Middle school equips students with the skills and mindset to be successful throughout high school and beyond. During these critical years, children experience significant intellectual and social-emotional growth as they take on new responsibilities and explore their interests.
Middle school students at St. Timothy’s School develop formative foundations through engaging in rigorous academic studies, immersive co-curriculars, and introspective social-emotional learning experiences. Upon completing their 8th-grade year, our students are prepared to start their next chapter with the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual skills they built at St. Timothy’s School. Read below to learn more about the foundations built in middle school and how they set children up to be lifelong learners.
Independence
Independence is a significant pillar of a child’s middle school experience. When transitioning from lower school to middle school, students are met with an entirely new set of responsibilities giving them a newfound sense of independence. At St. Timothy’s School, our fifth-grade students are met with many choices as they begin middle school. For the first time, students have their pick of art electives — drama, art, or photography — granting them the autonomy to explore their interests. Our middle school students also experience a rotating schedule for the first time as they enter fifth grade. From managing their schedule to keeping track of homework assignments from different teachers, middle school brings ample opportunity for independence.
Time Management
Middle school helps students develop stronger time management skills as their schedules become more complex. Between balancing academics, social life, extracurriculars, and more, middle schoolers must learn to manage their time efficiently and navigate new responsibilities. To better develop students’ time management skills, the middle school program at St. Timothy’s targets organizational skills, study habits, and critical-thinking capabilities.
Social-Emotional Growth
Middle school is a critical time for a child’s social-emotional development. During this time, children take crucial steps toward introspectively discovering themselves through taking on developmental tasks. Whether it’s building the confidence to ask questions in class or developing stronger communication skills through collaboration inside and outside the classroom, middle school offers opportunities for students to socially and emotionally grow. At St. Timothy’s School, we offer social and emotional learning programs for all grades emphasizing focus, communication, and resilience. Our counselors and teachers present weekly social-emotional learning lessons to our middle schoolers, focusing their curriculum on self-awareness, self-management, decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. As a result of these experiences, our middle schoolers develop foundational social-emotional skills that they can carry throughout their educational journey.
Personal Interests
Students get ample opportunities to develop new interests throughout their middle school years. Whether it’s joining a sports team, volunteering for service learning projects, or joining an afterschool club, the possibilities are endless for middle school students. At St. Timothy’s School, we encourage middle school students to explore activities outside their concrete curriculum. From participating in band or chorus to joining clubs like student council, morning announcements, yearbook, the student ambassador program, or Junior Classical League, our middle school students take this valuable time to explore their personal interests and passions. And for some students, the interests they explore in middle school could carry over into high school and become lifelong passions.
Private Education at St. Timothy’s School
At St. Timothy’s School, we recognize that middle school is crucial for academic, social, and emotional development. Using our research-based curriculum, our faculty helps instill independence and responsibility in our middle school students, laying formative foundations for their next chapter of life. Visit our website to learn more about our comprehensive middle school curriculum.
