The middle school curriculum is designed to build on the skills and concepts in the elementary school. However, we do have students who join us just for middle school, so we create opportunities to expose these students to foundational concepts and skills.
We introduce homework at the middle school level, as we understand that managing this is an essential piece of making the transition to high school. However, we are extremely thoughtful about what is sent home, and expect that it will be able to be completed independently, and that it be tied directly to what is happening in the classroom - either by reinforcing concepts from a previous class or previewing topics for an upcoming class.
Language Arts:
Our middle school language arts curriculum is designed to help fill in gaps that students may have with regards to spelling and comprehension strategies, while pushing the students to write well researched essays and thoughtful responses to literature. This is done through the use of Structured Word Inquiry, incorporation of visual supports such as graphic organizers, and increased use of technology. The students are exposed to literature circles and discussions, often around books and topics of their choosing, as they work to build their literacy and prepare for high school.
Mathematics:
Our middle school math curriculum utilizes the Common Core Standards as a guideline for curriculum creation, and aims to engage students in practical uses for higher level math concepts. Students are instructed in strategies for mathematical note taking, and get used to taking more formal tests as they prepare for a transition to high school. These classes continue to have a strong emphasis on the deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts.
Integrated Science/Social Studies:
Our integrated science and social studies program is created on a rotating five year cycle that addresses major themes in these disciplines. Teachers have created enduring questions with these themes in mind and students complete activities and projects throughout the year that will help them build a deeper understanding of concepts such as “What is tradition?” This project-based approach allows students to investigate applicable aspects of their world while building lifelong skills, such as evaluating informational sources, asking good questions, planning and carrying out a project, and self-advocacy.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL):
The application of social and emotional learning takes on new meaning for our middle school students. As students mature and become more capable of managing complex social dynamics, they are encouraged to apply prior SEL knowledge and experiences as they step into leadership roles on campus. Through a variety of venues from personal journaling to community impact projects, students are encouraged to share their perspectives, embrace their individuality, and imagine their best selves. Students are encouraged to explore their character strengths and unique purpose as they discover how they might leave their mark on the world—and make it a better place.
The Arts:
At the middle school level, students choose an arts elective for each trimester of the year. We offer a variety of different options for the students in all three disciplines - drama, fine art, and music. The offerings are more specialized, such as percussion and drumming, scenes and monologues, and allow students to delve deeper into areas of interest to them in order to further develop areas of passion.
Technology:
We know that our middle school students make use of technology in virtually every part of their day, and we strive to help them build a healthy and productive approach to this, through our technology elective. In this class, students delve deeper into how the technology around them works, using state of the art tools to build and deploy their own apps and websites, interact with the world through micro controllers, and express their creativity through 3D printing. The class makes use of iOS and MacOS tools, including the Swift programming language and the Xcode integrated development environment. Students are also exposed to modern coding, web development and data manipulation, with technologies such as Javascript, HTML/CSS and JSON.