Reaching New Horizons: MGCNLCA Undergoes IB PYP Verification Visit

Almost three years after its implementation, MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) underwent its first-ever International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) virtual verification visit last March 6 to 7, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, via Zoom. The two-day event culminated several years’ worth of preparations for the IB PYP teachers and staff, beginning in 2020 when MGCNLCA formally adopted the IB PYP framework.

After officially submitting its IB Authorization Report on October 6, MGCNLCA received a response from the IB team on December 7, 2023. On December 21, all further requirements were submitted, securing MGCNLCA's Verification Visit schedule. 

“Becoming an authorized IB PYP institution will allow us to become part of an international network of schools that share the same commitment to high-quality education and with whom we can collaborate and share best practices. Our teachers and staff will continue to access a wide range of professional development opportunities and be welcomed to a worldwide professional network of IB educators, enhancing the school’s reputation locally and internationally,” IB PYP Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Emie Joane Guintu, explained.

The first day of the verification visit last March 6 involved a virtual tour of the school facilities and classrooms using pre-recorded videos that the Visiting Team watched independently. Following that, Aimee Underwood and Richel Langit-Dursin, both members of the IB PYP visiting team, invited a selected number of teachers and parents to participate in a live interview.

The next day, March 7, the visiting team held additional meetings with teachers, guidance counselors, and staff from the learning resource center and the IT department. They also conducted live class observations using laptops strategically positioned within classrooms to display students' real-time activities and behavior. In the afternoon, the visiting team interviewed elected students from Grades 3 to 6. 

The IB visiting team members, after acknowledging all requirements, began writing the final report that would be submitted to the IB organization. A final meeting with the Pedagogical Leadership Team consisting of Head of School Helen Villanueva, School Principal Evangeline Co, PYP Coordinator and Lower Primary Years Supervisor Michelle Anog, Upper Primary Years Supervisor Mary Ann Papey, Early Years Supervisor Irene Ngo, and Guintu marked the conclusion of the event. 

Upon the final report’s submission, the school will wait for a feedback report from the IB, which should arrive in no more than 56 days. If no additional documentation needs to be readdressed and resubmitted, an authorization agreement will be given to the school.  After signing and submitting the authorization agreement, the school will be granted official status as an authorized IB PYP school.

“Our journey to excellence and character will not end with becoming authorized,” Guintu shared, “because benchmarking will continue through a periodic self-study and visit from the IB (organization), ensuring a high bar for excellence in teaching, learning, and assessment.”