“At West TV, we aspire to create successful, lifelong learners, who make a positive difference in the global community.”
This is West TV’s vision statement, our overarching goal, where the school community can focus its energy and purpose, the commitment we make to the children entrusted to us. The way that this is accomplished is through the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.
This year, we continue our journey to become a fully authorized IB World School. West TV is in its 2nd year of “candidacy” which means that we continue to learn and grow in the implementation of all the components of the Primary Years Programme. Last month, we submitted an 80-page Application for Authorization, which requires the school to document how it is addressing the IB Standards and Practices.
During the rest of this year, the staff will continue to teach and reflect on all the units of inquiry they wrote last year as well as participate in professional development on many other aspects. Some of the early-release Wednesdays will be used to learn more about transdisciplinary learning, inquiry cycles, international mindedness, approaches to learning, concept-based instruction, and assessment.
Near the end of the year, in May, the school will host a team of two or three educators that work with the International Baccalaureate. They will visit for two days, interviewing all of the staff, observing in classrooms, reviewing documents (i.e. units, policies, student work), and verifying information from our Application for Authorization. This team will submit a report to the regional office in Maryland, who then sends a recommendation to the Director General, Dr. Siva Kumari, in Geneva, Switzerland. She will either grant us authorization or send us matters to be addressed, which we will complete for authorization.
This complex and intense process is very thorough and full of new learning for all of the staff members at West TV, but it is also worth it. The PYP prepares students to think critically, collaborate effectively, care about people and the environment, and become confident and articulate communicators. And so, the journey continues, with eyes on the goal, to educate and inspire our children.
This is West TV’s vision statement, our overarching goal, where the school community can focus its energy and purpose, the commitment we make to the children entrusted to us. The way that this is accomplished is through the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.
This year, we continue our journey to become a fully authorized IB World School. West TV is in its 2nd year of “candidacy” which means that we continue to learn and grow in the implementation of all the components of the Primary Years Programme. Last month, we submitted an 80-page Application for Authorization, which requires the school to document how it is addressing the IB Standards and Practices.
During the rest of this year, the staff will continue to teach and reflect on all the units of inquiry they wrote last year as well as participate in professional development on many other aspects. Some of the early-release Wednesdays will be used to learn more about transdisciplinary learning, inquiry cycles, international mindedness, approaches to learning, concept-based instruction, and assessment.
Near the end of the year, in May, the school will host a team of two or three educators that work with the International Baccalaureate. They will visit for two days, interviewing all of the staff, observing in classrooms, reviewing documents (i.e. units, policies, student work), and verifying information from our Application for Authorization. This team will submit a report to the regional office in Maryland, who then sends a recommendation to the Director General, Dr. Siva Kumari, in Geneva, Switzerland. She will either grant us authorization or send us matters to be addressed, which we will complete for authorization.
This complex and intense process is very thorough and full of new learning for all of the staff members at West TV, but it is also worth it. The PYP prepares students to think critically, collaborate effectively, care about people and the environment, and become confident and articulate communicators. And so, the journey continues, with eyes on the goal, to educate and inspire our children.