Anchored in our essential question, “What does it mean to belong?” Fifth graders build on their repertoire of reading and writing skills through the content of our humanities focus: immigration. Using primary sources, biographies, podcasts, and books, students compare and contrast historical and contemporary events surrounding migration to the United States. Fifth graders investigate why people move, how the immigration process is complicated, and the positive impacts immigrants make in American society. 

Students in Grade 5 read daily in books selected for personal interest, and books shared by a small group or the whole class. By reading more complex texts and analyzing character complexity and goals, conflict, the impact of setting on the story, theme, and symbolism, students deepen their comprehension. Fifth graders practice discussing books by asking open-ended questions, building off one another's ideas, and supporting ideas with text evidence. 

Students engage in narrative, informational, and persuasive writing, focusing on improving topic development, organization, and craft elements specific to each genre. Students also become researchers, taking notes, synthesizing and presenting information, and making arguments in written and oral form. Fifth graders continue studying essential elements of grammar by analyzing and creating compound sentences. Students apply the skills taught to produce polished final drafts. 

Through projects like identity artifacts museums, immigrant journey interviews, walk-a-mile letters, and free choice research, fifth graders deepen their understanding of their own identities and build empathy as they learn about others’ experiences.

In the fifth grade math course, students are presented with a unique opportunity for specialized instruction. Each class is co-taught with the math teacher and homeroom teacher. This model creates a small student to teacher ratio, allowing for differentiation at all levels. Throughout the year, students build a strong foundation of mathematical knowledge while engaging in rich, meaningful, and cognitively demanding activities. With a focus on explanation and reasoning, students solidify multiplication and division skills, compute with decimals and fractions, engage in measuring area and perimeter, analyze and represent data, and explore patterns and algebraic thinking. The course emphasizes communicating mathematical concepts and looking for multiple pathways to solutions. 

Fifth graders have a unique opportunity to connect their math and science learning by analyzing and graphing the data collected during activities such as measuring growth rates of endangered turtles. This interdisciplinary work allows students to engage in the work of real scientists and mathematicians. 

For further enrichment, students in Grade 5 are invited to participate in optional math activities including five Math Olympiads which are offered throughout the year. Additionally, the Math Team provides an opportunity for fifth and sixth graders to explore, practice, and compete against local Brookline schools in five categories: problem-solving, patterns, operations, geometry and bases.

Fifth grade science students are asked to think about the world creatively, critically, and quantitatively as they engage in an exploration of the physical world through engineering and design processes. The unit on light energy, for example, challenges students to apply their newfound knowledge and skills to craft pinhole cameras. In addition, students participate in STEAM projects such as building anemometers that showcase their understanding of weather and provide opportunities for integrating mathematical skills into their scientific investigations. As students work independently and collaboratively to innovate and document the scientific process, they are encouraged to learn from their mistakes and empowered to find creative solutions to complex problems. 

Growth Education in fifth grade begins with a review of the puberty topics presented the year before. This course introduces the basics of reproduction and breaks down misconceptions. Growth Education classes meet in homeroom sections in order to address questions around female and male anatomy and the changes that occur during puberty.

Fifth-grade science classes meet three times each week in two 50-minute sessions and one 80-minute session. 

The benefits of learning a new language include improved academic and cognitive development as well as language-specific skills. Research shows that students who study a new language demonstrate both better memory and problem-solving skills and illustrate increased understanding of their own language.* As language teachers, we are particularly passionate about world communities, and we aim to inspire curiosity and cross-cultural understanding in all of our classes.

We are proud to offer instruction in French, Latin, Mandarin and Spanish. Park students graduate having experienced four years of rich curriculum, focused on both communication skills and cultural awareness, and culminating with immersive international travel in Grade 8. Modern language courses at Park emphasize interpretive, presentational and interpersonal modes of communication and development of the four main skill areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Latin students focus on both history and grammar while building proficiency in vocabulary and translation.

In Grade 5, students engage with each of the four languages over the course of the year before making a choice about which language they prefer to study full time starting in Grade 6. Language courses in Grades 7 and 8 build on the foundation established in Grade 6, continuing to develop the primary skills and communication modes.

