Middle School Grades 5/6/7/8

The middle school curriculum is designed to have students arrive at understanding. We believe that all learning comes from creating meaning. Therefore, the curriculum is designed to enable students to use and create information. The middle school uses a multi-age approach to foster a sense of community. As in the primary grades program, the middle school curricula hold to the principles of Responsive Classroom as delineated in the Developmental Designs program. Each morning, students participate in the Circle of Power and Respect to develop a sense of commonality and community.

• Curricula in the areas of science, social studies, and language arts are presented in a three-year cycle.
• Social studies and language arts use an interdisciplinary thematic approach to foster greater connectivity and understanding. Students work on projects and participate in National History Day.

• As part of the science curriculum, students learn the fundamentals of robotics.
• Math and Spanish are largely sequential in nature and taught at the respective levels in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. In math, students move from a pre-algebra to algebra course with some students opting to take an additional geometry program. Students who excel in math are moved to the next level.
• As part of the music curriculum, students in the middle school learn to play the guitar. The school uses the services of Calliope: Pittsburgh's Folk Music Society. Students have a formal art class once a week.
• As in the intermediate grades, the middle school uses the facilities at Mellon Park and the local Boys and Girls Club for their physical education classes. Students continue to develop skills in relation to the team sports of baseball, softball, and basketball.