Middle School Division News: April 3, 2025

By Dr. Jenn Milam, Pamela K. Murfin Head of School and Interim Middle School Division Head

It seems unreal that we have just over six-weeks remaining in this school year! The time has truly flown! 

As I’m sure many of you have heard from your students, we have been working on a new schedule and more robust academic programming for next year. I am pleased to share that we have reached a final draft of the schedule, a list of exciting new electives, and the ability to offer increased student support tailored to your individual student’s needs in both language and math. A few notable features of the new schedule for next year include: 

• An A/B schedule rotation that will not only apply to electives, but to all classes. Each day students will have four core instructional blocks, two elective blocks, and end their day with advisory. 
• 70-minute instructional blocks for academic subjects and PE allowing for more in depth instruction, more inquiry-driven experiences in the classroom, and more time for independent practice and development of conceptual understanding. 
• Exciting new electives to include: Destination Imagination ©, Ancient Civilizations, Technology, Environmental Science, and a new music elective. These will be non-graded, multi-grade electives that allow for interest-driven learning and more opportunities to get to know other middle school students outside of their individual grade level class. 
• Math Lab and Learning Lab time will offer students the opportunity for increased support in the areas of most need and will be flexible throughout the year. 
• Each middle school student will take a semester of art and a semester of drama, in addition to taking either choir or band. Including these as part of the middle school program teaches, reinforces, and builds critical skills in communication, creativity, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. 
• An even more robust advisory program that will bring to the end of each and every day in middle school structured support for organization, executive function, and self-management. 

I’m so excited to share this with you all and look forward to helping students make elective selections in the coming weeks as we begin to schedule for the coming year.

Please join me at one of the following information sessions to learn more and have all of your questions answered: 

• Wednesday, April 23, 2025 - 8:15am in the Boardroom! This meeting will be held in-person and we’ll have coffee and breakfast goodies to share. 
• Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - 6:30pm by ZOOM! Please join us from home or on your errands to listen and learn! 

ZOOM MEETING LINK: https://winston-school-org.zoom.us/j/81333936120?pwd=UiQv95XW30ZcNH2CD1OwLpZeWJFTtB.1

I am looking forward to sharing what’s ahead for our MAGNIFICENT Middle School and continuing our partnership in the 2025-2026 school year