Our community at PIPS is very excited to be working towards our goal of becoming an authorized IBO Kindergarten in the near future, offering the highest standards in curriculum through the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). The IBO begins their curriculum at the Early Years Level, offering a curriculum for children from the ages of three through to five years old. In close alignment with PIPS own beliefs and mission statement, the IBO PYP curriculum encourages an active learning approach through which children construct meaning from experience about the social and physical world that surrounds them.  The PYP recognizes that areas of development and learning are interrelated in the young child, and its curricular framework allows for concept development that applies across subject-specific domains. The IBO clearly states that:

The PYP’s written curriculum stresses 5 key elements essential to providing a balanced, prominent Programme:

1. CONCEPTS: Guiding questions that allow students to explore and re-explore in order to develop an in-depth understanding.
2. SKILLS: The capabilities that the students need to demonstrate to succeed in a changing, challenging world.
3. ATTITUDES: Dispositions that are expressions of fundamental values, beliefs and feelings about learning, the environment and the people in it.
4. KNOWLEDGE: Each student should acquire a body of significant knowledge in six subject areas: language; social studies; mathematics, science and technology; the arts; personal, social and physical education. In the Early Years Teachers use 4 out of 6 organizing themes to integrate subject knowledge.
5. ACTIONS: Demonstrations of a deeper learning in responsible action.

Attitudes:
In PYP schools the students should demonstrate:

Appreciation: appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people
Commitment: being committed to their learning, persevering and showing self-discipline and responsibility
Confidence: feeling confident in their ability as learners, having the courage to take risks, applying what they have learned and making appropriate decisions and choices
Cooperation: cooperating, collaborating and leading or following as the situation demands
Creativity: being creative, expressive and imaginative in their thinking and in their approach to problems and dilemmas through their day-to-day experiences
Curiosity: being curious about the nature of learning and of the world, its people and cultures.
Empathy: imaginatively projecting themselves into another’s situation, in order to understand his/her thoughts, reasoning and emotions
Enthusiasm: Enjoying learning.
Independence: Thinking and acting independently, making their own judgments.
Integrity: having a firm sense of fairness and honesty
Respect: respecting themselves, others and the world around them
Tolerance: feeling sensitivity towards differences and diversity in the world and being responsive to the needs of others.

The Learner Profile:
The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet help to create a better and more peaceful world.

Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning.
Knowledgeable
They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In doing so, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators
They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experiences.
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

PIPS offers the Early Years PYP curriculum in a Bilingual classroom setting (Mandarin/English) as well as in an English only strand. The Chinese Language curriculum has been enriched by the PYP with its links to the Units of Inquiries. The Chinese specialist teacher, working within the English only strand, has made a great effort to find meaningful opportunities to actively use Chinese in the context of the units.
Our school environment has a range of clearly defined areas (Learning Centers) to encourage exploration, investigation and play, within the classroom and outdoor settings.  These may include areas for reading, writing, art, construction, imaginative play and science and technology, with each center offering a wide variety of appropriate resources to encourage the students’ inquiry.  Children’s interactions within these centers stimulate them to become active learners, by providing ongoing opportunities for them to:

• make choices and decisions
• use materials in flexible and imaginative ways
• initiate inquiry and ask questions
• learn how to work collaboratively with others
• sustain their interests and extend their knowledge

PIPS COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS

We are working towards a greater involvement from the parent community, within the PIPS Programme. Parents will have the opportunity to attend workshops provided by the school and are already welcomed frequently into our classrooms and on field trips. They are an integral part of our classroom communities in the way they share cultural celebrations with us. We are encouraging our parents at PIPS to live the Learner Profile along with their children. As a community, we will strive together to create a high standard of education and a safe and wonderful learning environment for our young learners.