The PYP Family Welcomes You to The International

The PYP Family Welcomes You to The International School of Älmhult

Meet the teachers … PYP 1 A Homeroom Teacher & Grade level team leader PYP 1 B Homeroom Teacher PYP 1 C Homeroom Teacher Alesi Adi Bete Audrey Florêncio Born and raised in Fiji. Taught PYP from Grade 1 to Grade 5. Married and have a 10 -year-old daughter. Charo Montances Born and raised in Brazil. Taught PYP from grade 1 to 5 in different countries. My son is also part of the ISÄ Community and he will attend PYP 5 next year. Born and raised in the Philippines. Taught PYP from Grade 1 to 4 in the past. Married and have a son. ”It will be my fifth year working in this school and I have enjoyed meeting students from different backgrounds and especially working with Grade 1 students learning and growing together. I am looking forward to another exciting year with my new Grade 1 students and also looking forward to parent support. " “Hi! My name is Audrey and this is my second year at ISÄ. I am pleased to know that I will be part of the PYP 1 team. I am confident that we will have a beautiful and enriching year ahead of us. Our journey together will definitely be driven to support the best interest of all students. Together, school and parents, we can build a strong community to enable our students to develop their full potential. “I am so excited to be part of the International School of Älmhult team! I am very thrilled to be with PYP 1. It is definitely going to be a fun year full of meaningful learning and new adventures. I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for us. Most importantly, I am eagerly waiting to know all about you.

A day at ISÄ in PYP 1 An Example of a day’s Schedule School is from 8. 15 am to 2. 15 pm There are two breaks: morning and afternoon All learning Equipmen t and resources are provided in the classr oom. Students just need to bring snack, water bottle and indoor shoe s.

A day at ISÄ in PYP 1 Outdoor break is a must! We encourage our students to spend time in fresh air and be closer to nature! * Morning Break- with a fruit snack *Afternoon Break - after lunch

A day at ISÄ in PYP 1 Lunch is served buffet style, in the lunch room. Due to COVID 19 special arrangements may apply in the Autumn term.

A day at ISÄ in PYP 1 First week of school students will get to know each other and groups will keep changing. Then students will be allocated to their table groups, during each unit.

A day at ISÄ in PYP 1 We have a well equipped PE hall for PSPE and Music Room for the Performing Arts, students will walk to these rooms for their PSPE and Music lessons. For Swedish /EAL ( English Additional Language) students will have lesson in the Swedish/EAL classrooms. They will be grouped by the Swedish teachers into Language Acquisition and Language Literature groups.

A day at ISÄ in PYP 1 Students will be allocated a drawer in the classroom. They will keep their daily actvities in this drawer. Sample of work will be filed in their Portfolio and on Toddle.

A day at ISÄ in PYP 1 Students will be allocated a cubby in the corridor. They will keep their outdoor clothes, bags etc in it.

Preparing for the first day of school • Indoor Shoes and Outdoor Shoes • Fruit or raw vegetable for snack: please refer to ISA snack policy on the school website • Water bottle • Extra pair of clothes • Appropriate outdoor wear, depending on the season • We encourage students to bring something meaningful from home, to host our first show and tell, in the first week of school. Parents are welcome to send a family photo.

What is the IBO? • • It is a non-profit educational and non-governmental organization of UNESCO. The IB’s alliance with UNESCO encourages the integration of its educational goals into the IB curriculum. It was established in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland. It is governed by a 17 -member council and is funded by fees from IB World schools. The IBO offers Four programs of international education for student’s aged 3 -19 years old: – The Diploma Program and Career-related Programme at the high school level (grades 11 -12) – The Middle Years Program (MYP) (students 11 -16 years old) – The Primary Years Program (PYP) (for students 3 -12 years old) • There approximately 5, 248 authorised IB schools in 158 countries currently.

What is the story behind IBO? • • • Marie Therese Maurette created the framework for what would eventually become the IB Diploma Programme, in 1948, when she wrote “Is there a way of teaching for peace? ”, a handbook for UNESCO. In the mid-1960 s, a group of teachers from the International School of Geneva (Ecolint) created the International Schools Examinations Syndicate (ISES), which would later become the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). The IB headquarters were officially established in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968, for the development and maintenance of the diploma programme, which provided an internationally acceptable university admissions qualification for young people whose parents worked as diplomats or with international and multi-national companies. The Middle Years Programme was created in 1994 The Primary Years Programme was created in 1997 The Career-related Programme was created in 2012

What are the advantages of an IB education? • IB World Schools (the only schools authorized to offer IB programmes) are subject to a strict accreditation process monitored by the IB, ensuring that schools provide a high-quality education. • IB teaching methods and curriculums are research-based and draw from the best educational practices from systems around the world. • IB teachers are required to participate in many professional development opportunities to continually promote their awareness of current educational practices and new thinking. • IB students develop a sense of the world around them and their responsibility to it. • IB programmes are recognized internationally and ease the educational transitions of mobile students so that their education is not adversely affected if their families relocate.

Do IB teachers receive special training? All PYP teachers receive professional development in IB’s approaches to teaching and approaches to learning from certified IB workshop leaders. This is a requirement for IB World Schools implementing the PYP.

