About us
Would you like to spend your summer making friends from all over the world—or learning a new language—or having fun in the adventure program…
Would you like to spend your summer making friends from all over the world—or learning a new language—or having fun in the adventure program—or singing in a musical—or even making a rocket?
Our summer camp offers you the opportunity to do all of this and much more, including taking a trip to a major tourist destination such as Florence, Venice, or Paris.
Participating in our summer school program for three weeks offers a range of exciting activities. All participants experience a summer of a lifetime, and they often come back for another one the following year.
Studend's Age
7 – 18 Years old
Summer Camp
Yes
Stay Length
From 3 Weeks Up to 7 Weeks
Dates
24.6.2017 – 15.8.2017
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Iternational Friends
Students from all over the world meet in Leysin to share their cultures and lifestyles for a few weeks. Sharing experiences and participating in excursions with new friends will build bonds that last much longer than the summer and will give you a new way of looking at the world.
Switzerland and Leysin
Switzerland offers the safety, security and outstanding natural beauty that can be found in few other places. Leysin is a mountain resort with summer and winter sports and activities. Summer in Switzerland students are an important part of the summer season in Leysin.
What Can You Do at Summer in Switzerland (SIS) at LAS?
The daily schedule at SIS is packed with morning academic enrichment classes, afternoon activities and evening social programs. While it may seem like a lot, you have to remember that time flies when you’re having fun!
Students in our Alpine Exploration (ages 12-14) and Alpine Challenge (ages 15-18) programs will choose classes in or across our five streams – Arts & Creativity, S.T.E.M., Language, Liberal Arts or Entrepreneurship.
At the start of each week, students will also choose their afternoon activities. Those could include – tennis, basketball, hiking, football/soccer, cooking, art & crafts or stand-up paddle boarding.
Arts & Creativity
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- 2D and 3D Art
- Guitar / Ukulele
- Piano
- Theater
- Photography
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Entrepreneurship
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- Business Math
- A Walk throug Kickstarter
- Everything is Negotiable!
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Language
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- Beginner French
- Intermediate/Advanced French
- French Immersion
- ESL 1, ESL 2, ESL 3
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Liberal Arts
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- Superheros in Debate
- What’s cool about my country?
- Global Leadership
- Spies & Secret Operations
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STEM
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- Science Experiments
- Math/Engineering Challenge
- Visual Programming
- Astronomy
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Kids 7-11
Alpine Adventure
SIS Alpine Adventure is geared specifically for ages 7-11. The program encourages active participation, hands on learning, and self-discovery.
This safe location provides many amenities for students, including Internet-wired classrooms, a complete health center with full-time health professionals, a visual arts center, a multipurpose gym and a theater. The village of Leysin offers a sunny summer climate, great restaurants and fantastic recreational opportunities, all atop a soaring plateau overlooking the Rhone Valley and Lake Geneva. Because it is located in the heart of Europe, Leysin is close to popular destinations in Italy, France, Germany —and Switzerland, of course.
Residence
Boys and girls in the Alpine Adventure program live in separate areas of their own comfortable residence hall with SIS teachers and staff. Each room includes a private bathroom and accommodates two to four students. Whenever possible, roommates are assigned to create diversity in student nationalities and native languages. Our caring staff provides 24-hour supervision and a safe, family-like community that facilitates enrichment and personal achievement.
Faculty Families
Students at SIS are grouped in families, created by age level, with boys and girls adopting one or two faculty parents. Families meet for games and snacks on some evenings and some of our programming is in small groups by family. Whenever possible, families are intentionally very diverse, bringing together brothers and sisters from a variety of language and cultural backgrounds.
Classes, Activities and Excursions
Students attend classes in the mornings and participate in group activities during the afternoon, learning about the world and themselves while meeting other students from diverse cultures. On weekends, students embark on fully supervised half- and full-day excursions in nearby Swiss cities and visit cultural and recreational landmarks.
Morning Classes
Alpine Adventurers have three classes in the mornings in a variety of subjects. Students enjoy learning in a fun and positive atmosphere. Teachers are experienced staff members who also guide the students during their recreation time, building an excellent rapport.