*American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language What the Research Shows

The Grade 5 art curriculum is focused on the elements and principles of three-dimensional design, which is an essential component of “design thinking.” Students use familiar materials – wood, wire, paper, cardboard, and foam core board – in new ways. Fifth graders are increasingly able to focus on long-term projects as they practice and develop hands-on skills while experimenting with new techniques to transform their ideas into artwork. The end goal is to allow each student’s artistic voice to shine through their work. 

Park’s music program helps to foster creativity, self-expression, and develop students’ music skills. In Grade 5, students can experience four areas of music: creating, performing, listening, and history. 

In the weekly general music class, students learn through singing, playing instruments, and movement activities. Conversational solfege is used to support their musical literacy instruction, highlighting the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, and form. Teachers provide the historical, cultural, and social context of the music.

Fifth graders also participate in a weekly ensemble music experience, choosing from String Ensemble, Band, or Chorus. General music and ensemble instruction at Park is aligned with the National Association for Music Education standards. 

* Due to COVID-19, some variance in programming may be necessary.

In their first year in Upper Division, Grade 5 students continue to practice selecting and curating print and digital materials. They expand their information seeking and critical thinking skills as they undertake research projects in collaboration with grade-level curriculum. Engaging games and activities further reinforce their understanding of how information is organized. The grade’s one-to-one Chromebook program extends into the library curriculum. Through the study of citation and copyright, students learn to evaluate and appropriately engage with online resources, including databases, curated websites, and ebooks. Students are encouraged to create and share their ideas and understanding through a variety of multimedia formats.

Grade 5 students visit the Library weekly with their Humanities teachers, and they are encouraged to use the Library more frequently and independently to explore individual interests. They enjoy book talks and participate in reading incentives, such as the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award. Author/illustrator visits remain an important component of the library curriculum.

In Grade 5 the Physical Education program aims to provide an opportunity for each student to combine mature locomotor and manipulative skills (ie. throwing, catching, striking, kicking on the move) in a variety of practice tasks. Students then demonstrate proficiency by performing these skills with accuracy while aiming at targets or applying movement concepts (ie. strategies, tactics, offense, defense).

Students participate in a variety of fitness activities to improve their functional movement (throw, jump, hinge, squat, push, pull, rotate) throughout the year. Students also analyze the impact of food choices relative to physical activity and personal health. Good sportsmanship and the enjoyment of working with others toward a common goal are integral to the program. 

Sixth graders examine a variety of literary genres and styles, developing and honing reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking skills. Students analyze information, make connections and draw conclusions, they learn to work more independently and to collaborate on group projects, and they develop their own creative and original voices in discussion and in writing. 

Students begin developing a more mature understanding of social studies as the complex interweaving of geography, history, and culture. Furthermore, students begin to explore their own identities as members of various societies and communities — local, national, and global. The year-long focus is an exploration of the continent of Africa from the physical and political geography, to ancient and medieval empires of Ghana and Mali, to European conquest during the periods of trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism, to a case study of South Africa and the road to democracy. 

In English, students read a number of texts including Flying Lessons, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and The Giver. Students focus on the elements and structures of poetry, plays, novels and non-fiction; they actively read (for example, marking their texts) to strengthen literal comprehension while moving toward figurative interpretation. 

In both English and social studies, sixth graders work to strengthen their voices and their listening skills, and they practice supporting their opinions with textual or factual evidence. Students create a variety of written pieces throughout the year, both creative and analytical, keeping in mind audience and purpose. Students pay close attention to strong sentences, coherent paragraphs, and accurate word choice and usage, and they hone their editing and revision skills.

The sixth grade year in English and social studies is one of discovery as students make connections, communicate new understandings and develop a stronger sense of self identity and the world around them.

In Grade 6 Math, students develop a conceptual understanding of computation in preparation for PreAlgebra. With a focus on number fluency, students will add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers, fractions, and decimals accurately and efficiently. Throughout the year, students apply their operation skills to geometry, particularly area and perimeter. Other areas of focus include number theory, measurement and scale, ratio, proportions and percents, and integers. Students apply their knowledge of topics to real world scenarios. Non-routine problem-solving strategies and practice are incorporated on a regular basis, and all students are provided opportunities to further their understanding through extensions. The course culminates with the “House Project,” an interdisciplinary activity where students combine the work they did throughout the year in math with their learning from science about climate and green building design. 

