IB Programme
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
If you want to find out more about the three IB programmes please click here.
GAIS IB Introduction
GAIS is the first school on the Peninsula to be certified as an IB World School for the Primary Years by the International Baccalaureate Organization. The International Baccalaureate offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools. There are more than 800,000 IB students at over 3,000 IB World Schools in 142 countries.
The International Baccalaureate Organization has developed three programs: the “IB Primary Years Programme” (PYP), the “IB Middle Years Programme” (MYP), and the “IB Diploma Programme” (DP).
The PYP (for children aged 3 to 12) has been implemented at GAIS from the preschool through Grade 5, and as a result in 2007 was certified as an IB World School. In 2010, GAIS implemented the MYP (for children aged 11 to 16) in the Grades 6 – 8, and expects to have that program certified by the IBO in 2012.
IB Primary Years Programme PYP at GAIS
In 2004 the German-American International School recognized the Primary Years Programme of the IB as being the ideal educational direction for the school’s diverse and internationally minded community. The GAIS became the first authorized PYP school in the Bay Area. In addition GAIS is the first school in the world to teach the PYP primarily in the German language.
There are many reasons why this program provides the foundations for an outstanding education for all of our students:
It is a transdisciplinary program of international education designed to foster the development of the whole child.
It focuses on the total growth of the developing child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development.
It draws on research and best practices from a range of national systems with a wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools to create a relevant, engaging, challenging and significant educational framework for all children.
It is recognized world-wide and allows for easy transition to other IB schools for internationally mobile families.
IB Middle Years Programme MYP at GAIS
In 2010 GAIS implemented the IB Middle Years Programme in its International Middle School. We expect the program to be certified by the IBO in 2012.
For more information about the MYP please visit our International Middle School site
For a quick introduction into the PYP at GAIS please watch our video: