English Bluff Elementary in Tsawwassen has been formally accredited as an International Baccalaureate World School offering a Primary Years program.
Delta School District said this week in a news release that the journey towards IB began as a grassroots effort. Both staff and parents were looking for a competitive option in a community with a range of choice in educational programing.
“For the past three years English Bluff Elementary has been actively working towards becoming a fully accredited IB school,” said principal Michelle Smith. “I am so proud of our staff and students for their commitment to this process. We are so excited to be an official IB school.”
In 2015, after much research, the English Bluff school community overwhelmingly agreed to embrace the IB framework for learning and start the journey to accreditation. Since then, the school has been in its candidacy phase, implementing the IB framework, developing a Program of Inquiry and attending training sessions for certification.
At an IB school, students learn the B.C. curriculum, but they learn it in a framework that connects learning to global and current realities, while personalizing learning by allowing students to inquire deeply into their topics of study. At the core of the IB Primary Years program are the six transdisciplinary themes.
“These themes have global significance and create a framework that encompasses all learning and provides a balance between the subject areas and learning beyond them,” added Toshi Carleton, English Bluff IB coordinator and new vice-principal at Ladner Elementary.
English Bluff’s goal is to educate the “whole child” and create inquiring life-long learners who encompass all attributes of the IB learner profile.
The Delta School District supported English Bluff joining the community of IB schools.
“This three-year journey towards accreditation has been a true commitment from school staff, students and parents,” said assistant superintendent Nancy Gordon. “I am so proud of all their hard work, and look forward to continued excellence from the entire school community.”
This year IB celebrates its 50th anniversary. Pioneering a movement of international education in 1968, the non-profit foundation now offers high quality and challenging educational programs to students aged three to 19.
Through a unique curriculum with high academic standards, IB champions critical thinking and flexibility for learning by crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries. Currently, more than 1.4 million IB students attend 4,896 schools in 153 countries.