Three of the following five courses are offered each summer:
French or English as a Second Language (depending on language competency)
Computers (basic keyboarding, graphics and standard applications)
Mighty Math (exploration of fractals and other interesting mathematics)
Our Environment (nature in the Alps)
Switzerland and the World (Swiss geography, particularly of places the program visits)
Afternoon and Evening Activities
During afternoons and evenings, group activities or excursions are offered. On some afternoons, students may select their own activities; at other times, they will participate in pre-assigned group activities.
During each session, the Alpine Adventurers go on an overnight trip to an Alpine hut, hiking a short distance and having a typical Swiss meal. Students in the first session have the opportunity to attend the Montreux Jazz Festival for an afternoon and evening.
Here are some options for activities:
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- Soccer, basketball, ice skating and other sports
- Arts and crafts
- Large group games
- Hiking
- Campfire
- Karaoke
- Talent shows
- Overnight trips to an Alpine hut
- Montreux Jazz Festival excursion (first session)
- Theater
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Alpine Adventure Excursions
Planned to meet the interests and needs of 7-11 year olds, these half-day and full-day excursions are popular among our students. They sometimes stay as one large group, and at other times break into smaller groups, accompanied by a staff member at all times. Students usually visit a cultural or educational site and have time to visit a city or town, again under staff supervision.
Teens 12-18
At Summer in Switzerland (SIS), you’ll find a lot to learn and tons to explore. If you are between 12 and 14 years old, you’ll fit right into the Alpine Exploration (AE) program. For older teens, ages 15 to 18, there’s the Alpine Challenge (AC) program.
SIS offers two sessions of three consecutive weeks, with an optional Cultural Tour at the end of each sessions. Students in the Alpine Challenge and Alpine Exploration programs have the option to participate in the Core Program or may choose one of the Special Programs—English as a Second Language (ESL), French Immersion, Mountaineering, or our Art Immersion Program in coordination with the Paris College of Art.
Core Program:
Our Core Program consists of five streams of courses. Those streams are: Arts & Creativity, Language, S.T.E.M., Liberal Arts & Entrepreneurship. Students who wish to focus may take classes from only one stream. Students with varied interest may choose classes across multiple streams.
Specialty Programs:
Our Specialty Programs offer a more intensive learning opportunity for students who have specific learning goals. Students who enrool in a Specialty Program will study their program subject for either a two-period block, for two of the four morning periods or for all four morning periods.
For the summer, we are offering Specialty Program opportunities in the following areas:
ESL (English as a Second Language) – two periods
French Immersion – four periods
Mountaineering – two periods
Theater – two periods
Art Studio – two periods
French Immersion
Learn through French with a focus on excursions into the local community each morning
Participate in regularly scheduled afternoon activities
Participate in the group activities in the evening
Go on all-day excursions on the weekend
Mountaineering
Learn the skills necessary for enjoying Alpine activities
Learn about equipment needs, wilderness first-aid, diet and nutrition, and weather
Participate in extended and overnight hiking trips
Gain experience in climbing, orienteering, and outdoor risk management
Art Immersion (15-18 year olds; first session only)
Focus on IB Preparation while assembling an Art Portfolio
Participate in regularly scheduled afternoon activities
Participate in the group activities in the evening
Go on all-day excursions on the weekend
Alpine Explorations & Alpine Challenge
Alpine Exploration students (ages 12-14) and Alpine Challenge students (ages 15-18) attend separate academic classes in the morning and participate in jointly held activities during the afternoon. Most students participate in the Core Program. Some students choose to focus on English or French. Our AE and AC students come together for afternoon and some evening activities as well as for weekend excursions. For more information about our ESL or French Immersion programs, please see Special Programs.
Accommodations
Alpine Exploration and Alpine Challenge students live on separate campuses and in separate comfortable residence halls
Students become members of SIS Family Groups led by faculty and staff “parents.”
Boys’ and girls’ rooms are located in separate areas.
Each room includes a private bathroom and accommodates two to four students. Roommates are assigned to create diversity in student nationalities and native languages.
Activities
Each week students will select the afternoon activites they would like to participate in. Our talented and experienced Recreation Staff offers a wide variety of activity options and every effort is made to ensure students are able to participate in their top choices. At the same time, we encourage students to try new activities and explore new areas of interest.
