Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences

 

 

 
Winner of the Walt Willey Trip to New York

 
Academic Excellence, Respect & Diversity

Middle School Curriculum

Our goals:

  • To challenge each student to maximize their potential and to graduate students with the desire, vision and skills to follow their dreams.

  • To support and encourage the development of individual abilities in an educationally, culturally and ethnically diverse learning community.

  • To provide opportunities for enriched real-life applications of educational knowledge and connect our students to the world at large.

How we achieve our goals:

  • We offer a supportive and safe educational environment which provides opportunities for individualized curricula and challenges each student to reach their highest potential. We have high academic and behavioral standards, along with personalized support and guidance to help students achieve their goals.

  • We have a caring, dedicated staff and board which is committed to enrolling a diverse student body and to infusing the entire academic curriculum with the arts to foster self-expression and enhanced learning in every subject area.

  • We integrate technology as a tool for learning, communicating and augmenting classroom instruction.

  • We connect the student to the community through a structured and project- oriented mentorship program.

  • We build a global perspective into the curriculum by establishing relationships with local international organizations and by building partnerships with international schools.

  • We are an Expeditionary Learning school which emphasizes learning by doing, with a particular focus on character growth, teamwork, reflection and literacy. We connect high quality academic learning to adventure, service and character development through a variety of student experiences including interdisciplinary, project based learning expeditions.

The middle school curriculum gives students blueprints for learning, teaches the needed skills to do research, invites creative and divergent thinking and instills the desire for more learning. We strive to help our students become compassionate citizens with a deep respect for all living beings. Our school is a community in which parents and teachers work together to create a caring, safe environment where all of the students can learn from one another, develop respect for one another and acquire a profound acceptance of individual differences.


Middle School Curriculum

World History and Literature: Students use primary source readings and discussions emphasizing multicultural perspectives. Students use literature and the arts as a foundation for learning world history and geography. Diverse viewpoints and multiple perspectives foster an excitement for learning and provide stimulus for lively debate, depth of thought and informed opinion.

English/Language Arts: Our school emphasizes writing skills across the curriculum. Our goals in English include learning to listen actively, speak articulately, write persuasively and think critically. We focus on reading, writing, spelling, grammar (taught in relation to students' writing), vocabulary enrichment, creative writing, research, public speaking and literary experiences in a variety of genres. Students develop the ability to articulate thoughts verbally and in writing. We also have practical exercises using synonyms, homonyms, antonyms, word roots, prefixes, and suffixes.

Science: All students participate in an inquiry-based, "hands-on", discovery approach as the key to understanding scientific processes. The goal is to have students observe everyday phenomena, formulate questions, develop research skills and test their hypotheses through experiments. Traditional concepts in biology, chemistry and physics are integrated with lab and field studies. We have a field- and community-based curriculum that centers on student involvement with the environment at hand. Students design their own studies, gather long-term data on local biological and physical conditions and draw their own conclusions. Students then become the teachers, presenting their data and findings to their peers. Topics covered will include earth, life and environmental sciences. Life sciences teach the practical applications of biology and its relevance to ecological, biological, and environmental issues, cell theory, ecology, evolution, organism diversity, anatomy, classification and genetics. Emphasis is placed on the process of science as a means to acquire knowledge and to gain an understanding of the physical world. Our students are also currently researching sustainability and are helping to transform our campus into an energy efficient, sustainable campus.

Mathematics: 7th Grade: Algebra One: Students will learn algebraic thinking, patterns, logic and prediction by construction of linear mathematical models in real world situations.
Mathematics: 8th Grade: Algebra Two: Students will gain further development of their ability to collect, analyze and organize data into mathematical models useful in predicting unknowns in real world situations.

Languages: All students will take two years of a Foreign Language. Students may choose to study French, Spanish or Japanese.


Elective Courses

Fine Arts: We focus on the visual arts, including two- and three-dimensional design using a variety of materials and techniques including drawing, painting, illustration, mixed media, graphic design, recycled art and clay.

Technology: We offer a state of the art Moving Images class which uses G5 Mac Computers and Final Cut Pro. We hold our own annual Film Festivals and our students work has been shown in national film festivals. Our films have won over 20 film awards in NM as well. We also offer a Digital Arts and Photography class which teaches Adobe Photoshop in addition to numerous other digital arts programs.

Performing Arts: We have an outstanding Drama program which performs several times a year, including a full scale professional play once or twice a year which involves both choral, acting and dance performances. Private and/or group lessons are also available in Marimba, Chorus, Cello, Violin, Electric or Acoustic Guitar, Hammer Dulcimer, Piano, Fiddle and Irish Music.

Physical Education: All students will take 2 classes each week in physical education. Classes will include track, rock climbing, dance, swimming, softball, archery, volleyball, yoga, soccer and self-defense. Some of our P.E. classes take place at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, the Santa Fe Climbing Gym and the SF Community College.

Afterschool Clubs: All students will participate in at least one afterschool club meeting from 3:15-4:30. Clubs include; Instrumental or Choral Music, Marimba, After School of Rock, Art, Japanese Club, Homework Club, Dance, Violin, Piano, Peace Jam, Flamenco, Fashion Design, Soccer, Track, Basketball, Fiber and Fabric Creations, Tap and Tumbling, Basketball, Digital Photography, Fencing, Moving Images, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Drums, Peace Jam Club and Chess.

Homework Club: is available for Middle School Students.

Community Service: All 7th grade students will participate in 1-2 hours per week of community service during the spring semester ranging from volunteering as a tutor in a local public school to working at a therapeutic horseback riding center. All 8th grade students perform community service during the fall semester.

Mentorships: All 8th grade students will participate in a self-directed mentorship program under the guidance of a community mentor. Students will spend 2-3 hours a week during the spring semester with a mentor in an area of interest to them. The student mentorship program culminates in a final project and written report, which is shared with the school community. This experience gives students insight into areas of interest. Mentorships may eventually evolve into internships where students get a "real life" view of work in an area of interest.

Community Partnerships: We have established community partnerships with the following organizations; Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Lodestar Planetarium, Bradbury Science Museum, Cesar Chavez Public Elementary School and Capital High School, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Challenge NM Therapeutic Horse Back Riding Program, College of Santa Fe Moving Images Department, and Eldorado Veterinary Clinic, IAIA (Institute of American Indian Art), Greer Garson Studio, Santa Fe Institute, Youth Symphony, Wheelwright Museum, Moving People Dance Company and Foundation, Los Golondrinas, New Mexico School for the Deaf, New Vistas Early Childhood Center, and Santa Fe Pro Musica.

We also have a very strong sister school relationship with the Armand Hammer United World College. Students from all over the world who attend the Bartos Institute of the Constructive Engagement of Conflict from the United World College visit our school throughout the year to perform their community service with our students. Our students also visit UWC and participate in CEC (Constructive Engagement of Conflict) activities with international students.

Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences Middle School graduates will be fully prepared for the 9th grade at any high school they choose, private or public. Our curriculum meets the requirements of the NM State and the Santa Fe Public Middle School Performance Standards. Our graduating students have successfully gone onto Santa Fe Prep, Desert Academy, Waldorf High School, the NM Academy of Math and Sciences, the Academy of Technology and Classics and Santa Fe High School.