April 20, 2011 announcement: Capilano Elementary authorized by International Baccalaureate Organization to offer IB Primary Years Programme

Capilano Elementary authorized by International Baccalaureate Organization to offer IB Primary Years Programme

NORTH VANCOUVER, April 20, 2011—The North Vancouver School District is pleased to announce that Capilano Elementary has been authorized to teach the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP). The authorization was provided to the school earlier this month from the International Baccalaureate Organization, and establishes Capilano as the third school in the North Vancouver School District, following Carson Graham Secondary, and Balmoral Jr. Secondary, to achieve authorization as an IB World School. Only 9 schools in British Columbia offer the IB PYP.

With the authorization of Capilano Elementary, the North Vancouver School District now offers the full K-12 continuum of IB programmes for more than 1,100 students in the School District. Drawing on best practices in elementary instruction, the IB PYP guides students through six themes of inquiry: Who we are; Where we are we in place and time; How we express ourselves; How the world works; How we organize ourselves; and How we share the planet.

“With the formal Authorization of Capilano as a World School we have met a significant strategic objective within the School District; establishing the International Baccalaureate Programme for the full continuum from Kindergarten to Grade 12,” says Franci Stratton, chairperson of the North Vancouver Board of Education. “The Board made a wise investment in IB, and we are proud to be able to provide all three stages of the programme to students in our School District.”

“This is an important milestone in the history of our School District and source of celebration for the staff and community of Capilano Elementary,” says John Lewis, superintendent of North Vancouver schools. “For more than six years, the staff and parent community have worked tirelessly to prepare the school for this well-deserved accreditation, and we congratulate them on their commitment to bringing the PYP program to the Capilano community.”

In June, the first class of IB Diploma Programme students will graduate from Carson Graham. Fourteen of the students have received early acceptance to university as well as post-secondary course credits—a valued benefit of the IB Diploma Programme.

The North Vancouver School District includes 26 elementary schools, 7 secondary schools and a residential outdoor education centre. Over 16,250 students enrolled in the School District for the 2010/11 school year.

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is a not-for-profit educational foundation, founded in Geneva, Switzerland. The IBO currently works with over 3,200 schools in 140 countries.

-30-

For further information:
IB@nvsd44.bc.ca

www.ibo.org

Victoria Miles, Communications Manager
North Vancouver School District 604.903.1254  vmiles@nvsd44.bc.ca