A Time of Exploration
Minds and bodies grow in leaps and bounds in Middle School. Students at this pivotal age are sponges, absorbing a variety of new subjects and interests. Our dedicated Middle School faculty love this age group and are trained in helping navigate its ups and downs as students discover new worlds.
The Middle School Curriculum
Grade 6
At Buckley, sixth graders start in different homerooms for the main subjects: English, science, Chinese, and social studies. They move out of the homeroom to take electives, physical education, and different levels of math. Outdoor education trips help them learn and bond with classmates. They also take the course, The Empathy & Uplift Project (TE-UP), in which they explore storytelling, stress management, identity formation, and more through creative writing. In sixth grade, letter grades are given in math only.
Grade 7
In seventh grade, students have the choice to stick with Chinese or switch to French, Latin, or Spanish. They can also select exciting new electives such as video production or robotics. Additionally, seventh graders get competitive– in individual and team sports. As part of their curriculum, they also take a Life Skills class, which covers school history and important decision-making skills. Starting in seventh grade, students earn letter grades in every class.
Grade 8
We admire how eighth grade students mentor younger Middle School peers and get ready for Upper School. Eighth graders can run for president or vice president of the Middle School Student Council, planning activities for sports, classes, and clubs. They also take part in Voices and Choices, a more advanced version of the seventh grade Life Skills class. In Voices and Choices, they talk about building friendships, making good choices, and important topics like online safety, personal identity, and managing stress. This helps them grow as leaders and caring members of our school community, focusing on empathy and respect along the way.
Signature Middle School Programs
Electives!
Discover or Deepen Your Passion
- Band
- Chorus
- Coding
- Dance
- Design Lab
- Drawing and Painting
- Filmmaking
- Journalism
- Orchestra
- Photography
- Scriptwriting
- Sculpture
- Theater
Outdoor Education
Every year, each grade takes a two-night trip to a nearby location. On those trips, students deepen friendships and relationships with their teachers. They also explore the outdoors, play games, and engage in team-building activities. Locations are chosen for their proximity, natural setting and beauty. Past destinations include El Capitan, Catalina Island, and Big Bear.
Girls Leadership Club
Upper School girls mentor Middle Schoolers in the Girls Leadership Club, where they talk about topics like social media and make vision boards and friendship bracelets. The club meets during the week after school.
By Don Smith, Middle School Head
I’m much more consumed by the way that I look
Than I have the ability to consume the contents of a book
My voice is changing and so is my height
I think about friendships day and night
The right decision to make is rarely clear
And many times I just want to disappear
Sometimes, I wear my feelings right on my sleeve
Other times I pretend that things don’t bother me
Acceptance among the cool kids is often my plight
And many things that should be small are now larger than life
Many times, I over-emphasize a consequence that comes my way
And under-emphasize my behavior that caused it that day
Many times I’m an open book when my parents ask, “How did your day go?”
Other times, I only share with them what I want them to know
The school work isn’t as easy as before, and I begin to doubt
And sometimes I need a little support to work it out
Sometimes I make poor choices, based on cognitive development though
And when people ask me, “Why did you do that?” I really and truly, don’t know…so…
I guess I must be in Middle School
You know…A time when magic still exists and at the flick of a wrist I can
Whisk myself away to a kingdom where time doesn’t exist
A time where my creativity is at its greatest capacity
And I pursue “out of the box” solutions with the greatest tenacity
Becoming an adult is worlds away in this transition
This is a time where my academic resume is built as a result of skill acquisition
Although I’m still not at my greatest potential
The growth I experience will be exponential
A place where neuropathways unlock as the years progress
And I surmount every obstacle and pass every test
Where teachers are mystical – the greatest in the land
Middle School is Hogwarts and Muggles just wouldn’t understand
How I can be the New Kid in 6th Grade and be the Nowhere Boy and yet
By 7th be a Brown Girl Dreaming and by 8th a Montague or a Capulet
Where my leadership is budding, as are my athletic skills
Where I can weave magic in a makerspace, or my dancing, acting, artwork or singing can bring you chills
And I know that confusion, self-doubt, and imbalance will be close to me
But when the dust settles, I realize that I’m right where I’m supposed to be
And if I ever begin to wonder, how I ever became so cool
I’ll look in the mirror with true purpose looking back at me and say,
I guess I must be in Middle School