We thank EBI for sponsoring 510families.com.
Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (EBI) offers a multilingual, international education in the heart of the East Bay. The Middle School program is rooted in service and action, providing students opportunities to make real-world connections through conceptual understanding.
Students with demonstrated strength in academics and curiosity for language and culture are participating in EBI’s academically rigorous, international program as they are inspired to engage with the changing world.
Visit their website to learn more about the program and to schedule a tour >>
EBI’s International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme
The backbone of the EBI middle school program is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). The MYP provides a framework of learning that encourages students to become innovative, critical and reflective thinkers. It emphasizes intellectual challenge and encourages students to make connections between their studies and the real world. EBI is the only school on the West Coast that is authorized to offer both the Primary Years Programme and the Middle Years Programme in Spanish and English for the International Baccalaureate. The IB framework focuses on developing internationally-minded young people who will thrive in a diverse, changing world with character and empathy.
EBI’s Middle School offers:
- Two language tracks:
- Spanish-English bilingual track with Mandarin as the language of acquisition
- Spanish Language Acquisition Track, designed for students with no prior Spanish
- An inquiry-based approach to learning
- STEAM curriculum
- Personalized learning plans
- Integrated socio-emotional programming
- Integrated executive function programming
- Strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion practices
EBI Philosophy
The language immersion model coupled with the IB Middle Years Programme reflects the school’s core values of educational excellence, international mindedness, character, diversity, and multilingualism. All EBI middle school students take classes in Spanish and classes in English, which allows them a rich linguistic experience that is both academic and full of real-world communication. There is a myriad of cognitive and social benefits to learning in a second language. Becoming proficient in another language is a wonderful way to have a foot in multiple worlds and experience cultures firsthand. The richness of language and curriculum is further enhanced at EBI by the teachers, who represent 15 different countries with different linguistic and cultural roots.
The Language Acquisition Track is structured for students to study subjects in Spanish as a cohort for 25% of their time and then join the balance of students in the regular Middle Years Programme for subjects taught in English. Students in this track attend six accelerated Spanish language classes a week. Additionally, they attend physical education and art as an immersion experience in Spanish. As students’ language skills progress, they may be eligible to take additional courses in Spanish.
Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in the United States and California.
Across the world, Mandarin, English, and Spanish are among the top five languages spoken. In the United States, amongst people ages 5 and older, Spanish is the most spoken non-English language with more than 41 million speakers. In a state like California, where ~30% of the people speak Spanish, having a deep understanding of the language and culture of Spanish-speaking people just makes sense.
“We are living in unprecedented times; empathy and preparation are more important now than ever. Our diverse community, together with the high academic standards and multilingualism curriculum of our International Baccalaureate, develop students that are knowledgeable, inquiring, and caring, ready to make the world a better place,” says Head of Middle School, Raquel Vizcaino.
Spanish is a language for today and a language for tomorrow!
Experience EBI
Join EBI for one of its many opportunities to get to know the programs better. Sign up for an upcoming:
- IB Middle School Information Sessions on 10/6 (in-person) and 11/10 (virtual) from 5-6:30 pm.
- Be a Middle Schooler for a Morning (in-person mock classes with concurrent info session for parents) on 12/3 from 8-10:30 am.
Register for an admissions event today or email EBI at admissions@ebinternacional.org for more Middle School information. They look forward to meeting your family!
This post was sponsored by EBI. Learn more about the school at their website: ebinternacional.org.
