Middle School
Curriculum Overview
MAKING CONNECTIONS
That’s the intent behind our interdisciplinary approach to learning.
We know girls learn best when they can engage with each other and connect academic concepts to real-world experiences. That's why our faculty works across disciplines — connecting themes and topics in multiple subjects — to create a meaningful and immersive learning environment. When her school experience is created through the lens of what's best for girls, she feels empowered to stand up, speak up, and reach higher.
Signature Programs in Middle School
5th Grade Musical
FIFTH GRADE: Each year, the fifth grade class showcases their yearlong study of music, art, and theater with a culminating performance. Through this creative project, students build important skills: collaboration, problem-solving, cooperation, and communication. So when they’re working together to design sets and costumes, learning blocking and choreography, and practicing scenes for the final performance, they’re actively building foundational skills that apply to all academic areas.
May-dieval Day
SIXTH GRADE: This is a celebratory day in which sixth graders showcase their knowledge of Medieval history to their families and friends. Throughout the spring sixth graders read books and texts set in the Middle Ages, explore feudalism in Europe, create large narrative paintings, and learn songs and dances of the medieval era. Students create family crests, craft costumes, and giant puppets (think dragons and Attila the Hun!) and enjoy a feast with their families to celebrate all they've learned.
Public Speaking
SEVENTH GRADE: The 7th grade trimester of Theater Arts is focused on Public Speaking. The goal of the class is for students to gain comfort in speaking for an audience while also learning to craft their own speeches. Throughout the trimester, students write and present three different speeches: one to inform, one to persuade, and a “This I Believe” speech. Through exploration of the Linklater Voice technique, students unlock their natural voice and develop tools and techniques to speak more confidently and eloquently not only for presentations, but also in their everyday lives.
NYC Trip
EIGHTH GRADE: Each fall, the eighth grade spends two nights in NYC, where they experience an immigration simulation. Students take a ferry from Liberty State Park to trace the route of immigrants entering Ellis Island by boat. From there, students will continue to the Statue of Liberty and Eldridge Street Synagogue in Manhattan's Lower East Side, where they learn about the daily life of immigrants. Students will have opportunities to learn more about the immigrant group they are studying, visit iconic New York City sites, and work in their small groups on various skill-building tasks. The evenings will include a harbor cruise showcasing the Manhattan skyline and a Broadway show.
About Our Schedule
Rotating Schedule
Middle School operates on a seven-day cycle with blocks identified by letters A through G. Each block occurs five days out of seven with class periods running 45-50 minutes.
Daily Schedule
(Class times vary by day)
Parliament at 8:00 a.m.
Academic classes
Snack
Academic classes
Lunch
Study Hall | Chorus
Academic classes
Study Hall at 2:55 p.m. for grades 5, 6 or Sports for grades 6, 7, 8
School ends at 3:30 p.m.
Parliament
Middle School's advisory program, called Parliament (a gathering of owls), are small group forums where students build relationships with teachers and each other, reinforce the school's values, and promote character education. Students gather daily in Parliament, and the weekly schedule may include an assembly, grade-level class meeting, activities and values lessons, and Fun Fridays.
"Teachers always take the time to meet with me when I need their help."
Tori, Class of 2027
Service Learning
Students continue to learn the importance of being engaged citizens through service learning. Highlights include: the eighth grade partnership with a West Philadelphia elementary school; supporting Cradles to Crayons by packing books, sorting toys, and writing notes to children who will receive the donations. All Middle School girls participate in a canned food drive, and our sixth grade students collect, pack, and deliver the donations to a local food pantry.
Middle School Language Program
Modern and Classical language studies in Middle School focus on writing and speaking skills, as well as the language's cultural influence. In fifth grade, students take a semester of Spanish and semester of French, and in the spring, decide which language they would like to continue to study in sixth grade. In seventh and eighth grade, students add Latin to their schedule, learning the distinctive rhythm and flow of the language, understanding Latin vocabulary terms and its influence on the English language, as well as an examination of Roman culture and civilization.