Middle School

11-15 YEARS

Growing together in an international community

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Middle Years Programme

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MYP

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) at International School Palermo provides a comprehensive educational framework for students aged 11 to 15 years. Our school, already accredited for the PYP (preschool and primary) since 2012, has formally applied for MYP candidacy, a natural continuation of this educational path that finds its completion in the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB). The MYP was specifically created based on a student-centered teaching approach that includes and goes beyond traditional school subjects, encouraging students to identify connections between various disciplinary areas. The program has strong consonance with the Jesuit pedagogical tradition, based on cura personalis and integral formation, in the shared conviction with IB programs: there is no instruction without education.

M1: First Year (11-12 years)

M2: Second Year (12-13 years)

M3: Third Year (13-14 years)

Key Points of the Educational Offer

A broad and balanced curriculum, with an international structure

The ISP Middle School offers an educational program based on the Middle Years Programme (MYP) of the International Baccalaureate, which combines academic rigor and international openness. Students face a wide range of subjects, distributed in eight disciplinary areas, including Language and Literature (English and Italian), Mathematics and Science, Arts, Physical Education and Design, in a path that values the educational completeness and the harmonious development of the person.

Inquiry-based teaching and interdisciplinary connection

Each subject is approached through an inquiry-based method, that is, active investigation and discovery. Students explore key concepts and themes of real-world relevance, building connections between the various disciplines and between what they learn and everyday life. The teaching units are structured in a way that encourages critical thinking, independent reflection and active involvement, thanks to guiding questions and structured research.

Global contexts and personal identity development

Teaching is organized around six global contexts, which help students understand the world, themselves and their role in society. Themes covered include identity and relationships, technological innovation, cultural expression, orientation in time and space, sustainability and global interconnectedness. This approach stimulates the development of personal and social awareness, promoting empathy, responsibility and open-mindedness.

Preparing for the future with an integrated vision of knowledge

The Middle School setting at ISP is designed as a bridge between the Primary School and the four-year High School, offering an educational continuity that promotes academic and personal success. At the end of the third year (M3), students will have acquired transversal skills that are essential for tackling the IB high school path. The program, although international, allows students to take - on a voluntary basis - also the Italian Terza Media exam, ensuring a complete and recognizable education in both systems.

The Sections

M1 – Discovering yourself and the world

M1 – Discovering yourself and the world

First Year

11 to 12 years

In the first year of Middle School, students enter the heart of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP), in a stimulating and international environment. Teaching is based on inquiry and the connection between disciplines, with the aim of guiding each child in the discovery of themselves, others and the world. Lessons are taught in English by internationally trained teachers, and the study of a third language (Spanish) opens up further cultural horizons. It is the beginning of a journey that values intellectual curiosity and builds solid foundations for personal and academic development.

M2 – Building connections and understanding

M2 – Building connections and understanding

Second Year

12 to 13 years

In the second year, students begin to consolidate transversal and disciplinary skills through increasingly complex research activities. The eight areas of the IB curriculum intertwine with stimulating global contexts, which invite students to connect what they learn with the reality that surrounds them. Teaching promotes reflection, critical thinking and autonomy in study, encouraging each child to ask meaningful questions and develop well-founded answers. The path is enriched by a constant dialogue between an international approach and attention to the person, in compliance with the Ignatian pedagogy on which the school's identity is based.

M3 – Act with awareness and look to the future

M3 – Act with awareness and look to the future

Third Year

13 to 14 years

The third year represents the full maturation of the Middle School path and preparation for the ISP high school. Students face complex and interdisciplinary activities, acquiring critical awareness and responsibility in their learning. Guided projects, assessments according to IB standards and the possibility of taking (on a voluntary basis) the Italian Third Middle School exam testify to the richness of a curriculum that combines rigor, openness and flexibility. The MYP in this phase becomes the springboard for high school education, but also an opportunity to develop one's identity as global citizens, curious, thoughtful and attentive to the common good.

What We Learn

The subjects offer a broad and balanced education. Over the three years of M1-M3, students face various themes that present many elements of interdisciplinary connection. The general flexibility of the IB curriculum designed for middle school ensures that students have access to a wide range of subjects, that subjects constantly have interdisciplinary outcomes, that the themes addressed in individual units offer connections with both local and global contexts, that teaching takes place through a variety of teaching techniques, and that there is an authentically international curriculum taught by teachers with international training.

Eight Disciplinary Areas

Language and Literature

English (1)

Year I6h
Year II5h
Year III5h

Italian (2)

Year I5h
Year II5h
Year III6h

Language Acquisition

Spanish (3)

Year I3h
Year II3h
Year III3h

Individuals and Societies

History and Geography

Year I4h
Year II5h
Year III4h

Sciences

Mathematics and Sciences

Year I8h
Year II9h
Year III8h

Arts

Visual Arts

Year I2h
Year II2h
Year III2h

Music

Year I2h
Year II2h
Year III2h

Physical and Health Education

Sport and Health Education

Year I2h
Year II2h
Year III2h

Design

Technology and Informatics

Year I3h
Year II2h
Year III3h

Total lessons per week

Year I35
Year II35
Year III35

Lessons last 50 minutes each

(1) English also provided for non-native speakers

(2) Italian also provided for non-native speakers

(3) The acquisition language may vary

How We Learn

The mission of our school is an integral part of the learning methodology and resonates in every class through the motto: 'Educating children to become responsible individuals, of sound principles, attentive to the people and things around them.' At ISP, we take care of the overall formation of students, as learners and as individuals. For each unit that makes up the MYP program, teachers choose the global context, key terms, and related concepts necessary to guide the focus of the research. Students learn through six global contexts:

Identity and relationships

Orientation in space and time

Personal and cultural expression

Scientific and technological innovation

Globalization and sustainability

Fairness and development

A Typical Day

Lessons last 50 minutes each. Total: 35 lessons per week.

