Sunnyside International School

Sunnyside International School is located at 4-10-25 Iwai, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, 501-3101, Japan. It sits in central Gifu City, near the Nagara River and surrounded by mountains. Gifu is described as central on Japan's main island and the school is about a 20-minute train ride from Nagoya City, with the area attracting both international and domestic visitors.

The school comprises a Kindergarten division and a Primary School division. The Primary School is based on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework and is aligned with the Japanese national curriculum.

The school is co-educational and operates as a day school. There is no public indication of boarding facilities.

Most of Sunnyside's students are Japanese. The school emphasises international mindedness and maintains an international community with representation beyond local students. A precise nationality breakdown or local-to-international ratio is not published on public pages.

The school places emphasis on student well-being, with mindfulness practices and a school therapy dog named Milo. It also provides a dual-language program in English and Japanese to support bilingual learning.

The school is affiliated with Japan as an IB World School and was the first PYP-Authorized (Article 1) IB school in Japan.

No religious affiliation is stated in public materials.

Public pages do not publish exact start and end times for the school day. The school does publish daily lunch and has office hours for inquiries from 9:00 to 17:00. Bus routes are available to students as part of daily arrangements.

A school bus service operates with five routes centered around the campus. The Primary School bus departs from JR Gifu Station. Bus user fees are 5,000 yen round trip or 3,000 yen one way, with service area changes announced each school year.

Sunnyside International School is an IB World School authorized to deliver the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for learners aged 3–12, with PYP accreditation granted in 2016 as Japan's first Article 1 PYP school. The PYP emphasizes concept-based, transdisciplinary learning organized around six transdisciplinary themes: Who we are; How we express ourselves; Where we are in place and time; How we organize ourselves; How the world works; Sharing the planet. The curriculum develops learners through Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills—Self-management, Social, Research, Thinking, and Communication—within inquiry-driven units. Language instruction includes Japanese as the primary language and English as an additional language, with the English curriculum using THRASS and integration of language learning with units of inquiry. The program foregrounds Student Agency, Well-being, and ICT Education as integral components of learning as part of the IB framework.

Well-being and social-emotional learning are central to Sunnyside's approach, with emotional stability described as essential for productive learning and careful attention paid to each child's readiness to learn. The IB Learner Profile emphasizes a balanced life, encouraging outdoor play and healthy eating, and teachers aim to avoid excessive workloads to support wellbeing. The school promotes positive relationships by encouraging students to talk to their teachers when they feel unsettled and by inviting parents to discuss student wellbeing. Mindfulness is taught to help students manage emotions, with practices such as deep breathing and short walks, and Milo the school therapy dog provides additional emotional support. In the PYP, wellbeing guidance includes Be healthy, Be curious, Be caring, Be social, Be thoughtful, and Be aware, with SDG awareness integrated into the curriculum.

The school does not publicly disclose information regarding Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. There is no dedicated SEN policy or SEN support page listed on Sunnyside's English-language site. The Language Acquisition page describes a bilingual program with Japanese as the primary language and English taught as an additional language delivered through collaboration between Japanese homeroom teachers and English specialist teachers, but this does not specify SEN services. The school is an IB World School (PYP), but explicit SEN accommodations or specialist provision are not stated in published materials. Given the absence of publicly disclosed SEN information, families should contact the school directly to inquire about any assessment processes, accommodations, and supports available.

Sunnyside provides a dual-language program with English and Japanese. Japanese is the primary language of instruction, with English taught as an additional language in varied exposure across the school. The language policy describes collaboration between Japanese homeroom teachers and English specialist teachers, with joint planning to deepen understanding. English education is framed as important, emphasizing learning English in the context of daily life. The school notes a language portrait tool to capture a learner's language profile, and multilingualism is valued for developing international-mindedness.

