This unique middle school program is designed to foster independence, creativity, and community through a blend of structured and student-driven learning in an outdoor environment. The program supports both academic growth and social-emotional development through a thoughtfully designed daily and seasonal structure.
Our Middle School Program
Morning Meeting
Each day begins with centering activities and announcements to ground students and set the tone for a focused, intentional day.
Planning Your Day
Students learn executive functioning skills by setting daily goals, reflecting on previous accomplishments, and identifying the support they need. This builds important habits of self-direction and strategic thinking.
Independent Learning Time
During this self-guided block, students work on personalized academic tasks co-planned with parents. Focus areas often include online coursework, reading/writing assignments, research projects, and math practice. Teachers are on hand to offer guidance and support.
Trailblazers-Style Learning Time will include:
Challenges
Group-based, hands-on activities that promote exploration, collaboration, and problem-solving. These may span a day or more and include projects like building models, conducting science investigations, and creative design challenges.
Trailblazers-Style Learning Time will include:
Inquiry Learning Block
Interest-based classes designed around student passions and mentor skills. These interdisciplinary offerings blend academics and enrichment, ranging from theater production and community service planning to environmental research and historical inquiry.
Daily Rhythm
Independent Learning Time: Activities are predetermined by students and their parents and are an extension of work done at home. Independent Learning Time will typically focus on assignments in two or three subject areas. A teacher is available to monitor and assist when help is needed. This prepares students for the self-discipline and independence that will be required in high school and beyond. Staff are happy to confer with parents and students at the beginning of each semester to help devise an appropriate study plan. Some example areas of study could be
- Accredited academic online course work
- Informal online classes
- Reading or writing assignments from curriculum used in homeschooling
- Interactive online math activities or programs
- Research projects that are defined collaboratively by students and parents
TB Style Learning Block can include:
Challenges: These are open-ended group activities that encourage curiosity and exploration. Students are encouraged to work together to explore and/or solve. Some may extend over more than one day. Some may be done as a whole group activity. Examples include:
- Build a workable bridge from popsicle sticks and rubber bands
- Compare and contrast images under a microscope
- Build a 3-D city using geographic shapes and defined parameters
- Collect eight types of seeds and identify and determine how they are spread.
Inquiry-based Learning: These will be courses/projects designed and offered based on student interests and adult skills. They will feature a mixture of academic and enrichment opportunities and may be made open to other homeschooling students. Some examples could be:
- Write and prepare to produce a play that the younger students can perform in the following semester
- Identify a community you wish to support, research their needs and develop a plan to meet a need with a service project
- Implement an exploratory research project on the natural surroundings of the school grounds
- Create a historic timeline of this land and how it has been used through different decades, predict what will happen in this space in the next 50 years.
Description of Schedule
