Welcome to Primary!At BMIS our curriculum framework is developed through the IB Primary Years Progamme (PYP). The PYP is an international, transdisciplinary program designed to foster the development of the whole student encompassing social, physical emotional and cultural needs as well as academic welfare. A PYP school such as BMIS strives towards developing an internationally-minded person who demonstrates the attributes of the IB learner profile.
BMIS has been authorised since 2011 to teach the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) which reflects the best practices from international perspectives, emphasising the BMIS traditions and valuing inquiry as a powerful force in the natural learning of childhood. The programme of inquiry is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of our international curriculum and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme.
The programme of inquiry is defined by six Transdisciplinary Themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry-based learning. These themes provide IB World Schools with the opportunity to incorporate local and global issues into the curriculum and effectively allow students to “step up” beyond the confines of learning within subject areas.
Lower Primary
Lower primary students are in three levels; Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Each teaching group has a Classroom teacher as well as a teacher assistant. There are also Specialist teachers for Music, Art, Physical Education, and Educational Support.
The Early Years are distinctive in several ways. The rapid rate of development which occurs in the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual domains is particularly significant. Although the progression usually occurs in recognizable and predictable directions, it is unique in each child. For many children, these years also mark the first transition from home to group experience outside of the family and to a new physical environment. BMIS strives to make this adjustment as successful as possible by encouraging the development of secure and trusting relationships with new adults and peers.
Young children need extended periods of time and as much space as possible to explore, investigate and play, with a variety of materials, in order to learn about themselves, other people and the world around them. Our school environment provides a range of clearly defined areas to encourage the exploration, investigation and play, both in and out doors. Children’s interactions in and with these spaces stimulates them to become active learners, by providing on-going opportunities for them to:
• Make choices and decisions
• Use materials in flexible and imaginative ways
• Initiate inquiry and ask questions
• Sustain their interests and extend their knowledge
• Develop understanding.
BMIS provides a secure learning environment in which the individual is valued and respected. The child is best served when the relationships between the teacher and the parent, and between the school and the home, are reciprocal and supportive.
Based on information from The International Baccalaureate Organisation and the National Association for the Education of Young Children
Upper Primary
Our young learners in upper primary are in years 3 to 6. Each teaching group has a Classroom teacher and a teaching assistant by year level, except Year 3 which each class has an assistant. There are also Specialist teachers for Music, Art, Physical Education, and Educational Support.
Our Programme of Inquiry is transdisciplinary and driven by concept acquisition as well as inquiry-based. The body of knowledge studied has both local and global significance. The essential skills developed are: the ability to conduct research, communicate effectively, and function successfully in different social contexts, also to manage health and life as well as to think critically and creatively. Positive attitudes such as tolerance, respect and responsibility are fostered. Opportunities for meaningful action and social service are provided.
Exhibition
By the end of the PYP programme, our students in Year 6 will participate in the PYP Exhibition. Exhibitions are an extended, collaborative inquiry project, facilitated under the guidance of teachers and / or mentors and supported by members of the school community. It is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the Learner Profile that have been developing throughout their engagement with the programme, it also allows our learners to synthesize the essential elements of the programme and share them with the whole school community. It is a culminating experience marking the transition from PYP to MYP.