Guild of IB Schools of the Northeast

24 IB World Schools make U.S. News & World Report's Top 100

Tue, 15 May 2012 04:25:00 +0000

GIBS is proud to have so many of our schools recognized for the 2012 U.S News & World Report's Top 100. Congratulations to all of our member schools! Below, please find the full press release from the International Baccalaureate.

IB Features Prominently in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best High Schools” 2012 Bethesda, MD, 9 May, 2012 --

The International Baccalaureate® (IB), a non-profit educational organization with 1346 IB World Schools in the United States and 774 U.S. high schools offering the Diploma Programme, is proud to announce that 24 IB World Schools, nearly one in four, have been named to the U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the top 100 high schools in America. IB’s challenging program helps focus students on a goal and creates a mindset that inspires achievement.

The 2012 rankings include data on nearly 22,000 public high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia. Considering that the IB Diploma Programme is offered in approximately three percent of all 22,000 public high schools, the IB enjoys an outsized representation among the Top 25. Fully 44 percent of the top 25 Public High Schools in the U.S. are IB World Schools, including the No. 1 magnet school in the country, Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy (CIBA).

“High schools recognize the strong value that a high quality educational program like the International Baccalaureate brings to their communities. The U.S. News & World Report’s “2012 Best High School Rankings” is a testament to the efforts of public schools that make use of the well-rounded IB curriculum with its emphasis on strong analytical thinking, math, writing, and language skills to equip students for college readiness and future success,” said Drew Deutsch, Director of IB Americas.

International Academy (IA) in Oakland County, Michigan ranked No. 5 on U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools Rankings. IA runs one of the largest Diploma Programmes in the country and was the first public high school in North America to offer the IB Diploma Programme school-wide. “100 percent of IA students go on to attend college and we give great credit to our IB certified teachers who have over 390 combined years of experience,” said Lynne Gibson, Head of School at IA. The popular IB Diploma Programme at IA expanded by 90 students this year and expects 304 students to graduate with the prestigious IB Diploma recognized at over 1100 universities in North America.

Link to the full listing: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools

2012 GIBS Greetings and President's Message

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:20:00 +0000

March 7, 2012

Dear IB Colleagues,

On behalf of our committed and caring GIBS Board of Directors, I extend my very best wishes to you and to your IB faculty and students during this 2012 school year. I am Albert A. Penna, newly appointed President of the Guild of IB Schools of the Northeastern U.S. I am honored and privileged to be serving you and your school and I pledge to do my very best to lead our Association as we collaborate to “promote and develop International Baccalaureate Programs in our Region of the United States.” (GIBS Mission Statement, 1998)

It has been over a month since members of our Association gathered in New York City at our Annual GIBS Conference. January’s gathering was especially significant, as it marked the 10th anniversary of our Annual GIBS Conferences. Our birthday celebration was memorable, enriching, and full of great fun, as we lauded and extended our gratitude to our GIBS “Founding Fathers”—David Weiss, Anthony Foster, and Sal Sinito, upon whose shoulders we now stand.

We will forever be blessed and indebted to have been guided these past 2 years in GIBS by our past President, Dr. Cathy Battaglia, of Buffalo S.D. Cathy’s adroit leadership, incessant energy, and palpable passion for the IB have propelled GIBS forward into the 21st Century. Her educational wisdom and appreciation for the “human condition” has inspired all of us to be better educators and better human beings. She has laid a good path for me to follow and lead. We thank you, Cathy.

As I begin my new term of office in GIBS, I look forward to learning more about you and your IB school. I have served as Principal of Binghamton High School in Upstate New York since 1992. BHS, a small city public school, has had the IB Diploma Program since 1996, and we were the first U.S. pilot school to feature the International Baccalaureate Career Certificate in 2006. Binghamton Schools became authorized in 2008 to offer the IB Middle Years Program. I have had the privilege of teaming with Dr. Patty Gazda-Grace, our current GIBS Director of Conference Planning and Professional Development, as she capably led our IBDP as Coordinator from 1996-2011. I am hopeful that my 12 years of voluntary service on the IBO Board of Governors, Heads Council, IB N. America Board, and IBO Research Committee has provided me with the vision and skill sets necessary to embark our GIBS School Community on a new journey.

