Middle School Curriculum

• Our Middle School program focuses on supporting students with a dedicated homeroom teacher, while focusing on staff who are content-area specialists (ELA, science, social studies, math, religion)
• Middle school students have access to specialist classes (art, music, PE, health, and media literacy) each week
• Middle School students have access to recess daily
• We offer both regular and accelerated math for our Middle School students
• Eighth graders act as leaders for our school-wide Family Groups
• 100% of 8th grade students applying for Catholic high school are accepted  

• Literature
  • Class novels in a variety of genres with a focus on comprehension, analysis, and annotation
  • Supplemental informational and literary texts that focus on the unit’s essential question and build
  • Daily or weekly SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) time in class
• Writing
  • Writing in various genres: argumentative/opinion, analytical, narrative, informative, personal essay
  • Writing process instruction and practice: outline, write, revise, edit, publish
  • Creative writing aligned with texts read in class
  • Weekly grammar practice
• Speaking and Listening
  • Partner and individual presentations
  • Small-group and whole-class discussions

• Students take an annual skills assessment to guide placement where each student will achieve the most success. Algebra is offered to students who have mastered our standard curriculum. 
• 6th grade: numbers and operations, numbers and operations and probability/algebra
• 7th grade: numbers and operations and algebra, numbers and operations and algebra/geometry
• 7th/8th grade pre-algebra: algebra, data analysis and algebra, geometry and measurement
• 8th grade algebra: algebra and numeracy, linear equations and inequalities, quadratic and exponential equations and functions

• Weekly labs give the students a smaller class size and a chance to construct a models or otherwise demonstrate a phenomena studied on lecture days. Lessons are aligned to the NGSS standards with focus on how scientist research, collaborate, test and share ideas or findings.

Vernier software is used to gather data using temperature probes, motion detector and graphing calculators to create graphs of the data collected during the lab class. 

• 6th grade earth science and outdoor school curriculum
  • Weekly labs
  • Subject matter includes Earth materials, plate tectonics, weather, atmosphere, water cycle, ocean movement and astronomy
• 7th/8th grades two-year rotation
  • Year A: life science
  • Year B: physical science/chemistry

• History, geography, civics/government, economics/financial literacy, social science analysis
• 6th grade: Western Hemisphere
• 7th grade: Eastern Hemisphere
• 8th grade: U.S. history (1765 to Reconstruction) and geography

• Creed, scripture, prayer and worship, Christian living
• Weekly Mass: Students lead the celebration four times and have one class Mass per year
• Reconciliation services during Advent and Lent
• Optional student participation as altar servers, sacristans and choir members
• Prayer services for special occasions such as International Day of Peace
• Stations of the Cross weekly during Lent
  • Living Stations of the Cross: 8th graders write prayers and lead school participation
• Service-learning at each grade
• Virtue education curriculum: students practice living out a new virtue every week

• Has learned the skills necessary to participate in a variety of physical activities
• Knows the implications and the benefits of involvement in various types of physical activities
• Participates regularly in physical activity
• Is physically fit
• Values physical activity and its contributions to a healthful lifestyle

• One day of music every week 
• One day of art every week

• Integrated into various areas of the curriculum including PE, science and religion
• Learn and practice healthy social behaviors in the Second Step Violence Prevention and Bullying Prevention Programs

• Conduct research using a variety of resources
• Complete multimedia projects to enhance classroom studies