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The middle school program at Saint George’s is designed to give your 6th, 7th, and 8th grade child the encouragement and support to develop themselves as scholars, athletes, and artists. Our major goals are to build a foundation of skills, knowledge, and principles that foster success in the Upper School and beyond. The Middle School program is a natural progression from the “Habits of Success” cultivated in the SGS Lower School.
Our accelerated math curriculum, developed in-house, is unique to SGS. It is but one facet of a multi-layered program focusing on inquiry, problem solving, reflection, and integration. In short, we aspire for your child to be able to think and communicate ethically and effectively. The structure of each grade level is designed to provide a natural and developmentally appropriate transition from the Lower School to the Middle School, and from the Middle School to the Upper School.
In 6th grade, your child will find a team of teachers working with them to master the novelties of their own lockers and switching classes each period. Sixth grade builds skills that will buttress future academic success, such as learning how to take notes, study for a test, and organize the work of a long-term project. Highlights include the cardboard boat races down the Little Spokane River and Native American cultures and the biology of salmon, with a visit to the Nez Perce reservation and tours of two fish hatcheries and a dam.
Seventh grade is a time to continue to reinforce organizational and study strategies to develop executive functioning skills for your child to hone throughout their lives. The seventh graders learn team-building skills on a three-day retreat in the Eastern Washington woods that combines eco-games, challenge activities, and fly fishing.
Throughout middle school and especially in eighth grade, the challenging academic program lays a foundation for success in our International Baccalaureate program in 11th and 12th grades. Eighth graders experience the excitement of discovery and the joy of service and leadership through a classic Saint George’s tradition, the Coast Trip. On this five-day camping excursion near Port Angeles, your child will explore tide pool biology, the rain forest ecosystem, and World War II shore defenses while reflecting on their growth in Middle School and looking ahead to the Upper School.
Middle School students learn while doing. Your child will learn what it means to serve while on lunch duty with their advisory or singing at a retirement home. They develop their leadership skills through refining their Genius Hour projects and while helping kindergarteners identify leaves. They try new activities – biking, archery, cross-country skiing, and fishing – while on class field trips. These trips are a crucial aspect of the curriculum, teaching your child that their reach can exceed their grasp, and that success is often the progeny of failure and tenacity. Away from the classroom, your child will open up to new skills and new friends. They get to take appropriate risks, while developing a caring, open-minded appreciation for themselves, Spokane, the world, and all its inhabitants. Building healthy relationships with peers and adults is an important part of the journey of middle school. Our experienced teachers help students traverse the often rocky terrain of pre-adolescence. Our school counselor is another resource available to help students navigate this journey. All of this is grounded in our Core Values of honesty, respect, generosity of spirit, and best efforts.
Click below to see a full collection of middle school academics and curriculum through photos:
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