A Day in the Life

8:00: Middle School students start their day with their advisor in homeroom, where they greet each other, unpack, and hear reminders for the day. Routines like these support the development of critical executive functioning skills.

8:10: The day starts with creativity and movement. All Middle School students begin each day with either an art class (2D art, 3D art, chorus, instrumental, theory, or theater) or Physical Education. Practices  for Middle School Athletics teams take place during this period as well. Creativity and movement set students up for a focused day of active learning.

9:30: The first class of the day is an hour long class. Hour-long periods in the morning take advantage of variable middle school attention spans. The long period allows for an intellectual deep dive when students are most energized.

10:30: Community time is built in to each day in the form of Advisory, Middle School Morning Meeting, or Student  Clubs. This is time for community discussions, celebrations, service, informal lecture or performances, and student initiative.

10:55: Lunch is never just lunch. As well as eating, students use lunch to catch up with friends, study in the library, play ping pong, entertain at the piano, or get help from a teacher or advisor.

11:40: After lunch students have two back-to-back, 50-minute classes. Our curriculum includes a core of English, History, Math, Science and Language, as well as a rich collection of specialized classes (Library, Technology, and SELF). Students also pursue an elective course that builds on an area of their interest. Elective offerings include such classes as photography, creative writing, model congress and chess).

1:20: Students reenergize, reorganize and regroup at break. Students choose to play, seek extra help, get lost in a good book, work on a project in the innovation lab, or get a head start on tomorrow’s homework.

1:50: The school day ends with two back-to-back 45 minutes classes. The academic year is punctuated by opportunities for challenge (including final exams at the ends of grade 7 and 8), support (study halls – called “preps” - built into the schedule typically once a week), extension (field trips and specialized learning opportunities that build on current content) and reflection (year end retreats and annual ceremonies and celebrations).

3:20: Students stay on campus to participate in after school programming through our Adventures Program, to receive academic support in our Patrick Academic Resource Center, or to wait for pick up in our Extended Day program. Extended Day is available each school day from 7am-8am, and 3:20pm-7pm.