Curriculum: Middle School: Grades 6-8

Students are welcomed into an environment that is engaging, challenging, inspiring, and nurturing; learning experiences are created that foster inspiration, promote the development of a core set of academic skills and learning habits, and that encourage students to explore and identify their core values and passions.  More than preparing students for high school, our Middle School program focuses on a whole child approach that supports the special needs of middle years students; students are engaged in learning and community life, challenged intellectually and academically, and supported by passionate, nurturing, and inspired adults.

Our curriculum is strongly rooted in internationally recognized learning outcomes, and we use these outcomes to drive our instruction.  Traditional timetables have been replaced by a more fluid schedule to meet the needs of the students and the themes being studied.  Our thematic instruction is supported by a strong arts program that includes visual and performing arts, and the collaboration helps to provide students with rich experiential learning opportunities that are thematic across the curriculum, inquiry-based, and designed to fully engage the multitude of intelligences and learning styles. Learning outcomes include relevant projects and presentations that meet real needs in the local and/or global community, and can be shared with authentic audiences in school, community-wide, and beyond.

In addition to our strong academic program there are some very unique aspects of our Middle School program:

1) Community Time: Students have time built into their daily schedules to work on community-oriented endeavours.  Such activities include class meetings, volunteer/service projects, cross-age tutoring, I RESPECT (school wide values) activities, life skills, organization and self-management, conflict resolution training, entrepreneurial endeavours, and all Middle School assemblies and presentations.

2) Needs-based learning (NBL): Four times each week, during our 30 minute Reading/NBL time, students needing extra support in math, reading, and/or writing receive tutorial support.  Also during this time students can organize into book clubs that meet to read, discuss, and critique novels of their choice.

3) Electives: Students have one elective period each week. These electives are student, teacher, and parent generated, and run in 4-6 week cycles.  Students form small groups based on interests and then seek the support of a teacher, another adult on campus, or a parent.

4) Self-Time: Students have one hour of time each week to use as they choose.  This can include receiving tutoring from a specific teacher, catching up on assignments and/or projects, or acting as a Middle School ambassador through volunteering in a primary grade classroom or with another adult on campus (gardener, animal husbandry, IT lab, etc).  Students may also choose to work on an individual project of interest that can be academic or personal in nature.  The idea is promote responsibility and for students to attend to their needs and interests as they see fit.  We believe this time has incredible value as Middle Students develop into responsible young adults.

5) Arts Rotation: Twice weekly Middle School students work with our visual and performing arts specialists in the areas of music, marimba, visual arts, drama, and hip-hop performance.  Every half term students get choose their area of focus for that block of time.

6) Outdoor Education/Service Learning Trips: We have teamed up with Odyssey Institute, a local provider of outdoor education adventures and service learning, to create unique outdoor experiences tailored to support Green Studies themes for each grade; Grade 6 is Water, Grade 7 is Health and Healing, and Grade 8 is Conservation and Social Action.  Each grade embarks on two multi-day trips to various locations around Bali; one trip will takes place at the beginning of the school year (September/October) and one towards the end of the school year (April/May).  These trips are an invaluable component of our Middle School program!

7) Grade 8 Quest Project: As a culmination to Middle School, and as part of a larger rite of passage, Grade 8 students embark on a personal Quest Project. The Quest is an opportunity for students to pursue an area of personal interest and to focus their attention throughout the course of their Grade 8 year.  This project will hold a special place of importance in the Middle School Program and when completed will be a record of a personal journey that each student can present to the school community.