Middle School (Gr. 5-8)
The Middle School provides authentic learning opportunities through hands-on explorations of topics in and out of the classroom.
The Middle School Experience
Roycemore's Middle School creates a relationship-rich learning environment that allows students to be seen, known, heard, and celebrated. Roycemore’s community remains intentionally small to offer a personalized and differentiated learning experience for all students.
In this learning environment, students have access to course content in smaller class sizes, utilizing research-based educational practices and flexible scaffolds to meet the diverse needs of all Roycemore learners. Students are prompted to figure out how to problem-solve and think of the “why” behind their learning. Students are given agency and voice in their learning, as they can find multiple pathways to demonstrate their comprehension of the high-level standards and expectations.
Through the daily Homeroom/Advisory period, students begin the day with a focus on the developmental needs of young adolescents. Faculty teach, practice, and support executive functioning strategies to address both the social-emotional and academic needs of learners. Strong college-preparatory curricula, talented educators, and robust and personalized clubs, sports, and events make Roycemore Middle School an exceptional place for Griffins to learn and grow.
Personal Passion Project
Every student deserves to be an expert on something and have time to focus on their passions within the school day. At Roycemore Middle School, our Personal Passion Project (P3) program harnesses the power of students’ passions while utilizing the design thinking process to guide our students through deep, intentional inquiry and action associated with their P3. Students focus on their passion area weekly throughout the year, with advice/guidance from an assigned mentor. P3 culminates with Experience Week and our P3 Expo Showcase in late March where students have the opportunity to present their learning to an audience of family, friends, and our larger Roycemore community.
House System
We build vertical community and collaboration between grades 5 - 8 through our HOUSE program. Just like Harry Potter’s Sorting Hat at Hogwarts, we start each year by gathering together as a Middle School community in our Commons to sort all new students into one of four Houses. These four HOUSES each have a faculty sponsor and are led by their 8th-grade HOUSE captains. Our captains work together to plan bi-monthly academic, social/emotional, physical, and service-oriented challenges. Points are tallied throughout the year based on the results of each of the challenges culminating with the highly-anticipated and exciting reveal of the winner of the HOUSE Cup during our 8th-grade graduation ceremony. HOUSE provides yet another way that we build community and strong relationships within and between grade levels at Roycemore Middle School.
Schedule
Creating a schedule that meets the diverse needs of all of our learners is a bit like a puzzle. Each year, we look to the needs of our students to help inform our scheduling decisions. This year, our seven-period schedule is a blended block schedule. On Mondays and Fridays, all classes meet from Block A through Block G for 48 minutes. On Tuesday through Thursday, all classes meet two of the three days in 65-minute instructional blocks. To support the critical need for movement and socialization in MS, we have time in our Zone area each morning from 7:30 am -8:15 for students to play in the gym, compete against friends in foosball, ping pong, and air hockey, or just sit and talk with their friends. Every MS student also enjoys a recess block following lunch each day where they can enjoy the fresh air in Alexander Park, play a game in the gym, or cuddle up with a great book in the library.