AN UPDATE ON THE MIDDLE SCHOOL

When TMS made the decision to build a new Middle School, it was with the goal of providing a separate but connected space for our Grade 7 and 8 students. The Middle School, due to open this coming Fall, will provide learning and collaboration spaces for 120 students to make the transition from the Lower School to a high school environment easier while fully respecting their needs to feel safe, secure and supported.

Located on the Upper School campus, the Middle School will add six beautiful classrooms and two breakout/collaboration spaces providing much needed physical space and a heightened sense of belonging to all Middle School students. Grade 7 and 8s will have most of their classes in this new building, with the exception of Music, P.E., Art, Design and some Science classes where students will travel to specialty classrooms. The Advisory sessions will also be housed in the Middle School and we anticipate that some lunchtime co-curricular programming as well as some tutorial and peer tutoring will be provided in this space.

The TMS Middle School Program will focus on the following five features:

Building a sense of community

In line with TMS’s belief in I Am Known, we want to create a community where all Middle School students feel that they belong and know their teachers and peers want them to succeed. We have events throughout the year that are focused on building the Middle School community including specific assemblies, House events, and social gatherings.

Universal implementation of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

SEL has been proven to provide students with strategies such as self-awareness, emotional regulation and working collaboratively with others in order to be successful in school. Teachers incorporate SEL into their everyday teaching and build strong relationships with their students. SEL also forms the foundation of our Grade 7/8 Guidance curriculum.

Restorative justice

For students, Middle School is about trying new things, figuring out who they are, and making mistakes. When students get into trouble, we encourage open conversation focused on getting to the root of the problem. Rather than punitive discipline, we focus on repairing the harm and learning skills such as conflict resolution.

A curriculum that is challenging, active, and playful

Students who are given more difficult tasks with higher expectations rise to the challenge. TMS provides a curriculum that is challenging and exploratory. Students who feel connected to the material are more engaged and more motivated to work hard, so teachers ensure the learning is both meaningful and fun.

Smooth transition from the Lower School

The Middle School team has a strong partnership with the Elementary team to ensure that Grade 6 students have a smooth transition into the Middle School program.

Our new Middle School Coordinator, Caitlin Harris, will be located in the new building, and will be focusing on student learning strategies and augmenting our family-studentteacher relationships.

We have already ordered Middle School-specific furniture which will be colourful, comfortable and suited to support individual and collaborative inquiry learning. Lockers for the students will be in the adjacent hallways next to the classrooms.

As the building goes up, so does our excitement in welcoming 120 students into this space, designed to support the academic, social and emotional needs of our Middle School learners.