Curriculum

The middle school program is designed to nurture the intellectual, ethical, social-emotional and physical development of young people during their transition from childhood to adolescence. Students experiencing the rapid growth that occurs in early adolescence flourish in an educational environment that is distinctly different from both the lower and high school models.

During Grades 5 through 8, students experience a dramatic shift in their cognitive abilities as they move from a concrete mode of thought to a more abstract level of thinking. To support and guide this growth, the middle school curriculum is structured to help students form connections and observe relationships between different subject areas—and the world beyond the classroom. Instruction in critical thinking and study skills is integrated into interdisciplinary units and projects. Students’ schedules are designed to maximize flexibility and enable teachers to incorporate a wide variety of experiential learning opportunities and extended field studies, making the most of the School’s unique location in the UK.

Independence and organization are emphasized throughout the program as students learn to carry out research and use a wide variety of technologies to enhance the acquisition, analysis, communication, and presentation of information. Teachers meet students’ individual needs through a variety of teaching strategies, focusing on active learning, student-centered approaches, and the use of a variety of assessment techniques. The goal is to promote academic excellence and provide a supportive and creative atmosphere, cultivating in students a lifelong love of learning.

The preadolescent’s rapid intellectual growth causes great emotional and social changes. The Middle School seeks to nurture close, trusting relationships with adults and peers to create a positive climate for personal growth, and to help students deal successfully with change. Advisory group time provides students with the opportunity to share interests and concerns, and experience the encouragement of their peers and teachers. Students receive additional support from full-time counselors as well as health classes for each grade level. At this time in their lives, students benefit greatly from exploring their talents and interests in a supportive, non-evaluative setting. The middle school After-school Program offers students an ever-changing menu of athletic, social, and artistic activities to discover.

The Middle School aims to create a caring school community that values diversity and encourages responsible citizenship. Students are given chances to become leaders in student government and athletics alike, while ASL’s  service learning program helps to bolster students’ confidence as they participate in on- and off-campus service opportunities.

The Middle School recognizes that each student has their own unique timetable for physical development. Preadolescents often experience awkwardness and fatigue during rapid growth spurts. The physical education program is designed to help students address these challenges, while the after-school athletics program offers a wide variety of team and individual sports opportunities.
Our middle school teachers are knowledgeable about, and committed to, the interests and needs of young adolescent learners, and recognize that a successful middle school experience is the result of a close partnership between students, teachers, and parents/guardians. Our aim is to build these relationships early on, and continue to develop them over each student’s time in the Middle School.
Finally, the Middle School strives to value all students for their unique talents, to challenge them to their fullest potential, and to help them succeed.