Breck Middle School by Breck School

This is a vibrant community within a community– a safe and comfortable setting where 5th-8th grade students really come into their own.

We believe that the more you know and understand others, the better you understand yourself. This belief shines in our curriculum, in class discussions, during divisional gatherings, and through less-structured time with classmates. Students’ curiosity is provoked in meaningful ways, challenging them to approach learning actively so they can own their experience at a crucial time of growth and development. It’s our sincere hope that you set up a time to visit us. Truly, there is no better way to understand the energy at Breck, and in the Middle School, than to spend time in our halls, on our campus, and with our students.

SKY FAUVER MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR Pictured: LUCI BRECK SIXTH GRADER

Welcome to Middle School. Who am I? What matters to me? Middle School is a time of constant inquiry, both intellectual and emotional. Our focus is growth of the whole child, not only as a student but as a socially aware human being. We are a community that respects, demands, and celebrates this growth process. This is a time of self-discovery, academic growth, and community support.

BE DISTINCTIVE. Signature Programs

INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

BE A MUSTANG

Unit examples: • Interdisciplinary study on ancient Greece • Historical and statistical study of the slave trade • Human rights project: Using art and narratives to study human rights

Be A Mustang helps: • Improve communication skills • Resist negative peer pressure • Set reasonable goals • Make thoughtful, informed decisions • Increase self-confidence and motivation

We know that when students are able to transfer learning from one discipline to another, they are able to deepen the learning experience and retain information longer. Teachers collaborate and find ways to enhance curricula by including another discipline.

ADVISORY PROGRAM

Committed to nurturing the whole child, we assign each student a faculty advisor to be a formal, personal, and academic advocate. These relationships are built around the idea that we can be proactive in helping our students achieve the expectations they hold for themselves and foster connections throughout their time at Breck. An advisor: • Provides formal and informal weekly meetings • Periodically focuses on studying and organizational strategies • Helps process personal relationships • Assists with grade-level issues and topics of interest • Facilitates effective, efficient communication among faculty, students, and parents Our Advisory program also includes the Be A Mustang and MindWorks programs.

This invaluable program gives students practical experience dealing with peer relationships, decisionmaking, and goal-setting. Our students learn to understand their community roles and internalize the rewards of being helpful, respectful, and inclusive.

MINDWORKS

Our signature MindWorks program is a research-based initiative developed by Middle School faculty. Advisors use cognitive flexibility, goal-setting, and metacognition to foster growth mindsets and promote self-advocacy skills in their students. 5th - 6th grade: • Focus on how their brain works • Develop a growth mindset based on academic and social-emotional benefits 7th - 8th grade: • Students are empowered to leverage and embrace boththeir strengths and challenges • Develop the executive functioning strategies needed for their academic and long-term success

GRADE

Hola!

Spanish

8:30

“I like my teacher. She is really fun and really nice. Right now we are working on my family tree. We are drawing our family tree with all our grandparents, uncles, aunts—our whole family—and then writing their names and relationship to us in Spanish.”

I’m Peyton.

All the people here are very nice and all the classes are just amazing. And the teachers are good in their teaching style. I like everything about it.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY

9:30

Project Adventure

MY FUTURE GOAL:

I love animals— especially Pandas—and so I’ve always dreamed of one day becoming a veterinarian.

10:30

11:30

Lunch

“In Health we got to have some Upper Schoolers talk about the importance of mental health. I felt very included and thought it was really nice for them to come talk with us.”

Science

“Art is really fun because of the different projects that we do. I just finished working on my wood-carved Panda!”

Art

12:30

1:00

2:00

2:45

3:30

Math

“In this class we work together a lot and talk a lot about bonding and trust.”

Religion “Ms. Kent, our chaplain, is so cool and the class is nice because you learn a lot about different religions.”

Health

“In science we just finished up robotics and now are working on our rockets! I’m excited to use real rocket fuel to launch them on the baseball field when we are done.”

Orchestra “I’ve played for six years and like the sounds that it makes. For me, when you hear all the music and play with all the other musicians, it is like escaping from everything else and just being there together.”

GRADE

Hey!

I’m Noah.

I’ve been at Breck since preschool and I love it because I have always felt really understood. It is a very welcoming place.

English & History “This is a double-period course where we spend time in one class for both English and history. This year we’re learning a lot about design thinking and how that impacts our history research projects on the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota.”

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY

MY FUTURE GOAL:

I want to be an engineer. I love to solve tough problems and discovering solutions.

8:30