International Baccalaureate - St. Louis Park Middle School

The concepts of community, diversity, inclusion, compassion, and culturally relevant practices permeate and frame the work of all members in the school community.

In 2022-2023, all IB schools in the St. Louis Park district participated in a formal self-study and evaluation process. This included hosting an external panel of evaluators which gathered feedback from the global educational community on various aspects of our campus.

Our Middle School is dedicated to providing all students with opportunities to:

Enroll in eight subjects each year.
Develop the IB learner profile attributes.
Reflect on a variety of learning skills.
Engage in the many standards and practices of IB World Schools.

The IB Continuum of International Education

The IB continuum of international education, for students aged 3 to 19, is unique because of its academic and personal rigor. It challenges students to excel in their studies and personal growth while inspiring a lifelong quest for learning marked by enthusiasm and empathy.

The IB’s Vision:
The IB aims to help schools develop well-rounded students who:

Respond to challenges with optimism and an open mind.
Are confident in their own identities.
Make ethical decisions.
Join with others to celebrate our common humanity.
Apply what they learn in real-world, complex, and unpredictable situations.

An IB Education Offers:

Focus on learners:
- The IB’s student-centered programs promote healthy relationships, ethical responsibility, and personal challenge.
Effective teaching and learning approaches:
- Programs develop attitudes and skills needed for academic and personal success.
Global contexts:
- IB programs increase understanding of languages and cultures while exploring globally significant ideas and issues.
Significant content:
- The curriculum is broad and balanced, conceptual, and connected.

Informed by the IB Learner Profile, students strive to embody attributes such as being inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective. These attributes go beyond intellectual development to include a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities.

The IB Middle Years Programme

Addresses students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being holistically.
Provides opportunities for students to develop knowledge, attitudes, and skills to manage complexity and take responsible action for the future.
Ensures breadth and depth of understanding through study in eight subject groups.
Requires the study of at least two languages to enhance cultural understanding.
Empowers students to participate in community service.
Prepares students for further education, the workplace, and lifelong learning.

The MYP consists of eight subject groups:

Language acquisition
Language and literature
Individuals and societies
Sciences
Mathematics
Arts
Physical and health education
Design

Community Projects

A hallmark of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is the community project. This project focuses on community and service, encouraging students to explore their right and responsibility to take action in their community.

All eighth-grade students at the Middle School will complete a community project. Through this project, students will:

Develop awareness of needs in different communities.
Address those needs through service learning.
Engage in a sustained, in-depth inquiry that leads to meaningful service as action.

What is the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP)?

The MYP, designed for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of learning that encourages creative, critical, and reflective thinking. It emphasizes intellectual challenge by connecting traditional subjects to the real world and fosters skills like communication, intercultural understanding, and global engagement—qualities essential for future global leaders.

The MYP accommodates most national or local curriculum requirements, builds upon the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), and prepares students for the challenges of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) or the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).

Contact Information:

Mia Waldera, IB-MYP Coordinator
Phone: 952-928-6349
Email: waldera.mia@slpschools.org