The SABIS Student Life Organization^® (SLO^®), one of the main pillars of the SABIS^® Educational System, encourages all students to make a difference in their school, improve their academic performance, participate in activities they enjoy and excel in, and create a school atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Through eight departments: Academics, Discipline, Management, Sports & Health, Activities, Outreach, Social Responsibility, and Lower School;  each with clear goals and objectives, every student can find a way to get involved.

Teaching young students the value of contributing to their school environment is the goal of the SLO^® Lower School Department. This department, which has sub-departments in Academics, Discipline, Management, Sports & Health, Activities, Outreach, and Social Responsibility, plays a pivotal role in encouraging involvement in SLO^® among the youngest students in all SABIS^® Network schools through a number of programs and activities.

Across the network, prefects in the SLO^® Lower School Academic Department demonstrate to young students how to take an active role and interest in the education of others. At ISC-Amman, Shadow Teachers^® from the SLO^® Lower School Academic Department successfully ran 20 classes for younger students when their teachers were absent. The feedback has been positive and staff members are grateful and proud of the prefects’ performances. “It is always a great chance for the prefects to make connections and bond with the younger students and help in building moral values by stressing important traits such as hard work and commitment to academic standards,” stated the Student Life Coordinator at ISC-Amman in Jordan.

Lower School Academic Department prefects also help younger students in the development of their reading skills. At ISC-Choueifat in Lebanon, the “Big Brother, Big Sister Reading Club” has been a huge success. “There is nothing more heartwarming than seeing big sisters and big brothers reading to the younger students. The prefects also play with the younger students, listen to them, and have fun, quality time!” said the Student Life Coordinator at ISC-Choueifat in Lebanon. Across the globe, in Massachusetts, U.S., a similar program introduced at the Holyoke Community Charter School has been a big hit.

The Lower School Activities Department is another of the Lower School departments that has been extremely active in schools across the network. At The International School of Minnesota (ISM) in the U.S., the Lower School Department organizes museum trips and special events where young students watch movies, swim, have dinner, and enjoy their time. In Egypt, ISC-Cairo Lower School prefects organized the “Make their Term” event. The older students planned different activities during the final two hours of each semester for the younger students to celebrate the end of term. At ISC-Lahore in Pakistan, senior prefects organize various creative and fun clubs for Lower School students during the SLO^® Period. These clubs include board games, story time, art, sports, and recycling, to name a few.

The SLO^® Lower School Department contributes to building a strong “community of learners” in all SABIS^® Network schools. Older students engaged as prefects in the Lower School Department look out for younger students and act as role models, sowing the seed of interest and familiarizing Lower School students with the importance of playing a role in their school community.

To learn more about SABIS^® and SLO^®, visit sabis.net.