As you are aware, IB Director General Jeff Beard’s “VISION 2020” in 2007 provided the Organization with a robust platform that currently makes the IB the leading international educational program in the world. Our GIBS Board of Directors looks forward to building on this global vision for our 9-State Association in 2012-2014.

Upcoming GIBS Events

Please mark your calendars as we announce two exciting GIBS Conference events over the course of the next year:

April 28, 2012 – Long Beach, Long Island
GIBS Orientation Seminar (DP/MYP/PYP/IBCC). The conference is open to all prospective IB schools. Download the registration form.
January 4/5th, 2013 – Boston, MA
We are relocating our Annual GIBS Conference to Boston for 2013. The Conference theme is “Teaching for Understanding.” An exciting list of speakers includes Dr. David Perkins, Dr. Steven Hreha, Director General Jeff Beard, and IB Americas Regional Director Drew Deutsch. We expect to exceed our efforts from the January New York City Conference, as we relocate our Annual Conference to Boston, proximal to our ever expanding IB New England Region.

In addition to these two GIBS Conferences, we will be offering our traditional IB Roundtables and Workshops in the Western, Metro, and New England GIBS Hub Centers this year. We ask that you do your best to be in attendance at these GIBS sponsored professional development events this year.

GIBS Executive Board Highlights

You will be pleased to know that your GIBS Executive Board is very forward thinking as we focus on discovering better ways to serve our member schools.

Here is a short list of “talking points” as we collaborate to take GIBS to a new level of functioning as an IB Association”:

Development of a GIBS Strategic Plan “VISION 2020 – GIBS” to expand IB initiatives in our 9-State Region.
Using our new “GIBS School Satisfaction Survey” as a research tool.
Improving IB Diploma college/university recognition in our GIBS Region.
Providing GIBS schools with high quality Professional Development and extant educational research information.
Establishing strong linkages with Statehouse and Departments of Education on IB Programs.
GIBS as an advocacy and support center for our IB schools.
Promoting and sharing best educational practices within our Association.
Expanding IB school growth in our 9-state Region.
Communicating/disseminating “GIBS Good News Stories” within our Community (e.g. awards, school recognition, media releases, photos).
Ongoing GIBS website upgrading.

A Bright Future for GIBS

Each of us in our GIBS Community has the ability and capacity to make a difference—to recruit more students into our IB Programs, to “adopt” a nearby college/university to improve IBDP recognition, to define purpose and meaning to others about the IB Mission Statement, and to ensure that the IB Learner Profile is a living document in our schools. There is much that we can accomplish together in our Association this school year.

I will leave you with a timeless quote from Dr. George Walker, former Director General of the International Baccalaureate:

“Young people are not only entitled to have the best possible education, they are entitled to be prepared to embrace and comprehend the greater world beyond.”

I, too, believe this and am excited and committed to be serving and leading you in GIBS.

Very best regards,

Albert A. Penna, Ed.D.
President, Board of Directors

2012 Annual Conference Wrap-up

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Thank you to all who participated in the GIBS Annual Conference. The conference was a great success due, in large part, to the energy and enthusiam of our membership.

If you participated, please take a moment and share with us some of your thoughts about how we can ameliorate the conference experience. The evaluation form is located at on this site at: http://www.gibsib.org/conferenceevaluation.htm.

The following presentations and handouts from our presenters are available in the documents section of our website at: http://www.gibsib.org/apps/documents/ listed under GIBS Annual Conference 2012.

"Developments in the Diploma Programme" - Presented by: Michael Leshner
"An Update on the IBO" - Presented by: Jeffrey Beard

A performance from The Dwight School's Timothy House PYP student chorus at the GIBS Annual Conference 7 January 2012.

And remember, we are looking for pictures, testimonials, best practices, and/or student products to add to our website so that we may continue to share with one another throughout the year.