Mental wellbeing is a core focus of Sunnyside's wellbeing approach, with strategies to support emotional health and resilience embedded in daily practice. Mindfulness techniques are taught to help students regulate emotions, including breathing exercises and short walks. Milo the school therapy dog provides a visible, comforting presence for students and staff. There is emphasis on student voice and agency, including a Primary Student Council that discusses wellbeing and school life, and on maintaining open communication with families. The Well-being framework for the PYP outlines Be healthy, Be curious, Be caring, Be social, Be thoughtful, and Be aware, with SDGs integrated into wellbeing education.

The school does not publicly disclose information regarding safeguarding or child-protection policies on public materials. No dedicated safeguarding page is listed on Sunnyside's English-language site. The site sitemap lists Privacy Policy but does not enumerate safeguarding policies. For safeguarding arrangements, families should contact the school directly to request information about safeguarding procedures, designated safeguarding leads, reporting processes, and training. The lack of publicly available safeguarding information means inquiries must be made directly to obtain official documentation.

1. Determine the target program and verify capacity. Sunnyside International School offers a Kindergarten program (including a 3-year-old class and a 4–5-year-old class) and a Primary program. The 3-year-old Kindergarten class has a published capacity of 72 students, while the 4–5-year-old class capacity is not published and requires direct confirmation. The Primary section lists a 1st Grade capacity of 24 students, with other grades to be confirmed.

2. Prepare and submit the application, and note initial fees. For Kindergarten, the application fee is ¥5,000 at submission and the registration fee is ¥50,000; uniforms and learning resources are roughly ¥35,000. The monthly Kindergarten tuition is ¥34,300, with optional bus service at ¥5,000 round trip or ¥3,000 one-way, and an annual learning material fee of ¥15,000. For Primary, the application fee is ¥5,000 and the registration fee is ¥50,000 for Sunnyside Kindergarten graduates or ¥100,000 for others; uniforms are around ¥10,000; monthly tuition is ¥50,000, bus fees are the same as Kindergarten, and the annual learning material fee is ¥30,000 (in two installments).

3. Review ongoing costs and plan payment, including subsidies and discounts. Kindergarten monthly tuition is ¥34,300, with bus costs as above; an annual learning material fee is ¥15,000. Primary monthly tuition is ¥50,000, with a bus cost of ¥5,000 round trip or ¥3,000 one-way, and an annual learning material fee of ¥30,000 (two installments). A government subsidy is applied to all 3–5-year-old children, and Sunnyside offers a 20% sibling discount when two siblings attend together.

4. Consider transportation and logistics. The school offers a bus service where applicable; the bus fee applies to users only. Bus service areas can change each school year, and you may need to bring your child to the nearest bus stop if you reside outside the service area. The Primary bus departs from JR Gifu Station, which may influence planning for morning drop-off and pickup.

5. Engage with the Open Campus program for an on-site experience. The Admissions section includes an Open Campus option, described as a way to visit the campus and learn about the program; details and sign-up information are communicated via the site and inquiry channels. To arrange visits or obtain the latest dates, contact Sunnyside International School by phone at 058-241-1000 or use the inquiry form.

6. Enrollment and starting procedures after acceptance. Enrollment requires completing the applicable registration and paying the associated fees, along with ongoing tuition, bus, and learning-material charges as outlined above. A 20% sibling discount applies when two siblings attend together. For any questions about timelines, timelines, or specific enrollment steps, reach the school at 058-241-1000 or via the inquiry form.

No scholarship program is described on the admissions or tuition-related pages. The published information covers application and registration fees, uniform and learning-resource costs, monthly tuition, bus charges, and material fees, plus a 20% sibling discount and a government-subsidy note for 3–5-year-olds. There is no separate scholarship section listed.

There is no published waitlist or pool policy described in the admissions pages. Capacity information is published for each program (e.g., Kindergarten 3-year-old class capacity 72; 1st Grade Primary capacity 24), but no formal waitlist process is outlined. Parents may need to contact the school directly for guidance on spot availability and timing.