Middle School, Grades 5-8
The primary goal of the Middle School program is to meet the educational and developmental needs of our students as they enter early adolescence. The Middle School years are a challenging time because the social and emotional needs of children change along with their maturing minds and bodies. We strive to create a challenging yet nurturing environment that helps our students become more advanced and confident as thinkers, communicators, and citizens. By achieving this goal, we prepare students for success in high school and beyond.
In Middle School there is one teacher specializing in each of the curriculum subjects. Students in grades 5-8 follow a revolving weekly class schedule specifying when each grade level attends class with each teacher.
Building on the skills and lessons of Lower School, the Middle School challenges students with more sophisticated work, a broader and more complex range of assignments, more creative and analytical writing, more experience in problem-solving, participation in debates and other oral presentation assignments, and an expectation that students will develop a higher level of personal responsibility and community awareness.
The curriculum reflects a belief that teaching students how to think and how to communicate their thoughts clearly is just as important as expanding their knowledge base. Another important goal is for students to learn to appreciate multiple points of view and to have the skills for meaningful discourse, whether through writing or through discussion. The small classes at Da Vinci afford students every opportunity to develop these crucial skills that will guide them toward a successful future.
We invite you to visit the related pages to learn more about the Middle School program:
School Day and Class Schedules
Middle School (grades 5-8) follows the same school day hours as grades 1-4, with classes beginning at 8:45 AM and ending at 3:15 PM. Class schedules are different, however, because students change classrooms for each subject. The Middle School program is structured so that there is a faculty member for each of the following core subject areas:
- Language Arts
- Social Studies
- Spanish
- Math
- Science
Students follow a rotating class schedule and move from classroom to classroom throughout the day. Middle School students have the same teachers as in Lower School for the specials classes: Art, Music, Computer, and Physical Education.
Town Council
Town Council is a student service organization supervised by the Middle School advisors, and each student serves on Town Council for one trimester during the year. Town Council meets every Friday afternoon, and each trimester the students are responsible for planning and organizing a service project that benefits the Da Vinci community or the outside community. Town Council is a great way for students to show leadership, initiative, teamwork, and awareness for community service.
Expectations, Curriculum, Homework, and Grading
As stated previously, the goal of the Middle School program is to meet the educational and developmental needs of our students as they enter early adolescence. A result of this approach is that Da Vinci students will be well-prepared for academic success in high school and beyond. Middle School will challenge students and raise the bar in terms of expectations and the level and quantity of work, but students are supported throughout the journey of developing the skills needed to succeed when more is expected of them.
The curriculum provides students with a thorough and well-rounded education in the core academic disciplines (please see curriculum handouts in packet). Students will become better readers and writers, better critical and creative thinkers, experienced researchers and presenters, better problem solvers, and more independent learners. Students who graduate from Da Vinci Academy will have the tools and the experience needed to succeed in any high school environment.
The workload increases in Middle School, but assignments, projects, papers, and tests are all manageable between time spent working at school and at home. Students have opportunities to work during the school day, as teachers frequently allow students to work on assignments during class and students have study hall periods built into the weekly class schedule. The Advisory system also helps students manage their workload, as Advisors can help students organize assignments, plan ahead for long-term projects, and offer advice if students are having problems completing their work on time. Students with good organization and time management skills should be able to complete a lot of work at school, and for other students these can be vital skills to learn and develop during the Middle School years.
Even with the time to work on assignments during the day, there will still be homework on a regular basis. Homework is a part of challenging students and preparing them for what they will encounter in high school and beyond, and therefore it is an important part of the Middle School program. At the same time, homework should serve a purpose and have a connection to what students are learning. In terms of quantity, the amount of homework will vary throughout the year and depend partially on how well students manage assignments and use class time to complete work. It is reasonable to expect 15-30 minutes of daily homework in each of the main subject areas, but again the actual amount of homework may vary for each student.
Students are graded on a trimester basis using a letter-grade system that corresponds to a 100-point numeric scale. Students are graded on assignments throughout the term, tests & quizzes, projects, class participation, and timely completion of their work. Final grades are a cumulative reflection of the overall caliber of a student’s work, effort, and progress. Parents receive mid-term progress reports during each trimester, with parent-teacher conferences held after report cards are mailed home at the conclusion of the first and second trimesters.
Parent-Teacher Communication
Parents and teachers communicate in many ways regarding student progress. First, parents may contact teachers via phone or email and reasonably expect responses in a timely manner. Questions about specific classes should be directed to the appropriate teacher or to the student’s Advisor. When appropriate and agreed upon by both parents and teachers, meetings may be scheduled when teachers have available time. Second, students bring home Friday Folders just like in Lower School. Third, teachers regularly update their homework pages so that students and parents can monitor assignments. And finally, parents receive report cards and attend teacher conferences as described above.
Technology
Middle School students continue to have ample access to computers and other technology resources available in the school. Middle School students are allowed to bring their own laptop computers from home for use during the school day. Students can use either a Mac or a PC. Laptops brought from home must have anti-virus software and be checked by Mr. Laimins before being used in school. Students who do not bring laptops from home may continue to use the school laptops or the desktop machines in the library.
All Middle School students and parents must read and sign the Appropriate Computer Use policy at the beginning of year before students can access the internet.
As for the computer & technology curriculum, students in 5th grade will begin to explore Microworlds, which is a program built around a programming language called Logo. The students work in Microworlds throughout the year and complete an assignment to create an original program by the end of the year. Students also continue to practice keyboarding. In grades 6-8, students learn the Linux operating system, help set up new computer equipment acquired by the school, and other more sophisticated projects.
Sports and Clubs
It is important for students to have other outlets and interests besides academics, so Da Vinci Academy offers several extra-curricular activities. Students can participate in the following team sports: volleyball, soccer, basketball, cross country, and swimming. Sports teams have practices and games after school. Our teams play against other independent and parochial schools in the area. The website provides practice and game schedules, as well as driving directions to away games. Parents are responsible for transportation to practices and games, and families may be asked to pay fees to cover the cost of uniforms, referees, and tournaments.
Chess Club and Chess Team are open to middle school students just like in Lower School. The club allows students to play every day (before school Mon-Thurs, after school on Fridays), and the team competes in several tournaments during the year. Chess Club information and tournament schedules are available on the website.
Robotics and Mathcounts are exclusive to middle school students. The Robotics team competes in a regional tournament of the Illinois First Lego robot competition. Students work together to design and program Lego-based robots to perform specific tasks and missions. The students also present a research project and talk with the tournament judges about their design strategy and teamwork. The team meets after school once a week from Sept-Oct, and then several times prior to the tournament which is usually held in December or January.
Mathcounts is a national middle school math competition, and Da Vinci competes in the regional tournament. Students meet before or after school during the year to prepare for the competition in which students are timed on answering various types of math problems.
The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Club is open to students who enjoy games, books, and movies from that genre. The club meets regularly after school to discuss these topics and to share information about the latest sci-fi happenings.
What happens after students graduate from Da Vinci?
Da Vinci students leave 8th grade well-prepared to succeed academically in any high school environment. Da Vinci graduates have gone to all types of schools (public high schools, college prep boarding schools, Illinois Math & Science Academy, local independent and parochial high schools, etc.), but wherever they have gone, they report feeling prepared and ready to take on the challenges at the next level of their education. Students often test into higher placement levels as freshmen, or end up taking advanced placement and honors courses as upperclassmen. As Da Vinci grows and we send more graduates into the world, we will gather information on their high school experiences and where they end up in college and beyond.