Middle School

5th- 8th Grade

Focus on Skill Building

In middle school, our goal is to build academic, executive functioning and social-emotional skills, so that our students enter high school feeling grounded and prepared to take ownership of their learning.

At The Sycamore School, we include 5th grade in our Middle School offerings. This is an age where students start to become disconnected from their learning. We want to capture young learners and keep them engaged at a time when they may be bored or overwhelmed in a conventional school environment.

Our middle school philosophy includes a no-homework* policy, giving students and their families much needed time off from structured learning. We encourage our families to participate in activities that support their student’s natural curiosity, as well as encouraging students to read for pleasure.

*Students will, from time to time, choose to take project based work home with them, but teachers are not assigning nightly work.

Our Middle School Course offerings include: 

Literacy

Our 5-7th graders take a literacy class. They study various literary genres and practice critical reading and writing skills. 

Math

When students join TSS, we first do a baseline assessment and help students fill in any gaps to their learning. Students are then able to move forward at their own pace. There are five broad areas of math that middle school students must master: Number Sense, Ratio & Proportions, Geometry, Data/Statistics/Proportions, and Expressions & Equations. 

Experiences

Instead of separate core classes, students take different transdisciplinary experiences each semester that weave together content from math, science, history, and English under a unifying theme. Past themes have included Identity, Civilizations, Motion, and Forensics. 

Movement & Mindfulness

This is TSS’s version of Health & PE. Students are introduced to a variety of cooperative games, yoga, and mindfulness activities. On Fridays, students discuss a variety of topics including healthy friendships, communication skills, hygiene, puberty, nutrition, drug and alcohol awareness, and mental health. 

Electives

TSS offers a variety of electives including 2D Art, ASL, Career Exploration, Coding, Creative Writing, French, Furniture Rehab, Instrumental Music, Journalism, Personal Finance, Spanish, Theatre Improv, and Theatre Acting. 

Friday Community Based Learning Days

On Fridays, students go into their community for experience-based field studies and community service outings. 

After School Clubs

TSS offers a variety of after school clubs Monday-Thursday. Club offerings have included Anime, Art, Board Games, Cooking, Ecology/Sports, Martial Arts, Music Production, Theatre, Video Games, and Ultimate Frisbee.