Academic Programs

Preschool

Children spend every minute of their lives, learning. From using the crayon and scissors to using blocks to create amazing structures, to reading and socializing, all the experiences we provide are focused on having happy, creative and eager learners.

At International St. Jude School, children learn commitment and respect for others. We provide a place where our students gain a sense of self, explore, play with their friends, and build confidence. Children discover that they can be independent and that they can do things for themselves. As a school we provide children with a great opportunity to realize their entire potential, skills, an talents.

We focus on language, literacy and motor skills, math through a variety of activities and projects. At International St Jude School, it is essential to work on problem-solving skills and help children expand their knowledge and increase their vocabulary. We give them the opportunity to learn wonderful things through various activities and learning experiences.

Through hands-on activities and above all, play, children experience what is around them. They use their senses and their imagination to open a world of wonder every day.

Activities may be either teacher-directed or student-initiated. Each class has a certified teacher and a teacher assistant. Music, French, physical education, Spanish and dance are part of our everyday lives and we have specialist teachers that provide amazing learning to all our levels.

INTERNATIONAL EARLY YEARS CURRICULUM

At International St Jude School, we use the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) as the basis for our teaching and learning.

The earliest years of learning are essential; therefore, children should be supported to learn and develop at their own unique pace. It happens by developing learning units that are thematically based and designed to last for several weeks. The IEYC units do not focus on just one or two subjects; all of them incorporate the four Learning Strands to connect children’s learning.

The IEYC encourages engagement and enjoyment in high-quality learning experiences that support and extend learning and development.

In this curriculum, play is an essential aspect of all children’s learning and development. And that learning happens when developmentally appropriate, teacher-scaffolded, and child-initiated experiences harness children’s natural curiosity in an enabling environment.

Children are also a part of independent and interdependent learning experiences that create a context for personal development and are the foundation of international mindedness.

Learning happens when knowledge and skills development lead to an increasing sense of understanding when children are provided with opportunities to explore and express their ideas in multiple ways in the early years.

To be a learning-focused curriculum is also to be a curriculum focused on an assessment that improves learning. Improving learning is central to the IEYC, with the curriculum designed around this. The IEYC outcomes are linked to IPC rubrics, so that transition to primary school is smooth.

This curriculum basis is that learning should be motivating, engaging, and fun, opening up a world of wonder for children where personal interests can flourish. It also creates a child-centered approach that allows children to have their ideas—providing a holistic approach to learning and development. The IEYC has been designed to help teachers help children learn effectively and with enjoyment.

Primary

The Elementary School is for children in 1st – 5th grade and is an incredible stage of learning. The Elementary School provides a dynamic environment that is full of energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Our highly regarded teaching staff’s ability and dedication create a festive, safe, and happy atmosphere where children are encouraged to be independent, creative, and have a growth mindset.

We are a learning-focused school, and during the elementary years, students go through an exciting journey of inquiring and discovering how the world around them works. Each day is an opportunity to extend the knowledge and skills and deepen the understanding as they make connections and develop a theme from different perspectives. Students are active participants of their learning, reflecting, continually getting better, and inevitably experience amazing learning.

Our belief and commitment are learners’ holistic development at their maximum potential through enjoyable, stimulating, and rigorous academic, personal, and international learning that prepares students to be cultured, ethical, compassionate, knowledgeable, happy, and globally competent citizens.

Classes are taught in English and Spanish, with 80% of teaching done in English to build a truly bilingual child’s foundation. In addition to the dedicated teacher, each class has specialist teachers in Music, Art, Philosophy, French, PE, and Spanish. In 5th Grade, students have specialist teachers in all subjects to prepare them for middle school.

The strong catholic heritage and values of International St Jude School have underpinned both our student’s welfare program and the way we support children with additional needs. Besides, students in 4th grade will have a different class to help families prepare their children for their First Communion.

INTERNATIONAL PRIMARY CURRICULUM (IPC)

The IPC is an exciting, thematic, and globally relevant curriculum for children in Elementary School.

The IPC is a philosophy, process, and pedagogy that delivers a broader and rigorous learning experience for our students. The IPC extends knowledge, skills, and understanding, develops personal attributes, and supports an international perspective in a way that responds to new and revised ideas about learning.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The Learning Goals are the foundation on which the IPC is built. They define what children are expected to know, what they should be able to do, and their understanding of their academic, personal, and international learning. At International St Jude School, we assess each year to ensure parents are aware of their children’s progress against these learning goals.

The curriculum also encourages and develops independent thinkers based on eight attributes that will help them succeed in a future life: adaptable, communicative, collaborative, empathetic, ethical, resilient, respectful, and thinker. It helps young children begin the move towards an increasingly sophisticated national, international, and intercultural perspective and develop a sense of ‘international mindedness ́Children become committed, happy life-long learners, as they are involved in the whole process of learning and assessment.

Secondary

We are an International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) member offering a truly international program that focuses on our students’ development in their academics, wellbeing, and international mindset.

IMYC is a three-year program where Amazing Learning happens every day. Our students take part in special activities and experiences that help them be better and achieve their goals. We have a rigorous curriculum set within a fun and friendly environment that fosters growth and development, preparing our students for their next learning stage.

The program is designed following the latest research on the adolescent brain and how students learn at this stage. Personal, international, and academic goals lead students toward success in their transition from Elementary School to High School.

DEPARTAMENTO CGS

As part of our Amazing Learning, we acknowledge that every student has different needs. Because of this, our CGS department provides support for each student in their emotional and well-being needs. From after school programs like our Life Skills to timely interventions on emotional support, our team makes sure our students have the support they need to fulfill their goals. Our teachers work hand in hand with the CGS team to provide effective differentiation in every class, support students, and give extensions on their learning.

CASE V

We enable students to find their talent and fully support it to fulfill their dreams. Our CASE V Program supports our student-athletes, our artists and musicians, our dancers, and high academic achievers in adapting the curriculum to fit student needs. Our approach looks at each student’s context and differentiates their process. Hence, the school, coaches, parents, and students work together to reach all student goals, academic, personal, and interests. Our program is booming and is internationally recognized and accredited by the World Academy of Sports.

IB Foundations, IBY1, and IBY2.

In the IB Foundations program, students can be fully prepared for the IB Diploma (DP) program. They will have a chance to understand the different groups, subjects, core, and assessment in the IB Program. We ensure our students are prepared, know the other choices they will face, through an engaging and challenging curriculum that has a strong focus on academics, personal development, learning and organization skills, and student well being and happiness.

Our 10th and 11th-grade students all follow the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP), with most taking the full Diploma. The remaining may opt for the IB Certificates in the subjects of their choice.

Our students participate in different learning events with ISP schools worldwide, taking action in leadership roles in events such as our Model United Nations, Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS) program, and the ISP Buddy Exchange Program. The International Baccalaureate aims to train young people who are supportive, informed and eager for knowledge, able to contribute to creating a better and more peaceful world, within the framework of mutual understanding and intercultural respect. The program encourages students around the world to adopt an active lifelong learning attitude, to be compassionate, and to understand that other people, with their differences, may also be right.

At the end of the course which lasts for two years, students must take exams that are evaluated externally, as well as school work that is prepared during the duration of the program and that also allow to evaluate the progress of the student.

The IB evaluates students’ work as a direct proof of their level of achievement with respect to the objectives set for Diploma Programme (DP) courses.