WELCOME
To ISR Middle School Programme
To ISR Middle School Programme
The IMYC focuses on building skills that students will need as they move toward adulthood. The IMYC connects learning by linking all subjects together. It is structured around units of work which are linked by the Big Idea. Each unit has a theme, which helps students to engage with subjects from adaptability to identity, curiosity, tradition, and discovery. That Big Idea challenges students to think more broadly and to connect subjects and themes together in new ways.
Each curriculum area has a subject-based focus within the unit, however during the unit the students are encouraged to make connections between them. Each curriculum area has a set of learning outcomes that are also assessed throughout three years in Middle School.
The subjects taught are:
The IMYC believes in inquiry-based learning, allowing students to find out things for themselves – with clear direction from the teacher. Over the course of the 3 years of Middle School, the students will be:
At ISR, the IMYC was chosen as the Middle School curriculum because we believe it bridges the divide between Primary and High School. One side of the bridge represents the needs of the adolescent brain and the other side represents the academic rigor required to ensure they are ready for the next stage of Secondary school. At the end of Grade 8, students have developed their critical thinking and research skills, as well as have acquired the knowledge necessary to transition into the demanding and rigorous programs introduced in High school, the IGCSE and the IB Diploma Programme.
Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Children who are entering adolescence are going through many changes – physical, intellectual, personality and social developmental. ISR Middle School students are being empowered to be independent while having a strong support system.
The IMYC responds to the specific development needs of 11-14 year olds, providing structures and systems that support the needs of the adolescent brain.
The 5 key needs of the adolescent brain are:
#1: They need to make meaning of their learning – (Desire to find relevance to their own lives)
#2: They need to make connections – (Associating new learning with previous learning or knowledge)
#3: They need active involvement in their lives – (Risk, seeking sensation in an organised, safe and structured environment)
#4: They need their peers for so many things – (Tending to value peers’ option above others)
#5: They need a bridge from primary to secondary – (Need support during this critical time to ensure they don’t become disengaged from their learning)
At ISR, we explore 6 different units across each Middle School grade during the course of our academic year. Students link the learning in their different subjects through the Big Idea, a conceptual idea:
ISR is one of the longest established international schools in Latvia. ISR was founded in 1997 as a playgroup and the playgroup developed into a school. Through carefully following each child’s growth and learning, we foster individual success both in academic development and social-emotional wellbeing. Teachers aim to differentiate and personalize learning as much as possible to help each student reach their potential.
Whether their stay is short lived or long lasting, all members of the ISR family call Latvia “home”. ISR is an International School with a Latvian Heart. Families who are part of our community experience and celebrate Latvia as a unique country with a rich heritage. When families embark on the next phase of their life journey, they take a little piece of Latvia with them.
ISR prides itself on having strong roots into the local community through charity work and sharing both educational knowledge and resources with local schools.
At ISR, our students’ social-emotional wellbeing is at the center of everything we do. In Middle School, it takes the form of a strong Pastoral Care program. In order for the ISR mission to be a living statement, it is imperative all members of the community feel safe and secure. The emotional and social well-being of staff and students is maintained through the relationships developed, allowing members to grow and develop.
In Middle School, students are taught by a number of different teachers thus students need to know there is one teacher who is providing not just academic support but also emotional support. In Secondary, each grade has at least two advisors. The advisor provides pastoral support to all students in their advisory group. Throughout the year advisors develop a relationship with the students in their advisory group that allows the students to feel safe and supported in the school.
admissions@isriga.lv
+371 2511 9337