– 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from Head of School 6 School Overview 8 Differentiators 10 International Baccalaureate 14 Lower School 16 Middle School 20 Upper School 22 World Languages 26 STEM 28 Field Studies 30 Encores 32 Faculty 36 GEMS Global Communities 38 – 5 Encouraging Students to Ask Big Questions GEMS a leader in transformative education Welcome to GEMS World Academy – Chicago, a state-of-the-art learning environment where students and teachers are at the heart of everything we do. Our world-class STEM facilities allow entrepreneurial, forward-thinking teachers from around the globe to engage students in real-world, hands-on problem solving in order to prepare them to navigate the world beyond our classrooms. Educators today are required to be futurists, grappling with and anticipating the exponential nature and scope of change, while also being immersed in the here and now with the students in our classrooms. Our teachers empower students by embracing the questions that make teaching such a rewarding and challenging profession. What are the essential skills that our students must have in order to be successful not only in college, but in their lives beyond? How must our definitions of traditional disciplines change as our students solve interconnected, global problems? How have the roles of student and teacher evolved, and how might that evolution allow for collaboration, reflection and creativity? Equipped with the knowledge that many of our graduates will enter and embrace fields of endeavor not yet imagined or defined, how do we ensure that our students are capable of the deep reflection that is required to navigate an increasingly complex world? At GEMS, exceptional teachers challenge students with an inquiry-based, rigorous interdisciplinary program in order to develop the habits of mind that allow innovation to flourish. We also value and support a strong partnership between school and parents, ensuring a warm, nurturing community of adults who care about the well-being and intellectual and emotional growth of children and adolescents. I invite you to visit our beautiful downtown campus, unsurpassed in the city of Chicago, to learn more about how we support each and every student in reaching his or her fullest potential. Warm regards, Kim Wargo Head of School – 6 – 7 – 8 Our Award-Winning Building • Award of Merit, 2015 Engineering News Record Midwest Best Projects Competition • Subject of feature profile in Architectural Record, January 2016 • Featured site: Open House Chicago architectural tour, 2015 and 2016 • Honor Award, American Institute of Architects, Illinois chapter, 2016 GEMS World Academy – Chicago has provided our kids with the attention, academic rigor and nurturing environment that we as caring parents want them to have. We see GEMS World Academy not as our school, but as a natural extension of our family. – Bala Ragothaman, Parent Providing a New Perspective on Learning Each day, we prepare our students to become intelligent and principled global leaders Academic success is just a starting point at GEMS World Academy – Chicago. Our International Baccalaureate curriculum approaches core academic subjects from a uniquely global perspective, one that helps students develop an intuitive sense of their connections to other people and cultures. As a result, GEMS students are engaged to apply what they learn to transform the world. Our colorful, award-winning building, equipped with state-of- the-art technological resources, is purpose-built and designed to nurture students’ curiosity and inspire them to ask questions. We provide regular opportunities for students to engage with Chicago’s rich array of cultural institutions, neighborhoods and people, reinforcing the idea that learning happens everywhere. GEMS World Academy – Chicago is part of the GEMS Education network of schools, which has been providing quality education to children across the globe for 60 years. The advanced learning environment and real-world experiences offered at GEMS World Academy – Chicago prepare students to design solutions to next-generation challenges. – 9 Standing Apart in Chicago The six key components of our program add up to a uniquely powerful education experience GEMS World Academy – Chicago stands at the forefront of emerging thought and practice in education. Our global network provides students a unique “one school, many campuses” experience, along with a nuanced preschool-through-Grade-12 program that cannot be matched by any other school in the Chicago area. World of Innovation: Our inquiry-based philosophy, personalized instruction and creative use of technology prepare today’s young people for next-generation problems. Every aspect of our curriculum, from social studies to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), encourages high-level thought and a design-thinking approach to solving problems. World Languages: An emphasis on world languages begins with our youngest learners. We provide students with the skills needed to communicate in their choice of Mandarin, French or Spanish. Daily language instruction for all students is enhanced by additional language opportunities after school. Our approach acts as a catalyst to enhance cultural understanding. World Culture and Exploration: The International Baccalaureate curriculum that forms the basis of our program helps students develop a deep knowledge and understanding of region- and country-specific histories, perspectives and challenges. The technology embedded into our facilities allows students to co-learn and co-create with peers at GEMS Education schools around the world. World As Our Campus: As part of the innovative Field Studies program at GEMS, students regularly move outside the school building to explore the people, institutions and neighborhoods of Chicago. Students apply what they learn on these focused expeditions to global issues. Our Upper School includes an international travel experience as part of the – core program. 10 – 11 World Leaders in Education: GEMS has assembled a team of exceptional educators to bring our curriculum to life. Our distinguished teachers have studied and/or taught on six continents, and they bring a unique combination of expertise, energy and compassion to the classroom. We partner with global education leaders from colleges, universities and industry to ensure our faculty has access to cutting-edge research and pedagogy. World Citizens: The education program at GEMS ensures that our students understand the world’s diversity and complexity. Our students are inspired to take action, and to design solutions to problems of inequality and injustice in the world. We prepare students to be true global leaders. – 12 – 13 – 14 As parents, we dream and plan to provide the best opportunities for our children. Our family is grateful to GEMS for partnering with us in raising our daughter to be a person of good character, a lifelong learner and a risk-taker. – Andrea and Stephen Saenim, Parents Education with A Global Focus At GEMS, The International Baccalaureate curriculum is acclaimed worldwide for its academic rigor and global focus. GEMS World Academy – tradition meets Chicago is one of more than 4,500 schools around the world that innovation offer at least one IB program. to provide an Teaching and learning at GEMS is built on students’ individual unmatched knowledge and interests, emphasizing “learning how to learn” and experience “how to discover.” We teach core subjects through transdisciplinary units that illuminate and reinforce the connections between academic disciplines. Our rigorous academic program, focused on STEM concepts and application, ensures that students develop the higher- order thinking skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond. Primary Years Program: This is the first step in students’ IB journey. Our program begins with our 3-year-old preschool students and continues through fifth grade. The PYP prepares students to be tireless, engaged and enthusiastic learners. In 2016, GEMS was accredited as an IB World School for its PYP — the only private school in Illinois to be so accredited. Middle Years Program: The MYP guides students in grades 6-10 through challenging inquiries of increasing depth and complexity. Students continue to seek and discover practical connections between what they learn and the “real world” around them. GEMS is a candidate school for the MYP. Diploma Program: The final program before our students begin college is the Diploma Program, which explores academic disciplines through three core elements — Theory of Knowledge, Creativity/Activity/Service and the Extended Essay. GEMS launches its high school in 2017 with a ninth-grade program and construction of an Upper School. Research shows that DP graduates are significantly more likely to attend highly selective colleges and universities compared to other students. – 15 – 16 Curiosity and Discovery Our Lower School unlocks each student’s innate love of learning The Lower School at GEMS World Academy – Chicago creates the foundation that allows our students to succeed throughout their time at GEMS and beyond. Our compassionate teachers bring a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to the classroom, empowering students to ask questions and take ownership of their learning. From early childhood through upper-elementary grades, the student experience is grounded in the interdisciplinary Primary Years Program, the first phase of the International Baccalaureate curriculum. The program is further enhanced by the integration of