St Nicholas School serves the families of São Paulo seeking a personal and purposeful learning experience: a school that prepares each child for their own success.

As an IB World School offering the PYP, MYP and DP, communication, collaboration, and reflection are highly valued. As an inclusive school, all members of the St Nicholas community are valued and provided with opportunities to access the learning experience – we meet students where they are and help them to strive for their very best. As an international school, our goal is to guide children to be global, internationally-minded citizens who understand that the whole world is their place and that there is a place for everyone.

Cultural diversity is celebrated and with it, values of respect, citizenship, curiosity, and caring are developed. As a priority, St. Nicholas students connect their learning with their school and local, national, and global communities. Learning is led through inquiry, generating questions, and activating creative and critical thinking skills, developing their passion for learning.

Students discover and use their voices, engage in their communities, and take purposeful action to make an impact. In our international setting in the dynamic city of Sao Paulo, we use all of the advantages of our cultural and linguistic diversity to enrich learning. With over 21 nationalities together each day, we learn from each other, building our appreciation for the languages and backgrounds represented on campus.

What distinguishes us and allows us to send St. Nicholas graduates into their onward learning journey with confidence? The answer is found in outstanding educators who are dedicated to excellence in teaching and learning, a caring culture with a belief in every child, and a commitment to the education of the whole child through meaningful, purposeful, and enriching learning experiences.

Inquiry, principled action and critical reflection underpin the work at St. Nicholas School
Throughout the curriculum the school offers a vibrant and innovative education which seeks to inspire and challenge our learners to develop a deep-seated love of learning. Emphasis is placed on the process of how students learn as much as what they are learning.

We offer an inquiry-based curriculum which is both rigorous and relevant, grounded in the real-world. Learning at St. Nicholas focuses on higher-order thinking skills and multiple intelligences, alongside an integrated use of technology and multimedia.

Our learners develop intercultural understandings, as they are key members of our international community. They learn that communicating in multiple ways in more than one language is critical in today’s globalised world. At St. Nicholas, more than 90% of students earn a Bilingual International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma on graduating in Year 12. St. Nicholas currently offers first language instruction to Diploma Level in the following languages: English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

At St. Nicholas, we seek to develop a diverse community of lifelong learners who are internationally minded global citizens. Our learners learn that through collaboration, they can work together to make the world a better place. We do this so that all of our students have the chance to model the knowledge, are equipped with the skills and share the values needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.

As an IB World School, we are authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to offer the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme.

The school is also accredited by the Brazilian Education Ministry (MEC). The Portuguese language, alongside Brazilian culture, literature, geography and history occupy a prominent place in the school’s curriculum alongside international elements and perspectives, so as to honour the diverse nature of the school.

Throughout each key stage in students’ learning, the school offers a vibrant and innovative education which inspires and challenges our students to develop a love of learning. As a result, our students are empowered with the knowledge, skills and values to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

At St. Nicholas School, we are proud to offer a broad variety of Extra Curricular Activities in the areas of sports (with ball, on wheels, martial arts, climbing, etc.), arts (dance, music, visual arts, drawing, clay, embroidery, etc.), board games and recreational activities. ECAs take place at lunchtime and after school and are led by a combination of teachers, parents, outside agencies and Secondary School learners.

We encourage our students to take part in ECAs allowing them to develop a balanced lifestyle and appreciation for fitness as a means to create new friendships, develop existing passions and to discover new ones. ECAs are a great opportunity for children to develop the attributes and attitudes that define our school: to be risk-takers and inquirers; to be cooperative, open minded, caring people.

Sport is highly valued as St. Nicholas School. Students are taught technical and motor skills within the timetabled curriculum as well as in their chosen sporting ECAs. They have the opportunities to train for school teams and represent their school in tournaments and fixtures with other schools. Pupils are also encouraged to participate in non-representative sports that offer recreational and competitive opportunities.

The aims and objectives of sport at St. Nicholas are to develop each student’s interpersonal skills, attitudes and attributes in relation to the IB learner profile. Sport at St. Nicholas also enables learners to proactively develop their leadership skills, as well as providing them a safe and guided environment to practise managing their emotions; to encourage teamwork and sportsmanship and to foster interpersonal respect.

Events organised by the Physical Education (PE) Department are a key feature of the school calendar. The primary purpose is to contribute towards the mission of the school by providing a range of sporting experiences geared towards developing each learner’s unique potential, increasing participation and strengthening our sense of community through collaboration.