The Middle School Program

Our Middle School Program is designed to be academically challenging while providing generous amounts of time for in-depth exploration of a wide variety of concepts and questions. Significant emphasis is placed on instilling the organizational, study, leadership and social skills necessary to make a successful transition to high school, college and beyond. Our Middle School classes begin at 8:10 a.m. and end at 3:25 p.m.

With an emphasis on exploratory learning, critical thinking and problem solving, Middle School students at St. Anne’s School of Annapolis are presented with studies and assignments that are increasingly challenging and intellectually stimulating. Blending direct instruction with active, hands-on student participation, teams of teachers organized by grade levels – one team for Fifth and Sixth Grades, another for Seventh and Eighth Grades – work to provide a smooth transition for students as they make the transition from the self-contained Lower School classrooms to the department-focused Middle School.

The St. Anne’s School Difference
Our goal at St. Anne’s School is to educate the whole student – not only the student’s intellect, but also his or her social, emotional, physical and spiritual needs. The social curriculum serves as the fabric into which all the critical, challenging academic tasks are woven every day. It promotes the development of self-discipline, respect, responsibility, leadership opportunities, life skills and service learning – the key ingredients needed to optimize intellectual and ethical growth.

The principles developed by the founders of the Northeast Foundation for Children are the foundation for the social curriculum at St. Anne’s School. We built upon this foundation in our Middle School Program using the structures outlined in the Developmental Designs for Middle School, an approach based on the belief that the better the relationships are in a school, the more successful the students can be, both academically and socially.

• When students feel that they belong to a community that cares about them, they feel safe enough to take risks in learning, to show who they are and what they know, to ask questions, to admit mistakes and to repair damages. When teachers show that they care, students have a much better chance at success.
• When teachers know their students well, they can respond to rule-breaking in ways that build long-terms social skills.
• When there is trust between students and their teachers, learning has few impediments that can’t be overcome.
• When teachers and students work together to use and care for the classroom environment, students have convenient access to the tools of their learning.
• When teachers know and trust each other, and maintain connections among them, they can form a safety net of concern beneath their students.

At St. Anne’s School, we believe our social curriculum is at the heart of our students’ success as they embrace learning, engage in the community, and advance into the 21st century with confidence.