IB Quarterly

FALL 2026 · Quarter 1

📬 A Letter from the Coordinators

A Letter from the Coordinators

Dear IB Families,

We are excited to share our first IB Quarterly Newsletter of the 2026–2027 school year! Quarter 1 has been a busy and productive start for our IB students as they have settled into their courses, begun major IB exam components, and continued building our IB community. It has been wonderful working with our returning seniors and welcoming our new juniors!

We hope this newsletter gives you a glimpse into what our students have been doing in the IB Program. In this issue, you’ll find classroom updates and photos, celebrations of our IB Students of the Quarter, updates on the IB Core for full Diploma students, information about upcoming IB exam registration for seniors, and important upcoming deadlines and dates.

Thank you for your continued support of our IB students and program. We are looking forward to another great quarter!

Best,

Aubrey Rychen & Monique Winfield
IB Program Coordinators

🔎 IB in Focus

Our IB students have been busy this quarter! Here is a look at what has been happening across some of our IB classrooms.

IB History: Exploring IA Topics

Junior IB History students have started exploring possible topics for their History Internal Assessment (IA). They have:

Listened to historical podcasts to learn more about unique topics that interest them
Developed possible research topics
Created “pitches” explaining why their chosen topic would make a feasible historical investigation

IB Psychology: Behavioral and Mental Health

Our Psychology students have been exploring different areas of human behavior and mental health!

Juniors: Cult groups and behavior
Seniors: Depression, including causes and approaches to treatment

IB English: Exploring Postmodernism Through Banksy

Senior IB English students explored the work of the artist Banksy through a series of postmodernism exploration stations. They have:

Analyzed Banksy installations and artwork
Considered how Banksy challenges traditional ideas about art, authorship, and society
Paired course texts together in preparation for the IA in the Spring.

IB Biology (Year 1): Hands-on Investigations

IB Biology 1 (juniors) has been busy in the lab!

Quarter 1 Highlights

Applied water potential concepts to determine the sucrose molarity of unknown solutions and different types of potatoes.
Investigated how temperature and pH affect enzyme function.

Coming Up in Quarter 2

Studying cell energy, including photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
Designing an investigation testing an independent variable’s effect on cellular respiration rates in seeds.
Begin preparing for the District STEM Con (February 11, 2027):
- Develop an original research question and conduct independent research.
- Create a research poster and present findings to a panel of judges.

IB Biology (Year 2): Hands-on Investigations

Seniors have been learning about:

Transport in plants & mammals which included a heart dissection
Muscle Motility
Gas Exchange in which they were able to use spirometers to measure their tidal volume
Cell Specialization
Classification & Cladistics

Students have begun working on their IA to include:

Submitting their research question, hypothesis and the research design.

IB Film: Analyzing Films

Our IB Film students have been analyzing film and preparing for their IB portfolio work!

IB Film Year 1 - Students are starting to study the effects of history on filmmaking and innovation with narrative. Silent Film projects are next!
IB Film Year 2 - Students are exploring the conceptual and theoretical realm of filmmaking, focusing on how and why good stories exist as they do. They will begin their EAs and IAs soon!

IB Club Kickoff!

IB Club is officially underway for the year! Any student registered in at least one IB class is welcome to join!

Meet Your 2026–2027 IB Officers: Jorge Ascencio (President); Sam Burzynski (VP); Naomi Raxter (Treasurer); William Warkomski (Public Relations); Tina Duong (Secretary)

Join us for our upcoming events this quarter!:

IB Club Trunk-or-Treat event and fundraiser on October 26th!
IB Day of Service: November 13, 2026

💡 Student Spotlight

IB Students of the Quarter

Each quarter, our IB instructors nominate one senior and one junior IB student that exemplify the qualities in the IB Learner Profile: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, and Reflective.

Monty Moran (Junior)

Monty comes to every class ready to learn, with curious questions and insightful perspective. He consistently goes beyond the everyday content we cover in class, and is more than willing to share his knowledge with his peers. He never takes for granted his immense intelligence; rather, he continues to explore to find answers and participates in discussions with his peers to make sense of the world through various lenses. Despite his heavy workload, he stays on top of his assignments and never hesitates to ask for help to better understand a key topic or a historical skill. I am excited to see what else Monty will bring to IB History!

