Middle school is a time of transformation, and starting at Greenhills is the beginning of a journey. The world is a little wider—and wilder—when you go to middle school. New friends, new ideas, new experiences; when confronted with that vastness, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. You might even feel a little lost. But I’ll let you in on something: you are in exactly the right place.
Greenhills is a place of transformation — a joyful place that helps unlock your potential so that you can become a curious, creative, and responsible citizen. This journey is about each individual student, about helping you to question your world and your place in it, about building a lasting academic and empathetic foundation for future growth. It is also about the work we do together. A journey is always better with companions, and everyone in our community benefits from cultivating relationships based on trust, respect, and good humor.
We look forward to meeting you now, and getting to know who you become here at Greenhills. Welcome.
Sincerely,
Mayra E. Diaz Head of Middle SchoolGreenhills’ middle school program supports students as they navigate these years.
The Greenhills middle school experience begins in 6th grade, when students from across the region are welcomed into an intimate forum area by a caring and cohesive group of teachers who are solely responsible for instructing the grade. Students begin to undertake tasks calling for personal organization, critical thinking, individual creativity, independent and collaborative work, and good study habits, all under the close guidance of committed teachers.
Teachers continue to cultivate a nurturing environment so that 7th and 8th graders are prepared to meet increased expectations for academic and social responsibility. Teachers on each team meet weekly to discuss student performance and plan grade-level activities.
All middle school students are assigned to an advisory, a small group of students who meet several times a week with an advisor to check in and engage in activities and discussions.
8th graders leave middle school with a deeper awareness of their own abilities and unique gifts, well prepared for the demands of our college preparatory upper school program.
Greenhills middle school supports intellectual, physical and emotional growth. With the help of some unique programs, our students are challenged, nurtured and fully prepared for their upper school experience.
Our middle school curriculum challenges students to:
Think systematically, discovering connections and finding meaningful relationships within and across disciplines.
Participate as global citizens, becoming actively aware of the world, respecting and valuing global diversity and diversity within our school community.
Demonstrate adaptability and a willingness to cope with uncertain, new, rapidly changing, and often challenging conditions.
Develop confidence and competence to effectively use communication and social skills, including writing, public speaking, and collaborating in person and digitally.
Effectively manage information including finding, evaluating and synthesizing information, organizing and transforming data, and interpreting various representations of data.
Strive to self-manage, self-motivate, and self-monitor to work independently and as a member of a team, and to monitor one’s own learning.
Contribute to a positive and inclusive school community that embraces caring for the welfare of others. This includes learning how to assume responsibility for actions, accepting consequences, and learning from mistakes.
