The Elementary School offers an inquiry-based approach to learning for students in Grades 1 through 5.
THE FOUNDATION IS SET for future academic, social and emotional well-being during these years. Students master universal skills and concepts with the core teacher and also benefit from specialist instruction in a second language, music, physical education and art.
A set of attributes developed throughout all ages of the IB curriculum that help members of the school community learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them.
We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.
We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognise our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.
We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.
The Elementary School follows the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Common Core Standards. It focuses on big ideas with local and global significance to help the students understand the world around them and their place in it.
Read More About the PYPStudents learn skills applicable across their lives that help them to become more reflective, independent and responsible learners.
Read More about IB Approaches to LearningInquiry is an authentic way for students to explore and understand the world using play, problem-based learning, collaboration, experimentation and explicit teaching. Inquiry nurtures the development of curiosity to allow children to build deeper understandings as they embark on a lifelong journey of learning.
Read More about Inquiry in the PYPIn Grades 1-5, students receive 45 minutes of Spanish instruction, five days a week. In Grade 5, students choose to study either French or Spanish.
Field trips play a role in linking classroom-based inquiries to the larger community, the outdoors, and our environment. Grade 5 students spend three days on another island learning about the marine environment.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math skills are integrated across the curriculum and students can pursue these fields in-depth in the co-curricular programme.
From the earliest years, students have the opportunity to explore their creativity and communication in a variety of performing and visual arts mediums. A comprehensive music education culminates with two years of instruction in steel pan for Grades 4 & 5.
Students can participate in after-school activities in athletics, technology, and the arts.
Formal and informal assessments allow teachers to support and enhance student learning. In addition to internal benchmarks, students take the ERB & MAP standardised tests for evaluation against international standards.
Students learn and apply technology skills within all of their classes. Technology access grows as the students do. Ipads and laptops are provided by the school.
Grades 1 - 4 visit the library with their class every week. Grade 5 students learn in-depth research skills.
Physical education focuses on the development of a healthy lifestyle. Through movement, students develop personally, socially and emotionally, as well as physically.
The PYP Exhibition is the culminating project of elementary school. Students complete an extended, in-depth, group research project to synthesise their learning and share it with the community.
Students with learning differences or English-language needs are provided with personalised learning support.