Students are sectioned to work with peers who learn at a similar pace and who perform at a similar level in math. All sections are taught the topics described; some classes may learn certain topics at greater depth. 

For further enrichment, students in Grade 6 are invited to participate in optional math activities including five Math Olympiads which are offered throughout the year. Additionally, the Math Team provides an opportunity for fifth and sixth graders to explore, practice, and compete against local Brookline schools in five categories: problem-solving, patterns, operations, geometry and bases. 

Through hands-on investigations, research, creative problem solving and current events, students in sixth grade science explore the themes of cells and life, human body systems, robotics, and energy. Teachers design challenging, relevant, collaborative and engaging projects through which the students explore and create meaning from their learning.

In learning about cells and life, students create a stop animation video of digestion, use digital microscopes to create a collage, build a cell model that shows an analogy, conduct an investigation to test reaction time, conduct dissections to learn about the structure and function of a sheep heart and eye, and use a “Dr. Day” to learn from visiting parent physicians. During their robotics unit, students use sensors and master programming skills to complete EV3 challenges, such as “Don’t Hit the Pedestrian,”, “Escape the Box,” Sumo wrestling, and an EV3 Olympics. While exploring forms of energy, heat transfer, and earth’s energy systems students use found materials to create a sundial, design a “Rube Goldberg machine” to illustrate a model of energy types, participate as citizen scientists for NASA to collect and analyze cloud data, and design a thermos or solar cooker to minimize or maximize heat transfer.

Sixth graders are also the stewards of Park’s Outdoor Learning Garden. They help plan, plant, and harvest crops, while learning about soil, the importance of composting, and photosynthesis. In all science activities, students are learning science by being scientists. They ask thoughtful questions, make careful, detailed observations, use their senses, tools and technology to collect data, problem solve, and develop explanations based on evidence. 

Students in Grade 6 use two- and three-dimensional media to express their ideas. They apply their knowledge of materials and learn to choose appropriate techniques as they draw, paint, sculpt, construct and assemble projects out of wood, foam core board, wire, and found objects. Each work of art requires planning, individual and group problem-solving, patience, persistence, and practice. The end goal is to allow each student’s artistic voice to shine through their work. 

The benefits of learning a new language include improved academic and cognitive development as well as language-specific skills. Research shows that students who study a new language demonstrate both better memory and problem-solving skills and illustrate increased understanding of their own language.* As language teachers, we are particularly passionate about world communities, and we aim to inspire curiosity and cross-cultural understanding in all of our classes.

We are proud to offer instruction in French, Latin, Mandarin and Spanish. Park students graduate having experienced four years of rich curriculum, focused on both communication skills and cultural awareness, and culminating with immersive international travel in Grade 8. Modern language courses at Park emphasize interpretive, presentational and interpersonal modes of communication and development of the four main skill areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Latin students focus on both history and grammar while building proficiency in vocabulary and translation.

In Grade 5, students engage with each of the four languages over the course of the year before making a choice about which language they prefer to study full time starting in Grade 6. Language courses in Grades 7 and 8 build on the foundation established in Grade 6, continuing to develop the primary skills and communication modes.

*American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language What the Research Show

Park’s music program helps to foster creativity, self-expression, and develop students’ music skills. The Grade 6 curriculum is designed for students to experience four areas of music: creating, performing, listening, and history. Sixth graders spend one trimester in a twice weekly general music class. In addition, students have the option to participate in a weekly year-long performance ensemble, choosing from Band, Drumline, Chorus, or String Ensemble.

Grade 6 students continue to build upon their knowledge of music theory from previous years. Faculty emphasize melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, and musical form throughout all music activities. In addition, students develop their self-confidence and an appreciation for the physical and mental discipline of musical performance, while also learning to be adept critical listeners and polite, supportive audience members. 

General music and ensemble instruction at Park is aligned with the National Association for Music Education standards. 

* Due to COVID-19, some variance in programming may be necessary.

The Growth Education program provides an opportunity for students to discuss the difficult issues of pre-adolescence and adolescence in a safe, structured, and confidential environment with the understanding that students should be exposed to information and issues at least two years prior to perceived needs. The curriculum is cyclical in nature so that specific topics are revisited with the assumption that students will bring greater understanding, experience and maturity to the discussion. Class discussions are augmented with factual and dramatic videos, group dynamics exercises, and occasional outside speakers. 