2012 Annual Conference Agenda

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:00:00 +0000

GIBS - The Association of IB World Schools of the Northeastern United States
Winter Conference for Administrators and Coordinators
January 6 and 7, 2012
Doubletree Guest Suites @ Times Square (7th Ave. & 47th Street)\

Conference Agenda

Friday, January 6

8:30 AM – 3:30 PM in Hudson Ballroom
Pre-Conference Session
Dr. Lynn Erickson
(Pre-registration required)
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM General Registration – 6th Floor
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Plenary Session – Hudson Ballroom
Welcome and Conference Overview
Dr. Catherine Battaglia, President of GIBS

Featured Speaker: Dr. Siva Kumari
“Implications of the US Common Core Curriculum and Race to the Top Developments – How Are The IB Schools Impacted?”

Saturday, January 7

7:30 AM – 9:00 AM Late Registration – 6th Floor
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Breakfast – 6th Floor
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM General Session I
Welcome and Introductions
Dr. Catherine Battaglia, President of GIBS
“A Vision of Where We Are Heading As an Association”
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM General Session II
Keynote Speaker
Jeffrey Beard, Director General, IBO
“An Update on the IBO”
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM GIBS Annual Membership Meeting
President’s Report; Nominations; Budget Adoption;
Announcements
10:30 – 10:50 AM Break
10:50AM – 11:50 AM Concurrent Workshops

PYP – Nelyda Miguel in Hudson 1
“Assessing Conceptual Understanding”
MYP – Helene Timms in Times Square Room
“MYP – The Next Chapter”
DP – Michael Leshner in Hudson 2 and 3
“An Update on the DP”

11:50 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch – Off Broadway Restaurant
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM General Session III
Concurrent Workshops -- Continued

PYP – Nelyda Miguel in Hudson 1
MYP – Helene Timms in Times Square Room
DP – Michael Leshner in Hudson 2 and 3

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Meetings

DP Coordinators and Administrators Meeting
Hudson 2 and 3
MYP Coordinators and Administrators Meeting
Times Square Room
PYP Coordinators and Administrators Meeting
Hudson 1

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Closing Session – Hudson Ballroom
Report from the Hubs
Conference Adjourns

Biography of Presenters

Dr. Siva Kumari
Dr Siva Kumari has been appointed as the new chief operating officer (COO) of the IB schools division, which was formed in January 2009 to provide consistency in cost-effective, dependable and quality services to IB World Schools across the world.
Siva joined the IB in April 2009 as regional director of IB Asia-Pacific in Singapore, bringing substantial leadership experience and sterling academic credentials. She has played a pivotal role in strengthening and expanding the services that the IB offers in a culturally rich region that spans over 20 countries.
Backed by an experienced and knowledgeable team, Siva has focused on providing exemplary service for both evaluation and authorization, offering professional development and strengthening recognition efforts to ensure that IB programmes are understood by universities wherever students seek post-IB education.

Jeffrey Beard

Jeffrey R Beard joined the International Baccalaureate® (IB) in September 2005 and became director general in January 2006, following the retirement of George Walker.
Born and educated in the United States, Jeffrey Beard graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1972 with a bachelor of science in analytical management, and has two graduate degrees, including an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, WI. His business career included roles of increasing responsibility in several multinational corporations where he developed his cross-functional management experience and understanding of strategic planning, thinking and delivery. His decision to move to the IB represented an opportunity for him to "give something back"; to leave the business world and apply his management knowledge and experience to international education, an area to which he is greatly committed.

Nelyda Miguel

Nelyda Miguel is the PYP/MYP Coordinator and Dean of Curriculum and Instruction at the Whitby School in Connecticut. She is a sought after presenter for the PYP. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Nely holds three graduate degrees: Special Education & Administration from Teachers College and an MA in Media and Technology from Fairfield University. Nely has served as a Special Education teacher, media specialist, and PYP and MYP Coordinator. Since 2005, Nely has served as a mentor, evaluator and workshop leader for IB.

Heleen Timms

Heleen's experience in the MYP started as MYP coordinator in the Netherlands, at a school that had an international section as well as a Dutch section, which followed the national curriculum. She has now worked with the IB for six years, first as MYP associate regional manager and MYP regional manager for the Africa, Europe and Middle East region at the IB Geneva office and currently as Head of global school services for MYP at the IB Bethesda office. Although Heleen is Dutch, moving to the US was a return of sorts as she lived in Bethesda for six years when she was young and attended high school there, moving on to the Netherlands after that to complete a degree in economics at the University of Groningen.