08:00 AM – 08:50 AM

Lesson

08:50 AM – 09:40 AM

Lesson

09:40 AM – 10:00 AM

Break

10:00 AM – 10:50 AM

Lesson

10:50 AM – 11:40 AM

Lesson

11:40 AM – 12:30 PM

Lesson

12:30 PM – 01:20 PM

Lunch break

01:20 PM – 02:10 PM

Lesson

02:10 PM – 03:00 PM

Lesson

A typical day at ISP Middle School

Services

Canteen Service - Bar

Gonzaga Campus offers an internal cafeteria-bar service that guarantees Middle School students a healthy, balanced diet suited to their growth needs. The cafeteria offers meals prepared with care daily, with attention to the quality of ingredients, menu variety and specific dietary needs. Next to the cafeteria, there is also an internal bar, designed as a convivial and safe space for students, where selected snacks and drinks can be consumed in a calm and supervised atmosphere.

School Uniforms

The Gonzaga Store is the go-to place for custom school apparel on campus. Students can find high-quality school uniforms designed for comfort and convenience, while respecting the identity and spirit of the educational community. Through the Gonzaga Store, the school promotes a sense of belonging and representation, providing garments that are carefully detailed and suited to the needs of students.

School Psychology Service

Within our Campus, the school psychology service is present and active. The psychologists, experts in different age groups, provide 360° support and collaborate with the Institute Management, teachers and families to guarantee support and guidance for the specific needs of each individual. This service ensures comprehensive care for students' well-being and development throughout their educational journey.

Library

The Gonzaga Campus library is a precious space available to Middle School students. In addition to offering a quiet environment for reading and studying, the library houses a vast collection of modern books and educational resources useful for deepening topics covered in class. Students can access volumes in Italian, English and Spanish, useful for interdisciplinary research and IB projects. The library stimulates curiosity, critical thinking and the pleasure of knowledge.

Organization

Organization

The Middle School's academic activities take place from Monday to Friday, from 8:50 am to 3:00 pm. A supervision service is available from 7:30 to 8:50 am (pre-school care), and after classes from 3:00 to 4:15 pm (after-school care). During certain periods of the year, two afternoons per week, students can take part in optional after-school clubs (such as Lego, creativity, homework, and others) which run until 4:45 pm. A transport service is also provided to accompany students to the gyms and sports fields of Polisportiva Gonzaga for afternoon sports activities. For more information about the different sports available, please visit www.gonzagapolisportiva.it.

Admission to Middle School

Admissions follow the same timeline as the Italian school enrollment calendar. Students can enter after Italian primary school, but it is essential to have an English level that allows students to face with serenity and profit a demanding course of study in which the language of instruction is English. For this purpose, English courses are offered to those students who wish to enroll at ISP and improve their language skills. Starting from M1, thanks to their natural learning and adaptation abilities, children integrate smoothly into our environment, also benefiting from the support of bilingual assistants. For enrollment in any grade of the Middle School, it is necessary to present the student's previous school records. The variety of the MYP curriculum allows addressing themes that can be at the same time concurrent and complementary between the two systems, the Italian and the international IB. Continuation of studies: admission to the ISP high school is based on the outcome of the third year of ISP middle school and not on the Italian exams. The ISP High School, as a foreign school, is able to provide a final study title valid in Italy according to law no. 738/1986.

Admission to Middle School
Middle Years Programme

The MYP Programme

The real strength of the Middle Years Programme (MYP) in the ISP Middle School is its ability to train open minds and critical thinking through a dynamic, interdisciplinary and student-centred educational approach. Each learning unit is designed to connect disciplinary content to global themes of real relevance, stimulating personal reflection and responsible action. Thanks to active methodologies, meaningful guiding questions and structured research paths, students learn to observe the world in depth, to question their role in society and to develop autonomy, curiosity and a collaborative spirit. It is a programme that does not simply transmit knowledge, but that educates for understanding, connection and transformation. In the MYP program, students grow and develop through the method of "continuous research" that makes them open and intellectually curious. Assessment follows the IB method, rigorous and uniform throughout the world. For more information on the MYP/IB program, we invite you to visit http://www.ibo.org. Exams: ISP offers, on a voluntary basis, the Italian Third Middle School exams, which is parallel to the M3 class of the MYP curriculum.

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How to Get There

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Location

Gonzaga Campus is located in the heart of Palermo, at Via Piersanti Mattarella 38/42 – CAP 90141. The central location makes it easily accessible both by car and by public transport. It is well connected with the main urban bus lines and is a few minutes' walk from Viale della Libertà and Piazza Croci. For those arriving from outside the city, the central station is about 15 minutes away, while Falcone-Borsellino Airport can be reached in about 30 minutes by car.

Address

Via Piersanti Mattarella 38/42, 90141 Palermo, Italy