International Baccalaureate
Waldo International School is proud to be an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering the Primary Years Program (PYP) for children in PreK 3 through 5th Grades. Waldo is also in the candidacy phase to offer the Middle Years Program (MYP) for children in 6th through 8th Grades.
The IB is a prestigious academic organization based out of Geneva, Switzerland, that offers programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. The program aims to develop students who respect and care for others, who understand both the differences and the commonalities among people all around the world, and are committed to creating a better and more peaceful world. IB students are able to demonstrate, not only to their teachers but also to themselves and to others around them, the attributes of the learner profile, which is as follows:
Inquirers: We are curious and try to find out about many things.
Knowledgeable: We know about many things that have both local and global significance, and we make connections across many subject areas.
Thinkers: We think critically to solve problems.
Communicators: We express ideas and information in different ways, and work well with others.
Principled: We act with honesty and fairness, and we accept responsibility for our actions.
Open-minded: We seek out and listen to various perspectives in order to make informed decisions.
Caring: We treat others with compassion and find opportunities to help others in need.
Risk-takers: We try new things and have the courage to stand up for what we believe.
Balanced: We care about the physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being of ourselves and other people.
Reflective: We think about our work and consider both our strengths and our weaknesses.
In order to develop these internationally-minded students, the IB ascribes to specific teaching model and philosophy that Waldo International School has in turn adopted. We believe that students must take an active role in the learning process. Students must be able to ask questions about topics that are relevant to them and others around the world, and must have opportunities to work collaboratively with their peers to gain new perspectives. Teachers must then work to guide students towards the resources needed and design differentiated learning engagements meant to answer students’ driving questions. Teachers play a fundamental role in not only helping students to learn new concepts and ideas, but also to develop important communication, thinking, research, self-management, and social skills.
Within each IB world school, high importance is placed upon the core subject areas, which include language arts (reading and writing); mathematics; science; social studies; personal, social, and physical education; and the arts (including music and visual arts). Each IB school must then develop or adopt standards for each of these subject areas to ensure consistency and a high level of rigor.