~Ms. Lopez

Siena Smith (Senior)

During instruction, Siena makes connections between past classes to include IB Bio 1 and Psych as well as her life experiences and her own research. I have asked how she knows so much about certain subjects and she states that she enjoys doing her own research when she has questions in real life. She also scores extremely well on all tests and labs. When she does have questions and ideas she is always respectful in how she states them, not only to me, but her classmates as well. She is often seen helping her classmates, but doesn't give them the answers; she guides them instead. Siena is balanced in her life as she maintains excellent IB grades on top of being an athlete at MHS, all while maintaining a good sleep schedule to maintain her health. Reflectively, she can be seen evaluating her own knowledge with the new information taught in class by making connections and re-evaluating what she knew in light of the new information.

~Ms. George

🧠 The IB Core

What is the IB Core?

The IB Diploma Programme Core is the part of the full Diploma that complements students’ subject courses through Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay (EE). Together, these components help students think critically, pursue independent research, and connect learning with experiences beyond the classroom.
*Students must pass and submit work for TOK, EE, and CAS to receive their IB Diploma.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

During Quarter 1, Senior and Junior students met for TOK during RTI every other week. During Quarter 2, Seniors will meet for three weeks, and Juniors will meet for six weeks.

Juniors: We will continue with our knowledge units this quarter in preparation for exhibition next semester.

Seniors: We will work with Siano to complete our TOK Math subject, and then we will finish our subject exploration in preparation for our TOK essay next quarter.

Extended Essay (EE)

Our seniors made significant progress on their Extended Essays during Quarter 1.

Students have been pulled into RTI for EE support two days a week every other week
Each student has an EE Coordinator who helps guide the research and writing process
Each student also has an EE Supervisor who serves as a content expert in the student's chosen subject area
Students should have their Literature Review outlined and their first formal supervisor conference scheduled. Quarter 2 will focus on completing the outline of their paper and writing a rough draft.

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)

Senior IB Students

Please keep the following CAS deadlines in mind:

October 16: 3 CAS Experiences + Reflections/Evidence #3
November: CAS Interview #2
November-December: CAS Project Completion + Reflection/Paperwork
December: 3 CAS Experiences + Reflections/Evidence #4

Junior IB Students

CAS launches in October!

Junior Diploma students will be introduced to the expectations of Creativity, Activity, and Service and begin building their CAS experiences and portfolios.

Core Class Calendar

📌 Looking Ahead

A preview of upcoming important dates and milestones.

IB Testing Information (Seniors)

IB Exam Registration: October 26–30

Students will complete IB exam registration during IB English or RTI.

Exam Fee: $124

We are currently determining what funding may be available to help cover student exam costs.

2026-2027 IB Exam Schedule

Internal Assessments (IAs) and External Assessments (EAs)

❗ Important: Keeping up with IA and EA deadlines is essential for staying on track in IB courses, performing well on IB assessments, and maximizing opportunities to earn college credit.

IB History

Juniors: Students' working IA research questions were due October 2. Students who have not yet submitted a working research question should turn one in to receive feedback from Lopez/Perry. Topics will be approved/amended next week and research will begin.

Seniors: Final drafts will be due 10/30 and the rest of the IA will be completed in class.

IB Psychology

Senior IB Psychology students will begin their Internal Assessment at the start of Quarter 2.

IB Biology

Senior Biology students are moving through the next stages of their Internal Assessment:

October 26: Data Analysis & Outlining
November 9: Conclusion
December 15: Final Submission

IB Film

Senior Film students will begin working on their IA and EAs during Quarter 2

IB English

Senior English students will submit final drafts of their Higher Level (HL) essays by October 27th.

💻 Stay Connected

Thank you for your continued support of our IB students and program! We are excited to see what our students accomplish during Quarter 2.

For additional resources, important dates, and IB program information, visit our website below. Follow our official IB Club Instagram for updates and announcements! @mhs_ibclub

Meet our IB Staff!

MHS IB Program Website

📬 A Letter from the Coordinators 📬 A Letter from the Coordinators