IB Asia Pacific Newsletter

April - June 2006

Primary Years Programme

IB Asia-Pacific PYP Schools Update

Currently there are over sixty-nine authorized PYP programmes in the Region. There are over one hundred candidate schools and over fifteen pre-authorizations and a similar number of authorizations are already scheduled for the remainder of this year.

Professional Development Update

It is clear that the demand for attendance at regional workshops is on the increase in some sub-regions and in others, there is also a steady demand for regional workshops.

In order to meet these demands, particularly for those schools which are in the process of authorization and must meet IB training requirements for authorization, it is critical that the regional office manage and support this need. Similarly, there is a need for schools to acknowledge that there are well-defined eligibility criteria for attendance at regional workshops.

The criteria for workshop attendance is based on school status and teacher experience in the programme. Workshop content and understandings are planned with the expectation that a certain foundation of practice in the programme has been achieved. The criteria are clearly established so the workshop leaders can further develop the understanding of teachers with the educational assumption that they have been in the programme for the length of time stated, that they have taught the number of units required and that their school has an established programme of inquiry.

The professional development priority for the IB Asia Pacific team is PYP schools and the teachers/administrators in Asia Pacific. Although cross-regional experience is certainly encouraged, it has been agreed with all PYP programme managers, that schools in candidate status should meet their professional development needs within the region.

Note: PYP workshop descriptors have been updated to reflect the development of new modules. Access this update at http://www.ibo.org/ibap/workshops/

Please acknowledge and use the following processes during workshop registration:

The current registration form requires that years of experience in the programme be noted. Please complete this on registration.

FULL ATTENDANCE AT ALL THREE SESSIONS FOR ALL WORKSHOPS IS REQUIRED TO ENABLE IB CERTIFICATION

Andrea Muller, PYP Regional Manager

Jo Leatham, PYP Associate Regional Manager

Tania Lattanzio, PYP Associate Regional Manager

Rajeevani Constantine, Personal Assistant

Email: ibappyp@ibo.org

Thank you

Jo Leatham

Jo is going to leave a noticeable gap in the PYP team. We were so fortunate to have Jo join the team in August 2005. With the developments of PYP in Asia Pacific and her extensive and professional experience in education, she has contributed immensely in the short time she has joined the team. We will miss the broad smile and the boundless energy but we also know that her new journey to Europe will be a wonderful opportunity to have further experience in international education. As the IB community is never so far apart, we know opportunities for Jo to connect with Asia Pacific will continue. We wish you safe journeys and new adventures!

Jiswinder Kaur

As many of you would be

aware, Jiswinder has taken

on the wonderful

responsibility of

motherhood. Jiswinder will

be returning to the regional

office as support for the

events and finance

department. We would like

to thank Jiswinder for her

tireless and professional

support for the PYP team

and also for the links she so

capably made to the wider

PYP community in Asia

Pacific.

Welcome

Rajeevani Constantine

I was born and bred in Sri
Lanka, living much of my life
in Eastern coastal Town of
Batticaloa. I graduated with
honours from the Eastern
University of Sri Lanka
(1998-2001) in Biological
Science. Before coming to
Singapore in January 2005
to join my Husband, I
worked in UNICEF
(Batticaloa Base office) as a
Project Assistant in the
Protection Programme
(2003–2004) While the work
was hard and frequently
frustrating, it was a
wonderful experience
working with a very
dedicated group of people
trying to make a difference.
My interests include the
Performing Arts-especially
Drama & Singing, and
Community work –
especially working with
children and young people to build confidence in
themselves and to respect
diversity in others.