Welcome to the Middle School
	Dear Middle School Parents, I hope you are as excited about a new school year as I am. 2011-12 promises to be a great year. The middle school faculty is welcoming Liz Bicehouse as a new member of the team. As a member of the math department, she is joining a dedicated faculty that relishes the opportunity to work with middle school students on a daily basis.   The middle school faculty takes great pride in our strong and challenging curriculum. Beginning in the sixth grade with formal essays and a research paper, progressing through seventh grade with the geography/English seminar, and continuing in eighth grade with primary source document-based essays and original poetry, we stress language arts skills. A fully equipped science laboratory allows our students hands-on experiences that enrich their learning. A strong math foundation allows our students to begin earning upper school credit in the eighth grade. A new foreign language sequence assures all sixth graders will have an introduction to Latin, seventh graders will explore additional foreign languages, and students will begin their formal language study in eighth grade. Our health and physical education department produces students that value a healthy lifestyle. Our fine arts offerings allow students to explore and develop their artistic talents. Our goal is to create a learning environment with a rigorous curriculum that challenges students, encourages them to think critically, and provides a chance for the exploration of new ideas. Our middle school continues to build on past successful school-wide programs. This year all middle school students will read The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. The author will then join the middle school community to discuss the novel. These types of programs continue to engage the students while strengthening a sense of community. We value working closely with parents to ensure every child has a successful middle school career. Teachers are available before, during and after school for conferences with parents and students. Middle school counselor Val Ortiz is planning several parent programs to be held on weekday mornings at 8:15. Topics and a schedule will be distributed in late August. On September 9 there is a “Parent Hangout” at 8:00 p.m. in the MS Explore Room while the kids are hanging out in the upper school. Please share with us your suggestions for strengthening the relationships that make Norfolk Collegiate unique. We view our partnership as crucial to the success of your child. I look forward to seeing you soon. Sincerely, Roz Klein Head of Middle School