The Sacred Heart Network

Each year, High School students have the opportunity to participate in an exchange programme with international sister schools. An ISSH student spends two weeks at one of our sister schools, often in the autumn, hosted by a homestay family of a student at that school. And then in the spring, a student from one of those schools spends two weeks at ISSH, hosted by a homestay family in our ISSH community. In past years, students have participated in exchanges with Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart near Boston, 91st Street Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City, and Lycée du Sacré-Cœur, the very first Sacred Heart school in Amiens, France. 

The Sacred Heart Network provides a fantastic foundation for cultural exchange, whether providing ISSH students with opportunities to share their own cultures, or to learn from our sister school students. ISSH high school students have traveled to the US, Europe, and Asia for cultural exchange—some recent examples include Junior Haruka's trip to San Francisco to share the art of nihon buyo (traditional Japanese dance) with the students and Sisters, there, Junior Chinatsu's participation in a Taiwanese cultural exchange programme at the Sacred Heart school in New Taipei City, and our high school French language class' visit to Groupe Scolaire Sophie Barat in Paris, where they took part in classes and gave a presentation and held a Q&A for the French students.

ISSH's sports teams travel extensively around the Asia-Pacific region (and sometimes beyond!) for tournaments and competitions. These provide the perfect opportunity to visit our sister schools nearby. Our girls love having the opportunity to connect and train with their counterparts at other Sacred Heart schools—whether they play a match, join a friendly workout session, or simply enjoy a meal and intercultural conversation, these visits provide a chance for our girls to build community and make connections that last a lifetime. ISSH also jumps at the chance to host our international and Japanese sister schools for friendly sporting visits, providing ample opportunities for meaningful connections to take place. 

SOFIS is the association of the five Sacred Heart schools in Japan, including student representatives from Obayashi, Fuji, ISSH, and Sankocho. Every year, selected students enrolled in Japanese language courses with native Japanese skills attend the SOFIS workshop over the summer break held at other Sacred Heart schools in Japan. This special event allows them to facilitate learning and dialogue around particular social concerns, such as "Coexisting with Immigrants and Refugees from the Perspective of 'Living Together as a Community'" and "Creating a Sustainable Environment Through the Power of Science", fostering the creation of practical strategies to address these issues within their individual school communities. This event stands as a unique platform, allowing our students to connect and engage with their counterparts from other Sacred Heart schools across Japan.

With a Japanese sister school just down the street, our Junior School students are thrilled at the opportunity to host their Japanese counterparts, and to visit a Japanese school and experience Japanese school culture. ISSH participates in one-day exchange programme with the Tokyo Sacred Heart School, with each school visiting the other in alternating years. This gives ISSH students a valuable opportunity to sing songs, play games, sample foods, and try out other aspects of Japanese school life, and to step up as hosts and presenters to give their Japanese friends the same opportunity with international school culture. This real-world early culture exchange experience provides a foundation for meaningful real-world connections and developing international mindedness. 

Each year, ISSH holds an English Summer Programme which provides young Japanese-speaking girls with an English immersion experience. This camp is heavily attended by students from our Japanese sister schools, and staffed by ISSH high school students who serve as assistants, supporting the teachers during lessons and activities, as well as guiding, helping, and connecting with students throughout their day. This provides the ISSH students with an opportunity to take on the responsibility of being role models for the campers and teaching them not just the English language but about other cultures as well, while creating meaningful opportunities for the Japanese students to develop global mindedness. 

Our Sacred Heart Networks benefits not just current students, but alumni as well! ISSH alumni graduate into not just our school's robust alumni network, but into two additional alumni groups as well: AMASC, the Global Alumni Association of the Sacred Heart, and JASH, the Japan Alumnae Association of the Sacred Heart. These alumni communities provide a wide and diverse network that enhances our graduates' lives professionally, personally, and spiritually. 

The Sacred Heart experience is meaningful to our graduates, and to the graduates of Sacred Heart schools around the world—many of them come back to teach and work at Sacred Heart schools in the future! In fact, 20 percent of the faculty and staff at ISSH are alumni of Sacred Heart schools. 

Learn more about alumni relations at ISSH

Our Sacred Heart Network provides a wealth of training and professional development opportunities for ISSH faculty and staff. Each year, a conference is hosted by one of the schools in the NEANZ (North-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand) province of the Society of the Sacred Heart, bringing together Sacred Heart educators from around the region. ISSH faculty also travel to participate in other learning opportunities outside of the Asia-Pacific region, such as the Roots That Give Us Wings conference in the United States, and informal visits and observations at other Sacred Heart schools around the globe.