Families were wowed by our Year 6 Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibitions last week. The exhibition showcased our Year 6s learning journey as they worked collaboratively over two months to inquire into real-life issues they are passionate about and the actions they’ve taken in our community to make a difference. Topics ranged from inclusion and diversity, community connections, disadvantaged communities and First Nations culture to animal welfare and environmental concerns.

The confidence with which each student talked about their learning, their call to action and challenges they faced was absolutely inspiring and demonstrated true curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning. Topics ranged from inclusion and diversity, animal welfare, community connections and First Nations culture to environmental concerns and disadvantaged communities.

For our students, one of the highlights of the PYP Exhibition program was hearing guest speakers share their stories about making a positive impact on the world. We are so grateful to the guest speakers and not-for-profit organisations whose insights and experiences truly inspired our students and enriched their learning journey, including RSPCA Victoria, The Big Issue, Victoria Police, PROJECT ROCKIT, Melbourne Indigenous Transition School, All Abilities Public Speaking, The Intersection Urban Learning and Ambulance Victoria. This input from local and global community experts is a unique way of enabling real-life connections for students, as well as sparking their curiosity for enquiry.

The IB (International Baccalaureate) programme is divided into three parts across a student’s educational life, beginning with the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for students between the ages of three and 12. Integrated within subject areas are six transdisciplinary themes: who we are, where we are in place and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organise ourselves and sharing the planet.

The PYP programme culminates with the Year 6 PYP Exhibition, a student-led collaborative experience where participants are given the opportunity over two months to explore, document and evidence their understanding of an issue or area of personal significance and the enquiry learning process.

“PYP is about empowering individuals to understand that they can create positive change in the world, be it big or small to make it a better place for all,” says Jacinta Crimmins, Head of Teaching & Learning PYP at our Malvern Campus. “Our school community is wide, and we can utilise this to support learners throughout the process in a variety of ways, such as mentoring and developing productive networks.”

“There are so many advantages and opportunities for lifelong learning and skill development through the PYP Exhibition. They work towards taking action from their learning that may be through the lens of social entrepreneurship, social justice, lifestyle choices, advocacy or participation in a way that helps realise that, at any age and in a variety of ways, they too can make a difference.”

We’re so proud of our students’ hard work, dedication and commitment to creating positive change. The future is bright with these young leaders at the helm!