Middle School
Life in the Middle School
At Brent Subic the middle school student is challenged by course work in English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Physical Education, Art, Computer, Modern Language (Spanish/Mandarin/ESL), Band/Music, and Religious Studies. Teachers work through the curriculum to establish the fundamental skills students need to have mastered by the time they get to the upper school.
The life of a middle school student is often awash in the emotions of adolescence. At Brent Subic we recognize this fact and work with the students to come to grips with life’s uncertainties and ups and downs. A scheduled homeroom time helps to develop a close relationship between the students and their advisor. Guidance and perspective are shared; students develop life skills. Topics are discussed that will help our students make informed decisions when faced with life’s challenging moments.
Parents are a key component to developing a child’s decision-making abilities and healthy habits. Our life skills curriculum is shared by topic area at the beginning of the year, with reminders sent when we move to a new unit. When discussions at school are teamed up with similar discussions at home, the student is able to develop their own criteria for decisions to be made.
A highlight of the year occurs in February, when all three Brent campuses join together. The Grade 6 students meet at the Villa Escudero for a camping experience. Grade 7 students travel to Baguio. Grade 8 students head off to Subic for an island experience. The purpose of these trips is to get to know our Brent brothers and sisters, develop friendships that will carry over to the upper school years.
The middle school years are a wonderful time in a student’s life. The challenges are seemingly insurmountable one day and a piece of cake the next. Having a caring and attentive faculty near helps to make these times manageable.
The middle school schedule has been altered for the school year 2009-2010. We have added a 15 minute homeroom period to the beginning of each day. Middle school teachers have met and will continue to meet throughout the year in order to create a series of topics to be covered during this block. Some of the topics discussed during the faculty orientation were:
- organization
- bullying
- social graces
- puberty
- adolescent maturity
- problem solving
- resolving conflict
The list will continue to grow as students add their voice to items they would like discussed. Parents are welcome to share ideas with faculty members as well.
Many middle school students struggle to maintain a positive sense of self. Many also struggle with aspects of academic and social life at school. It is our hope that these units will help to create a positive and nurturing climate amongst our middle school.