Middle School
Middle School Program Ages 11 to 14 (Grade 5–Grade 8)
At Red Oaks, we expand your middle school student’s learning through the distinguished International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP). Within our small-sized classrooms, your child will engage in an internationally acclaimed and challenging intellectual framework that encourages them to make concrete connections between their studies and the real world.
Your child will grow as a critical thinker, hone interpersonal skills including kindness, empathy, and caring for each other, and play a larger role in bettering our community, society and the world while progressing through a dynamic and challenging curricular continuum.
Middle School
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme
- Instilling Global and National Awareness and Action
Red Oaks Middle Schoolers are taught to consider the impact they make on the world and conversely how the world influences their everyday lives. Each subject area is presented through a local, national and international lens to expand learning. Students are taught to consider and enact appropriate, sustainable societal change while developing invaluable public speaking, negotiation, and interpersonal skills through participation in the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) program.
- Developing Each Student’s Life Skills
We utilize two proven curricula to develop a student’s life skills. The first is an Executive Skills curriculum based on Dr. Peg Dawson’s research on self-restraint, working memory, emotional control, focus, task initiation, planning/prioritization, organization, time management, defining and achieving goals, flexibility, observation, and stress tolerance. The second, a Learning Skills curriculum based on the International Baccalaureate’s Approaches to Learning, teaches students a variety of valuable skills (collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity and innovation, goal-directed persistence, and research) which they will use during their school years and beyond.
- Project-Based and Inquiry-Based Learning
Research-based teaching techniques based on Harvard Graduate School’s Project Zero are incorporated into subject areas, underscoring the many ways routines can be used to support student learning and thinking across age groups, disciplines, ideals, competencies, and populations. Implementation of graphic organizers help to form a common language of structure ideation and reasoning — in other words, a basis for solving real life problems.
- Exploring in Design Thinking and Next Generation Science
The design (STEAM) curriculum is another signature program of the IB Middle Years Program. Students are challenged — with the aid of the IB Engineering Design Cycle — to use their imaginations and collaboration skills in solving real-life design problems. Equally interactive is our popular science curriculum that meets Next Generation standards. Students engage in phenomenon-based learning and connect firsthand to the world around them practiced by scientists and engineers.
- Fluency in a New Language
Spanish is taught from the introductory level through fluency (speaking, writing, understanding — with proficiency as the highest goal). Being multilingual is a useful and marketable skill to have in today’s world. Research has shown that people who speak more than one language have improved memory, enhanced concentration, and better multitasking and listening skills. Our students are unabashedly proud to participate in language acquisition skills.
Our middle school is an accredited International Baccalaureate World School
Middle-schoolers at Red Oaks are educated through the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP), a distinction recognized worldwide as unparalleled preparation for success in high school, college, and professional life. This program emphasizes inquiry-based learning and promotes balance within all aspects of students’ lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for themselves and others.
"Graduation is always a bittersweet time for me – it is really so sad to see these amazing kids who you are so close to leave; but there's also the excitement of wondering what incredible things they are going to go our and accomplish utilizing what they learned here."
–Nelyda Miguel, Associate Head of School
Tour our Middle School today!
Visit Red Oaks during school hours to get a sense of the learning that takes place here everyday. Observe our students and faculty. Ask questions. A personal tour is the best way to help you decide if Red Oaks is a perfect fit for your middle schooler. Schedule today with Fran Sonneborn our Director of Admissions.
Download our complete Middle School Summary of Coursework
A home to the creative arts
The arts are very much alive and flourishing here at Red Oaks. Music and the Visual Arts, including theatre, are all incorporated into our curriculum — for enjoyment as well as a tool to build collaboration skills and self-confidence. Learn more about this program. Learn more about this program.
Students who want to give back to the community
We believe that community involvement is an essential part of education. As a Red Oaks middle schooler, your child will be required to perform a number of hours of community service during the school year. Students are also expected to contribute to the school community by choosing among in-school support jobs throughout the school year. Additional opportunities exist for those interested in pursuing community action — such as through partnerships with local charities and healthcare facilities. Learn more about this program.
Technology: beyond keystrokes and swipes
We don't just provide our students with the latest in learning technology. Honestly, every school does that. What we do is challenge them to fully comprehend the massive responsibility that comes with it. Understand how to best utilize the technology of today for academic success. And explore what is means to be a digital citizen. Learn more about how technology is applied in the classroom.
Promoting global citizenship
We want all Red Oaks students to become a well-informed, involved citizens — motivated to make a difference in both their community as well as the world. This commitment ensures all our students are well-rounded individuals, excellent role models and respectable citizens. Learn more about this program.
How do our middle schoolers become top candidates for their high school of choice?
See for yourself by taking a tour of Red Oaks during school hours. Experience the learning and our wonderful atmosphere. Observe lessons as they are being taught. Meet with our Head of School and Director of Admissions if you'd like, too.