The Grade 6 course promotes strategies for middle school success in an initial unit on how to be a mindful and organized student, focusing on specific steps to help students thrive in the Upper Division. Teachers continue to emphasize the value of individual worth and personal responsibility, the importance of factual information, use of good communication skills, and consideration of others throughout the year. Students also examine and discuss friendships, relationships and the power of groups; the importance of consent; teasing and bullying and their prevention, along with the respectful use of technology; a review of puberty and personal health which includes nutrition and sleep, as well as an introduction to drug and alcohol use and abuse, with a focus on the dangers of vaping. 

Growth Education classes meet regularly throughout the three terms for a 45-minute period and are team-taught by two faculty members. The course is not graded and students do not receive written comments. 

In Grade 6 the Physical Education program encourages each student to progress at their own rate and allows for individual differences and interests. Activities include dance and rhythm, juggling, sports-specific skills associated with invasion games (basketball, soccer, team handball, football), net/wall games, outdoor pursuits, individual performance activities, target games, and track & field. Cooperative activities and group challenges are also an important part of the curriculum. Throughout all activities, students are encouraged to be joyful learners, strive for their personal best and exhibit good sportsmanship. 

Students identify the components of fitness as well as design and implement individualized programs based on the results of their personal fitness assessments. Students then set and monitor self-selected physical activity goals based on current fitness levels. Students also include knowledge of the foods within each of the basic food groups, and identify and select appropriate portions for their age and activity level. 

Grade 6 students participate in library classes every other week throughout the year, and they continue to explore literature and to identify how Park’s extensive library resources relate to their studies in all areas of the curriculum. Through inquiry and research with materials in print and digital formats, they expand their information-seeking and critical thinking skills. They practice expressing their ideas using multimedia applications. The librarians and classroom teachers collaborate as specific projects are undertaken. 

Student-led book talks are a vital component of the library curriculum, designed to further students’ enjoyment while deepening their presentation skills. Social justice advocacy projects further enhance the relevancy of the pursuit of information, while also building empathy for and engagement with a broader community. The Library Makerspace remains accessible for students to personalize their original synthesis and presentation of information as well as engage in the joy of playful making.

During the 2020-21 school year, sixth graders will spend one trimester each studying art, music, and drama as part of their regular course schedule. These classes take place virtually, two times per week. In addition, students in Grades 6-8 can elect to participate in a yearlong music ensemble that meets weekly in one virtual session. Students can choose between Band, Chorus, Drumline, and String Ensemble.

In the future, students in Grades 6 – 8 will have the opportunity to choose from more than 35 offerings in art, music, and drama outside of regular classes. These semester-long electives will be offered in 50-minute and 80-minute blocks. Music students will also be able to choose a yearlong music ensemble that meets in an 80-minute block.

Grade 8 English focuses on increasing students’ confidence in moving toward more complex figurative interpretations in both reading and writing. Classes are run seminar style, and students are taught to be brave, active participants in conversations that explore literature and its connection to modern and timeless themes. Students are encouraged to connect, question, analyze, wonder, disagree, and express their ideas. Texts studied include Sherman Alexi’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give, and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as well as a variety of classic and modern poetry. 

Students write on a regular basis, keeping journals, notes, and thoughts from their reading and discussions. Numerous formal essays are composed during the year, as well as several personal narratives. This course places an emphasis on perspective taking, and students examine NPR’s This I Believe essay series to explore the belief systems of characters, authors, poets, classmates, and – ultimately – themselves. Other formal writing is generated by the literature and by the individual student’s experience. Emphasis is placed on refining previously acquired critical and creative skills, on expanding ideas into fully developed and lengthier essays, and on writing within time constraints. With guided feedback from their teachers, students are encouraged to outline, draft, refine, and rewrite. The last writing project of the year is the creation of a published, detailed, deeply personal, annotated anthology of poems. 

In this course, eighth graders gain understanding of algebraic concepts, facility in the use of algebraic algorithms, and skills to analyze patterns, tables, and graphs. They develop the ability to use algebraic methods to apply and solve a diverse array of problems. Students hone problem-solving skills emphasizing real world data, graphing calculators, and Desmos. Creative thinking and collaboration are continuously practiced and emphasized throughout the year. 

