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Welcome to Our Phillippi Shores Web Site
IWelcome to Phillippi Shores, a unique community in which everyone is a learner. As an International Baccalaureate world school, we build on the natural curiosity of children. Through structured inquiry we accompany our students on intellectual journeys that often amaze even the most seasoned educator. For more information, please download our informational brochure about the Phillippi Shores International Baccalaureate Programme.
Our international perspective leads to myriad opportunities for children, parents and educators to demonstrate responsible global citizenship. From understanding the shared humanity that creates a bond with our sister school in Nicaragua to sensing the urgency of protecting our planet’s fragile natural balance, we know we must take an active role in solving critical problems that require innovative thinking and applied knowledge.
A Unique IB Primary Years Programme
Our educators are dedicated to improving their professional expertise so they can motivate and facilitate learning for all children regardless of aptitude, previous performance or learning style. (Over 70 percent of our teachers have a Masters degree.) Our desire to excel is what led us to embrace the policies and practices of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) and to earn our International Baccalaureate World School designation.
We believe that learning is a very personal undertaking and that children construct their own knowledge based on what they consider to be important to them. The IB PYP provides a framework through which that belief can be honored. Our PYP units of study are built on student inquiry and discovery, consisting on topics that could be taught in any country in the world. From the kindergarten unit of study on the responsibility of pet ownership to our fifth graders learning the effects of advertising in a global economy, we add depth and breadth to a student’s learning repertoire.
A Global Approach to Learning
We believe that the children we are serving today shoulder the awesome responsibility for creating a world in which peaceful coexistence is imperative. Once again, PYP guidelines and networking opportunities with other PYP schools around the world assist us in our efforts to celebrate, rather than simply tolerate, diversity. Using the Spanish language with one another and learning about the values and traditions of the children who attend Rafaela Herrera Escuela, our sister school in Nicaragua, has begun to open the eyes of our children. They realize that as human beings there is beauty in our differences and comfort in our similarities.
Our students are taught to inquire, think, take risks, and to actively listen to the perspective of others. Transdisciplinary skills are developed using a curriculum rich with ideas related to the world beyond the school. Although the demands of standardized testing play a role in our daily lives, students are encouraged to inquire beyond the core lesson and begin to see relevance in what is being taught, becoming active learners.
Field trips, community speakers, and student-led action initiatives reflect our emphasis on preparing students for the real world. It is our wish that you choose to support us in our efforts to create a better, more peaceful world in which our students serve as competent and compassionate leaders.