SSSAS Middle School Academics

Curiosity, Creativity, Ethics, Empathy, Resilience, and Teamwork

At St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School we are always thinking about who we are and how we can be better versions of ourselves. With this in mind, the Middle School has a program called “Saints Mission Skills.” Throughout the year the Middle School uses the words CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY, ETHICS, EMPATHY, RESILIENCE, and TEAMWORK as reminders, as goals, and as accomplishments. Students participate in activities planned to practice them, they will talk about them in classes, in advisories, and when they all meet as a community.

An example of a Saints Mission Skills activity is the “STEM Challenge.” Students worked in groups during their advisory to complete various challenges. Eighth grade students constructed towers out of straws and tape to hold a tennis ball; Seventh grade students built a table to support a textbook using just newspaper, tape, and cardboard; and sixth grade students designed structures to hold a cup filled with 50 pennies using only pipe cleaners. The students had to be creative and curious to come up with their own designs while collaborating in small groups. For many groups the first few ideas failed, forcing them to be resilient and learn from their mistakes. In the end, it was a fun and valuable learning experience!

Erin Daly, Middle School Math Teacher

Our Saints Mission Skills activities allow the students to be active and engaged, while at the same time working to improve these crucial non-cognitive skills. In the STEM challenge, the students were having fun building various structures, but they were also working on their teamwork, their resilience, their creativity, and their curiosity.

MS Curriculum Overview

The Middle School program concentrates on skills that are essential for success in the Upper School and beyond, providing a balance of traditional instruction and innovative experiential learning. The Middle School experience is a crucial time of growth and transition. Grade level faculty advisers work in teams that discuss the progress of each student and are always available to speak with parents about their student's achievements or needs.

Our academic program is demanding and specially designed to attend to the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual requirements of boys and girls in middle school. The curriculum includes visual arts, performing arts, religion and weekly Chapel, modern and classical language, history, English, community service, athletics, technology, family life, and single-gender math and science classes as the core of our curriculum. Students participate in a variety of athletic games, clubs, and student organizations, in addition to lunch and recess.

While in the Middle School St. Stephen's and St. Agnes students learn a work ethic that will allow them to achieve excellence at the next level, and they gain a sense of themselves and their role in the greater community.

Advisory

The Middle School experience is a crucial time of growth and transition. Each student in the Middle School has an advisor, a faculty member whose job it is to know each individual student well. Advisories are together throughout the day: informally in the morning to check-in before school, in the afternoons for STAT (Student Teacher Appointment Time), and once a week during SAP (Saints Advisory Program) for assemblies, activities, student-led conference planning, or advisory discussions.

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