The International Student Program (ISP) at Sandy Spring Friends School offers an academically rigorous and nurturing Friends educational environment in which international students from diverse national backgrounds can develop English language skills, acculturate to academic life in America, and grow into responsible and caring citizens of the world.

Sandy Spring Friends School students who are non-U.S. citizens and need a student visa to attend school in the U.S. are enrolled in the International Student Program (ISP). We currently have 42 students in the ISP, representing eight different countries: Bhutan, China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Korea, Sierra Leone, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Chinese: Cover Letter; Letter from Head of School
Korean: Cover Letter; Letter from Head of School
Vietnamese: Cover Letter; Letter from Head of School
Spanish: Cover Letter; Letter from Head of School

Update on H1N1 Virus...

ISP Goals

Academic Goals: The goal of ISP English as a Second Language (ESL) classes is to prepare students to function successfully in non-ESL classes either at Sandy Spring Friends School or at the College or University that the students attend upon graduating.

Cross-Cultural Goals: The ISP seeks to integrate students into both American academic culture and the culture of the surrounding American community in order to create a more enriching educational experience. The Program also seeks to introduce students to the Quaker values of service, simplicity, equality, honesty, stewardship of the environment, and the peaceful resolution of conflict upon which Sandy Spring Friends School was founded.

Summer Immersion Program -
Required for ISP students new to SSFS

Summer Immersion Program dates for 2010: July 10 - August 20, 2010

All new students participate in a six-week residential language and acculturation program during July and August prior to their first semester at Sandy Spring Friends School. The primary focus is on listening and speaking skills for students at all different levels (novice, intermediate, or advanced). Along with developing reading and writing skills, there are sessions on preparing for the TOEFL and ACT/SAT college entrance exams. Students also participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities that allow them to develop and apply their English language in becoming fully acculturated to life, including the educational system, in the U.S.

For more information...

To find out more about the International Student Program and Sandy Spring Friends School, please contact:

Kent "KB" Beck
Director of Upper School Admissions & Summer ESL @ SSFS
Sandy Spring Friends School
16923 Norwood Road
Sandy Spring, Maryland 20860
kent.beck@ssfs.org 301-774-7455 Ext. 203

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