International Baccalaureate - Middle Years Programme (IB-MYP) Welcome to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at Ramsey Ramsey pursued a very thoughtful consideration of IBMYP.  In 2004, a core of administrators and 1 teacher attended an IB orientation seminar. We decided that indeed this program fits what Ramsey already is!  The summer of 2006 we trained a small core, Administrator, Coordinator and 1 teacher.  MYP still looked like a fit.  In 2007 we trained a full core of 7th grade teachers and began implementing the program to 7th graders.  The end of 2007 we received a Grant from the State which helped us to further train the original administrative team, 7th grade core as well as 8th grade teachers. We successfully completed the first phase required to be an Authorized IBMYP school.  Our Application A was successful so we are an IBMYP Candidate school. We were assigned a consultant who visited us the last two days of school! She gave us specific issues to work on and we are hard at work implementing her suggestions. We continue to implement IB strategies. We submitted Application B Dec 1st.  The next step is a visit by the authorization team, to determine that we meet MYP criteria.  Ongoing evaluation visits are the hallmark of IB.  Once authorized, we will have  a visit 3 years later, then every 5 years thereafter. Last summer our original  7th grade team attended level II training we added 8th grade teachers who attended level I training.  Last year MYP was implemented with 7th grade students taught by trained teachers. Now that we have more teachers trained, as well as experience in teaching the program, we now offer MYP school wide.  All students, whether "full" (those students able to take all required courses)  IBMYP students or not, are benefiting from IB philosophy. Teachers continue to be trained both formally and in their teams  by officially trained colleagues. WHAT IS IBMYP? IB-MYP is designed to teach students to become independent learners who can recognize relationships between school subjects and the world outside, who can adapt to new situations and combine relevant knowledge, practical and social intelligence to solve authentic problems alone or in groups. The program aims to enable students to: • build upon their spirit of discovery to develop an understanding and enjoyment of the process of learning, independently and in cooperation with others • acquire knowledge and understanding and prepare for further learning • recognize the extent to which knowledge is interrelated • learn to communicate effectively in a variety of ways • develop a sense of personal and cultural identity and a respect for themselves and for others • acquire insights into local and global concerns affecting health, the community and the environment, and develop a sense of individual and collective responsibility and citizenship. IB LEARNER PROFILE IB Learners are: Inquirers – They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. Knowledgeable – They explore concepts, ideas and issues which have local and global significance. Thinkers – They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems and make reasoned, ethical decisions. Communicators – They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. Principled – They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. Open-minded – They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. Caring – They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings others. They have a personal commitment to service and to act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and the environment. Risk-takers – They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. Balanced – They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others. Reflective – They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. IB Student Work 7th Grade IB History Class Civil War Web Pages IBMYP Coordinator Phylis Steltzner is the IBMYP coordinator.  I was formerly Mrs. Rogers an 8th grade science teacher.  I loved teaching science and the students at Ramsey, but needed more time for my expanding family - grandchildren - soon to be 16 strong! If you have questions you can contact me at phylis.steltzner@spps.org.