International Baccalaureate (IB)
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
Madison Simis Elementary is an International Baccalaureate® (IB) accredited school in the Primary Years Programme (PYP).
The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Inquiry learning helps students learn while building on what they already know. The instruction is student centered with a hands-on approach. Students create meaning through understanding. Our aim is to develop lifelong learners through the process of inquiry.
Through the IB curriculum, students become independent learners capable of in-depth research, report writing, and taking action. Students inquire within the six IB transdisciplinary themes to become internationally minded.
Madison Simis students also receive instruction in a second language (Spanish) beginning in Kindergarten.
The PYP program at Madison Simis prepares students to continue their IB education with the Middle Years Programme (MYP) offered at Madison Meadows Middle School.
Madison Simis teachers and staff regularly receive IB professional support and training.
More information about the International Baccalaureate® Programme is available at ibo.org.
Calico Spanish
Calico Spanish is a complete Spanish Program that uses music, visual aids, and fun activities to introduce young students to Spanish. All students in 1st through 4th grade receive two 30-minute Spanish classes in a 6 day rotational cycle with a full-time Spanish instructor. Kindergarten students are introduced to Spanish with one 30-minute class in a six day rotational cycle for one semester.
The Calico Spanish Program exposes students to the language through visual aids, activities, songs, and mini-dramatizations.
The program is based on the philosophy that students learn language when they are exposed to messages in that language that they can decipher and understand. The teacher regularly uses new words with the students along with visual cues, hand signals, repetition, and dramatizations to help students grasp the meaning of the communication.
Comprehension is the focus of the program, leading teachers to maximize their use of Spanish, while still allowing students to ask questions in English. This allows the instructor to encourage students to use Spanish to their level of ability without creating frustration through an expectation of immediate fluency. The emphasis is on understanding and pronunciation of the new language through songs, activities, recitation and repetition of words from the calendar, and questions requiring simple answers.