Middle School 101 for sixth graders

From the desk of Tammy Hayes, Middle School Principal:

Brook Hill Middle School is off and running for 2018, and I am so excited about all that this semester holds for our students. I want to highlight a distinctive class in the Middle, MS 101, which by design takes a shift in its direction second semester. As discussed at the fall Open House, this class has a three-prong focus: 1-academic, 2-social-emotional, and 3-spiritual. The class meets twice a week and is purposefully divided by gender in order that students are comfortable to discuss the topics. First semester is designed to equip in “how to be a strong student.” Second semester brings the social-emotional tools needed for future success. All curriculum is based on a biblical worldview and aims at our whole-child philosophy of education.

Middle School 101

1st semester topics include: discovering your learning styles, learning how to study for and take tests, managing multiple classes, becoming your own advocate with your teachers, learning to work in a group (collaboration), how to keep an agenda, organizational tips for every part of your life, the 3 top habits of a successful student (Covey), and many more.

2nd semester topics include: learning to recognize the lies of the culture that attack self-esteem, the contents of significance and how to protect it, health matters (hygiene, making healthy choices about diet, the dangers of smoking, marijuana and other drugs, alcohol,) cyber safety, how to guard oneself from online predators, recognizing wrongful invitations, pornography, and premarital sex.

Sonya Fox, registered nurse/teacher  teaches the health facts and risks to many of these, and uses the book, The Search for Significance, written by Dawson McCallister, as a manual to guide students through the spiritual truths needed to help establish a healthy sense of significance attached to Christ. The students do not get a copy of this book, but from time to time, certain passages are allowed to be copied per the copyright laws of which we are careful to have permissions where needed to copy all materials.

Our approach is to come alongside your parenting, so please know that we welcome you to attend special assemblies as they occur. Also as parent, you have the right to keep your child home if you do not want them in class for a particular topic. Be sure to inform Mrs. Fox of such a need.

This is one of the most valuable classes of information at the middle school for building strong, confident students poised for success. Our goal for them is that this class will be a “shield for them to guard their heart, soul, mind, and strength as they go forward living daily in the world around them, but not becoming ‘of it.’”

Please feel free to call me if you have any questions or concerns.