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New Lebanon School re-opened in 2009 as a fourth-grade magnet school and began implementing the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. The authorization process required candidate schools to teach the program for at least one year, participate in professional learning opportunities, submit a comprehensive application for authorization and host site visits by International Baccalaureate officials.
New Lebanon is the third school in the Greenwich Public Schools district to offer International Baccalaureate programs, joining Western Middle School and the International School at Dundee.
“This great honor is a culmination of many years of hard work by the teachers, parents and students at the New Lebanon School," New Lebanon Principal Barbara Riccio said in the release. "Our teachers took on the rigorous demands of the International Baccalaureate inquiry-based model of instruction above and beyond their Greenwich Public Schools responsibilities. We are a proud community today and look forward to continuing to develop our internationally-minded students tomorrow.”
The school's staff received a number of commendations in the IB authorization report for practices that went “beyond the requirements for authorization and will benefit the implementation of the program.” Of particular note, New Lebanon received the following commendations:
“The school’s commitment to a constructivist, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning that promotes inquiry and the development of critical thinking skills is evident through classroom discussions, displays and resources, teacher planning, general policies and practices in the school."
“The school has built a stimulating learning environment based on understanding and respect throughout the school community.”
International Baccalaureate is a non-profit educational foundation with four programs for students aged 3 to 19 help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. Founded in 1968, the organization currently works with 3,496 schools in 144 countries.
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