On September 14 and 21, 2016, two journalists from the LoHud Journal News visited Pelham to learn more about our work with the IB Middle Years Programme.  They interviewed Dr. Roelle, Mr. Llewellyn, and Dr. Giarrizzo, and observed Ms. Maria Buckley's sixth grade science class as they conducted an experiment with paper towels.  They also filmed footage for a short video which is featured on their website.  You can view the article here.  

At the May 10 Board of Education meeting, Mr. Llewellyn, Dr. Roelle, Ms. Sabia, Ms. Clark, and Mr. Rothstein reflected upon Pelham Middle School's first year of work towards becoming authorized as an IB World School offering the Middle Years Programme and Pelham Memorial High School's feasibility study and Application for Candidacy, and looked towards the future by discussing next steps for both schools.  As part of their presentation, Mr. Llewellyn premiered a video he created along with two PMHS students, Jonathan Salama and Noah Hellum, the goal of which was to highlight some of the ways the Middle Years Programme has enhanced students' experiences in the middle school.  You can view the video here, and the entire board presentation here.   

This year, seventh grade English teachers Wendy DeVito and Rachel Pixley created a Middle Years Programme unit centered on Linda Sue Park's novel A Long Walk to Water, based upon a true story of the hardships faced by children in South Sudan.  Rather than merely looking at the novel in English class as a work of literature, students analyzed their own water use; researched the water crisis in Flint, Michigan; participated in a science lab in which they created their own water filters in an inquiry-based setting; and created short films to raise awareness and encourage support for Water for South Sudan, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of the South Sudanese people by providing access to clean water.  These classroom activities were truly interdisciplinary, incorporating English, history, geography, sociology, science, and math, all within a relevant and current global context.  Today, thanks to a grant from the Pelham Education Foundation, students had the opportunity to attend a presentation and Q&A with the author herself. Students were thoroughly engaged in Ms. Park's presentation and asked many thoughtful questions.  They emerged from this process with new awareness of global issues and energized to find ways to help.   

Pelham Middle School teachers "hit the ground running" after their spring break with a series of workshops with Dr. Matthew Gonzales, IB Consultant, held on March 28-30. Based on teachers' progress thus far, Dr. Roelle, Ms. Sabia, and Mr. Llewellyn asked Dr. Gonzales to prepare sessions focusing on assessment in the MYP.  Prior to his visit, teachers had discussed their assessment philosophy and prepared visual representations of it.  Using these as a starting point, Dr. Gonzales discussed assessment philosophy and practice in the Middle Years Programme, reviewed the concept of formative assessment, examined the objectives and strands used to assess students in the MYP, gave teachers the opportunity to practice assessing student work using the MYP criteria, and asked teachers to brainstorm tasks to accompany the various strands associated with their particular disciplines.  Dr. Gonzales completed a detailed report for the Pelham Middle School administrative team and Mr. Llewellyn, to guide them as they continue to lead teachers in this process, and teachers completed a survey assessing the quality of the professional development they had received.  

On February 23, members of the Pelham Board of Education discussed their opinions and impressions regarding the expansion of MYP into grades nine and ten at Pelham Memorial High School in preparation for a vote as to whether or not to apply for candidacy.  The Board voted in favor of the application, which will now be completed prior to the April 1 deadline.  You can view the video of their discussion here, and can view the complete feasibility study, including a summary of research pertaining to the MYP here.      

On February 9, 2016, the Pelham Board of Education met publicly with the entire secondary administrative team to discuss, in great detail, the feasibility of offering the Middle Years Programme in grades nine and ten at Pelham Memorial High School.  Each administrator spoke to the reasons why he or she supported the expansion, and Sean Llewellyn, IB Supervisor, presented an action plan explaining how potential challenges would be addressed. Other topics included alignment with our strategic plan, providing equity and access, positive impact on student experience, continuous improvement, research-based best practices, improving assessment practice, and the positive impact of the IB Learner Profile.  You can watch this meeting on video here.  You can read the action plan here.

On Tuesday, January 12, Pelham Middle School teachers Nicole Starvatow, Linda Mancia, and Laura Stagliano, IB Supervisor Sean Llewellyn, Pelham Middle School Principal Dr. Robert Roelle, Assistant Principal Lynn Sabia, and IB Consultant Dr. Matthew Gonzales presented their second update for the Board of Education on the progress of Middle Years Programme implementation at Pelham Middle School, the feasibility of expanding the program into grades nine and ten at Pelham Memorial High School, and challenges that would need to be rectified, should the expansion go forward.  You can view a video of the meeting here, and access the PowerPoint presentation here.  

On Tuesday, October 27, IB Supervisor Sean Llewellyn, along with Dr. Robert Roelle and Ms. Lynn Sabia from Pelham Middle School and Ms. Jeannine Clark and Mr. Judd Rothstein of Pelham Memorial High School, gave an update to the Pelham Board of Education on the status of the middle school authorization process and the high school feasibility study.  You can watch a video of their presentation here.  You can access their Powerpoint presentation here.