Speas Elementary School

Every Student at Speas Global is an IB Student!

Enjoy this playlist on our YouTube Channel: What does IB PYP Learning Look Like at Speas Global? for some snapshots of what our Units of Inquiry have looked like in previous years.  

Speas Global Elementary School is an *Authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP). IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging international education. Speas Global shares this philosophy and mission and strives to:

• address students’ academic, social and emotional well-being
• encourage students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning
• support students’ efforts to gain understanding of the world and to function comfortably within it
• help students establish personal values as a foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish.

All teachers use IB Teaching Philosophies as the foundation of daily instruction. Every class at Speas is an IB class, although the language of instruction differs. Students learn the same content they would in a traditional North Carolina classroom, but they also receive a critically engaging, intellectually stimulating, personally uplifting and inspiring education at the same time. See our Programme of Inquiry.

• Thinkers                 • Caring

• Communicators      • Open-minded

• Risk-takers             • Balanced

• Knowledgeable       • Reflective

What is an IB PYP School?

Speas Global is an authorized IB World School, offering the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). IB World Schools are the only schools authorized to offer IB programmes and are subject to a strict accreditation process monitored by the IB, ensuring that schools provide a high-quality education. The authorization process takes about 3 years to complete. Speas became an authorized IB World School in July 2018.

The PYP is designed for students aged 3 to 12. At Speas, children begin their IB journey when they join our learning community in Kindergarten, as all classes are IB classes. We focus on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. The PYP provides the framework for organizing subjects into and learning about significant concepts through units of inquiry. The six transdisciplinary themes that guide units of inquiry and compose a year of study are:

• Who we are

• Where we are in place and time

• How we express ourselves

• How the world works

• How we organize ourselves

• Sharing the planet.

Units of inquiry interweave subject areas such as mathematics, language arts, science and social studies. This approach encourages students to make their own connections between what they learn in core subject areas and how it relates to the world around them.  The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of the North Carolina curriculum and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme.

The Exhibition

Our Speas Global fifth grade students undertake a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves identifying, investigating, and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. As the culminating experience of the PYP, the Exhibition offers students an exciting opportunity to demonstrate agency, independence, responsibility, and to take action for their own learning. Some of our Exhibition projects have include writing reflective poetry, organizing a Poetry Café, researching local charities and their greatest needs, and then organizing various collection drives. We are excited to continue supporting our students on this journey!

For more information, please visit www.ibo.org 

Enjoy this playlist on our YouTube Channel: What does IB PYP Learning Look Like at Speas Global? for some snapshots of what our Units of Inquiry have looked like in previous years.