Middle School

Be Safe, Be Guided, and Be Cared For

Seventh and eighth grade have the potential to be years of tremendous growth. However, to be so, young people need to be surrounded by a safe, accepting environment and caring, involved adults.

Solebury's Middle School is an intimate, family-like environment. Respect and cooperation are stressed as essential to the success of the group. The expectation is that students will act with these values in mind at all times. The size of the program and the emphasis of these values discourage the cliques that so often make life difficult for young people.

Solebury's Middle School students have guides, protectors, and role models at every turn. Foremost among these is the Middle School Director. Her primary responsibility is to oversee the academic and social lives of the 32 seventh and eighth graders. Whether it is helping with homework, choosing an art class, resolving a conflict, giving a word of encouragement, or just sharing a laugh during a free period, she is a counselor, administrator, big sister, and friend rolled into one.

To help the students under her care succeed academically, be happy, and navigate this time in their lives, the Middle School Director has a lot of allies:

1. Advisors - Each student has an advisor. This will be someone they have for class and is there to help with whatever the students need. Our Middle School faculty is an experienced, dedicated group who enjoys this age group and revel in the joys and the challenges they present.  In addition, the Middle School faculty meets regularly to plan activities, to discuss individual students, and to discuss how the group dynamic is and isn't working and strategize how to deal with issues when they arise.
2. Peer Leaders - A group of juniors and seniors apply to be part of our peer leading program. Those who are selected undergo training in running group-building activities.
3. Mentors - Juniors and Seniors can also apply to be mentors. Each Middle School student is paired up with a mentor who provides them with yet another friendly face welcoming them to the school or to answer a question and provide help when needed. 

Academics

Middle School is a time with the potential for a tremendous amount of intellectual development. One of the real tragedies of modern education has been the way this age group has been underestimated. We seek to provide a  curriculum that challenges students to stretch their intellect, their skill sets, and their worldviews.

As an example of how we strive to make the curriculum challenging, interesting, and relevant, one need look no further than our social studies and science offerings for seventh grade. Here, students will wrestle with one of the issues that will be most relevant to their lives as they grow into adults as they study environmental science. However, because this class is linked with their social studies class, Current Events and Global Perspectives, they will see how this issue affects the different part of the globe. To further this, the classes use the latest technologies, wikis, moodle, etc., to connect with students around the world so that rather than having to simply read about how the things they study affect people, they can hear it directly from their peers. This technology is infused throughout the entire Middle School curriculum. Whether used to blog about a novel they read, post data for a lab project, or take a poll in 8th grade Civics, students will be equipped with skills that the leaders of the future will need.

Since leading the world is a few years away, we pay equal attention to helping students develop the skills they will need in high school and college. Each discipline focuses on preparing the Middle Schoolers with the tools they will need: how to prepare a research paper, how to do a long term project, how to speak in front of a group, how to structure an essay, how to do a lab report, etc. In addition, our Middle School Study Skills class helps the students learn how to manage their time and how to effectively keep track of their assignments.

However, not only do we want our students to be ready to tackle the upper school, we also want them to have a head start on their studies. Our students who join us as seventh graders will enter high school having completed at least Algebra I, with some having completed Geometry as well, and the first year of Spanish or French. This enables them to reach the highest levels of these disciplines AND take advantage of the array of electives Solebury offers. While all will take the Middle School, Introduction to the Arts sequence, many students also take upper school courses in music, visual art, dance, or theater, which allows them to achieve both a greater depth and breadth of experience in these areas during their six years here.     

The Middle School Lounge - Free to Be You and Me

While Middle School students get to enjoy the entire campus and all the facilities, it is important that they have their own space, where they can feel free to be the twelve- and thirteen-year-olds they are and where they can be supervised by the Middle School Director. The Middle School Lounge is where their lockers will be, where they can hang out and enjoy each other's company, where they have access to computers to do their work, where they have their own bathroom, and where they can find the Middle School Director for a word of advice, help with their homework, or a quick pick-me-up when needed.

Middle School Fun!

