Academics
Middle School
Grade Level Courses & Faculty
Recent Middle School News
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Welcome to Gill St. Bernard’s Middle School. We offer a welcoming, caring and academically challenging experience designed to complement the developmental strengths of preteens and adolescents. Our Middle School, which utilizes several buildings on our campus, comprises just over 180 students in grades 5-8.
Contributing to a vibrant environment centered on nurture and academic rigor, our team of teachers strives to appropriately challenge students both in and out of the classroom.
Our Middle School curriculum is broad based, academically challenging and child centered. At every turn, the program is designed to foster a love for learning in our students. Some curriculum highlights include
- lab-based science five days per week
- language arts instruction seven periods per week in grades seven and eight
- Singapore math into sixth grade; algebra and geometry offered in grades seven and eight
- a choice of French, Latin, or Spanish beginning in sixth grade
- offerings in the fine and performing arts
- required physical education/athletics built into the school day
- a unique, week-long experiential education experience in May for every student
- weekly Makerspace and wellness classes for every middle schooler
- the STREAMS Science Program for grades four through six
These highlights are just a sampling of the dynamic program offered in the Middle School. In combination with our core values and emphasis on character education, the Middle School program engages and motivates young people to be their very best and discover who they might become.
A Day in the Life of a Middle School Student
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Sample Middle School Schedule
In addition to instruction in English/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and world languages, Middle School students have weekly Makerspace and technology classes, instruction in health and wellness and opportunities to explore the fine and performing arts and athletics. Each day starts and ends in advisory, and there are regular assemblies and meetings in this division. Below you will find a sample schedule, indicating what a typical day might look like for a student in the Middle School at GSB.
8:15 to 8:20 a.m. — Advisory
8:20 to 9:05 a.m. — History
9:05 to 9:50 a.m. — English
9:50 to 10:05 a.m. — Break
10:05 to 10:50 a.m. — World Language
10:50 to 11:40 a.m. — Mathematics
11:40 to 12:10 p.m. — Lunch
12:10 to 1:00 p.m. — Science
1:00 to 2:00 p.m. — Art Elective
2:00 to 3:00 p.m. — Physical Education
Student Feedback & Assessment
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Report Cards and Progress Reports
The Middle School operates on a trimester grading system. Three times per year, Report Cards are sent home electronically. Included on the Report Cards are in-depth narratives written about students by the teachers of each subject. In addition to three Report Cards, three Progress Reports (consisting of grades but not comments) are electronically mailed throughout the year. -
Parent Conference Days
There are two scheduled Parent Conference Days during the year, affording parents the opportunity to meet with their child's Advisor for 20 minutes. -
Assessments
Assessments throughout the year are varied and range from tests/quizzes to non-traditional projects. Teachers in the Middle School look for a variety of ways to measure student success, with honest but positive feedback playing a vital role in the assessment process. -
Friday Folder
Every middle schooler carries a Friday Folder home at the end of each week. Among other things, this is a space for teachers to share graded material with families.
Lower and Middle School Director
Kyle Armstrong serves as the Director of Lower & Middle Schools, a position he took after having served as Director of Middle School for four years. Mr. Armstrong holds more than 20 years experience working in independent schools. Prior to joining GSB, he was Associate Head for Academics for a K-8 independent school in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He also has several years of experience as a history teacher, baseball and basketball coach, and eighth-grade team leader.
Mr. Armstrong holds a Master's of Education Degree from Lesley College in Massachusetts, and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Trinity College in Connecticut. Raised by a family of educators, Kyle’s wife Kristen is GSB’s Upper School Librarian. They have two daughters at Gill and a son who will soon join the preschool.
Our Faculty
Middle School teachers at GSB are experienced, highly collaborative, and steeped in pedagogy best suited for early adolescence. Extending the nurturing environment of our Lower School and providing the rigor necessary for success in the Upper School, our Middle School team strikes a balanced approach in working with our students. Cultivating confidence and emphasizing growth at every turn, our teachers and staff are dedicated to this unique age group, and they strive to make each day one of joy and growth for every student.
List of 37 members.
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Steven Rabel
Farm Educator -
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Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard’s is a private, coeducational day school for students age three through grade 12, located in suburban New Jersey. Each of the three school divisions provides a rigorous, meaningful, and age-appropriate curriculum, and all students benefit from the environmental learning opportunities that exist on our 208-acre campus.