Birchwood Elementary Schools’ International Baccalaureate Programs’ Progress

Since the summer of 2014, Birchwood Elementary Schools’ teachers and staff had been going through extensive training, regarding to the International Baccalaureate Program for their students. 

As of now, 3 elementary schools are now part of the IB Program within the Bellingham Public School district, Birchwood Elementary School being its’ newest addition.

The IB Program consists of a learners’ profile that gives a guideline for students to become a well-rounded individual and for the teachers to integrate all the guidelines in all subjects. Students strive to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective which is essentially the base of their curriculum.

“Since school started, the kids as young as kindergarteners have been using the vocabulary learned from the program,” Principal Matthew Whitten said.

According to the IB learner profile, its’ ultimate aim is to “develop internationally minded people” and to contribute to the world as knowledgeable individuals.

However, it has already been a challenge to get the students to continue the correct attitudes of the curriculum in their everyday lives. “This is what the training is for, third grade teacher Laura Britt explains, we have to plan out what attribute works with a math class or a history class.”

Before Birchwood Elementary School reopened, these students had been attending the elementary schools in Cordata, Alderwood, and some even in the Columbia neighborhood. “This program created a culture, being able to bring kids from different backgrounds,” Whitten adds.

Parents were easily on board with including a new curriculum in a brand new school as well. “I was super excited for the program to start, we didn’t have a ton of education about it but this is forward thinking,” Amy Johnson, Parent Teacher Association member and mother of a student in the school.