Please find below the message sent out by Patrice Shadbolt, our PYP coordinator, regarding the IB/CIS visit in November, 2013.

Peak School is an accredited CIS (Council of International Schools) and IB (International Baccalaureate) school. Both of these organisations have rigorous accreditation processes to ensure schools continue to progress in accordance with their standards and practices. The process involves evaluation of the school in light of: the school’s guiding statements and the standards of accreditation.

On 26, 27, 28th November 2013 Peak School will have a joint re-accreditation visit by CIS and IB.

The most important aspect of the accreditation cycle is the ‘self-study’. While identifying and celebrating the school’s strong points, this process also involves the identification of areas for improvement and initiates actions to address them. This study is not the work of one or a few people, but includes the entire community: staff, parents, students and the governing body, and evidence is gathered through surveys, informal chats, school records, documentation and data analysis. We will look at our current practice and determine how closely it aligns with the standards of CIS and IB.

The Self-Study committees will be made up primarily of employees, with representatives from our community, divided into the following sections:
A. Guiding Statements
B. Teaching and Learning – the IB Self-Study
C. Governance & Leadership
D. Faculty & Support Staff
E. Access to Teaching & Learning
F. School Culture & Partnerships for Learning
G. Operational Systems

We encourage you all to be part of this important process by contributing to surveys which will be sent to you, as part of discussion groups or committees.

Patrice Shadbolt – VP and PYPC

The below Mission Statement was established through community consultation over 3 years ago.  As part of our IB/CIS visit in November 2013 we would again like your input.

Mission Statement
At Peak School we aim to become effective communicators, confident critical thinkers and enthusiastic life-long learners. In partnership with our community, we strive to have integrity and be socially responsible global citizens.

I encourage you to comment on this statement based on these guiding questions below;

1. Is this statement still relevant?
2. Is being an effective communicator important in today’s society?
3. Is your child becoming a confident critical thinker and an enthusiastic life long learner important to you?
4. We pride ourselves on being a school community and involving our parents and other stakeholders but do you feel that it should form part of our mission statement?
5. Is having integrity and being socially responsible global citizens the most appropriate goal to strive for?  If not, what is?

Any feedback to garnettb@peakschool.net would be gratefully received.