MEETING NEEDS WITH STRENGTHS

The health and general well-being of adolescents has always been paramount at SJA Jeju. The impact of the global pandemic on the development of children has been well documented. Now, perhaps more than ever is the time to support the whole child. The Middle School has developed new programs and positions that match the advantages of learning on Jeju island and the strengths of our faculty with the needs of the students we serve.

In 2023-2024, we will increase our Health offerings. Currently, the Middle School has a very robust 7th-grade Health Program. A highlight of the program this school year was a Mental Health Fair that the 7th-grade Health students put on for the entire Middle School. Next school year, all 6th graders will take a Health class twice a week in semester two. This will be the second part of their Academic Foundations course. There will be a new Health elective in the 8th grade. This course connects to the 8th-grade focus.

The Middle School will add the position of Dean of Student Wellbeing in 2023-2024. This position was created specifically to provide more support and care for students. The Dean advocates for students while building and nurturing a healthy student culture. The Dean of Students and Wellbeing oversees the character and social-emotional programming of the school. Ms. Nakai, a beloved Social Studies teacher, will serve full-time as the first SJA Jeju Middle School Dean of Student Wellbeing.

Two new Science electives will leverage local resources for learning. Marine Biology will be offered as an elective for 7th-grade students, while Farm Science will be offered for the 6th grade. Both of these hands-on courses will include fieldwork and research as they investigate the sustainability of Jeju’s resources These courses were developed to take advantage of local resources while helping students develop more skills and content knowledge in Science

To better meet the needs of our students with low English proficiency, the Middle School has designed three new courses: Sixth Grade Transitional English, Seventh Grade Transitional English, and Eighth Grade English Foundations Students in these courses will work in smaller settings with EAL teachers four periods a week for the entire school year The goal is that students demonstrate enough growth to only be in the course for a year The Middle School is increasing the support and the expectation for growth

Parents and students requested that the Middle School have a counselor who is fluent in Korean Ms Kim, a bilingual Korean American counselor, will join the SJA Jeju Middle School team for the 2023-2024 school year In addition to providing counseling for students, Ms Kim has experience with clinical assessments, including neurodevelopmental evaluations Her expertise will help the Middle School fully support all of our students

The SJA Jeju Middle School continues to build on the foundation from Elementary School and successfully prepare students for the rigors of High School while meeting their particular developmental needs