Middle School (6th - 8th Grade)

Were your in-between years of middle school full of challenges -- both academically and socially? The middle school program seeks to provide for the intellectual, physical, emotional, social and cultural needs of students in grades 6-8. Allowing for a smooth transition from childhood to adolescence and from elementary to high school is a priority. A balanced curriculum is built around the core academic courses and provides a variety of educational programs which address the needs of all students--regular, special, and gifted and talented.

English, mathematics, social studies, science, health and physical education are required courses. Band, strings, and chorus are other options.   Spanish I, French I, or Latin I   and Algebra I or Algebra I / Part I are offered to eligible eighth grade students for high school credit. Exploratory courses and career & technical studies classes are also available to help students learn about careers, computers, family and consumer sciences, technology education, music and art. The Accelerated Reader (A.R.) program extends reading instruction beyond the classroom. FLEX classes enable seventh-graders to explore foreign languages. A keyboarding course is offered for 7th-graders or 8th-graders and is approved as a required course for graduation. In social studies, sixth-graders study U.S. history. Seventh-graders study civics and economics. World geography is provided for eighth grade students. In science, sixth-graders are introduced to physical science, life science, and earth & space science. Seventh-graders continue their study of life science. Eighth-graders work on more in-depth topics in physical science.

All students participate in health/physical education and exploratory courses which are taught on alternating days. Sixth-graders take a different exploratory course each nine weeks. All 7th-grade and 8th-grade students, with the exception of those choosing chorus, strings, or band, are assigned one exploratory course each semester. Band and strings are highly structured programs requiring daily instrumental practices at home.   Band and strings students are also responsible for purchasing or renting an instrument.

Each school’s library/media center augments the scope of the total school curriculum.   Librarians assist the students with research, media resources and activities that promote reading. Guidance is part of the total educational program, which consists of academic guidance, career guidance and personal/social counseling. No student will be required to participate in any counseling program to which the student’s parents object.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES: Student activities are designed to stimulate student creativity and productivity. Club offerings range from student government to honor societies to Just Say No clubs. Opportunities for written expression and creative talents are provided for youngsters through student publications. Field trips offer opportunities for many more educational experiences. A middle school sports program for seventh- and eighth-graders was initiated in 2000.

GIFTED AND TALENTED: Academically gifted students attend special classes in the QUEST program. Classes are designed to stimulate students’ critical and creative thinking skills, and to challenge them to become independent learners. Sixth- and seventh-graders work in logic and problem-solving, and participate in classroom simulations which require research, cooperative learning, and role-playing. Eighth-graders are involved in the Future Problem Solving competition. At all three grade levels, there is a strong emphasis on technology as students use computers for research and for preparing individual, group, and class presentations.

ALTERNATIVES: Students who are having trouble meeting the academic challenges of the regular classroom can be placed in the Education for Success program or Turlington Woods School, which both emphasize small group instruction and practical application of basic academic skills.