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Middle School
The Middle School Program comprises grades six through eight. Middle School years are a time of transition: searching out one's identity and role in society, defining one's personal value system amid the pulls of the peer group, and developing and refining one's academic skills. The goal of the Middle School is to offer a balanced program that teaches, solidifies, and refines academic and study skills; strengthens critical thinking and problem-solving abilities; and builds global community as well as self-awareness and advocacy.
Rigorous expectations, daily homework, a weekly schedule that includes nine subjects, and six or seven different teachers demand seriousness of purpose, good study habits, and effective time management. Teachers work closely with parents and students to develop these skills.
Beyond the classroom, the program includes:
Advisory
Each grade level is divided into three advisory groups with 10 - 11 students and one advisor. Groups meet 1-2 times each week and each grade level focuses on relevant areas of social and emotional learning. Advisory also features direct guidance and support in study, organization and time-management skills. In conjunction with other Specialist’s, the advisor monitors each advisee's overall well-being, as well as academic and social progress throughout the school year. As the point person for student and parent communication, the advisor connects regularly with families and meets with them for conferences.
Electives
The Electives program provides an opportunity for all Middle School students to choose from an array of minicourses, such as mural painting, video production, sewing and journalism.
Field Experience
The Field Experience Program offers seventh grade students the opportunity to explore individual passions in the workplace. Students can spend up to three days on location learning more about a professional field of choice.
Graduation
The eighth grade graduation ceremony marks the end of their San Francisco School odyssey from which they embark towards a lifetime of learning. The ceremony is a time for reflection and celebration with The SFS community that is almost entirely student created, led, and performed.
Outdoor Education and Trips
6th and 7th grade: Every year, the sixth and seventh graders participate in a trip together to some outdoor destination. Locations have included: Yosemite, Pinnacles National Monument, Sequoia National Park and others. The trips offer a rich program that ties into the science curriculum of the school. Goals include: building self-esteem and group dynamics, teaching outdoor education/camping skills, and understanding the environment and responsible care of our planet.
8th Grade: Our Spanish program offers the eighth grade a total immersion experience in the spring of their final year. Students enjoy a weeklong stay at a Mexican arts camp in Michoacan, where they live, work and play with native-speaking students and staff and participate in workshops taught by local artisans in their fields of expertise.
Service Learning
At each grade level and across the Middle School, students participate in service learning projects throughout the school year. Some of these activities take place in academic classes, and others take place during Advisory. The Middle School Student Council frequently organizes community service events such as donation drives and service opportunities that may arise during the school year (i.e. Katrina support). In addition to these service projects, every Advisory group is assigned a space at school to care for during the year. Discussions of our impact on the Gaven Street neighborhood and on our planet thread through the Middle School program.
Student Council
Student Council offers students leadership opportunities and a mechanism for identifying, discussing, and solving Middle School issues. Student Council meets weekly to examine the needs of the Middle School and to prepare for Town Meeting.
Town Meeting
Town Meeting is a weekly gathering of Middle School students and their teachers. It provides a forum for disseminating information and solving problems; it is a place where student voices are heard.
Tutorial
Students have regular periods in which they can get individual help, do make-up work, or get a head start on their homework. Tutorial time also gives teachers a chance to observe student work habits, conference with students, and monitor students' time-management, prioritization, and organization skills.
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