Middle School

Overview

Our middle school is a combination of high quality academic offerings and experiential education. The students’ self esteem is embraced through academic success, as well as service projects in the community, participation in school businesses, class trips, culinary arts and the leadership opportunities available to them in a small school. After years of education emphasizing independence and initiative, they are expected to be accountable for their learning and behavior while still having the support and encouragement of a caring faculty and student body to buoy them through the challenging and vulnerable middle school years. It is the goal of the middle school program to develop life-long, independent learners who are confident and eager to accept the challenges that life will present.

Philosophy

The Middle School design is an integration of current research in human development, successful methodologies in education, and the Montessori philosophy. It is our belief to not solely focus on one specific philosophy, rather incorporate the many different methods to offer a diverse educational experience. The mission of our program is to provide opportunities for adolescents to be self-confident and gain self-knowledge through academic and experiential learning. We stress the importance of belonging to a community, learning to be adaptable, being academically competent and challenged, and creating a vision for their personal future; thus, to empower early adolescents.

Developmentally Responsive

In the spirit of the Montessori philosophy, the Middle School program seeks to be developmentally responsive. The notion of respecting people for where they are in their development and utilizing their unique developmental stage in order to support the unfolding process of growth is a basic foundation of Montessori educational design. Thus, the knowledge of the physical, emotional, social, and ethical development of adolescents and the implications for the learning environment is requisite.

With the characteristics and needs of the adolescent in mind, the school structure, curriculum, and teachers offer a responsive environment.

The school structure offers an intimate learner-centered environment with low student/teacher ratios and student-parent-teacher partnerships. This is a small community where everyone is valued and has the opportunity to make meaningful contributions. There are many opportunities for peer and cross-age teaching.

The curriculum includes learning-to-learn strategies and interdisciplinary themes. Students have personal learning plans and long-term projects. There is meaningful and challenging work, activities for self-expression, self-knowledge, and self-assessment. There are many opportunities to use their abundance of energy through work and play.

The curriculum fosters a sense of community and social interaction with peers. Students learn about economic independence through their micro-economy projects and perform school and internship projects. Through service and self-reflection, students may find their personal vision to guide and nourish them through life.

Our teachers act as facilitators for learning and as advisors to the students. They are creators of a positive climate for learning and psychosocial development. The teachers help to link school and home through communications with parents. They build a bridge between our school and the community, local and global. They are role models and caring advisors who assist each student in his/her personal journey.

Academics

Language arts, humanities, science, computer studies and foreign languages are presented to students by grade level.

Mathematics is taught by level without regard to grade. The math program focuses on teaching algebra, as well as focusing on basic computation skills and true understanding of numeration.

The focus of our Language Arts assignments including literature, expository and creative writing, grammar, vocabulary, spelling and communication are linked to other studies whenever possible.

Humanities focus on history, civics, current events, human developmental periods and thematic units including such studies as media, world religions and learning about learning.

Inquiry, observation and scientific method are the emphases of the Science program that covers the areas of biology, chemistry, earth science, ecology, health and physics.

Spanish is presented to all middle school students each day. Students are taught using traditional practices of learning a secondary language, but also are allowed to practice their skills during dedicated Spanish lunch classes.