Mashrek International School is currently implementing the IB Primary Years Programme and we are an official PYP school. The IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 10 from Pre-KG to Grade 4, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the outside world. Mashrek International School adopts the PYP which believes that the student learns best in an authentic, relevant to the "real" world; and transdisciplinary nature, where the learning is not confined within the boundaries of traditional subject areas but is supported and enriched by them. The most significant and distinctive feature of the IB Primary Years Programme is the six transdisciplinary themes. These themes are about issues that have meaning for and are important to the formation of the whole child being a long life learner. The programme offers a balance between learning about or through the subject areas and learning beyond them. At Mashrek, we do not believe that students need to be educated in a set of isolated subject areas, so connections across the disciplines are made, students discover ways to integrate the separate subjects and ultimately relate what they learn to life by exploring a set of themes that represents shared human experiences. The six themes of global significance create a transdisciplinary framework that allows students to “step up” beyond the confines of learning within subject areas. The themes are: Who We are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organize Ourselves and Sharing the Planet.
As we are a bilingual school, we have 2 homeroom teachers who work together cooperatively. The classroom teachers take responsibility for the language of instruction - Arabic and English languages, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science, to support the Primary Years Programme model of transdisciplinary teaching and learning. Subject specific teachers are responsible for Arts, ICT and P.E.
Communication with Parents:
A transparent and sustainable communication between the school and parents is extremely important; therefore the following procedures and strategies are conducted to maintain an open and ongoing channel:
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Primary Weekly Newsletters: Parents receive a weekly newsletter in order to continuously be involved and informed of each child's developmental learning process.
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Homework Agenda: Primary School use the agenda. Grade 2 to record what was achieved in class, while for grades 3 and 4 it is used to record the homework required from the students.
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KG Activity Calendar: a monthly activity calendar is sent by email informing the parents about some special activities that will take place during that month, such as: birthdays, field trips, theme-related drama, arts and P.E. activities.
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KG Parents' Guide: A detailed parental guide regarding all issues pertaining to the KG is downloaded on the website and will be sent to KG parents' emails at the beginning of each scholastic year.
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Report Cards: Parents will be able to observe students achievements through report cards.
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Student Led Conferences: These conferences are held twice a year, once per semester and they give parents and students the opportunity to communicate; where the student leads the conference by demonstrating samples of his/her work. Parents listen to their children sharing their strengths, challenges and their evaluation of the learning process. Teachers are present to facilitate the dialogue and provide support during the conference.
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Parents' Email Addresses: KG & Primary Schools send all notifications and newsletters to parents on their emails.