Academics
Middle School
Bayside Academy’s Middle School focuses on developing the whole student, fine-tuning the academic and social skills students will need to become lifelong learners. The Middle School faculty represents a strong group of role models and professionals who strive to support and challenge our students and who model Bayside’s core values every day. Middle School students are not just “stuck in the middle”—we work hard to honor their potential and the unique season of life they are in by maintaining a rigorous academic program with many opportunities to explore and grow as they form their identities as citizens and learners. Students are encouraged to look at the community outside of our school to find ways to learn and serve.
Students in Bayside’s Middle School learn through student-centered, hands-on activities that are exploration- and inquiry-based. In math, students are taught using curriculum and methods based in number sense and real-world problem-solving with the goal of understanding and then mastering the concepts of mathematics. Middle School students have dedicated classes in the science labs and STEM spaces each week with a focus on authentic discovery and design, connected to the world around them. In language arts, students are encouraged to explore their individual style as creative writers while mastering the structure of the English language, spelling, and grammar. In social studies, students focus on the history of our state and country, building to thorough studies of United States geography and world geography through global issues. Students are taught Spanish language and culture using a comprehensible input approach based in conversation and storytelling. Additionally, all fifth grade students are required to participate in band and take both art and drama classes. Older students choose to join the school’s band or focus on drama and art. Play and physical activity are prioritized during our busy days in Middle School: students have a structured PE class 2–3 times each week and formal recess time for free play on The Bluff at least once a week. We have opportunities throughout every school day for light recess during lunch and community time.
Each grade in the Middle School brings a host of experiences to facilitate practical application of the concepts learned in the classroom as well as annual traditions that are unique to each grade. Fifth graders take a three-day, two-night trip to Dauphin Island Sea Lab to learn about coastal resources and gulf marine life. Sixth graders take a three-day, two-night trip to McDowell Farm School for a unique experience learning about sustainable farming and where our food comes from while working beside and learning about classmates. In recent years, seventh graders have traveled to Huntsville and New Orleans. The culminating trip in Middle School is for our eighth graders who travel to Washington, D.C.
Ryan Campbell, Head of Middle School
While every stage of a student's educational journey is essential, the middle years, in particular, stand out as an incomparable period of critically important physical, social, and intellectual growth. Acknowledging that these times will be replete with new challenges and triumphs in all of these areas, Bayside prioritizes teaching the whole child, affirming each student's individual dignity and grounding them in our values of excellence, leadership, respect, responsibility, integrity, and community. This kind of learning environment, coupled with high academic and behavioral expectations, creates the perfect formula for dynamic, transformational growth.
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