Eastside Catholic Middle School welcomes our students with respect for who they are and with delight in what they will bring to the world. Our classes focus on students – engaging their imaginations, developing their critical thinking skills and promoting their gifts to be of service to our world. We are a purposeful community of faith, rooted in the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church and committed to the growth of each person’s intellect, faith in God and service to others.
Our learning is experiential, based on problems to solve and projects to craft which will demonstrate our understanding of concepts, skills and material. Our curriculum includes math, reading and literature, writing, theology, social studies, sciences, visual and performing arts, world languages, health, and physical education; yet our offerings cross traditional disciplines, a practice proven to be key for real intellectual growth and understanding. We expect our students to become literate, articulate, confident learners, well versed in skills of careful and insightful reading, computation, research, analysis, and written and oral expression.
The Eastside Catholic Middle School curriculum is guided by these essential questions:
- How do we know what we know?
- What’s the evidence and how reliable is it?
- How do viewpoints and implied values influence what we see, read or hear?
- How are things, ideas, events or people connected to one another?
- What’s new and what’s old?
- So what? What does it matter? What does it all mean? How do I act?
6th Grade: What does it mean to be a member of a community?
- Humanities: What are our origins? Our memberships? Our connections? What constitutes a “community?”
- World Languages: How (and why) do people communicate?
- Fine and Performing Arts: What roles do the arts play in community?
- Theology: What is our spiritual community?
- Health and Fitness: What makes a healthy community?
- Science: What is our place in the universe?
- Math: How does math help me connect with my community?
7th Grade: What does it mean to me?
- Humanities: Who do people say I am? How do people in other cultures form their sense of self?
- World Languages: How do I begin to communicate in a second language?
- Fine and Performing Arts: How can I express myself in the arts?
- Theology: What is my personal faith journey?
- Health and Fitness: How do I care for myself?
- Science: What does it mean to be human?
- Math: How does math help me learn?
8th Grade: What does it mean to be a responsible global citizen?
- Humanities: Who are we together? What are our rights and responsibilities?
- World Languages: What do I need to know about Spanish and Spanish speaking cultures?
- Fine and Performing Arts: Do the arts connect with our social, political and spiritual lives?
- Theology: What are our responsibilities as members of Gods kingdom?
- Health and Fitness: How and why should I make responsible choices in health
- Science: What does it mean to be a steward of the earth?
- Math: Does Math have a social as well as a personal function?
Some key points to our curriculum are:
- Units of study guided by focus question (for instance: How do I shape my environment and how does it shape me?)
- An integration of disciplines and fields of study; developing writing and reading skills across the disciplines
- Practice solving problems and addressing tasks in effective groups
- The teacher as “guide on the side” rather than “sage on the stage”
- Deep understanding of material rather than superficial coverage of content
An emphasis on performance skills in all disciplines; on active inquiry rather than fact- gathering; on doing and showing as evidence of learning
- Rigor, challenge, and sustenance in each classroom
- Frequent opportunities for reflection and formative assessment
- Using technology as a tool in all areas
- Inclusion of service learning and occasions for leadership throughout the program
- An advisory program where each student will have an adult and peer group for conversation and support.
Assessments
We believe in academic accountability. A middle school student's performance and achievement can and should be assessed with a variety of methods - traditional testing, portfolios, oral reports, exhibits, and culminating projects. From the first day of school our faculty and students work together to prepare for student-led conferences which take place in late January. During these conferences, students take the lead by sharing samples of their coursework in each of their classes, discussing learning styles and goals and working with you, their parents, to focus on future academic and social goals. We believe student-led conferences will encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their academic performance, teach students the process of self-evaluation, and facilitate the dialog between you and your students about their learning.
Advisory
Each middle school student is a member of a small group of young people from her or his grade. The advisor for each group is a middle school teacher who will meet with the students daily and act as the chief liaison between the family and school.