Elementary: Grades 1-5
In the elementary years, AISK students continue to build on the foundations of curiosity, challenging themselves and pushing further out of their comfort zones. We also begin to address social emotional awareness in earnest, to help our students understand what is a reasonable expectation, and how to make good decisions for yourself and others.
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Our learning environment empowers students to be bold, take risks, use their imaginations, and create. Our efforts are focused on developing the child as a whole person, including skills that support problem-solving, critical thinking, responsible decision making, character building, and global citizenship.
Elementary
In the elementary years we continue to build on the academic foundations set earlier in life. In addition to the core academic subjects of mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies, upper elementary students also spend time with several different “master teachers” who help provide a well-rounded education. Special subjects include music, art, drama, movement, foreign language (Spanish), physical education, and library.
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DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
Project-based learning allows students to receive hands-on instruction and individual attention. We recognize that no two students learn in the same way. Differentiated instruction allows us to meet the needs of many different types of learners in a single classroom environment.
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CORE SUBJECT EMPHASIS
Elementary school students focus tightly on mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies, utilizing our student-centered approach to learning. Developing firm foundations across these key subject areas prepares students for success in middle school, high school, and college.
Dr. Ken Bence
I'm thrilled to join the American International School, Kingston family as the new Elementary Principal for the 2026/27 academic year! Originally from Liverpool, England, my journey in education has taken me across four countries over nearly 20 years, and I couldn't be more excited to soon call Jamaica home.
Most recently, I served as Senior Director at a school in Budapest, Hungary. Before that I served as the Elementary and Early Years Head at BASIS International School in Chengdu, China, where I had the privilege of building the founding team, culture, and school community in this brand new school. Before that, I spent four years as an Instructional Coach at American International School of Kuwait, work that reinforced my belief in the power of personalized support for teachers and data-driven instruction to help each of our students thrive and succeed.
I hold a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with my research focused on coaching and transformational leadership in diverse international schools. I'm also certified in Understanding by Design, Creating Cultures of Thinking from Harvard's Project Zero, and have had the opportunity to present on topics like developing coaching cultures and creating school-wide reading programs across the international education community.
