Student Experience

Learning extends beyond the walls of the Taipei American School when field trips bring additional meaning to the units of study. Trips range from simple walks to the temple around the corner or to the local market down the street or to outdoor camps for Grades 3-5 on Taiwan’s north coast.

Each year, the PTA graciously sponsors a program that brings authors to TAS. Authors spend their time giving readings of their work, presentations, and writing workshops to lower school students. Past authors have included Newbery Award winners Jack Gantos and Linda Sue Park. Additionally, well known performers and singers like Jim Valley and Red Grammer regularly visit the campus.

The five TAS values of Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, and Courage guide every aspect of life in the Lower School. Lower School faculty and staff explicitly teach, model, and practice the values throughout every school day in every classroom. We inspire our students to make good choices and uphold the values. The ongoing theme of “Best Self, Best Work, Best World” leads to clear, lofty yet attainable expectations for all.

In the Lower School, we believe that effective character education must involve both the School and the family. Both parents and their children sign a Values Pledge which confirms the community’s commitment to these important tenets.

The Responsive Classroom (RC) approach reinforces and validates great teaching, is research based, increases student engagement, and strengthens our sense of community.  The RC approach strengthens our Character Education program as it promotes respectful, kind, and positive school community while addressing students’ social-emotional needs. 

A key component of Responsive Classroom is the practice of Morning Meeting. In the Lower School, students have a consistent time and place every day to practice and explore social skills and to merge social, emotional and academic learning. Morning Meeting creates a sense of belonging for all students and nurtures empathy by giving children a chance to take care of others. All specialist teachers, counselors and principals also participate in these important meetings.

All lower school students from Grades KA to 5 participate in service learning initiatives supporting people, animals, or the environment. The projects include singing at a home for the elderly, raising money to buy holiday gifts for orphans, assembling hygiene kits for families in Cambodia, preparing care packages for local families in need, sponsoring stray dogs at Animals Taiwan, and hosting a flea market to support a local orphanage. In addition, lower school students support a variety of other projects throughout the year including emergency relief.