Middle School – Grades 5-8
Welcome to Berkwood Hedge Middle School! We offer an innovative, relevant, hands-on academic and specialist program that is designed to meet the needs of early adolescents, inspire enthusiastic engagement, and support effective learning.
Students’ learning experience includes language arts, math, science, social studies, Latin, art, music, drama, physical education, service learning, and outdoor education. Teachers and specialists collaborate on project-based, interdisciplinary units designed to challenge and inspire. Step into one of our classrooms and you will discover an environment filled with lively discussion, collaboration, and respectful communication.
Our goal is to ensure students know that they belong to our learning community, that competence and ability grow with effort, that they can succeed, and that their work has value. Our experienced and dedicated teachers are mentors to our middle school students, and the relationships students form with adults and peers are warm, caring, and trusting. Students are given time to question, experiment, and reflect deeply on the ideas they encounter as they develop the confidence and practice the skills that will help them thrive in the world: communication, empathy, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving. Our middle school program centers:
Excellence: Encouraging the pursuit of personal best in everything students do, from basketball to writing assignments.
Identity: Supporting students as they discover who they are, what they want and need, and how they fit into the bigger world.
Service: Empowering young people to connect with themselves and others, so they can feel powerful as they move through the world.
Environment: Teaching younger generations about their relationship to the environment and their role as stewards.
We have nurtured a community in which intellectual and emotional development are inseparable. Over the course of their journey with us, students find their purpose and their passion in learning and in life, develop deep empathy for others, form their own beliefs and values, and learn to self-advocate. Our graduates leave Berkwood Hedge Middle School ready for the challenges of high school and beyond, emerging as intellectually confident, self-directed learners, with the tools to lead purposeful lives.
Fifth Grade
Fifth grade is an important transitional year. While the class has its own distinct program and lead teacher, the location of fifth grade on the middle school campus provides greater social choice and opportunities to participate in student government, clubs, and after-school athletics. Fifth grade students find their place in our middle school as scholars, athletes, performers, leaders, advocates, and community members.
Sixth - Eighth Grade
Middle school students need to ask, explore, engage, and develop critical thinking skills in order to become the architects of their own knowledge. Through a wholistic approach that includes a strong academic and specialist program, supported by a foundation of social-emotional learning, sixth through eighth graders build not only a set of skills, but learn to build healthy relationships that are warm and supportive.
Specialist Classes
Specialist classes are part of the daily schedule for all middle school students, including art, music, drama, physical education, and Latin. At Berwood Hedge School, specialist classes are core to the curriculum and, with our interdisciplinary approach, often serve as dynamic extensions of the academic program. Our rich specialist program ensures a well-rounded daily experience for all students.
Student Life
Athletics
The athletics program at Berkwood Hedge School focuses on skill-building, teamwork, and fair play. Our athletics program is open to all students in grades sixth through eighth. Fifth graders are welcome to participate in practices for skill-building and fun! A variety of sports are offered throughout the school year including cross country, basketball, and volleyball.
Learn more about the Athletics Program.
Clubs
Friday afternoons offer a chance for students to explore new interests and activities with Clubs. Clubs are six-week long, mixed-grade classes covering a variety of subjects. Some past clubs have included Running, Immortal Games, Gymnastics, Book Club, Poetry Club, Crafts, and Dungeons and Dragons.
Student Leadership
From our cross-grade Buddy Program, to Student Council and student-led Clubs, our middle school program offers a variety of leadership opportunities for all students. At Berkwood Hedge School, we acknowledge and celebrate the many ways leadership can be fostered outside of formal roles, such as taking the lead on a group project or being an upstander for a friend.
Technology
We recognize technology as a powerful tool for learning and teaching. Students learn to be good digital citizens, understanding etiquette, the importance of their digital footprint and online persona, and the potential impact of their online actions on the people around them. Technology is integrated throughout the middle school program in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. Students use it to research writing topics in humanities, experiment with and observe scientific phenomena, code robotics for design and innovation projects, and more.
