Grade 6 to Grade 10

Nurturing Individual Strengths

We have proudly hosted the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) for nearly 30 years which makes use one of the oldest MYP schools globally. This experience has allowed us to build a meaningful curriculum that is relevant to all students in our care.

The MYP is in a wonderful position in that it bridges the gap between the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the IB Diploma Programme (DP). Being a continuum school, we have a well-structured curriculum that sets students up for success in the next Programme and beyond.

Within the MYP, students engage with their learning through Global Contexts, fostering connections between their studies and the world around them. At the heart of the MYP are the Service as Action and Personal Project components, which empower students to demonstrate their learning in authentic and impactful ways.

Frederico Seco

Middle Years Programme Coordinator

The Middle Years Programme at St. Dominic's

The IB Middle Years Programme is designed for students aged 11 to 16 and is a student-centered programme that encourages your child to become a creative, critical and reflective thinker. The MYP builds on the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed by the IB Primary Years Programme and prepares students for the demanding requirements of the IB Diploma Programme.

The IB Middle Years Programme is organised around concepts, themes, perspective and fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement – essential qualities for young people who are becoming global leaders.

At St. Dominic’s International School we emphasise intellectual challenge, whilst encouraging students to make connections between their classroom studies in the traditional eight subject groups and the real world. We give students the opportunity to build confidence in managing their own learning, supporting and motivating them to go further.

Since this is a critical phase of personal and intellectual development, our broad and balanced programme also offers opportunities for students to be actively involved in the community, promoting environmental responsibility in an ever changing world.

Service as Action

MYP students must participate each year in service with and for their community. Through engagement with Service as Action, MYP students can have a positive difference in the lives of others and the world around them.

Through their community service, MYP students pursue important objectives for personal growth:

Become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth
Undertake challenges that develop new skills
Discuss, evaluate and plan student-initiated activities
Persevere in action
Work collaboratively with others
Develop international-mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding
Consider ethical implications of their actions

Personal Project

The MYP Personal Project is a student-centered and age-appropriate practical exploration in which students consolidate their learning throughout the programme. This long-term project is designed as an independent learning experience.

The personal project formally assesses students' ATL skills for self-management, research, communication, critical and creative thinking, and collaboration.

Assessment in the MYP

Students participating in the MYP complete a range of school-based summative assessments that demonstrate achievement against specific criteria.

In the MYP, this internal assessment focuses less on content coverage, delivering instead a more comprehensive view of students' conceptual understanding, subject-specific skills, and their ability to transfer knowledge to unfamiliar situations.

In order to obtain the IB MYP certificate, in their last year of the MYP, students must be successful in:

Five on-screen examinations which are individually, externally marked, in Mathematics, Language and Literature, Sciences, Individuals and Societies, plus an interdisciplinary assessment
One ePortfolio from a course of study in language acquisition, which is internally marked and externally moderated (dynamic sampling)
One ePortfolio from a course in physical and health education, arts, or design, which is internally marked and externally moderated (dynamic sampling)
Personal Project, which is internally marked and externally moderated (dynamic sampling)
Meet school's expectations for community service.

Today's students are increasingly digitally aware and engaged with technology. To meet their needs, the MYP offers a range of innovative eAssessments (external assessments) that go beyond traditional examinations. MYP eAssessments focus on conceptual understanding and the ability to apply knowledge in complex, unfamiliar situations.

MYP eAssessments helps schools make robust and reliable judgements about students' development as global learners, their ability to transfer understanding to unfamiliar situations, and their capacity to connect academic study with the world beyond the classroom.

Language Acquisition

Language and Literature

Individuals and Society

Sciences

Mathematics

Arts

Design

Physical and Health Education

The MYP subject groups

Options

In the last two years of the MYP, grade 9 and grade 10, students have a number of choices in the subjects they wish to study.

These choices are important not only with regards to their MYP Assessments and ePortfolios which they will take at the end of Grade 10 but may also impact their future study options in the IB Diploma Programme, as well as university.

IB Learner Profile at St. Dominic's

At the heart of the MYP is the IB Learner Profile, a set of attributes that are continuously developed from Nursery all the way through to Grade 12. The Learner Profile is developed throughout the school, inside and outside of the classroom, including on the playground. All teachers in the school - whether it's a language lesson, a math lesson, looking at some science concepts or social studies - will be looking at the learner profile.

The Learner Profile exemplifies the HOLISTIC development of the student, and supports our MISSION of NURTURING INTERNATIONALLY-MINDED PEOPLE prepared to make a difference in the world.