Middle School – Grades 6 to 8
Moving to middle school can be an exciting time for students. They look forward to increased independence, new friends, and more choices in clubs and sports.
Parents can help their kids make a smooth transition to middle school by visiting the schools before Orientation Day in the fall. It’s a good idea to visit more than once.
Academics
Grades six through eight offer students a development-focused learning environment designed to provide students with the foundation for success in high school. Students explore and build upon their abilities to find and impose structure, question and verify, comprehend cause and effect, generalize, and synthesize abstract ideas.
Students learn at their own developmental timetable in math, with two levels offered per grade based on readiness for abstract concepts. Placement in these levels is determined by a combination of factors including STARS assessment results, teacher observation/recommendation and student interest.
Middle schools that offer accelerated courses must indicate this on the student transcript by using the appropriate course code for the grade level they are taking (see this guidance for more information). In addition, students with special circumstances such as ELLs with an interrupted/inconsistent formal education and students who participate in alternate assessments may be held to different promotion criteria.
Athletics
Students are offered a wide variety of interscholastic sports. This program provides an excellent opportunity to develop a young adolescent’s self-esteem, citizenship, and responsibility through teamwork, cooperation, and leadership. It should also be enjoyable, vigorous, and safe in a positive environment under the guidance of qualified adults.
Any student in grades 7 and 8 who wishes to participate on a middle school team must have a physical exam on file. Students will need to upload the physical to their Family ID registration prior to the start of each season.
All students are encouraged to participate in our athletic programs. However, remember that wearing your school colors is a privilege and not a right. We ask that parents and spectators respect the coaches, players and other athletes by refraining from competition for attention during practices or games. If you have a concern, please speak directly with the coach. If necessary, the athletic office will help to arrange a meeting.
Fine Arts
Middle school is an exciting time as students manage newfound independence and responsibility both in the classroom and outside of it. They join athletic teams, participate in theater productions and bring novel ideas to our Spark Tank incubator.
Students in grades six through eight take a semester arts elective each year, which includes art, music and theatre/drama. The arts classes support a transition from weekly elementary art to a more focused approach to learning, while providing opportunities for students to become goal-directed and resilient individuals.
Our middle school band and choir program is open to all grade levels through an audition process. Grades 7 and 8 band students continue to build on their musical skills by learning and practicing different styles of music, while also participating in a Christmas concert and spring concert as well as local events. Choir students learn basic choral techniques and put on full length musicals with the help of other students who are involved in set building, costumes, and lighting.
