Middle School Program - St. John's Preparatory School

Grades 6, 7, and 8

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM

Learning Opportunities Are Everywhere

We balance academic excellence with a nurturing culture that empowers our youngest students to confidently achieve and grow beyond their expectations. We believe that learning can happen anywhere, any time. Important conversations, high-fives, and warm smiles spill out into hallways between classes, into the dining hall during lunch, and into the student center.

Our Middle School students are greeted by an extensive groundwork of curriculum, all within an environment that fosters a community conducive with growth and empowerment. While tackling core subjects like English, history, science, math, and religious studies, students also take a consistent rotation of computer science, fine arts, physical education, and world language classes during all three years of Middle School. The grade-level themes of learn, serve, and appreciate are realized through the practice of personal wellness, servant leadership, and inclusion, and are fundamental building blocks to forming a holistic individual.

Unique to the St. John's Prep Middle School

Advisory

Students in grades 6, 7 and 8 are placed into small advisory groups led by a Middle School faculty or staff member. These groups meet daily during a 30-minute block that serves many purposes: study halls, extra help sessions, guided workshops designed by school counselors, small group music lessons, academic check-ins, and prayer services. Tailored to the specific needs and theme of each grade, the advisory program operates collaboratively with school counselors to help students find success in their academic, social, and co-curricular lives in our Middle School.

Team Teaching in Grades 7 and 8

In seventh grade, students are assigned to a team—Judge, King, or Frates. They will stay on this team for both seventh and eighth grade. Similarly, teachers are assigned to one of those three teams. So, students will have the same English teacher for two years, the same math teacher for two years, and so on. The benefits of this model? Team teachers meet regularly to check in on students holistically (is a student struggling in science but excelling in studio art?) and students are able to create tight-knit circles within those on their team.

Movement

Middle School boys need to move! We know that, we embrace that, and we've incorporated it into the schedule in a few different ways:

Flex Block: This serves as a default recess period, but students are also welcome to meet with a teacher or learning coach if needed.
PE: All students have gym class consistently for three years.
Wellness Breaks: This is just what it sounds like—a break from schoolwork so students can get up, move, and shift gears.

World Language Exploration

Sixth grade students take one of our four world languages each quarter: Chinese, German, Latin, and Spanish. They're exposed to all of them so that in seventh grade, they can make an informed decision about which one they want to continue to study.

While students are encouraged to stick with their chosen language, they are able to switch to a different language when they enter ninth grade.

Mental Skills Class

All sixth and ninth graders are introduced to mental skills curriculum within their health and physical education classes. This mental skills program is designed specifically for students to begin to recognize character strengths, develop personal philosophies and mindsets, learn how to set goals, continue practice cultivating health relationships, and learn about mental health.

Free Blocks

Starting in eighth grade, students will have periodic free blocks as a sign of increasing maturity and a recognition that they'll soon be high schoolers! Free blocks also help students develop time management skills, in addition to giving them a mental break from schoolwork.

Learn • Serve • Appreciate.

Each grade in the Middle School focuses on one theme a year. Sixth graders develop the mindset of a learner, seventh graders embrace their role as emerging servant leaders, and eighth graders learn to appreciate the many positive ways diverse backgrounds, cultures, and ways of thinking have on them.

Sample Sixth Grade Schedule

Core Classes: Purposely scheduled in the morning when students are most alert.
Flex Block: Serves as a default recess, but also allows students to check in with a teacher or CLAS if needed.
Advisory: Another great time of the day to seek extra help, get a head start on homework, or do some reading.
Rotation Classes: There's always something different happening in the afternoon, whether that's computer science, art, drama, health, or world languages.

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
8:00-8:50	Math	English	Math	English	Math	English	Math
8:50-9:35	Science	Social Studies	Science	Social Studies	Science	Social Studies	Science
9:57-10:32	Flex Block	Flex Block	Flex Block	Flex Block	Flex Block	Flex Block	Flex Block
10:35-11:20	English	Math	English	Math	English	Math	English
11:20-12:05	Social Studies	Science	Social Studies	Science	Social Studies	Science	Social Studies
12:08-12:33	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
12:33-12:58	Advisory	Advisory	Concert Band	Advisory	Advisory	Advisory	Advisory
1:01-1:46	Concert Band	Mental Skills / PE	Drama	Concert Band	Drama	Music	Drama
1:49-2:34	World Language Exploratory	World Language Exploratory	PE	World Language Exploratory	World Language Exploratory	PE	World Language Exploratory

Sample Seventh and Eighth Grade Schedule

The seventh and eighth grade schedule more closely mirrors the high school schedule for a seamless transition.
Next semester, this student's second block classes will switch to computer science and studio art; chorus remains all year.
Advisory: A great time of the day to seek extra help, get a head start on homework, or do some reading.
Wellness Breaks and Free Periods: These blocks are tools to help students practice time management, as well as take a mental break from academics.

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
8:00-8:45	World Language	Science	Religious Studies	English	Math	PE/Wellness	Social Studies
8:48-9:33	Chorus	Health	Drama	Chorus	Health	Drama	Chorus
9:35-9:45	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack
9:48-10:33	English	Math	PE/Wellness	Social Studies	World Language	Science	Religious Studies
10:37-11:29	Social Studies	Lunch	Science	Lunch	English	Lunch	Wellness Break
11:32-11:57	Lunch	World Language	Lunch	Religious Studies	Lunch	Math	Lunch
12:01-12:33	Advisory	Advisory	Advisory	Advisory	Advisory	Advisory	Advisory
12:35-1:30	Religious Studies	English	Math	Free Block	Social Studies	World Language	Science
1:49-2:34	PE/Wellness	Social Studies	World Language	Science	Religious Studies	English	Math

Brother Benjamin Hall

Brother Benjamin Hall is home to the Prep's Middle School. Middle Schoolers have dedicated spaces inside for classes, labs, lunch, campus ministry, student life, locker rooms, school counseling offices, and study spaces.

While Middle Schoolers certainly make use of the entire Prep campus, having a dedicated space to call their own supports their development as our youngest students and allows them to create a culture that is perfectly suited for their unique and special time of life.

Intentional Technology

As a 1:1 iPad school, we approach the use technology mindfully and intentionally.

iPads and digital educational tools are filled with positive potential. We also know that there is a balance, especially as middle school-aged boys are in the process of developing healthy digital habits. There are a few things we do in the Middle School to ensure iPads are used for learning, and unstructured time is for talking, socializing, and character formation.

Thoughtful iPad Use: On Middle School iPads, we've blocked certain apps like YouTube. Pew research shows that teens use YouTube 24% more than any other app or messaging platform. Blocking it means we give our students time back to foster in-person interactions with their classmates.
Docking Stations in sixth grade: When iPads are not in use for specific academic purposes, they are housed in classroom docking stations and are checked out for at-home use.
Conversations Around Ethical use of AI: As artificial intelligence becomes more and more prominent, students and teachers continue to explore ways to harness the most positive aspects of technology while prioritizing core learning principles.

Helpful digital wellness tips related to social media, screen time, trends, and how to start conversations with your son are shared each week in the Friday parent newsletter.