Michael Leshner

Michael Leshner is the Development and Outreach Manager for IB Americas. Prior to joining the IB, Michael taught IB English and IB Film in two public high schools outside of Washington, DC. Michael served as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador from 2000 to 2002, and holds a Master's Degree in Secondary Education from George Washington University and a Bachelor's Degree in English from Franklin & Marshall College.

Heads Council Elections 2012

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Dear Heads of Schools,

Dr. Al Penna is, once again, is up for reelection as a representative Head for Heads Council from our GIBS Region. Al has served on Heads Council for 9 consecutive years as advisory to the Director General in an effort to speak/voice concerns for US public IB Schools. This upcoming election is an important one for the IB Organization. IB Schools need Heads at the HC table who understand the IB Programs and the needs of our schools. If elected, we know that Al will continue to voice concerns on behalf of our GIBS region.

For the first time, voting will take place electronically, via Survey Monkey. It is very simple and quick.

Below, please read carefully the voting rules and procedures sent by Chris Charleson, Chair, Heads Council:

There are TWO vacancies to be filled in the Americas region. The successful candidates will serve for a three-year term of office (1st January 2012 - 31st December 2014).
Votes can only be cast for candidates on the list.
Each head of school can vote for up to three candidates, regardless of the number of vacancies.
Only one head per school has the right to vote. In the case of a school having a different head per programme, it is the responsibility of the school to decide which head will have the right to vote. The system will allow for only one head per school to access the poll, disallowing others from the same school.
The candidates polling the most valid votes will be declared elected. All votes (whether first, second or third preferences) will be counted as equal votes; in the case of a tie, the number of no.1 votes would then be considered, and if still a tie, the no. 2 votes only, and so on.
It is recommended that voters take into account gender, geographical balance and representation of the three IB programmes.

The electronic voting process will be take place from 28 October to 11 November 2011. Results will be declared by 18 November 2011. Please use the unique link emailed to you directly from the IBO in order to vote today.

Thanks for your participation!

Cathy Battaglia, President, GIBS

Greetings and Welcome Back to a new school year!

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:50:00 +0000

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of our Board of Directors, I send along good wishes for a successful beginning to your school year. As we prepare for this new academic year, I wanted to share some things to think about and some exciting news for GIBS.

Back in January, I attended the annual meeting of the IB Americas Regional Associations in Bethesda, MD. One of the wonderful new ideas that we were introduced to was the IB Employee Profile, a set of aspirational qualities that adapt the IB Learner Profile for professionals. I believe that these qualities are important not only for IB staff members but for all IB schools. They act to inspire and motivate teachers, administrators, and support personnel by providing a statement of aims and values that, combined, paint a picture of what an IB professional should look like.

Passion for the IB mission
Impact and influence
International-mindedness
Managing and Developing Self and Others
Decision making
Driving to improve
Delivering results
Stakeholder focus
Teamwork
Organizational development

As you launch into the new school year, consider how you might incorporate these qualities into your personal and professional work with colleagues and stakeholders. Below this message, I’ve included the complete list of profiles with full descriptions, I recommend posting the attributes in and around the school to remind everyone that we are always learning and working together to grow and improve.

The GIBS Board has been putting the qualities of the Employee Profile to work to ameliorate service to our schools. We met recently to restructure our business and transition to a new team of staff that will help the organization builds its capacity for growth and renewal in the upcoming years. To this end, we need some additional feedback from our member schools, please complete our newest member survey to share your thoughts and ideas with the GIBS board.

Here are some highlights of our most recent changes:

New Address
Please inform your business office of our new address:
GIBS
PO Box 2615
Binghamton, NY 13902-2615

Upcoming Events
We are thrilled to announce two exciting events in the coming season. On October 22, 2011, GIBS will be offering an Orientation Seminar at The Connecticut IB Academy in East Hartford, CT. Orientation Seminars are one-day sessions that are designed for school officials and leaders who are investigating the feasibility of bringing the IB to their schools. We are especially excited to include a special session on the IB Career-related Certificate, the IB’s new vocational program. If you or any local colleagues are interested in attending this event, please visit our website for registration details at www.gibsib.org. We encourage you to share this opportunity widely within your local community.

