The Magellan International School Achieves Candidate Status in the International Baccalaureate Organization

School enrollment to exceed 100 for 2010-11 academic year; doubling from less than one year ago

Austin, TX – August 12, 2010 – Less than one year since its opening, The Magellan International School  (MIS) has recently achieved status as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Candidate School*.  This milestone, which typically takes two years to reach but was attained by MIS in less than one year, is a significant step in the school’s progress toward authorization as an IB World School.  The authorization comes as the school prepares to begin its second academic year of operation with more than double the number of students from August 2009.

"Achieving Candidate status so quickly is a validation of the phenomenal work and commitment that our faculty, administration, and Board of Directors have made towards making MIS one of the premiere independent schools in the United States," said MIS head of school Maria Isabel Leon.  "Our entire community, from students to parents to faculty and staff, has rallied around the core values of the IB program, and this energy and momentum is carrying the school forward as our enrollment grows and we continue to progress toward authorization as an IB World School."

IB World Schools deliver a world-renowned curriculum designed to help students develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.  Upon achieving authorization, the Magellan International School will join a group of about 3,000 educational institutions worldwide which have met the rigorous authorization standards set forth by the IB organization.  With extensive experience in the IB curriculum and best-in-class credentials, the faculty and staff of The Magellan International School have played a strong role in the school’s progress toward Candidate status.

"MIS is making extraordinary progress towards becoming an IB World School, and we are delighted that such an innovative school, combining the IB curriculum with Spanish and Chinese language immersion may soon become part of the IB family,” said Karen Phillips, executive director of the Texas IB Schools Organization.

The Magellan International School will offer pre-primary classes beginning at age 3 through third grade this year.  The school is the only IB school in Austin offering a multilingual education that enables children to become bi-literate in English and Spanish and develop proficiency in Mandarin.  Magellan’s multicultural curriculum provides children with the knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of cultures from around the world necessary to successfully engage with others in this age of globalization.  In subsequent years, additional grade-level classes will be added, with the goal for The Magellan International School to become one of the premier international preschool – 12 educational institutions in the country.

*Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) as IB World Schools can offer any of its three academic programmes: the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the IB Diploma Programme. Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.

For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://www.ibo.org.

About The Magellan International School

The Magellan International School is an independent, not-for-profit, school in Austin, Texas.  The school offers Pre-K through 3rd Grade and will be adding one grade level per year until a full Pre-K through 12 program is in place. The School’s fundamental objective is to prepare children to become engaged Global Citizens of the 21st Century that can meet the challenges and opportunities facing the world in this age of globalization. The School features a child-centric, inquiry based curriculum based on international standards with English-Spanish language immersion from Pre-K onwards and Mandarin starting in 3rd grade. For more information visit www.magellanschool.org