Middle School Academy Half-Day Classes, Grades 6-8, Fall 24

Middle School Academy (Grades 6-8)

This is a one-day per week, 4.5-hour drop-off program for students that runs from 9:30 am – 2:00 pm. The parent is NOT required to stay on campus during this time.  All teachers have had a background check completed and are fully vaccinated. We cover a variety of subjects that change each quarter/semester. Classes are 45 mins long with 30 min breaks in between. They eat a home-packed nut-free lunch. We run this program on Wednesdays or Fridays. You choose the day that works best for you. Students are dropped off in our kiss-and-ride line and picked up at the end of the day in the same manner. Caregivers never need to leave their car!

• Literature – Christy Thomas
  • • Welcome to a dynamic book club, Bibliophile Brigade, tailored for middle schoolers.  The eagerly anticipated book titles for the upcoming year will be revealed in July. Your child is asked to read around 30-60 pages weekly throughout the year. The reading level of the text is geared towards seventh-grade readability and topics, with audiobook options available for almost all selections. Classes are filled with discussions and hands-on activities that bring stories to life in exciting ways, from dissecting plot twists to chasing down curious facts.  Middle School Academy students are expected to write (note-taking and free write) and draw during this class. 
    • Books to be announced at the end of July. 

• Adulting 101 – Zena Nguon
  • We will be getting ready for the world outside of the classroom! Students will get to develop debate, presentation, research, conflict resolution and finiancial planning skills in our Adulting 101 class. We will also help build their confidence as they begin to create their own resumes, get ready for mock interviews, and look at different job/career options for the future! Yes, our tweens/teens are years away from adulthood, but with this class, we will help make the transition of growing up not as scary.

• History – Liesl Main

  • Our middle school history class this year will explore world history from the Middle Ages through the Age of Absolutism. We will explore the complicated history of Europe as the powers of Spain, England and France grow. We will meet colorful historical figures such as Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, Henry VIII and Louis the XIV. We will also touch on the history of China at this same time learning more about Genghis and Kublai Khan and the explorations of Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty. Some of the topics we will cover in this class include:

    • Middle Ages (feudalism, the Battle of Hastings, the Crusades, Black Plague, the Canterbury Tales)

    • Renaissance, the Spanish Empire, the Reformation, the English Reformation (Tutor family)

    • Yuan and Ming Dynasties in China, the Age of Exploration, the Scientific Revolution
    • Three hundred years of tensions between England and France (Hundred Years’ War/Joan of Arc, War of the Roses, Thirty Years War), Absolutism and the Rise of Nation States (Louis XIV, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Frederick the Great and others)
    • Book Requirement: The Canterbury Tales (Puffin Classics) by Geraldine McCaughrean.  (ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140380531 or ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140380538)

• •  
• Go With the Flow! Improv, Drama and Learning to Connect, and Communicate- Keely Kirkus
  • Teens/Tweens are lively and need a creative outlet. Improv is fun and exciting! No matter how you say it, Tweens/Teens + Improv is a perfect combo. While having a good time teens will also learn some valuable skills (shhh don’t let them know they are learning): Positivity, communication, and listening – yes listening! Working together to build confidence, self-expression, and more! During these classes, students will have fun while creating a supportive environment for all to learn the basics of improv, storytelling, and stagecraft. During our introductory course, students will explore the elements of improv by learning the core fundamentals and principles of improv, with a focus on various games and exercises that encourage trust, communication, agreement (“yes and”); active listening, character, status, and making your scene partner look like a genius. Students will learn to use “yes – and”, playing at the top of their intelligence. Students will also learn basic short-form improvisation games and how to use ideas of improv as a tool in their lives. 

Minimum Required Enrollment: 7 

Course Length: 4.5-hour class once per week/ 12 weeks / 54 hours/semester

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Cost – Payment Plans:

• • Lump-Sum Payment – 10% deposit at registration with the remainder due 1 Sept 24.
    • 10% Registration Deposit: $66
    • Final Payment due 1 Sept: $594
    • Total Cost: $660 ($12/hour, $55/day for 12 weeks)
  • 2-Month Payment Plan – 10% deposit at registration with the remainder split over 2 payments due on 1 Sept and 1 Oct 24.
    • 10% Registration Deposit: $66.40
    • First Payment – Due 1 Sept: $298.80
    • Final Payment – Due 1 Oct: $298.80
    • Total Cost: $664  ($12/hour, $55/day for 12 weeks)
  • 4-Month Payment Plan – 10% deposit at registration with the remainder split over 4 payments due on 1 Sept, 1 Oct, 1 Nov, 1 Dec 24
    • 10% Registration Deposit: $66.92
    • First Payment – Due 1 Sept: $150.58
    • Second Payment – Due 1 Oct: $150.58
    • Third Payment – Due 1 Nov: $150.58
    • Final Payment – Due 1 Dec: $150.58
    • Total Cost: $669.24 ($12/hour, $55/day for 12 weeks)