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- Climbing
- Soccer
- White-water rafting
- Volleyball
- Mountain biking
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- Basketball
- Parapenting
- Floor hockey
- Hiking
- Tennis
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- Ultimate Frisbee
- Swimming
- Golf
- Horseback riding
- Skating
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- Strength training
- Aerobics
- Arts and crafts
- Cooking and baking
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Supervised Afternoon Excursions (SIS Family Groups) may include
Château de Chillon
Aqua Parc
Martigny and its world renowned Foundation Gianadda art museum
Olympic Museum in Lausanne
Chocolate Factory of Nestlé-Cailler
Evening Activities may include
Student theatre productions and talent shows
Visiting guest performers
Montreux Jazz Festival (first session only)
Themed dances
Supervised Weekend Excursions may include
Lausanne (Olympic Museum)
Geneva (European seat of the United Nations)
Bern (Capital of Switzerland with a thousand year-old medieval city center)
Lucerne (Picturesque ancient cathedral, monasteries, and the Swiss Museum of Transport and Communications)
Zermatt (At the foot of the Matterhorn)Special Programs
Special Programs
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- French Immersion
- English as a Second Language
- Theater
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French Immersion
Where better to practice your French than in a French-speaking country, surrounded by tourist attractions you can visit? The French Immersion Program immerses a select group of students in French through activities and classes conducted only in French. Students should have intermediate French language skills and must register before arrival, as space is limited to 24 students. (Alpine Exploration and Alpine Challenge; Sessions 1 and 2.) There is no additional fee.
English as a Second Language
ESL students have a tremendous opportunity to learn and practice English in an intensive yet supportive environment, since English is the common language for all students and staff at SIS. Upon arrival, students are assessed to determine their English language ability and placed in the appropriate level.
ESL 1
Two hours of ESL classes are specifically tailored to the needs of these beginner students. Class time may be coordinated with other teachers who offer courses in their content areas, modified for beginning ESL students. These students are strongly encouraged to utilize and practice their English language skills by participating in mainstream academic courses for their remaining class periods.
ESL 2 & ESL 3
Students at these levels participate each school-day morning in a two-hour ESL course plus two additional mainstream courses. This provides the opportunity for them to practice their English language skills in academic content areas.
Theater
Do you have a calling for the stage? In just three weeks, student actors and teachers rehearse for and present either a play or a musical! Past shows have included Over the River and Through the Woods, Grease, Rags to Riches, The Odd Couple, The Sound of Music, Bye Bye Birdie, Oklahoma, and Cut! Auditions are open to all Alpine Exploration and Alpine Challenge students, and everyone who auditions is guaranteed involvement with the theater production.
Mountaineering
In addition to regular activities offered each afternoon, students may opt to engage in long distance hiking or more rigorous alpine activities like rock climbing.
Open to all students, Mountaineering makes the most of our location in the Swiss Alps, bringing students away from the town and school and into the countryside. Twice each session, there is an opportunity for interested (and fit!) students to participate in a two-day hike with a stay in an alpine hut.
Cultural Tours
Students in the SIS Signature Program (Session 1 or Session 2 plus the Cultural Tour) have a choice of fun and educational destinations in Europe.
Tours are by age group (the 12 to 14 year olds of Alpine Exploration, for example, travel together on one trip to Italy, the 15 to 18 year olds of Alpine Challenge as a separate group to Italy).
To participate, some students may require Schengen visas. Securing a multi-entry visa in a timely manner is the responsibility of the enrolling family and must be obtained prior to arrival.
Included in each tour
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- All travel (private bus or van, plane, or train)
- Meals
- Admission fees to museums and sights
- Guides
- Other scheduled events
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Cultural Tours 2015
France (AE or AC tour – age groups may travel together via coach bus, but will have seperate itineraries)
Paris Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre Museum (home of the Mona Lisa), Latin Quarter, D’Orsay Museum (with many great Impressionist paintings), Pompidou Center, free time and shopping time. Day trips to Disney, Versailles, or both.
Italy (AE and AC tours travel in seperate coach buses, and have different itinteraries)
Florence Renaissance City of Art and Architecture: Duomo, masterpieces by Michelangelo, Fra Angelica, Botticelli and many others.
Venice Gondolas on the Grand Canal, St. Mark’s Cathedral, and Murano glass exhibit and factory.