Have studies been done on the impact of the PYP? The IB places great value on external validation of its programmes, curriculums and professional development. A recent Global International Schools’ Assessment study found that PYP students outperformed non-IB students in mathematics, reading and writing. Additional studies on programme impact, quality assurance, programme development and assessment research are available at www. ibo. org/research.

When do students start and finish the PYP? When do they transition to the MYP? The PYP is designed for students aged 3– 12 (preschool and primary grades). The MYP spans students aged 11– 16, and the Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP) is for the last two years of high school, students aged 16– 19.

How can I learn more about the IB and PYP? • Visit the IB website at www. ibo. org • Attend school meetings and events • Speak with your school’s PYP coordinator • Speak with your child’s PYP homeroom teacher

What is the origin of the PYP? The PYP was developed through the vision and effort, sustained over ten years, of the former International Schools Curriculum Project (ISCP). Their goal was to produce a common curriculum, for students in the 3 -12 age range, which would provide continuity of learning within each school and ensure that the curriculum developed international-mindedness on the part of learners. Since being introduced by the IB, the PYP continues to meet these initial aims of providing a curriculum that brings international-mindedness to the school community.

What is the PYP? The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework for young learners aged 3– 12 designed by the International Baccalaureate (IB). Founded on a philosophy that recognizes a child’s natural curiosity, creativity and ability to reflect, the PYP generates a stimulating, challenging learning environment to nurture those assets and foster a lifelong love of learning in every child. The PYP, like all IB programmes, is transdisciplinary, meaning students learn across subject areas while investigating big ideas.

Does the PYP have a specific set of standards? In the PYP, students learn about significant concepts through units of inquiry. The six transdisciplinary themes that guide units of inquiry and compose a year of study are: • Who we are • Where we are in place and time • How we express ourselves • How the world works • How we organize ourselves • Sharing the planet. Units of inquiry interweave subject areas such as mathematics, language arts, science and social studies. This approach encourages students to make their own connections between what they learn in core subject areas and how it relates to the world around them.

What are the children learning? The school outlines its specific knowledge content and academic curriculum, guided by the following five elements: • The knowledge is the significant and relevant content organized under the transdisciplinary themes. Each school decides which specific topics to study under each theme. • The concepts support higher order thinking and provide lenses for the students to consider knowledge related in the Units. The approaches to learning (skills) aim to help develop cognitive and meta-cognitive skills to help students learn “how to learn” and become independent, well-functioning, self-motivated learners. • The learning attitudes aimed to develop a lifelong love of learning and nurture a child’s curiosity and confidence are integrated into the learner profile to create internationally minded children. • The action component emphasizes the need to connect the student with his or her own potential and responsibility for using what was learned. • Student agency is a mindset, where the student has a voice-choice-ownership of his or her own learning. • The rigorous guidelines for classroom practices to match the educational philosophy and values of the IB are communicated through professional development and a school’s internal reflection process.

So what are these learner profiles that produce internationally minded students?

What will my child learn at ISÄ? • We at ISÄ are committed to inquiry as the vehicle for learning. • The 6 transdisciplinary themes provide the framework for exploration and construction of knowledge. Teachers collaborate to develop units of inquiry together and integrate different subjects into it. • During the inquiry process, students along with their teachers explore and study to understand important concepts, acquire essential skills and knowledge, develop attitudes and learning to take socially responsible action. • Our school’s Programme of Inquiry is available on our school’s website: POI 2019 -2020 as a PDF • The subjects have a clear focus on objectives, skills and learning outcomes. You can view our subject specific scope and sequence on the website: Scope and Sequence – PYP as PDF • The Curriculum at ISÄ: https: //www. almhult. se/sv/utbildningbarnomsorg/grundskolaochfritidshem/theinternationalschoolofalmhult/programmes/pypprogramme. 4. 40681 f 1210 df 538087680005891. html

Fritids

School Website https: //www. almhult. se/international Forms and Information for parents: https: //www. almhult. se/sv/utbildningbarnomsorg/grundskolaochfritidshem/theinternationalsc hoolofalmhult/formsandinformationforparents. 4. 66 eb 0 fb 715 d 891 ac 30 c 1 de 6 c. html

Important people and their contact details Alesi Adi Bete Homeroom teacher PYP 1 A alesi. bete@almhult. se Audrey Florencio Homeroom teacher PYP 1 B audrey. florenciopereira@almhult. se Julianne Linder School administrator julianne. lindner@almhult. se ISÄ Fritids team Harpreet Mehta IB coordinator – Primary Years Programme harpreet. mehta@almhult. se Emelie Jönsson Deputy Head of School PYP and Fritids emelie. jonsson@almhult. se Charo Montances Homeroom teacher PYP 1 C – on behalf of theinternationalschool@almhult. se internationalfritids@almhult. se Maria Haglund Head of School maria. haglund@almhult. se

Survey, Suggestions, Feedback • Please visit the link to complete the feedback form for the Look & See: • https: //forms. office. com/Pages/Response. Page. aspx? id=p 2 v. A 9 Kd_DUmj De 2_B 7 OIykq 7 Nl. Xuh. Ep. Lt. FMh. Eq 7 Cf 21 UMj. Na. Q 080 WU 5 YSEt. ORz. JOUEl BRFla. VVBIVy 4 u

Kommunledningsförvaltningen Namn Efternamn 0476 -123 45 namn. efternamn@almhult. se