All students in Grade 8 take a complete year of Algebra. Topics include linear functions, linear systems and inequalities, exponential functions, and quadratic functions. Through the study of each function, students apply their understanding by generating, collecting, and analyzing data. To conclude the year, students develop and apply their understanding of all of these various functions to design and write code to create an animation using Desmos, a graphing calculator app. Students are sectioned to work with peers who learn at a similar pace and who perform at a similar level in math. Some classes may cover certain topics in greater depth as well as learn some introductory Algebra II. 

For further enrichment, students are invited to participate in Math Olympiads and MathCounts Club. Math Olympiads are offered five times throughout the year. MathCounts practices are held weekly leading up to an annual regional competition in the winter; successful teams advance to future rounds.

Grade 8 Physical Science is a lab-based course focused on the study of matter and motion. Eighth graders actively build an understanding of the physical world by collaborating in the lab, conducting experiments, making observations, collecting data, and analyzing results.

Students begin the year with a hands-on investigation of Newton’s Laws of Motion. Students observe and measure different types of forces and discover the relationship between force and motion. The unit culminates with the “Catapult Project” in which students design, construct and test a model catapult. Students are challenged to accurately hit a target and they demonstrate each of Newton’s Laws using their catapult.

Students then move onto the study of the properties of matter. During this unit, our work is anchored in the interdisciplinary theme of water: the physical properties of water, water as a resource, global issues concerning water and the right to have access to clean water. We start with basic concepts such as mass and volume and build our understanding through experiments performed in the lab. Ultimately, from observations and data collected in the lab, students develop an understanding of how interactions at the molecular level cause the properties of matter that we see in action all around us. In a culminating experiment, students put together all that they have learned to separate and identify the components of “sludge” – a mixture of mystery substances given to them in a flask. 

The Grade 8 course focuses on human rights and social justice, beginning with a study of human rights and social justice within our own country. We explore both the roots of injustice in the U.S. and the ways that oppressed peoples and their allies have sought both to bring injustice to light and to build a more just and humane societies for all peoples. 

We also take time to explore current movements for justice, how our lives today intersect with these movements, and ways for us to work for social justice right now. While much of the course has a domestic focus, we also work to explore global injustices and movements for social justice.

Throughout this work, students engage in a variety of activities ranging from ongoing discussion of history and current events to debates to expository writing to presentations. 

As a culmination of this course, the final third of the year is devoted to advocacy, as students work to learn about and advocate on real issues of injustice and oppression locally, nationally, or internationally. The Advoc8! project synthesizes numerous skills students have been developing throughout their time at Park: leadership, communication, advocacy, and problem-solving. The project provides an opportunity for students to practice these skills and discover, through experience, that their voices matter, and that they can be heard.

The benefits of learning a new language include improved academic and cognitive development as well as language-specific skills. Research shows that students who study a new language demonstrate both better memory and problem-solving skills and illustrate increased understanding of their own language.* As language teachers, we are particularly passionate about world communities, and we aim to inspire curiosity and cross-cultural understanding in all of our classes.

We are proud to offer instruction in French, Latin, Mandarin and Spanish. Park students graduate having experienced four years of rich curriculum, focused on both communication skills and cultural awareness, and culminating with immersive international travel in Grade 8. Modern language courses at Park emphasize interpretive, presentational and interpersonal modes of communication and development of the four main skill areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Latin students focus on both history and grammar while building proficiency in vocabulary and translation.

In Grade 5, students engage with each of the four languages over the course of the year before making a choice about which language they prefer to study full time starting in Grade 6. Language courses in Grades 7 and 8 build on the foundation established in Grade 6, continuing to develop the primary skills and communication modes.

*American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language What the Research Shows

Eighth grade students at Park learn to develop strategies for transforming an idea into visual language. Pursuing projects in various 2D formats, students are encouraged to use problem-solving to work through the design process. This year, students learn to represent 3D form on a 2D plane with the use of light and shadow through various drawing and collage techniques. Students draw on their knowledge of color, shape, line, and texture from their art-making experience throughout their years at Park. 

