4th and 5th Grade
Starting this year, Ms. Bennett and Ms. Westerman (formerly Ms. Bell – congratulations!) will be team teaching fourth and fifth grade. Ms. Bennett will be teaching reading and writing to both grades. Ms. Bell will be teaching math and social studies to both grades. Ms. Jeffers will be anchored in fourth grade. This new model, carefully constructed, provides variety and movement for our intermediate students and nudges our fifth grade closer to our middle school model, allows our teachers to specialize in particular subject areas, allows for looping which allows our teachers to know the students better and minimize transition time between grades, and increases vertical collaboration between our fourth/fifth teaching team. We are really excited by this model.

Multi-age Grouping in 7th and 8th Grade
In seventh and eighth grade, we have developed a new scheduling model for Art, Social Studies, and Science. Students in seventh and eighth grade will have those three classes in a multi-age group. And, with this multi-age grouping, students will have art and science in groups of 11. This new model gives students the opportunity to expand their network of collaborators in the classroom, brings the possibility for greater cohesion to the middle school students, allows for even more opportunity for small class sizes in the middle school, and allows for greater support in the hands-on environments of art and science.

Science Research Classes
In middle school, we are adding a weekly “Science Research” class. This science research class will be a companion to the hands-on, inquiry-based science approach. This class allows students to focus on research skills, improve reading and writing skills in content areas, and strengthen their understanding of science content.