Part of creating a positive social dynamic is offering experiences where the students spend time with one another and have fun together. We'll start the year with a picnic to get to know one another, and build on this throughout the year. The seventh grade trip to the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) will help them coalesce as a group and bring their Environmental Science class to life. In our Middle School Activity Program, students will play games to get some exercise, do group building activities, go on a variety of trips, and work on community service projects together. The variety of activities allows each student to demonstrate the talents they have and to have a chance to take on a leadership role. However, the fun isn't limited to the normal schedule. Each year, the students look forward to a number of annual traditions including trips to a corn maze for Halloween and a Broadway show.  Dances, Coffee Houses, and other activities round out their experience. As the eighth graders prepare to graduate the Middle School, they'll enjoy two culminating experiences as they travel to Washington, DC for a three day trip and to the beach the day after finals are over.  As you can see, while our students are challenged and work hard in the classroom, we work equally hard to ensure that they are smiling and happy. 

Abundant Opportunities

In addition to all the programming and activities that exist solely for the Middle School, our seventh and eighth graders also reap the benefits of being a part of the whole school and what it has to offer. Do you love theater? You can join the cast of a play. Do you love soccer? Go practice with the team. Are you curious about a club? Attend one of the club meetings. There are opportunities for students to take a number of visual and performing arts electives, including Two Dimensional Design, Ceramics, Photography, Musical Theater Dance, Instrumental Ensemble, and more. The ability to get involved with activities such as these so early in their school careers enables students to enter the upper school already having found a niche, or several of them, where they can contribute their talents to the community. Because of this, our Middle School students often wind up as the leaders of various programs by the time they are upperclassmen.

There are also a variety of activities on weekends put on by different groups on campus that our Middle School students are welcome to attend. Among other things, they can be perform or attend the Coffee Houses; they can try new foods and learn about world cultures at an international holiday celebration, or they can attend one of the film festivals put on by the Spanish or French honor societies.

While these opportunities help broaden their horizons and help them understand and appreciate the ever-shrinking world they will encounter as adults, it also paves the way for them to meet and get to know fellow students from all over the globe. Even in Middle School, Solebury students may play a musical instrument in the ensemble, sit in on an art class, attend a club meeting, or rehearse for a play with peers from Korea, China, Germany, or from other countries around the world. The head start this will give them toward becoming the global citizens the world will need in the future cannot be overstated. 

Homework

"How much homework will students have?" is one of the questions we are most often asked by Middle School applicants' families. We understand the root of the question. Like many of you, we struggle with two competing desires. We want our students to have enough work where they stretch themselves, where they are challenged, and where they learn how to manage their time. However, it is equally important that students this age have time to be children, to engage in outside activities, and to have the family time that is so important at these ages. Balance in life is important, and we work to achieve a balance between these competing interests by doing several things:

1. Our schedule is set up so that each student has at least an hour on any given day to do some of their work. Getting the students to recognize this and to use this time productively is one of the skills we seek to develop in them.
2. Our main academic classes rotate and each meets five out of every six days. One of the real advantages of this is that students don't have all of their classes every day; therefore, they don't have every class' homework to do every night.
3. The Middle School faculty frequently meets to discuss what each has coming up and they try as much as possible to stagger their tests and assignments. Through these meetings as well as through her conversations with the students, the Middle School Director can intervene when necessary and try to keep the students from getting overloaded.
4. Being aware that this is an issue enables the faculty to reflect on how much homework is necessary to achieve the desired outcome - whether it is mastery of a subject or concept or the development of the skill.

As a result, students generally have approximately two hours of homework each night, but the time they have during the day to do some of this work should allow them to keep the amount they need to do at home from being overwhelming.

Middle School Curriculum

Although seventh and eighth graders are encouraged, when deemed appropriate, to take courses that earn high school credit, the following courses have been designed for their own needs. These courses do not earn high school credit, but are intended to prepare the student for high school work in the disciplines.

