Starting at IAS
What every new family needs in the first weeks: Orientation Day, the first morning, the school day, food, getting here and who to ask.
Before the first bell
Orientation Day
Every new family is invited to Orientation Day, held the day before school opens. In most years that is 31 August, and the exact date is confirmed on the calendar each summer.
You will meet the leadership team, hear how the school day works, walk the buildings and see your child’s classrooms. Come with questions. It is the easiest morning of the year to ask them.
The first day
School opens with the ceremonies. They run one after another so that each part of the school gets its own, starting with the youngest at Dembego 12 and finishing with the oldest at Dembego 18. Exact times are published each year in the news and on the calendar. On that first day your child will:
- meet their homeroom teacher and class
- be introduced to their mentor
- receive their schedule and locker
- collect books a little later, during the first two weeks
The rhythm of the week
The school day
Two buildings, a short walk apart, with the same lesson hours.
| Building | Who is there | Doors open | Lessons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dembego 12 | Kindergarten to Grade 5 | 07:45 to 17:00 | 08:30 to 15:10 |
| Dembego 18 | Grade 6 to Grade 12 | 08:00 to 16:00 | 08:30 to 15:10 |
After school
Clubs run Monday to Friday, 15:10 to 16:30, in both buildings. At Dembego 18, students who are not staying for a club need permission from a parent to leave early.
At Dembego 12 there is also Świetlica, supervised after-school care, until 17:00.
Lunch
Food at school
Meals are ordered online through the caterer’s own portal. At Dembego 12 the day includes three meals and snacks. There are meat and vegetarian options, the service is billed monthly, and you can cancel at any time.
Students in Grades 7 to 12 may leave the building for local shops at lunchtime. The school does not vouch for what they sell.
Getting here
Travel to school
The school bus
A private door-to-door service runs across the districts where IAS families live, operated by Little Monsters. Routes are rebuilt each year around where that year’s families actually live, so ask early if you want a place.
ZTM student cards
Primary school students living in Warsaw travel free on city transport with a ZTM Student Card. The school helps with the application and the renewal.
The metro
The campus is a short walk from Kabaty, at the southern end of metro line one, which puts most of the city on a single line with no change.
Day to day
Staying in touch
Vulcan
Vulcan is the school register. Grades, attendance, class resources and messages from teachers all live there. Login details are given out during homeroom on the first day.
Email and Teams
The school runs on Microsoft Office 365, so Outlook and Teams. Anything that will not log in goes to [email protected].
Telling us about an absence
Email [email protected] by 08:30 on the day. Without that message the absence is recorded as unexcused.
Books
Books are handed out during the first two weeks and are covered by the annual tuition, on the condition that they come back in June in good order, with nothing written inside. Books for two-year courses stay with the student. Questions go to [email protected].
Take it with you
The Orientation Day presentation
The full slides from Orientation Day, including the staff list, the curriculum by stage and the map of the buildings.
Questions
Not sure who to ask?
Start with the office. They will point you to the right person, whether it is admissions, payments, transport or a question for a homeroom teacher.
