The IB Advantage – PYP and MYP Elementary School

As of December 2024, there are 5,928 IB schools all over the world in 156 countries. In Canada alone, there are 376 authorized IB schools. 

Town Centre Private Schools (TCPS) is an officially authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum World School. We are currently the only IB Continuum World School in York Region offering the IB Primary Years Programme (Preparatory – Grade 5), IB Middle Years Programme (Grades 6 – 8) and optional IB Diploma Programme (Grades 11 and 12). By completing the IB DP, Town Centre graduates obtain the IB Diploma Programme Certificate in addition to their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

The PYP and MYP at Town Centre Private Schools offers several benefits:

Holistic Education: Both programs emphasize a well-rounded education that includes academic, social, and emotional development. This approach with a focus on the IB Learner Profile which includes Inquirers, Caring, Balanced, Knowledgeable, Principled, Reflective, Thinkers, Communicators, Open-Minded, and Risk-Takers, helps students become balanced and reflective individuals.

Inquiry-Based Learning: The PYP and MYP encourage students to be curious and ask questions, fostering a love for learning and critical thinking skills.

Global Perspective: The IB curriculum promotes international mindedness, helping students understand and appreciate different cultures and perspectives.

Community Engagement: Students engage in service-learning projects and various activities that connect them with their local and global communities, enhancing their social awareness and empathy that develop their sense of community and responsibility. These projects help students apply their learning in real-world contexts and develop important life skills.

Preparation for Future Studies: The PYP and MYP prepare students for the demands of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in high school, which is highly regarded by universities worldwide.

Skill Development: The programs focus on developing key skills such as critical thinking, self-management, collaboration, communication and good research skills.

These benefits collectively contribute to creating confident, independent, and well-rounded students ready to face future academic and life challenges.

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International Baccalaureate® (IB) Continuum World School

International Baccalaureate® (IB)

Town Centre is an International Baccalaureate® Continuum World School offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). 

Founded in 1968, there are approximately 3529 IB schools all over the world in 144 countries. In Canada alone, there are 358 authorized IB schools, with hundreds more waiting to be authorized through the stringent IB authorization procedure. The IB is a global education that emphasizes critical and independent thinking and global understanding while encouraging student choice in an inquiry-based learning environment. Students at TCPS will continue to learn the Ontario curriculum but through different lenses including:

• identities and relationships
• dimensions of time and space
• personal and cultural expression
• scientific and technical innovation
• globalization and sustainability
• fairness and development

Some of the other key benefits of the IB programmes:

• IB is the most highly regarded and accepted International Education Board in the world by virtue of its Child-Centred Approach to teaching and learning.
• IB provides a very well-balanced approach that promotes international mindedness in its students.
• IB programmes give space to both its teachers and students to continuously grow in their respective areas, while open mindedness towards parents’ participation in the process of child’s education, contributes to confident and well-balanced students.

Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (DP).

For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.

TCPS International Baccalaureate Projects and Events

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Frequently Asked Question

How will IB look in the classroom? 

There are three tangible ways that parents should notice a difference in the  classroom.  The first and most important is the emphasis placed on Approaches to Learning.  Approaches to Learning or ATL’s are a set of 21^st century based skills that all students require to be successful in their futures.  Some of these skills include; critical thinking, self-management, collaboration, communication, information literacy, and     media literacy, to name a few. These skills will be explicitly taught within the context of the unit of work the students are doing.

The second way in which you will likely see changes is in the types of assessment tasks your child is doing.  While students will still have tests and quizzes there will also be emphasis on contextual learning, which means students will still learn content but will be asked to apply that content in a real life context.

Finally, along with the types of assessments changing, the way in which we assess will look a little different.  Students will receive much more robust feedback on assessments and parents will see a lot more rubrics coming home which will help students and    parents understand the assessment grading and the rationale for a specific grade given.

Will TCPS still be teaching the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum?

As an Ontario school we have an obligation to teach the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum and will continue to do so.  The IB provides a framework which matches seamlessly with the Ministry expectations. Where much of our attention will be placed is on our Approaches to Teaching and Approaches to Learning which are embedded in the IB philosophy