peers. At the end of the year there are big StuCo elections (with celebrations!) for the StuCo officers.

TISA has a wide variety of both in-school and after school activities (ASAs) in both Primary and Secondary.  These also include a number of important Clubs in the Secondary like: TAN, MARKO, Design X, the Musical, MUN, Robotics, Speech & Debate, Studio X, and TISA Media. There are even more clubs and ASAs each semester.

Our Athletics & Activities Director is Mr. Maytham Al-Rubye.  We sign-up for clubs and activities in each semester using SchoolsBuddy. Everyone gets involved in at least one club or activity.  However, TISA being a small school, there are often numerous students who sign up for more!

The doors are always open to students willing to learn, improve and strive! For the past few years, both the High School and Middle School teams embarked on trips to CEESA tournaments in exciting places throughout Central and Eastern Europe. We highly encourage participating, as the skills learnt in a club are valuable and will always help further in life. So, eager artists, designers, journalists, debaters, public speakers, actors and anyone who wants to join, we look forward to seeing you in our clubs!

TISA is a part of two organisations called the SRAA (Silk Road Activities Association) and CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association). SRAA is our local/regional tournament, during which TISA invites other schools in Baku, Georgia and Turkmenistan to participate.  Over half of all Secondary School students take part in at least one Athletics season.

CEESA is a broader umbrella for 20+ international schools in Central and Eastern Europe - the larger schools in cities such as Budapest, Bucharest, Moscow, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw; and the smaller schools in cities like Baku, Belgrade, Helsinki, Riga, Sofia, Talinn, and Vilnius just to name a few. Over the past several years our sports teams - the TISA TITANS - have travelled to many of these CEESA cities to play different sports like Volleyball, Basketball, Football and Swimming.

TISA’s Athletics programme offers these sports in the CEESA & SRAA Seasons:

• Season 1 (August  - November):
• CEESA Football / Soccer (Boys & Girls, Middle & High School)
• SRAA Volleyball (Boys & Girls, Middle & High School)

• Season 2 (November -  March): 
• CEESA Basketball (Boys & Girls, Middle & High School)
• CEESA Swimming (Boys & Girls, Middle & High School)

• Season 3 (March - May):
• CEESA Volleyball (Boys & Girls, Middle & High School)
• SRAA Track & Field (Boys & Girls, Middle & High School)

Two mainstays of TISA’s Secondary School Music scene have been the Battle of the Bands' and TISASTOCK . The Primary School’s main annual singing and performance show is the “Winter Concert”.

“Battle of the Bands” involves students forming bands, duos or even solo compositions and battle it out in front of judges, teachers and students. TISASTOCK is a huge musical event that spans two days. Auditions are open for all students from M1 to DP2. The Winter Concert involves students from primary School singing in a choir or individually to perform winter festivity songs from different cultures and in different languages.

Finally, TISA has an excellent Music Academy that offers music lessons from singing, cello, saxophone to piano. Twice a year we hold Recital Evenings where students perform with their chosen instrument. Even if you are not a performer, these events are all worth attending to see your peers up on the stage and performing. If you are a budding music technician there is always a need for support with lighting and backstage in all of the events mentioned.

Students are taught how to use lighting boards, sound systems and livestreams for the major performances.

Every year our drama teachers organise at least one major production for the school. The performances are held either in the Old Canteen theatre, or at the Rashid Behbudov theatre in the heart of Baku’s arts scene.

Drama is an excellent way to meet other students across the school and get involved no matter how big or small your part may be. If you are not a 'Thespian' in the making then the Drama groups always needs backstage, makeup, photography and lighting support.

It’s all about student VOICE. Speech & Debate is a CEESA High School and Middle School activity with annual competitions.  Students - your participation is a marvellous opportunity to make it matter. In this age of blast and bombast, we must be mindful of what we say and to whom. We have two ears and one mouth - we should be listening as well as talking.  Make it memorable. Make it meaningful. Make your words matter!

The Sports Journalism team at TISA gives a continuous insight within all TISA TITANS teams, as well as affiliated Swimming, Skiing and Rugby seasons ran by TISA students and parents. Across all three seasons, we provide analysis, previews, videos and much more to encapsulate the TITANS participation on local and international stages. The organisation is still relatively new we have a small number of active journalists who work alongside the TITANS to engage, empower and inspire current and prospective athletes at our school.

We have a lot of activities run by parents and other community members after school hours or during the weekends. These include, Brownies, Guides, Scouts, Saturday Football, Rugby, Swimming (as part of TISA’s Baku Sharks Club), Ultimate Frisbee and many more.

Arriving in a new country is always a challenge - settling into a new and unfamiliar house, new school, finding friends and then discovering the new place where you live. Baku is a great city to live in. It is very safe and there is a great deal to see and do. See the video for places we love to go to!

Getting into town from Royal Park (Stonepay) does take longer than if you live downtown. Most students travel with family drivers, or take taxi's, buses or Metro from Yeni Yasamal, a short walk through the side gate of Royal Park (Stonepay) through the houses onto the main road. The buses and underground are very cheap and safe!

There are lots of great fast food chain restaurants, local döner (local meat and veg sandwiches), boutique shops and coffee shops that we all frequent regularly.