During their final year at Park, students demonstrate the ability to take initiative on their projects. Making choices about subject matter and materials, and applying a high level of craftsmanship to their finished work are essential elements of the eighth grade art experience. Working cooperatively in groups both during the planning stage and while reflecting on completed work enables students to build connections with peers and broaden their perspective. Students will document their work in progress, along with finished projects in a digital portfolio using Padlet. Critical student engagement, analysis, and voice will contribute to an in-depth artist study project, culminating in the creation of collaborative instructional Padlets.

During the year, eighth graders will spend one trimester in art class.

Park’s music program helps to foster creativity, self-expression, and develop students’ music skills. The Grade 8 curriculum is designed for students to experience four areas of music: creating, performing, listening, and history. Eighth graders spend one trimester in a twice weekly general music class. In addition, students have the option to participate in a year-long performance ensemble that meets weekly for 80 minutes, choosing from Drumline, Chorus, or Orchestral Ensemble.

Grade 8 students continue to build upon their knowledge of music theory from previous years. Faculty emphasize melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, and musical form throughout all music activities, while providing the historical, cultural, and social context of the music. In addition, students develop their self-confidence and an appreciation for the physical and mental discipline of musical performance, while also learning to be adept critical listeners and polite, supportive audience members. 

General music and ensemble instruction at Park is aligned with the National Association for Music Education standards. 

* Due to COVID-19, some variance in programming may be necessary.

The Growth Education program provides an opportunity for students to discuss the difficult issues of pre-adolescence and adolescence in a safe, structured, and confidential environment with the understanding that students should be exposed to information and issues at least two years prior to perceived needs. The curriculum is cyclical in nature so that specific topics are revisited with the assumption that students will bring greater understanding, experience and maturity to the discussion. Class discussions are augmented with factual and dramatic videos, group dynamics exercises, and occasional outside speakers. 

The Grade 8 course focuses on understanding oneself and making healthy decisions. Topics include mental health, including the effects of stress and the signs and treatment of clinical depression; peer relationships and peer pressure; healthy relationships and responsibility for oneself and another in any type of relationship; the importance of consent; a review of drugs and alcohol, especially discussing the dangers of vaping and opioids; a review of human sexuality (including gender and sexual identity, gender roles, factual information on sexually transmitted infections, and methods of contraception). In March, eighth graders participate in a simulation centered on secondary school decisions. 

Growth Education classes meet regularly throughout the three terms for a 45-minute period and are team-taught by two faculty members. The course is not graded and students do not receive written comments. 

In Grade 8, the Physical Education program reinforces the fundamental movement building blocks established in prior grades. While applying skills in games and activities, students are encouraged to lead each other to make good decisions in more dynamic and varied settings, while emphasizing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Each student is encouraged to progress at their own pace, and to improve their individual skills. Cooperative activities, collaboration and individual challenges are also important to the program. 

Students Identify the components of health related fitness (mobility, stability and strength) and explain the connections between fitness and overall physical and mental health. Students use the FITT formula (frequency, intensity, time, type) to create personalized workouts and learn more about the relationship between poor nutrition and health risk factors. Basic movements used in stress reducing activities are covered as students collaborate on their fitness goals. 

Grade 8 students come to the Library for scheduled classes throughout the year to pursue personal and academic interests. While building their capacity for empathy and their understanding of equity, students engage with increasingly sophisticated information sources and formats. Through extensive use of materials in print and digital formats, students connect library resources to their studies in all areas of the curriculum and refine their independent research and critical thinking skills, preparing them to make good use of high school libraries. The librarians and classroom teachers collaborate as specific projects are undertaken.

During the 2020-21 school year, eighth graders will spend one trimester each studying art, music, and drama as part of their regular course schedule. These classes take place virtually, two times per week. In addition, students in Grades 6-8 can elect to participate in a yearlong music ensemble that meets weekly in one virtual session. Students can choose between Chorus, Drumline, and Instrumental Ensemble.

In the future, students in Grades 6 – 8 will have the opportunity to choose from more than 35 offerings in art, music, and drama outside of regular classes. These semester-long electives will be offered in 50-minute and 80-minute blocks. Music students will also be able to choose a yearlong music ensemble that meets in an 80-minute block.