Junior School
The Junior School is a unique and vibrant community offering a world-class international education within a caring and safe environment.
A Word From Our Junior School Principal
I am wholeheartedly committed to the idea of fostering academic excellence. Some of my key beliefs in this regard include the notion that learning needs to be significant and challenging. I believe every child has the right to find their learning program to be engaging and inspiring. Students should find opportunities in the school day to exercise their agency, I believe that our pedagogy should be responsive and purposeful. To this end, I am an advocate for using assessment data to improve our instruction to help all of our students meet their full potential.
For powerful learning to take place, our children must be comfortable; student well-being is of primary importance to me. We must continually cultivate a culture of respect at Prem. My goal for the Junior School is that every student cares about themselves, their peers, their environment and their learning. I thank you in advance for your support in helping me to make this goal a reality.
Justin Jarman
Junior School Principal
Junior School Overview
The Junior School is divided into two sections, our Early Years Programme and Grades 1-5. Each section of the Junior School has a philosophy unique to the needs of students in the programme that guides decision making, practices and everyday life here at school.
Early Years Philosophy
EY1 – EY3 provide a caring, engaging, child-centered environment. The safe and inspiring natural setting provokes wonder and joy so as to support each child to explore and make sense of their world. See Philosophy section below for more.
Junior School Philosophy
Grade 1 – Grade 5 offers a holistic learning community with a meaningful, child centred inquiry programme. We enable students to be courageous and confident through active participation in a creative, challenging and dynamic learning environment. More below.
Early Years Philosophy Statement
Early Years at PREM focusses on an approach that promotes happiness, confidence, independence, and caring citizens of the world. The safe and inspiring environment nurtures positive relationships and develops the holistic child to have a sense of belonging in the community. Our play-based approach supports whole child development and fosters connections to the world around us. Teachers, families, and children work together as a community. We aspire to guide our children to become global citizens who make the world a better place.
In the Early Years we value:
Play
- Opportunities to explore and inquire into the world around us
- Uninterrupted blocks of time
- Symbolic exploration and expression to make meaning
- Balance of independent choice and collaborative play
- Opportunities for adventurous play
Relationships
- Respecting each individual and understanding every child to honour their uniqueness
- Fostering confidence to communicate
- Nurturing home-school relationships
- Promoting a sense of trust, community and belonging
Environment
- Offering a range of open-ended materials and experiences
- Opportunities for interpreting, creating and expressing
- Opportunities to engage with and learn in the indoor and outdoor environments
- Co-constructing the environment to respond to students’ needs, interests and learning
- Documenting to reflect, guide, enhance and make visible the process of students learning.
Junior School Philosophy, Grade 1 - Grade 5
In the Junior School at PREM we are a holistic learning community that provides a rigorous, child-centred inquiry programme. We enable our students to be courageous, confident and successful through active participation in a creative, academically challenging and dynamic learning environment.
We believe in:
- Empowering our learners by developing their social, communication, self-management, critical thinking and research skills
- Promoting the language acquisition of every child in order to be confident learners and communicators
- Challenging our children through a rigorous curriculum to be independent and responsible for their learning
- Promoting curiosity, adaptability and resilience as our students take action with their learning
- Collaborating with our children and parents
- Connecting with our local and global communities
- The importance of all members of our Junior School community being empathetic, open minded and respectful of differences
Primary Years Programme
We organise our curriculum through the continuum of International Baccalaureate programmes.
Creativity
The Junior School the has a Visual Arts classroom and a Music classroom equipped with a wide variety of instruments. Our Prem campus has a large Arts House, outdoor amphitheater and auditorium.
Students have the opportunity to participate in visual arts, music and singing classes as well as an instrumental program offering private lessons. Students are invited to showcase their talents in many events including on and off-campus exhibitions, afternoon soirees, and large-scale music concerts and productions.
Student organised lunchtime initiatives provide students the opportunity to express their creativity and develop confidence. The student-initiated performances include singing, dancing, joke telling, instrumentals, and poetry reading, to name a few.
Leadership and Service
Leadership is valued at Prem and an example of leadership in action is the Junior School Student Council. Students in Grades 3-5 have the opportunity to represent their class and to contribute to school decisions, activities and service. The Student Council promotes student leadership and responsibility, and empowers students to make a difference.
In addition to designing and marketing a school hat, the Junior School Student Council has initiated and planned Junior School triathlons and has raised awareness and funds for organizations such as a local orphanage.
Taking action is promoted throughout the Junior School inside the classroom and beyond. For example, Grade Two students organised a ‘Walk for Water’ walkathon to raise awareness and funds for children who do not have access to clean water as part of their unit inquiring into Children’s Rights. Individual students are also encouraged to follow their passions and take action for issues they are interested in For Example A Grade Three student holding a lunchtime quiz to raise awareness for the plight of the Black Rhino.