The IB Advantage
Some schools promise you the world.
Sacred Heart Schools will teach you how to change it.
Forward-thinking, future-looking and globally-focused, Sacred Heart School's International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme is a comprehensive, inquiry-based approach to learning that benefits every classroom and every student.
The IB is recognized across the world for its innovative approach to education. It is with a strong commitment to our mission to inspire diverse learners to become globally minded, compassionate leaders, that Sacred Heart Schools strategically adopted this world-leading best practice and framework. The IB paradigm is a dynamic cycle of inquiry, action and reflection that empowers students to identify their passions, explore relationships between different academic disciplines and connect their learning to the world outside the classroom. This transdisciplinary cycle takes learning far beyond memorizing or even understanding concepts, to connecting the dots, and promoting engagement and action to bring about meaningful change.
SHS strongly believes it is important to place an equal focus on academics and other transferable skills in order to best prepare students for success beyond the classroom. While being challenged by a demanding academic curriculum, IB students are also gaining important life skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, communication and creativity. Even more important are character qualities such as persistence, curiosity, initiative and cultural and social awareness. Sacred Heart Schools is teaching children how to learn while empowering each student to develop a lifelong love of learning. IB students graduate with the knowledge AND the tools they need to be successful in high school and college and are prepared to become responsible citizens who are ready to change the world.
The commitment of our administrators and faculty to embark on this pedagogical transformation and their dedication to the necessary professional development are hallmarks of our IB success. Sacred Heart Schools is one of few IB World School Districts in the United States.
Inquirers
Students nurture their natural curiosity and develop a life-long love for learning.
Knowledgable
Students explore knowledge across a range of disciplines and engage with issues of local, national and global significance.
Thinkers
Students learn to think critically and creatively in order to tackle complex problems.
Communicators
Students understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively, including a second language. They work in collaboration with others.
Principled
Students are honest, fair and act with integrity. They take responsibility for their actions.
Open-Minded
Students embrace other cultures, seeking to understand and appreciate the personal histories, values and traditions of others.
Caring
Students have a commitment to service and act with empathy, compassion and respect.
Risk-Takers
Students are brave when faced with challenges. They explore new ideas and innovative strategies and understand that failure is part of the learning.
Balanced
Students understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being.
Reflective
Students give thoughtful consideration to our own learning and experiences and are able to assess their strengths and limitations for greater personal development.
The idea of being in service to the world aligns with our Ursuline values of Community, Reverence, Service and Leadership. As IB Learners rooted in the legacy of a long Ursuline history of Catholic education, we are ready to change the world.
IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students aged 3-12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and the world beyond. It is a framework guided by six themes of global significance: Who We Are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organize Ourselves, and Sharing the Planet.
The child is at the center of everything we do in a PYP classroom. Our goal is to foster lifelong learners who demonstrate the attributes of the Learner Profile, and who will contribute to a better world. Teachers plan with the end in mind and work backwards, asking the question, “What is the big idea that the student needs to understand?” This highly collaborative process begins with creating a conceptual central idea that is meant to be broad enough to allow students to individually create their own meaning. Within this framework, students begin to develop their own inquiries, increasing their engagement in the learning.
Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.
Sacred Heart Model School is the first Catholic and private school in Kentucky to achieve certification as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) Levels 6-8.
Sacred Heart Academy is excited to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) to our 9th and 10th grade.
IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is designed for students aged 11-16. It provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. Students explore the themes of identities and relationships, personal and cultural expression, orientation in space and time, scientific and technical innovation, fairness and development, and globalization and sustainability.
The framework emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and the real world. Classrooms are student-centered and inquiry-based with a focus on conceptual understanding for transfer of knowledge. So, instead of focusing on the “what,” we focus on the “why.” Twenty-first century skill development is also part of the MYP framework, so our teachers are deliberately teaching and assessing communication, thinking, research, self-management and social skills –essentials for the 21st century learner. Assessments are authentic, real-world opportunities for students to demonstrate the mastery of skills and the ability to transfer what they have learned to new and unique situations.
The culmination of the MYP is an independent Personal Project that all students complete. In collaboration with our Jean Frazier Leadership Institute, students have a capstone experience that showcases their communication, research, self-management and critical thinking skills.
Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.
In our commitment to offer the most rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum, SHA offers the IB Diploma Programme for grades 11 and 12. The DP is an academically challenging and balanced program of education that prepares students for success in college and beyond. It encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills with an emphasis on responsible citizenship. Full diploma candidates study a balance of the humanities and sciences in six subject areas: language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, experimental sciences, mathematics and the arts.
IB Diploma students complete three additional requirements: the Extended Essay, the Theory of Knowledge course and 150 hours of Creativity, Activity and Service. Students who successfully complete the program receive an internationally recognized high school diploma.
Students may choose to take specific IB courses without being diploma candidates. Additionally, SHA offers a variety of AP and dual-credit courses.
Sacred Heart Academy achieved the elite classification as an accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) in 1999.
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.