What Is a School Community: Building a Strong International School Community
A school community brings together students, families and staff around shared values, relationships and experiences. In an international school community, it also connects people from different cultures and languages, helping families build a sense of belonging both at school and in the place they call home.
At La Côte International School Aubonne (LCIS), community means combining an international outlook with strong local roots. With more than 40 nationalities represented across the school, students and families bring different languages, cultures and experiences to everyday school life, while remaining connected to Aubonne and the wider La Côte region.
What Makes a Strong School Community?
A strong school community develops when students, parents and staff feel that they have a meaningful place within school life. This comes through everyday relationships as much as organised events. Regular communication between teachers and families, opportunities for students to contribute, and spaces where parents can meet and participate all help turn a school into a connected community.
Key elements include:
- shared values;
- positive relationships between students, parents and staff;
- opportunities to participate;
- respect for different cultures and perspectives;
- connections with the wider local community.
Together, these create an environment where students and families can feel that they belong.
Building a Strong International School Community
With more than 40 nationalities represented at LCIS, different languages, cultures and experiences are part of everyday school life. More than 30% of students also come from Swiss families, creating a community that brings together international perspectives and strong connections with the surrounding region.
As a bilingual school, LCIS promotes both English and French while encouraging students to value the languages and cultures that form part of their own identities. Cultural exchange therefore happens through daily learning as well as dedicated activities and celebrations.
Building an international community also means creating common experiences across those different backgrounds. Students need opportunities to learn from one another, take part in school life and develop relationships that aren’t limited by nationality or language. This helps cultural diversity become part of everyday school life rather than something celebrated only on particular occasions.
Why Are School Communities Important?
The importance of school community can be particularly clear for international families. Joining a new school may happen alongside moving home, learning a language and adjusting to life in another country.
A supportive community can make this transition easier. Feeling recognised and included can also give students greater confidence to participate in lessons, activities and friendships as they settle into their new surroundings.
The benefits extend to families too. When parents know the school, communicate regularly with teachers and build relationships with other families, they have a stronger network around them as they adjust to life in a new area.
A Family-Centred School Community
LCIS sees the whole family as part of its community. At the start of the school year, new students can take part in Orientation Day, while welcome events give parents and families an opportunity to meet others and begin building connections. The Parent Teacher Association also organises social activities throughout the year and supports cultural awareness and communication across the community.
This family school spirit can be especially valuable for families who have recently arrived in Switzerland. School becomes not only a place for children to learn, but also a starting point for families to make connections and establish themselves after moving to the La Côte region.
Diversity in Our School Community
Cultural diversity is one of the strengths of community in international schools. Events such as International Day give this diversity a visible place in school life. Students and families share traditions, food, clothing, performances and activities connected with their cultural backgrounds. The school’s International Food Fair, organised by PTA volunteers, also gives families an opportunity to contribute directly to the celebration.
School activities also provide opportunities for students to share their own cultures. The aim is to create common ground while encouraging curiosity and respect for the different backgrounds represented within the community.
Parents, Students and Staff – Everyone Has a Role
Building a school community is a shared effort.
Students help shape community through friendships, collaboration, activities, performances and opportunities to take responsibility. Staff create supportive learning environments and maintain communication with families, while parents contribute through the PTA, events and other areas of school life.
These everyday interactions are what turn a school into a community.
Leadership and Building a Strong School Community
Leadership plays an important role in protecting a school’s sense of community as it grows and changes. This includes keeping communication open, ensuring families have opportunities to participate and creating a culture where students feel recognised as individuals.
At LCIS, this approach is closely connected with the school’s emphasis on personalised learning and shared responsibility. Maintaining close relationships between students, teachers and families helps preserve the personal character of the school within a diverse international environment.
Connecting Our School Community with the Wider Community
At LCIS, being a global school goes hand in hand with being rooted in the local community of La Côte. Through Nord Anglia Education, students benefit from global collaborations with organisations such as MIT, UNICEF, The Juilliard School and IMG Academy, bringing international perspectives and opportunities into their education.
At the same time, students are active participants in the community around them. They join local clubs and initiatives, perform at events such as the Rolle Jazz Festival, and take part in local causes, including a charity run in Aubonne supporting children affected by cancer.
These experiences connect the global and the local in a meaningful way. Students can learn through collaborations with world-leading organisations while also contributing to the towns and communities where they live.
For LCIS, an international education is therefore not about looking only beyond Switzerland. It is about preparing students for the wider world while encouraging them to participate in, understand and contribute to life in La Côte.
How a School Community Helps Families Settle In
For international families, school can become one of the first places where everyday life in a new country begins to feel familiar. Parents meet other families, children form friendships, and conversations at school can lead to connections with activities and communities beyond the campus.
LCIS supports this transition through new student orientation, family welcome events, multilingual admissions support and an active PTA. These connections can be particularly helpful for families who are still finding their feet in Switzerland and getting to know the La Côte region.
Ultimately, the LCIS community is shaped by the relationships and experiences that connect students, families and staff. Its international outlook opens students to the wider world, while its roots in La Côte help families build meaningful connections closer to home.
Andy Puttock,
Principal at La Côte International School Aubonne
