Middle School Curriculum - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The Middle School program focuses on the formation of young adolescents as they prepare for high school. Our students continue to grow in independence, passion, and confidence within cooperative and increasingly demanding academic settings. As the oldest students on campus, they’re inspired to be positive leaders within the school community. In turn, they become leaders in their home communities, too.

Our Middle School students:

• Work with their own advisors who help them set personal goals, foster positive student interaction, and strengthen student-teacher-family relationships.

• Engage in research projects that build their reading, writing, and presentation skills, culminating in a capstone project, which promotes student agency and gives them the opportunity to share their voices.

• Use technology to communicate and collaborate while completing assignments and projects across curriculums.

• Experience real-world learning opportunities in and out of the classroom.

• Thrive on the Norwood Campus, as they experience varied learning settings, just like they will in high school.

• Benefit from NFA’s long- standing relationships with area Catholic and independent high schools, as they navigate the best fit for them in the years to come.

As a result of their studies at NFA, our graduates qualify for high school honors classes and test into sophomore-level Spanish and mathematics classes.

The Middle School course of study includes:

• Religion, language arts, mathematics (through Algebra I), social studies, and science

• Enrichment classes in art, music, physical education, and library

• Spanish classes four times a week

• STEM curriculum that encourages students to use the design process to solve authentic problems

• An exploratory class designed to excite and challenge students in different areas of interest, such as “Sounds of Silence,” for aspiring filmmakers, and “La Cultura Rica de España,” virtual travel to several Spanish cities.

• Collaborative learning experiences in which students work in large and small groups

Grounded in the Catholic faith, we welcome and encourage students from all backgrounds to grow their connection with God and each other. Our program includes religious instruction, child-focused school-wide liturgies and prayer services, and daily classroom prayer experiences. Confirmation preparation is offered for our middle school students, in conjunction with their parishes.

Our age-appropriate curricula throughout our students’ years at NFA address the needs of our diverse community. Through our partnerships with peer schools and SSJ- sponsored ministries, our students learn first-hand the understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We provide opportunities for our students and their families, and our faculty and staff, to celebrate diversity in all forms through study and meaningful discussion.

Students put their faith into action by participating in service, promoting social justice, and being civically engaged. Drawing on Catholic Social Teaching, our comprehensive Service- Learning program partners with local non-profits and SSJ-sponsored ministries, and incorporates pre-education, face-to-face interaction, and post-reflection in which students live Gospel values by meeting the needs of others and our Earth. Our older students learn about food inequality, so what better way to show them first-hand than to collect, sort, or deliver food to people in need. Recently, our sixth grade delivered Thanksgiving meals to Visitation BVM parish in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Seventh graders harvested cabbages at a farm in New Jersey, run by Farmers Against Hunger, and our eighth grade volunteered at Share Food Program in Philadelphia. As they actively process the meaning of their Service-Learning experiences, students develop a raised social consciousness and a lifelong commitment to personal and social justice.

As students transition from one developmental stage to the next, they move to different buildings with age- appropriate learning spaces. Four houses on campus serve our youngest students with a welcoming home-like atmosphere. As students grow more independent, they move to the Fontbonne Building, where Junior Level Montessori and first through fifth grades meet. For their Middle School years, students move to a high-school-like setting on the Norwood Campus, where they learn in a variety of settings in Sister James Anthony Hall, the Big House, and the Loft. Our learning spaces feature unique open classrooms that facilitate collaborative learning and reflect the real-world work environment.

At NFA, students are active and engaged as they learn to be leaders in areas where they are passionate. The depth and breadth of the options we offer are reflected in our 60+ co-curriculars, exceptional art, theater, and music programs. Activities in our STEM Lab and Digital Arts Center encourage students to explore their interests and pursue their true potential. Beginning in fifth grade, students can participate in our robust athletic program that boasts junior varsity (grades 5 and 6), varsity (grades 7 and 8), and intramural sports teams, some of which participate in the Catholic Academy League, and clubs.

The area’s best Catholic and independent high schools actively recruit and offer scholarships to our eighth grade graduates, who leave us well prepared for a rigorous high school curriculum. After leading and succeeding at their respective high schools, our graduates go on to matriculate to the nation’s best colleges—demonstrating excellence long after their years at NFA.

At NFA, children grow into self- directed individuals who live Gospel values, enjoy learning, and make reflective choices. They stand out from the crowd as empathetic leaders and independent thinkers who treasure themselves, others, and the Earth.