The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. IB learners strive to model the 10 traits of the IB learner profile. Our Middle School students and teachers created these images and definitions to explain them (click to enlarge):

Welcome to Soundview Middle School!
Engaged. Holistic. Excitement. Mentored. Global. Hands-on. These are just a few words that describe what goes on at Soundview Middle School. Students in 6th through 8th grade are going through a very important and formative period in their lives. Each and every day, Soundview Middle School teachers bring their passion for learning to life. Whether discussing philosophy, learning life-long applications in Singapore Math, or exploring our earth, Soundview students are energized with new ideas and concepts. Congruent with the Soundview philosophy, the middle school curriculum is arts-rich, with visual arts, concert band, and special project emphasis on drama three to four times per week. Soundview Middle School is a vibrant environment with small class sizes and a thriving population.

What does an IB MYP Classroom look like?
Soundview School Middle School teachers meet regularly to go over the curriculum and unit plans. Check out this MYP Classroom PowerPoint to find out more!

Student Experience
Who am I? Where do I belong? What kind of world do I live in? And how should I live in this world? These are the questions at the core of our middle school program. Students’ schedules are designed to give time to the exploration of these questions, with consistent core class time and a variety of specialty courses, including art, concert band, Spanish, technology, and library/media. Each day is arranged differently to provide for interesting juxtapositions and connections of ideas and disciplines.

In addition, every Friday, all students spend an hour in creative project work time. Each trimester a professional instructor leads students through an in-depth and innovative working process. Recent projects include claymation filmmaking and dramatic performance. In their transition from the Primary Years Program, students experience the continuity of class meetings, advisory, interdisciplinary thinking, music, art, and Spanish. At the same time, they are coached and given purposeful opportunities in the practice of newly discovered independence. With this value at the forefront, class sizes stay below fourteen.

Students also have the opportunity to take their growth, learning, and work to the outdoor environment. Soundview grounds include a playfield and play areas, a greenhouse, and a beautiful outdoor amphitheater.

International Baccalaurreate in Practice
At the foundation of the IB MYP is proficiency in the fundamental skills of literacy and numeracy. Middle school students practice and apply these skills and processes daily in a multitude of ways. We know that students learn by doing. So we value time for reading, writing, thinking, speaking, experimenting, calculating, exercising, and being creative.

IB MYP means interdisciplinary. Core and specialty class are aligned through grade-level themes and the IB’s Areas of Interaction (AOI). Specialty classes, including visual arts and band are scheduled several times a week. Visual art is intended to inspire perspective, problem solving, and communication. Band and music are excellent for developing emotionally and culturally; it builds self-esteem, positive peer interactions, and individual identity. Soundview teachers spend more than two hours per week in formal collaborative planning.

Grade-Level Theme
6th: Origins and Explorations
7th: Foundations and Applications
8th: Ethics and Leadership

Areas of Interaction
Approaches To Learning (how to think and learn)
Community and service
Environment
Human Ingenuity
Health and Social Education

This means, for example, in a unit based on Environments, when students are studying the formation of the earth in science, they’re reading and writing stories that help humans make sense of the power and importance of their local environments, while learning about the mathematical phenomena that appear in the natural world around us. 

Culminating Experiences
Beyond the classroom, students have a variety of experiences and opportunities to apply and explore the themes and AOIs, including:

• Middle school Book Week
• Service Trips: Dominican Republic Orphanage Outreach
• Learning Trips: Washington DC
• Peace & Conflict Workshop through Axis of Hope
• Project Nights
• Computer Programming
• Science Symposium
• Declamation
• Art Field Trips to places like the Seattle Art Museum
• Music & Band Performances and Competitions with and at other schools
• After-School Activities & Athletics
  • Chess Club and Tournaments
  • Quiz Bowl
  • Cooking Club
  • Private Music Lessons
  • Ultimate

Beyond Middle School
Soundview is establishing and nurturing relationships with top high school programs in the area. With an understanding of the requirements and habits of mind necessary for success in rigorous high schools, we prepare students with weekly essay writing, timed writing, regular mathematical assessment, discussion and practice in social challenges, appropriate homework load, application of the scientific method, math test-taking skills, and ISEE/SAT vocabulary development. We also work with students on their application essays, interviews, and understanding of their own learning styles.

Program Pedigree
In addition to certification and graduate degrees, the MYP teachers have extensive and ongoing professional development:
Positive Discipline
Critical Thinking
International Baccalaureate
Discipline-specific training
Classroom practice