We are proud to be an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) World School. Harmony Grove Elementary School- A Global Academy received authorization to become an IB PYP World School on June 10, 2015. Our school is one of four IB PYP schools in Massachusetts and part of a network of over 2000 IB PYP schools in about 150 countries. IB PYP schools share a common philosophy – a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education. Learning experiences focus on the development of the whole child as an inquirer and a life-long learner. We value international-mindedness and students strive to demonstrate the IB Learner Profile every day. We offer 2 strands of general education and language development in Portuguese and English through Dual Language Education or English Immersion with Portuguese as a World Language. We invite you to learn more about our IB PYP teaching and learning at Harmony Grove Elementary School- A Global Academy!
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 was IB PYP Exhibition Day at Harmony Grove Elementary School- A Global Academy. This annual 5th grade event took place in the cafeteria during the school day for staff and 3rd and 4th grade students to attend and then in the evening for 5th grade families, staff, and community members. The IB PYP Exhibition is an exciting inquiry project that students at all International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) schools around the world do during their 5th grade year.
This year for the IB PYP Exhibition, 5th graders researched global issues connecting to the United Nations Global Goals and how we can all take action to help the world. Some of the topics included climate change, plastic pollution in our oceans, gender inequalities, racism, and poverty/hunger. The students all wrote individual essays and in small groups they created tri-fold posters and creative art projects to display on IB PYP Exhibition Day. They also all took action in some way to make a difference with the various global issues. Student actions included organizing a food drive for Daniel's Table, creating a book display in the library, raising awareness about the issues, and lifestyle changes such as increasing recycling and decreasing the use of single-use plastics.
Each small group was matched with a mentor (including teachers, parents, community members, and School Committee members) who met with them weekly throughout May/June to support students with their Exhibition projects. Throughout the Exhibition process, students reflected on their learning and set goals with their mentors related to their work completion as well as how they demonstrated IB Learner Profile attributes and IB approaches to learning.
The 5th grade students all worked very hard on their projects and they were proud to share what they learned with their families and our school community on Exhibition Day! Congratulations Harmony Grove 5th graders! Thank you to our 5th grade teachers as well as the 30 Exhibition mentors who volunteered to support the students with this important experience!
Thank you to @AAJMediaProductions for creating a special video that shows "Who We Are" at our International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) school! Although our school name has recently changed and we will have a new school song, we still encourage you to watch this great video showing how our school demonstrates the IB Learner Profile attributes every day.
IB Units of inquiry connect the learning in all subject areas through an investigation into big ideas. The transdisciplinary themes that guide our inquiry 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