St. Mary and All Angels School Joins International Learning Community
IB Learning Approach Uses Academic Disciplines to Explore Real World Issues

ALISO VIEJO, CA—September 11, 2007—Elementary teachers and students at St. Mary and All Angels School returned to their classrooms to find that they have been authorized as an IB (International Baccalaureate) World School. This is the first pre-school and elementary school in Orange County to earn this international accreditation. St. Mary’s middle school will be examined for IB status in November 2007. The purpose of being an IB School is to provide a rigorous learning environment where curriculum is significant, engaging and challenging. Elementary students gain experience in critical thinking and applying academic disciplines such as math, science, humanities and language to solve real-world problems. This unique learning environment also offers a foundation of good study habits necessary for middle school, high school and college.

“The IB School membership supports St. Mary’s mission to prepare students for life. Our school is a working education model integrating knowledge, faith and character into its curriculum,” said St. Mary’s Assistant Principal and IB Coordinator Sharon Taylor. Before becoming a member of IB, St. Mary’s teachers and staff devoted five years of work to meet the organization’s rigorous academic standards.

Becoming an IB school means St. Mary’s elementary students learn how to become inquirers of knowledge, rather than receptors of information. This exciting educational approach is a far cry from memorizing information from a textbook. Students and teachers adopt an issue or topic and work together as a team to understand the whole scope of the issue. For example, instead of studying monkeys, the class focuses on the rainforest where monkeys live. Students and teachers explore how deforestation impacts wildlife habitats. They gain valuable lessons in critical thinking and problem-solving while brainstorming possible solutions to reverse the destruction of habitats.

Classroom discussions, role playing, individual research and field trips along with collaboration between teachers covers IB’s six themes: sharing the planet, who we are, where we are in place and time, how we organize ourselves, how the world works and how we express ourselves. As students explore a topic, they exercise their skills in math, social studies, science, language and art, as well as, meet social, physical, emotional and cultural needs.