The second event that we would like to share is the Annual GIBS Meeting and Conference at the Doubletree Hotel in Times Square, January 6 & 7, 2012. The 2012 conference is going to be our best yet. We have an exciting addition to our schedule, a full-day pre-conference session with Dr Lynn Ericson. Lynn is an international education consultant and a recognized presenter in the areas of concept-based curriculum design, teaching for deep understanding, and standards alignment. Please check out the GIBS website for additional information and registration at www.gibsib.org.

Position Changes
Our longtime Treasurer and Conference Chair, Sal Sinito, has retired from his post, we wish him well in his retirement. In lieu of filling Sal’s very large shoes, we have separated his role into two positions: Treasurer, and Professional Development Coordinator. Our new Treasurer, Robert (Bob) Gazda, will handle anything that has to do with money, so expect to hear from him soon about your membership dues. Bob is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction coordinating, Math, Science and Technology as well as the IBCC Coordinator for Binghamton High School. Dr. Patty Gazda-Grace (Bob’s sister) has assumed the new post of Professional Development Coordinator. Patty recently retired from the Binghamton City School District as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Binghamton City School District coordinating English, Reading and History, as well as the IB Diploma Coordinator for Binghamton High School. In this new role, Patty will be reviewing and enhancing our roundtables and bringing best practices in the field of professional development to all GIBS events.

Anthony Foster who has single-handedly assumed all responsibility for connecting us through the GIBS website has accepted a new role on the board as our GIBS Historian. The Board agreed that it is time to upgrade the website so that it will provide our membership with access to important information and also serve to connect our community. To respond to this need, we’ve hired Daniel Paccione, as our new Director of Communications focusing on the website, membership outreach and communication. Daniel is also the International Educational Programs Manager for EF Education First; prior to this role he was the Development and Outreach Services Manager at IB Americas. We hope to launch our new website in the end of September.

Additionally, we would like to wish warm congratulations to David Weiss, Past-President and Co-Founder of GIBS for his recent appointment to Superintendent of Long Beach School District on Long Island.

In conclusion, in Howard Gardner’s book, Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet (2001), he describes good work as that which is excellent, ethical, and energizing. For me, the IB brings together all these elements and leaves me feeling, at the end of the day, that I have not only executed my duties expertly, but I have “worked the work,” as we say, thoughtfully and responsibly. This is what the IB does for me, and why is gives me such great pleasure to work with all of you who share this passion. I hope you have a smooth start to the opening of school, and I hope that you will take part in many of the wonderful events that we have planned for the fall semester. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Cheers!

Cathy Battaglia
President, Board of Directors

P.S. Please don’t forget to complete the GIBS Member Survey.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGRYbnZKUTRfc2pqX1dYaVZGVWU2Zmc6MA#gid=0

The Attributes of the Employee Profile:

Passion for the IB mission - Aligning behavior to the needs, priorities and goals of the IB and inspiring passion for the IB mission.
International-mindedness- Culturally aware and respectful, having a global outlook, identifying opportunities for global working.
Decision making- Exploring and identifying the best and most ethical approach, taking personal responsibility, meeting challenges and resolving problems.
Delivering results- Having accountability for work and managing time and resources effectively, delivering results to a high standard and taking responsibility for own actions.
Teamwork- Working to support and develop collaboration within and across teams through leadership.
Impact and influence- Communicating with understanding, confidence, clarity and effectiveness and having a positive impact on others.
Managing and Developing Self and Others- Managing and developing self, supporting or managing the performance, development and well-being of others to achieve organizational goals and support the IB community.
Driving to improve- Having the courage, forethought and independence of spirit to use change and/or continuous development to drive organizational improvements and organizational learning in a socially responsible manner.
Stakeholder focus-Always acting to discover, meet and exceed the needs of the IB’s current and future internal and external stakeholders.
Organizational development- Developing and/or implementing the IB’s strategic plan to meet the medium and long term needs, mission and values of the organization.