IB Information

Sarah Smith Elementary began her pursuit of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in 2002.  We believe in the mission of the International Baccalaureate Organization and feel it meshes perfectly with the mission of our school and its community.  Sarah Smith Elementary became an authorized International Baccalaureate World School on July 11, 2006. 

The mission statement of the International Baccalaureate Organization is:

The Primary Years Program (PYP) strives to place the focus of schools where it belongs, on student learning.  By developing the Student Profile, PYP schools proudly sent out into the adult world students who exemplify the qualities expressed in the Student Profile.  This Profile embodies the kind of learning that should take place in international education and is central to the development of the qualities of internationalism.

What, then, is a PYP school?  From the PYP perspective, it is a school which strives toward developing an international person.  What is an international person?  From the PYP perspective it is a person with the attitributes and dispositions described in the student profile.

The PYP Learner Profile developes students who are:

• Inquirers
• Thinkers
• Communicators
• Risk-takers
• Knowledgeable
• Principled
• Caring
• Open-minded
• Well-balanced
• Reflective

The attitudes that PYP suggests the schools encourage are:

• Appreciation
• Commitment
• Confidence
• Cooperation
• Creativity
• Curiosity
• Empathy
• Enthusiasm
• Independence
• Integrity
• Respect
• Tolerance

The PYP strives also for a balance between the search for understanding, the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills, the development of positive attitudes, and the opportunity for positive action.  A copy of Sarah Smith's Program of Inquiry is on display in the school lobby.  Please visit and see the units of study for each grade level.

In terms of achieving this balance, the PYP emphasizes five components of the written curriculum.  These are the essential elements of curriculum and they are:

• Concepts
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Attitudes
• Action

The above information was found in PYP - Making It Happen.  For more information on IBO, please visit www.ibo.org.  For more information about Sarah Smith Elementary's PYP, please visit the website of Jason Johnston, IB Coordinator, or contact Mr. Johnston at 404-802-3850 or jjohnston@atlanta.k12.ga.us .