English

English 7: As with all middle school classes, English 7 aims to enhance students' abilities to deal with increasingly complex material, and to develop their skills so that they can have as much success as possible. To do this, we read works from a variety of genres including mythology, short stories, poetry, plays, and learn to see the layers that exist within literature. In addition, student skills are developed through short and long writing assignments: creative, expository, and analytical. With these assignments, students are pushed to see writing as a process rather than an event by having all major assignments broken into smaller parts with periodic due dates. All of these goals are supported by consistent work in vocabulary and grammar.

English 8: In this course, students read three classic novels that deal with characters "coming of age," a relevant topic as they prepare for high school. Students also read a play, poetry, and basic mythology. They learn literary techniques, building on what they learned last year, to use in discussion and analysis of readings Grammar and vocabulary are emphasized, and a majority of time in and out of class is devoted to writing. Students will develop and increase writing and communication skills, close reading, critical thinking, and problem solving. A highlight of the year is when the students write original plays, some of which are performed by the Middle School theater class each spring. 

Foreign Language

Spanish and French IA and IB follow the same curriculum as Spanish and French I, but move at a pace more appropriate for middle school learners and allow more time for cultural projects. Allowing two years for this material in middle school will ensure stronger foundations in the language. After IB, students would move directly into level II.

Mathematics

Pre-Algebra: This course studies the mathematical concepts that are essential prerequisites for Algebra I. Arithmetic operations using the rational number system are examined, with an emphasis placed on signed numbers. Students review and extend their knowledge of ratios,  proportions, percents, exponents, basic geometry, probability, mental math, and the metric system. They learn to solve multi-step equations and inequalities,  graph linear equations, and use scientific notation. Independent work as well as group work is used as a teaching tool to foster student learning and throughout the course an emphasis is placed on critical thinking skills using word problems and problem solving situations. To prepare for the demands of a high school mathematics course, study strategies, organization, and note taking techniques are underlying skills that Pre-Algebra students develop and practice throughout the year. Many 8th grade students will take Algebra I for high school credit.

Algebra IB: This course thoroughly examines basic algebraic principles. Topics covered include simplifying expressions using the appropriate order of operations, solving first and second degree equations with one variable with both algebraic and graphical methods, solving absolute value equations and inequalities, and the concept of functions. Additionally, students will simplify and solve rational equations as well as examine the basic principles surrounding radical expressions. Students will explore linear and quadratic functions, as well as systems of equations in two variables. Throughout the course, an emphasis will be placed on solving real-world problems with both algebraic and graphical processes.

Algebra  IA: A faster-paced and more in-depth analysis of the topics covered in Algebra IB. Additionally, topics in this course may include an introduction to right triangle trigonometry as well as basic principles of probability and statistical analysis.

Science

Environmental Science 7: The goal of Solebury School's seventh grade Environmental Science class is to introduce students to scientific procedures including basic observation, forming questions and hypotheses, designing and conducting experiments, and analyzing data. This is accomplished by studying a variety of topics that are centered on Environmental Science. Topics studied include the features of the Earth, the flow of materials and energy in ecosystems, population studies, use of the Earth's resources (including water, air, land and energy) and the impact of humans on the environment. In addition to the specific science curriculum that is covered, students will also learn basic skills needed to be successful in future science classes at Solebury School. These skills will include note taking, keeping a science/lab notebook, organization and study skills. Daily homework, class lectures and a variety of projects/experiments will be the foundation of the class. This course is required for seventh graders.

Physical Science: This is a hands-on, inquiry-based course. The central theme will be an empirical study of matter leading to the development of the atomic model. Through performing experiments, gathering data, drawing conclusions, and making presentations, students will gain an understanding of how science works and how to think like a scientist. Emphasis will be on learning through experimentation. Students will develop laboratory skills and more importantly,  realistic problem solving skills. The quantitative nature of science will be introduced at an age appropriate level. This course is required for eighth graders.

Social Studies

Current Events and Global Perspectives: Current events around the globe may spark class discussions, but the historical and geographical context behind those events is the real focus of this yearlong course. Students learn about a wide range of topics and gather information on countries,  cities, and people around the globe. Hopping from continent to continent and conflict to conflict, students begin in the 'now' and work backwards to the 'why.' In addition to learning about the physical world around them, students can see how people in other times and places have faced questions of truth and justice, and what they have judged to be worth fighting and often dying for. Throughout the year, students will develop and increase skills like communication, writing, research, teamwork, and critical thinking. This course is required for seventh graders.

