Ralston School has announced it has made a move to deliver International Baccalaureate programming, with an open house Apr. 1 where all public are invited to learn more. Pictured are Grade 1 students of the school preparing to sing O Canada ahead of a May 2023 King's Coronation ceremony.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Ralston School is taking a new approach to building the minds of tomorrow, with a recent approval to be a candidate school for International Baccalaureate programming.
Approved for both the primary and middle years program, teachers are now delivering Alberta curriculum in a manner focused on trans-disciplinary learning and applying all aspects of learning into real-life contexts, encouraging higher levels of understanding and engagement, says primary years co-ordinator Sonia Stanton.
“A good example would be, for our really young students, say if you were five years old and you’re learning how to brush your teeth, part of the IB philosophy would be, well, how does that apply to saving water? The research shows the children engage a lot more with it and are more interested,” said Stanton.
This applies not only to academically gifted children, says Ralston School principal Jason Duchscherer, but to all students, who have been shown to perform better academically when taught through an IB lens.
As a candidate school, teachers are already working within the new methodology, with ample support and oversight by IB to ensure delivery meets the program’s standards.
This is not the same as high school programming, which is distinctly challenging, but will still give students an edge in their learning by encouraging critical thinking and building on natural curiosity to create confident learners.
As Ralston School serves many families who work and live in CFB Suffield, the conversation initially began as discussion on creating consistency and continuity for students coming from different parts of the country or world, but school administration soon realized a desire to pursue the IB style of delivering education for all students.
Duchscherer says this will be a perfect fit alongside many of the other unique programs the school already enjoys.
“Another neat part of this is going to be the delivery of a second language, ours is going to be French. We also will have the art, the drama and the music to go with it. We already have our Ralston School and Community Small Farm, our ag program, our design program, where we can do custom hats and such, and our upcoming 4H program,” said Duchscherer. “Lots of natural fits.”
The school will host an open house Apr. 1 from 1-6 p.m., offering a chance for parents and students to learn more about the IB programming already underway, alongside everything else the school has to offer. Duchscherer says families from outside the area are more than welcome, and any bus transportation from Medicine Hat or further may be arranged based on demand for new students.
“We have families from all over the world,” said Stanton. “We’re offering a great program with IB, and there’s a lot to our school. I think there might be a misconception that you can only attend the school if you live out on the base, but that’s just not true, and we have some really great things that we offer. So we are encouraging people to come out to our open house to see if that’s something they’re interested in for their children.”
