Who we are
About SIA:
Stepping Stone International Academy (SIA) is an international school located at Phnom Penh City, Cambodia.
It was established in 2011 initially to meet the needs of expat's families children. It had a very humble beginning with just four students but had grown significantly in the next few years. SIA hopes to meet and provide a quality education for foreign and Cambodian children in the surrounding community in the coming years.
Currently, SIA boasts of students from different cultures and nationalities. It also comprises foreign and local faculty who are dedicated and motivates students to learn and teach them not only to LIVE but how to LIVE.
MISSION:
Believing that God created each child in His own individual and creative way with a unique learning style, we seek to provide a quality education that fosters on character training, prepare them to be organized and self-motivated and promote skills that will shape them for their future.
SIA Goals:
Personal Goal - Integrity
Being faithful in doing and in carrying out responsibilities, being loyal to oneself & to decisions made, agreeing to keep rules and regulations and being honest under any circumstance.
Academic Goal - Ability
Wisdom with knowledge and knowledge based upon wisdom, presentation skill by which knowledge can be applied in the form of logical writing and persuasive speech, and one's determination and accomplishment are realized in this goal.
Christian Goal - Consistency
A student's spiritual life is required to be consistent with speech and behavior in interpersonal relationship. Faith and life cannot be separated but must always go together. In connection with this goal, two Chinese proverbs come to mind: 口蜜腹剑 (Honey in mouth, Sword in belly)，表里不同 (Difference between inside and outside) At SIA, the importance of consistency will continually be emphasized.
Lifetime Philosophy - Stepping Stone Function
“Maturity” is the core part of this goal. Self-centered and ethno-centered immature person always puts oneself on the primary line not being able to look at other people or other people's situation. SIA will promote students to lift up their eyes to be able to look at others so that they obtain supportive attitude for family, friends, church, school and community.
DISTINCTIVES
Individualized:
INDIVIDUALIZED:
Recognizing the uniqueness of each individual, SIA does not place any student in a grade level based on age. Rather, each incoming student is given a Diagnostic (Placement) Test on each major academic area and prescribed curriculum accordingly. The student is given material based on his own capabilities, and advances throughout the curriculum in the same manner. Thus each student masters concepts that are challenging, but not overwhelming.
Accelerated:
Being placed in an individualized curriculum frees the student to advance through the scope and sequenced material at his own rate. As the built-in motivational tools are applied, most students not only finish a year of curriculum, but may advance to the next level of material within the same school year.
Mastery - based:
The self-instructional materials come complete with their own methodology and procedures, designed to help the child master each concept presented. The constant review and repetition, made possible through a low student/staff ratio, provides a very high rate of retention, broadening the knowledge of the student as he progresses in the curriculum. The student does not advance without mastering at least ninety per cent (90%) of the material he is studying.
Character Building:
Because the system seeks to prepare students for life with a vision of making them future leaders of our nation, character building principles are integrated in every academic subject in all levels of the curriculum. With Jesus Christ as the model, sixty identifiable character traits are defined and explained through Scripture verses, stories, and illustrations. The student is exposed to all 60 character traits at every level of the curriculum. These are further emphasized as character awards form part of the school's incentive program.
Bible - Based:
The School of Tomorrow system is built on the Bible truth that God has a purpose for each child, and that this purpose is best known and accomplished through the knowledge of God's Word. The Bible, therefore, is not introduced as another subject, but is central to the whole system. Each academic area is studied from God's perspective: Math as principles of God's order; Language as God's gift to communicate with Him and others; Social Studies as God's sovereignty over all history; and Science as God's design in creation.