Middle School

Program Overview of the Middle School

The Orchard School’s Middle School (MS) includes approximately 250 students in grades five through eight. Students in fifth grade transition from self-contained classes in the Elementary School (ES) to become part of a grade level of classmates.

Each grade level may be grouped in a variety of ways for various classes and activities and are instructed and guided by a specific team of teachers. This model continues throughout sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

MS students develop increased independence and personal responsibility and accountability as they encounter increasingly higher expectations for academic and behavioral excellence.

The MS program provides a well-rounded education, including core academics, arts, and physical education, and centers around the academic, social, and emotional needs of young adolescents. Additionally, all MS students have use of a laptop computer during the school day.

The MS schedule is based on a nine-period day. Each week, a “flex” period is available (e.g., “flex” may come from physical education one week and music the next) to allow for additional opportunities such as “special friends,” guest speakers, service learning, project work, musical rehearsals, team-building activities, etc.

Units of study at each grade level promote integrated learning, multiple perspectives, social development, and a balanced education. Teachers differentiate instruction by providing various levels of content, methods of delivery, and options for students to represent learning.

MS teachers model Orchard’s commitment to a “love of learning” and demonstrate flexibility. Teachers encourage students and create active, engaging lessons and units of study. The MS faculty strive to ensure that graduates meet the high expectations of the Orchard diploma, which calls for “ethical character, academic excellence, and demonstration of service.”

Significant Elements of the Middle School

• Advisory and home circle create small groups of students who receive individualized attention and mentorship from faculty.
• Each grade-level team is well organized, and there is team-teaching in some classes. Each team creates integrated units that enable students to make connections across the disciplines.
• All four teams have created out-of-town study trips with strong curricular connections (grade five to the Cherokee Elementary School in North Carolina, grade six to St. Louis, grade seven to Chicago, and grade eight to Washington, D.C. and Williamsburg, Virginia).
• To help students develop ethical behaviors, the MS has incorporated conflict mediation, an “anti-bullying” initiative, and service learning into the school program.
• A partnering relationship is encouraged among parents, teachers, and the school. Reporting of individual student progress is based on a four-quarter system of grades and comments, which includes marks for conduct, effort, and homework..
• Regular homework assignments that are developmentally appropriate for each grade level reinforce classroom work, challenge and enrich, foster self-discipline, and promote organizational skills and study habits.
• The Middle School Kids Connect before/after-school program includes clubs, classes, and athletics that are appropriate for pre-teens and teens.
• Both the administration and faculty, particularly the eighth grade advisors, have a close relationship with the high schools that most of our graduates attend. There is a strong commitment to finding the high school that will be the most appropriate experience for each child.