Principal’s Blog

The PYP exhibition has a number of key purposes, one of them being "to unite the students, parents, and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience". At Spicewood Elementary, we have our teachers engage with our 5th graders as they embark on...

In the final year of the PYP (Primary Years Program) students participate in a culminating project called, exhibition. This project gives students the opportunity to reflect on and apply the knowledge and skills acquired here at Spicewood. This final unit of inquiry...

In PYP schools, the school is considered to be a community of learners. "The role of the teachers is to facilitate connections between student's prior knowledge and the knowledge available through new experiences. This is done best with the support of the parents...

This week we'd like to hear from you! Please take this short survey (only 1 question!) to share what topic you'd like to see featured during our spring PYP parent information session (webinar/prerecorded session). Thank you for your participation!

You probably know that many of the world's plants and animals are in danger of extinction, but did you know that many human languages are in danger of becoming extinct, too? Once there were about 8000 different languages spoken on our planet. Now there are only about...

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is the real work of childhood." -- Fred Rogers  Inquiry, the pedagogical approach of the PYP, allows students to be actively involved in their own...

We can learn from other countries and cultures and find appreciation of our differences through open-mindedness. Language is involved in all learning and provides the support to the inquiry that is experienced in our classrooms on a daily basis. There are many...

For a culture of caring and kindness to truly grow in a PYP school, we need to constantly nourish and discuss it. Our teachers and students refer to the attributes of the Learner Profile during community circle time at the beginning or end of the day, make connections...

What is an internationally minded person? As students inquire into the transdisciplinary theme, Who We Are, each year, they are provided with an opportunity to further investigate and explore "... the nature of self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental,...

We want all of our students to graduate the program with an established personal set of values (Learner Profile), in turn laying a foundation in which international mindedness will develop and flourish. The transdisciplinary themes allow for an exploration of concepts...