Will my child have to apply to be part of the program?
No, if your child attends King MS or Jackson HS, your child will automatically be enrolled in the MYP. All of our students are part of the program. Every student at King Middle is part of the MYP. My child is not in the gifted program. Will the MYP be too hard? In the MYP we stress academic rigor, to be sure. We know that all students live up to or down to expectations. So we expect a lot. Still, teachers will continue to differentiate their instruction so that every child can succeed. We never want to leave a child behind. How does the MYP work? As teachers, the first thing we do is organize your student's sequence of lessons. We also plan using the same guidelines from sixth to tenth grades. We want to create an intelligent flow of instruction. Then we design concept based units to deliver instruction in meaningful chunks. Each unit includes an emphasis on one of our three big concepts, holistic education, communication skills, and internationalism. So is the IB a set of classes that my child will take? No, the MYP is a philosophy, or approach to the organization of curriculum, and guiding concepts. King MS and Jackson HS teachers use the five lenses to view our subjects. We expect quality work and thoughtful reflection, and we help the students archive their achievements in portfolios. We hope that the IB experience will help kids acquire the needed skills to function well in the world and make it a better place. What else do I need to know about the MYP? We often talk about the "student profile." This refers to a list of the characteristics we help you to foster in your students. The qualities include being principled, open-minded, caring, balanced, inquiring, and knowledgeable. We try to encourage kids to be thinkers, communicators and risk-takers. We want to set them up to be lifelong learners. What will be different at King MS? Your student will engage in rigorous inquiry lessons that teaches them how to think and problem solve. Your students will learn how to use the IB rubrics (grading descriptors) and begin to study a world language. In the 8th grade they participate in a community project. They will investigate a topic of their own. Parents and King MS teachers will come in to celebrate their achievements. Each student who meet all the MYP requirements will receive the MYP certificate at the end of 10th grade. How can I support my child (or children) in the MYP? Your interest in school work is always a great motivator for your students. Continue to help them to grow academically and socially. Encourage academic honesty. (Googling a subject, cutting, pasting, and changing a word or two is not writing, as we all know.) Talk about our environment, international affairs, international understanding, and cultural awareness, as you continue to build your children's knowledge and pride in our home culture. Listen to how your children are changing as thinkers. The middle years are very exciting. Don't ask, "How was school?" Ask questions that start with "Tell me about...", "Suppose you could...", "Can you elaborate on...?", or perhaps "What do you think about....?" Show interest in your children's higher level thinking skills. Your kids will step up to new realms when we as teachers, and you as parents value their intellectual capacity and sense of personal integrity. What is the future of the IB in the Jackson Cluster? We are pleased to be part of a K to 12 continuum. It enhances our schools and the neighborhood itself when all of us become part of one team. Shared planning, neighborhood events, school games and academic teams create unity of purpose and a sense of family. Our family is your family. As we build community here in Atlanta, Georgia, we can get a glimpse of a better world for the future. Our goal is to help all of our students become contributing members of the greater family of man. We see them entering adulthood with confidence in their skills, faith in their intellectual abilities, kindness in their hearts, and the courage to go out and be great stewards for the planet and her people.
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AuthorShevan Howard Archives
February 2018
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