Grades 6 to 8
Philosophy
Middle School is a special time in a child’s development. The transition between childhood and adolescence is a time filled with physical and emotional change. To assist students through these transitions, we focus on the development of the whole child. Our academic program is aligned to the New York State Standards (NYSS) and meets the needs of a 21st century learner. Our MS culture supports the socio-emotional needs through strong counseling and advisory programs.
The Middle School team strives to be:
- Developmentally Responsive, using the nature of young adolescents as the foundation on which all decisions are made.
- Challenging, recognizing that every child can learn and everyone is held to high expectations.
- Empowering, providing all students with the knowledge and skills they need to take control of their lives.
- Equitable, advocating for every student’s right to learn and provide challenging and relevant learning opportunities.
Curriculum
At UAS we focus on the development of higher-order thinking skills necessary for success in the 21st century. Our NYSS based curriculum teaches students to think critically with an emphasis on inquiry-driven instructional strategies. Teachers work diligently to foster curiosity and creativity through teaching methodologies which are hands-on and collaborative. We make learning rigorous and fun in the UAS Middle School!
Exploring Interests Through Electives
The UAS Middle School offers a series of Elective Classes that allow students to explore languages and the arts, developing a well-rounded individual. Our visual arts, theater, band, and choir programs provide students with experiences to explore the arts and find new passions. Through our World Languages program students are introduced to Spanish, French, and Arabic.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
The UAS Week Without Walls program provides life-changing learning experiences for students to extend their curricular knowledge beyond the classroom. These experiences focus on service and are designed for students to learn life skills, gain cultural understanding, and experience personal growth.
Advisory
A school Student Advisory Initiative is essential to a strong middle school. According to the article Creating a Culture of Connectedness through Middle School Advisory Program, an advisory initiative facilitates the development of meaningful relationships among students and with teachers “provid[ing] the structure that creates ‘connectedness’ in a middle school.
Connectedness is important to school culture. Meaningful relationships between students and adults within the school increase student engagement in school activities resulting in improved academics a and sense of belonging to the school. As the article states “School connectedness is linked to higher grades [and] higher test scores.” To improve our Advisory Initiative, we implement the Second Step Advisory Project, focusing on mindsets and goals, values and friendships, emotions and decisions, as well as serious peer conflict resolution. For more information on the Second Step Advisory Project, click here.