It's Official: New Lebanon School Is An International Baccalaureate School

New Lebanon School has been authorized as an International Baccalaureate
Primary Years Programme (IB-PYP) World School, according to announcement from Greenwich Public Schools.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. William S. McKersie said in a statement, “The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmes are internationally recognized as a way to advance student excellence." McKersie added, "New Lebanon is one of three schools in our district to offer an IB program, and we thank the International School at Dundee and Western Middle School for their support during this process. Successfully completing this rigorous process for authorization is a major milestone for the New Lebanon School community. This acknowledgement reflects the high quality work of the school’s principal, staff, students and families.”

New Lebanon School re-opened in 2009 as the fourth elementary magnet school in Greenwich and began implementing the IB-PYP. The authorization process requires candidate schools to teach the program for at least one year, participate in professional learning opportunities, submit a very comprehensive application for authorization, and host site visits by IB officials, adcording to a statement released by the school district.

New Lebanon School Principal Barbara Riccio said, “This great honor is a culmination of many years of hard work by the teachers, parents and students at the New Lebanon School. Our teachers took on the rigorous demands of the IB inquiry-based model of instruction above and beyond their GPS responsibilities. We are a proud community today and look forward to continuing to develop our internationally-minded students tomorrow!”

According to the district's statement, "The NLS staff received a number of commendations in the IB authorization report for practices that went
“beyond the requirements for authorization and will benefit the implementation of the program.” Of particular note, NLS received the following commendations:
“The school’s commitment to a constructivist, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning that promotes inquiry and the development of critical thinking skills is evident through classroom discussions, displays and resources, teacher planning, general policies and practices in the school.”

For parents interested in the 2013-2014 School Year Magnet Application Process: The Greenwich Public Schools Magnet Application process was posted this month on the GPS web site at http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=68

New Lebanon School will hold information sessions on Friday, Jan. 25, at 9 a.m. and at 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 . The application deadline for the 2013-2014 school year is March 1, 2013.