Welcome to HZIS Foundation
For more than a decade, families have enrolled their children in Zarrow International School with a long-term goal in mind: producing a bilingual, bi-literate, and a global-citizen child in six years. It’s an amazing program and continues to be one of the most coveted educational experiences in Tulsa.
The school has expanded to accommodate increased demand, and this tremendous opportunity is afforded to 90 new kids every year from all over the Tulsa school district and supports around 500+ students annually.
A few years ago, major state funding cuts affected teacher staffing at Zarrow. Concerned parents stepped in via the PTA and Foundation to bridge the gap by allocating funds for teacher salaries, ensuring that a native-speaking assistant teacher remained in every classroom. Sadly, the gap continues to widen, and the outlook for state funding and teacher retention is bleak.
The Foundation’s primary mission is to maintain appropriate staffing levels in all grades, allowing our immersion program to thrive.
We provide support by fundraising primarily for assistant teacher salaries and need-based scholarships for fifth-graders at Zarrow who want to participate in the exchange programs with Spain and Costa Rica. Other things that we are continuous advocates and providers for are: resourced classrooms, advanced curriculum, a positive culture/climate for all students, families, and staff, the Amity Institute Internship program, and preserving cultural and educational learning experiencing for our future generation.
Foundation is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
2020-2021 Strategic Priorities
This year, our school will look much different, but this is when they need us the most. Our Foundation will continue to value and support the students, staff, and school culture at Zarrow International through distance learning and COVID-19. Historically, we have always prioritized the Amity Program, the 5th Grade Exchange Scholarships, and Teacher Assistant allocations. Walking into this school year, we have decided to remain dedicated to our mission while also planning for new needs and areas of support. With the help of the Zarrow PTA and school leadership, the HZIS Foundation has decided to prioritize:
- Emergency Needs for Zarrow Staff, Families, and Students
- A Virtual/Supplemental 5th Grade International Exchange Experience
- Maintaining Adequate Teacher Assistants for the 21-22 School Year
Our committees and Board of Directors will be working throughout the year to ensure that the ZIS community are supported to succeed and all students continue to receive a quality educational experience.
