Academics
IB Exam Success
The IB Diploma is highly valued by universities throughout the world because of its curricular breadth, interactive learning style and emphasis on independent thought and research skills. To complete the IB Diploma means that students need to:
- have mastered a second language
- be exceptional writers and text analysts
- have developed college-level research skills
- be excellent critical thinkers
- have a breadth of knowledge that includes all subject areas
- have applied their knowledge and skills to extensive community service
One of the school's metrics of academic success is that we have a greater than 90 percent pass rate for the full IB Diploma. For the 2006/7 academic year, however, I am delighted to announce that we have achieved a 100 percent pass rate. I applaud our students and faculty for the outstanding work they have done to facilitate this accomplishment.
Educational Improvements
Structural improvements to our campus have allowed us to increase classroom space and upgrade our facilities, but we also have implemented several educational improvements, which will have a direct positive impact on your children's learning experiences this year:
- Primary School science curriculum enhancement: A science specialist, who will support teachers so that they can provide students with more hands-on, science-related activities has been employed for the Primary School.
- Increased faculty support in IT for K-12 students: We have also employed faculty who will be responsible for advancing educational IT initiatives in the Primary, Middle and Upper schools.
- Assistance for 4K and 5K teachers: Teacher assistance has been increased to full-time support in all 4K and 5K classrooms.
- Increased exposure to target languages: We have taken a major step toward increasing Primary School students' target language exposure. Grades 3 to 5 will now be taking their PE classes in their target languages.
- Science lab upgrade: The transformation our second science lab, which is part of an ongoing plan to improve all our science facilities, means that our students will now have access to top-of-the-range equipment and IT infrastructure to support their learning.
- MYP design technology support: A new faculty member, Jason Reagin, who has extensive experience in design technology, will be leading this component of our MYP.
- Upper School science curriculum: In grades 9 and 10, all three sciences - biology, chemistry, physics - will now be taught all year, unlike in previous years when students were required to select two out of three sciences and focus on one science per semester. The new system allows our grade 9 and 10 students to be exposed to all three sciences throughout the year without having to make choices.
- German Ab Initio: We have added the German Ab Initio as part of the Diploma Programme for grade 11 students. This new program for Beginners' German is aimed at students who have no or little prior knowledge of German.
- Counselors: We have employed an additional college counselor in the Upper School, which will now have 3 full-time college counselors to assist our students. We have also increased support in the Primary School by employing an additional counselor.