Civics: This course will attempt to enhance students' understanding of the way the government, the economy, and different aspects of society, i.e., the media, shape the world around us. To do this, we will study several periods of American history to make the abstract "Civics" information more real and tangible. In addition, students will work on their writing abilities through many short papers and several longer projects.  This course is required for eighth graders.

The Arts

Introduction to the Arts: The Middle School arts program in a three-trimester sequence typically taken during the winter and spring terms of seventh grade and the fall of eighth grade. Students who enter Solebury as eighth graders will take all three IARTS classes during the eighth grade year. The goal of the sequence is to show students the various types of arts classes that are available to them throughout their years at Solebury with the hope that each finds one or several areas that they wish to continue on in. Introduction to the Arts: Studio Arts is a great way for young students new to Solebury to spend time working in the art studio. Projects will expose students to two and three-dimensional design, color theory, and art appreciation. Students will learn drawing and painting skills as well as how to work with other materials. In all projects, we allow room for the students to express their creativity. Students' work will be displayed for the community in an art show. Introduction to the Arts: Theater is an introductory theater class designed to develop students' abilities to take on a role, enhance their confidence in front of an audience, and work collaboratively to stage a performance.The course culminates with students enrolled in the theater class staging a selection of one-act plays written by the eighth graders in their English class. The eighth graders also have the opportunity to assist in directing the pieces. This process gives our eighth graders the rare opportunity to view something they created come to life.  Introduction to the Arts: Music is an introduction to music history and appreciation. Students will be exposed to musical genres from a variety of time periods so that they can better see and appreciate the things which all music has in common as well as the way it has developed over time. This course will teach students how to read music which is fundamental to this appreciation. As with all art, part of the process is sharing the product of one's work, so this course will culminate with a musical performance by the students.

If a Middle School student already has had significant experience and education in music or visual arts, they may ask to demonstrate this knowledge to the head of the art department to gain an exemption from that segment of the sequence.

8th Grade Computers: This is a required class for all 8^th grade students taken one day a week during lab block.  In this class students will become familiar with outlook mail, maneuvering around the school server and saving things to their own folder, exploring note taking on line, collaborating on documents with peers, word and excel practice, web options for presentations and writing a personal blog.  They will also discuss the importance of having a positive on line presence in our technology savy world today.

7th Grade Study Skills: This is a required class for all 7^th graders and meets once a week during lab block.  In this class students will become familiar with outlook mail, maneuvering around the school server and saving things to their own folders.  We will also look at how to use your free time, organization of a folder, planning your week, studying for quizzes and tests and studying for a final exam.

Health: This course is designed to help Middle School students develop and maintain physical, mental, social, and emotional health. This will be achieved by covering a broad range of topics including role models, decision making, life dilemmas, peer pressure, preparation for change, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and teen sexuality. Students are still required to take high school health class. This course is required for eighth grade students in the spring.

MS Physical Education: All students who do not participate in an upper school physical activity must take this class which meets twice a week. Basketball, soccer, and other games highlight the curriculum.

Dear Parents and Students,

What is so unique about a Middle School education at Solebury? Here, the 7th and 8th grades are years of excitement, of wonder, and of enormous growth potential. Solebury’s Middle School is a school within a school. It combines a small, safe environment with room to explore while providing a strong academic and social foundation for high school. It is a place where students and teachers work with each other, rather than against each other. It is a place where students are known and appreciated for who they are and the different talents they possess.  There is no slipping through the cracks here. The challenging academics we provide, the guidance and support we offer, and the opportunities that exist here result in success for our students.

I encourage you to take some time and learn more about Solebury’s Middle School. Then come visit us; you’ll see and feel what is special about Solebury from the moment you step on campus. I look forward to meeting you.

If you have any questions, please contact me at cari@solebury.org.

Sincerely,

Cari Nelson
Middle School Director