Curriculum

Departmental Overview

Students have access to an online Student Portal through Veracross for all courses. The online calendar will display all assignments, projects, tests, and quizzes. Students are responsible for staying up-to-date on all coursework through the Student Portal. Parents are expected to guide students as they develop organization and strong work habits. Middle school is a crucial time for learning these habits. 

Exams

Exams are given to all sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students at the end of every trimester in every academic subject. Exams can include a test-like assessment and practical, application-based assessments, including but not limited to projects, essays, and lab practicums.  These exams count as 10% of the trimester average. The only exception to this applies to the Geometry course. In Geometry, exams will count as 20% of the trimester average.

 

English Department

The English Department’s goal is to build a mindset within students that allows them to act globally and think introspectively. When students leave Saint Paul's School, they will be ready for the many impending challenges that face active citizens in today’s society. 

Students will perform a rigorous practice of the five “language arts”: writing, reading, speaking, thinking, and listening.
Students will be able to:

• Write in a concise and clear form for all academic disciplines

• Read and discuss literature academically with their peers, both in small groups and as a whole class

• Initiate, direct, and complete an analytical group discussion of literature

• Speak publicly with poise and a professional attitude

• Analyze bias in many forms of media

• Practice active listening to become thoughtful critics of writing and speaking

At each grade level, units of study will include elements of the following topics; grammar and vocabulary, reading comprehension and analysis, and writing from paragraph to essay.

Math Department

The Math Department’s goal is to build mathematical fluency to allow students to be able to step into the next level of high school math with confidence and competence. Every student will be able to discover their mathematical abilities. This will allow students to stretch the understanding of math and make connections to grow mathematical ideas. In addition, the math department will lay the foundation for Algebra, Geometry, and beyond.

Students are grouped by ability for math. This challenges students to move, create and connect to foster continual growth in their mathematics, no matter where they start the program.

Science Department

The Science Department’s goal is to help students understand the world around them--from the invisible world of forces and energy to the microscopic world of atoms and molecules to organisms and ecosystems. With the variety of content, students will find something to feed their passions about the world and their place in it. Students will develop strong reasoning and critical thinking skills through the hands-on approach to studying science and the emphasis on the scientific method and drawing conclusions. Courses include: Marine Science, Life Science and Physical Science.

History Department

Through the study of history, students will develop their cultural IQ. By examining human achievement throughout history, students will gain an understanding of the political processes, the role of social classes, the importance of geography on economy and society, the growth of a global economy and its impact, and the rights and responsibilities of an American citizen. Students will expand their research and writing skills in their history courses as well. Courses include: World Civilizations, American History, Modern World History.

World Language Department

Spanish

Students in grade six will be exposed to the Spanish language and culture through music, and movies. They will begin to establish a foundation of grammatical concepts in Spanish such as agreement in number and gender, preposition and pronoun-object use, and forming the interrogative in both spoken and written work. Students in grade seven will continue to be exposed to the Spanish language and culture, and grammatical concepts in Spanish will be reinforced, and students will also be introduced to more formalized styles of writing.  Students will develop comfort with the pronunciation of the Spanish alphabet, including accents & special marks. Students in grade eight will continue along this path with the addition of a variety of Spanish literature and poetry. Grammatical concepts will be reinforced and expanded to include: agreement varying past tenses, adverbs, double object pronouns, all while developing passive voice, direct and indirect object pronouns, and varying levels of formality. Students will continue to learn more formalized styles of writing.  They will also practice the conjugation of both regular and irregular reflexive and non-reflexive verbs in the proper tense.

All instructions are provided in Spanish, with English translations available upon request. Approximately sixty percent of the class is conducted in Spanish.

Virtual Language Courses

Students interested in taking a languages other than Spanish can take virtual courses through Clearwater Virtual powered by One Schoolhouse. Language options available are Latin, Mandarin Chinese, French, and American Sign Language.  Virtual language courses are taken on site and with the support of an academic coach to help ensure successful progress through the program.  There is an additional cost for this program, and it is designed to provide students an opportunity for placement in advanced language courses upon entering high school.  In the past, students who have taken 3 years of virtual language have been placed into level 3 courses upon entering freshman year of high school.

Physical Education Department

The Athletic Program at Saint Paul’s offers student-athletes the opportunity for holistic development. Participating in athletics affords valuable life lessons that contribute to the social and emotional growth of the student and fosters elemental qualities of respect, honesty, compassion, hard work, and discipline. We believe athletics acts as a conduit for self-improvement and service to others, equipping the student for lifelong success and societal citizenship.

Students in grades 6-8 engage in a sports education and fitness curriculum, and are required to take a full year PE course in sixth through eighth grades.

STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES

At Saint Paul’s, students establish their learning targets in each subject area, work toward them with passion and resilience, and then present their growth outcomes to their parents through Student-Led Conferences held twice a school year. Dressed in business casual attire, with work samples and a prepared presentation in hand, even our youngest students share the challenges they face as a learner, their hard-won accomplishments, and their future goals with their teacher or advisor, and their parent(s).

Ruth Eckerd Hall

We partner with Ruth Eckerd Hall, the premier performing arts center in Clearwater, to create original productions, under the acclaimed guidance of a variety of Ruth Eckerd Hall’s professional, teaching artists. Weekly improvisation classes prepare our students as they develop characters and a storyline around a theme of their choice. For parents, the final production offers a glimpse into the sacred world of childhood, where ninjas, queens, pirates, and fairies sort out the nuances of friendship, compassion, loyalty, and forgiveness.