Middle School Division
A Note From the Head of Middle School
Middle School years are defined by both the anticipation and the reality of significant developmental change. Within the walls of Rodeph Sholom School, our students engage in a robust and rigorous curriculum designed to meet all stages of their intellectual, social, and emotional growth. Supported by a highly committed and talented faculty, students receive ample personal attention to help them navigate a demanding schedule and high expectations. Our school environment fosters the development of self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-advocacy.
Inherent in our program is a pragmatic philosophy that integrates the most well-tested pedagogical wisdom with innovative practice. Our vibrant environment stimulates the imagination, motivates learning, and provides the tools and framework needed for students to explore ideas and probe questions and theories thoroughly and thoughtfully. Our teachers present students with abundant opportunities that ignite curiosity and generate questions and investigations to yield “Aha!” moments that are as joyful and satisfying as they are illuminating. Importantly, teachers provide ample, prompt, and critical feedback while supporting and championing growth and encouraging student voice and a positive sense of self.
Jewish values and traditions are infused throughout our program, governing our understanding of how we conduct ourselves in the community while keeping our eyes focused outward on tikun olam, repairing the world, and the call for our attention to issues of justice.
One only has to observe the 8th Grade Graduation ceremony to understand what makes the Rodeph Sholom Middle School program so distinct. Each student, with poise and eloquence, stands before the community and speaks about their time at school and lessons learned. Embedded in these statements are expressions of joy and gratitude, rich and meaningful learning, and a deep understanding of the complexity of the world they live in and the future they face. Our graduates go forth with confidence, capacity, and a strong sense of purpose.
I hope you will visit and see for yourself this dynamic middle school and its comprehensive program.
I am eager to welcome you.
Sally Meisner
Head of Middle School
Middle School
Rodeph Sholom Middle School offers a unique middle school environment where learning is prized, teachers are specialists in both their subject disciplines and the developmental needs of adolescents, and Reform Jewish values form the foundation of learning in and outside of the classroom. The division is comprised of 5th through 8th Grade.
The stimulating curriculum recognizes that middle school is a transformative time of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development. The Jewish ethos of our community provides a firm grounding in the ethics and values which are essential traits of active and responsible citizens. Over their Middle School years, students encounter many authentic leadership opportunities. At its core, the Middle School is designed to provide students with the tools necessary to learn how to evaluate themselves and the world around them. The heart of the Middle School experience is the advisory program.
Curriculum Overview
5th Grade
In the 5th Grade, advisors focus on the needs of students in this liminal year and aid in the transition from elementary to middle school. In this transitional year, students are supported in developing their study skills, and becoming more independent and organized, while beginning to practice self-advocacy. This support is given to the students through the advisory program, and in the 5th grade Seminar class. 5th graders regularly come together as a community to discuss and practice important early adolescent issues.
5th Grade Pinnacle Trip: Frost Valley
5th graders travel to Frost Valley, an environmental education center in the Catskills, to spend 3-days team building and developing cooperation and listening skills. The aim is for students to grow a greater appreciation for their classmates and confidence in themselves as they move out of their comfort zones and rely on each other during activities like canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, night-walk astronomy, and exploring local ecology.
6th Grade
The heart of the Middle School experience is the advisory program. Beginning in 6th Grade, advisors move up with their advisees through graduation. An important feature of the program is the active participation of students in their own academic and social-emotional development. Over three years and daily meetings, a deep and enduring relationship forms between advisor and advisee. This relationship transcends the usual teacher-student relationship and often forms a bond that continues past a student’s graduation.
6th Grade Pinnacle Trip: Washington DC
The 6th Grade year culminates with a trip to Washington D.C. and an in-depth visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. During the 3-day trip, past activities have included a tour of historical sites, visiting the monuments during an evening guided tour, exploring the Smithsonian museums, and taking a walking tour of Georgetown. The trip also provides a preview of American History, which they will focus on in the 7th Grade.
7th Grade
The heart of the Middle School experience is the advisory program. Beginning in 6th Grade, advisors move up with their advisees through graduation. By 7th Grade, students know their advisors well and have developed a central relationship. The 7th Grade year is filled with B’nai Mitzvah, the Philanthropy Project, and increasing academic rigor.
7th Grade Pinnacle Trip: American South
In addition to their American History coursework, 7th graders visit the South to explore further the Civil Rights Movement and the lasting legacy of slavery, segregation, and structural racism in America. Over 3 days, students tour historical sites in Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Alabama, and meet with individuals who participated in different historical events. The trip also draws connections between civil rights concepts and Jewish ethics, highlighting the roles of Jewish leaders involved in the Civil Rights movement and the experiences of Jews in the South.
8th Grade
The heart of the Middle School experience is the advisory program. Beginning in 6th Grade, advisors move up with their advisees through graduation in their 8th Grade year. Over three years and daily meetings, a deep and enduring relationship forms between advisor and advisee. This relationship transcends the usual teacher-student relationship and often forms a bond that continues past a student’s graduation. The 8th Grade year is heavily dedicated to the high school process, the culminating trip to Israel, and the reflective Capstone project.
8th Grade Pinnacle Trip: Israel
The Israel Trip is the capstone experience for 8th Grade students, bringing together the various curricula, and integrating the Jewish story, ethics, and values through a real-time, real-life exploration of contemporary Israel and her people. Students encounter Israel as a thriving, Hebrew-speaking, Jewish state, appreciate the diversity of Israel and its citizenry, and experience and enjoy Israeli culture, society, and history. In addition, students engage in meaningful service-learning projects and meet with Israeli peers. The Israel experience cements students’ identity as a class and asks them to consider their responsibility as Jews when they leave Rodeph Sholom School and move into high school and beyond.