Personal guidance, respect and nurturing during a time of change
Young adolescents develop more rapidly during middle school than at any other time in their lives, except infancy. It can be challenging for students; they are changing physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.
Eastside Catholic's Middle School gives students in grades six through eight an environment that guides and nurtures them through this challenging and exciting time. Our holistic curriculum includes not only rigorous academics but a focus on curiosity and a growth-mindset approach. Students are taught essential life lessons in respect and self-worth that will be the foundation for success in high school and beyond.
Learning to Love Learning
Our teachers act as trusted guides, teaching students a deep understanding of the material rather than to just superficially memorize content. The result is that students acquire invaluable skills in critical inquiry and a lifelong love of learning. High academic expectations combined with appropriate support allow students to be challenged and prepared for the next grade level.
Students are encouraged to ask questions like:
- 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?
- Why does this matter? What does it all mean?
The Value of Our Small Learning Community
Research suggests that middle school students in smaller learning communities like Eastside Catholic perform better academically, are more engaged in school, have more meaningful relationships and, ultimately, are more successful. A school like Eastside Catholic can mean the difference between a student feeling lost and anonymous, to feeling like they have a place where they truly belong. In our tight-knit community, each student is known and valued as an individual.
An EC Exclusive - The Middle School Mentor Program
The Mentor Program provides a "middle school family" for each student. Each "family" meets two times per week and is made up of a small group of young people from each grade and a teacher who knows the age group and the students well. By giving students an instant support network of trusted peers and mentors, this program greatly eases the transition to the new personal and academic challenges of the middle school years. Lessons during this time focus on our Touchstones and students' social and emotional needs.