Hero
Middle School
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MIDDLE SCHOOL
We major in middle school
Middle School isn't just a bridge at Harvey - it's a launchpad for achievement, growth, and discovery. We have created a Middle School program and experience that rises above those offered by public schools and other independent schools.
Academic Achievement Fueled By Individual Attention
With small class sizes, students receive tailored
support and individualized attention. Teachers specializing
in middle school education engage a wide range of learners.
Our daily study hall and multiple weekly study skills programs reinforce the skills that are essential for academic success.
Trusting relationships with teachers and administrators guide students through this critical transition, helping them grow in confidence, independence, and curiosity.
Three Ways We Build Confident Students
Harvey Middle School rests on three essential core elements that together create an environment where every student can thrive:
Academic Achievement
Core academics are taught through project-based, student-focused learning by teachers who specialize in teaching middle schoolers.
Students develop the essential skills and mindsets to build a strong foundation of concepts, principles, and knowledge across all subject areas.
Electives & Extracurriculars
Harvey is alive with opportunity! Electives and extracurriculars are an essential component of the middle school experience.
Students choose from an impressive array of electives including in the arts, theater, music and dance. Students are immersed in athletics and extracurriculars from 3:05 to 4:45 pm daily.
Advisory Relationship
Each student is paired with an advisor they trust, building relationships that support their academic progress, personal growth, and social-emotional well-being.
Students credit their advisors with helping them learn to self-advocate, make their own decisions, and better understand how they learn.
Typical Academic Program Per Grade
Harvey middle schoolers move through history, English, math, science, world language, art, music, theater, and electives. Critical thinking, writing fluency, effective communication, public speaking, collaboration, organization, and time management are reinforced in all areas.
Sixth Grade
English
Math 6
Science
Geography
Spanish or Latin
Performing Arts & Fine Arts
Electives
Seventh Grade
English
Pre-Algebra/Algebra
Science
Early America & Government
Spanish or Latin
Performing Arts & Fine Arts
Electives
Eighth Grade
English
Pre-Algebra/Algebra
Science
America & The World
Spanish or Latin
Performing Arts & Fine Arts
Electives
Study Skills
All students in grades 6-8 participate in a dedicated Study Skills course that meets several times each week. This course is designed to help students build the foundational habits necessary for a successful middle school experience. Through direct instruction and hands-on practice, students develop essential skills in organization, time management, note-taking, test preparation, and effective study strategies.
Students also have a daily study hall.
Students are the Architects of Their Experience
Student's at Harvey just don't follow a program - they help shape it. With over a dozen choices, students weave as many as six electives per year into their schedule, creating a course of study that is as individual as they are. Add to that clubs and athletics, and students can design their unique middle school experience.
Electives
An impressive array of electives are available to students in grades 6-8:
Upcycled Art, Ceramics, The Language of Rap Music & Performance, Chorus, Band, Dance, Acting & Directing, History of Rock & Roll, Current Events & Debate, Publications, and Robotics.
Athletics
Our middle school students are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of athletic offerings. Being a member of a team builds confidence, leadership skills, communication skills, and social skills. Harvey's beautiful 125-acre campus has an ice rink, a state-of-the-art athletic center with three gyms, a weight room, a fitness center, tennis courts, and six athletic fields.
The Arts
Middle School students can choose from a selection of classes in visual and media arts, music, chorus, dance, and performing arts. Students also have the opportunity to be involved in two annual Middle School theatrical performances in Lasdon Theater, housed in The Walker Center for the Arts on our campus.
Field Trips
Students take several trips during the school year, exploring and discovering the Hudson Valley through the lens of history, science, and English studies. Middle School field trips have included Washington Irving's House, Broadway in New York City, the Museum of Natural History, the Liberty Science Center, the Connecticut Science Center, and our annual eighth grade trip to Philadelphia.
8th Grade Capstone Service Projects
Students in 8th grade learn about service and leadership, and are encouraged to identify ways within their community and school where they can make a difference. The class guides students to research and take action, culminating in a service initiative within their own community.
FUTURE-FOCUSED SKILLS, LEARNED TODAY
Middle schoolers face a future of unimaginable opportunity. They will need to be critical thinkers, strong communicators, and self-directed learners. Harvey's program intentionally develops the skills that will be essential for middle school students moving forward:
- Curiosity
- Creativity
- Critical Thinking
- Collaboration
- Communication
These skills set students apart in high school and beyond, giving them a distinctive edge in their future academic journeys.
CURIOSITY
Students are encouraged to seek solutions, discover passions, and pursue interests through inquiry-based, student-led learning to dive deeper into topics and subject areas, asking questions why and how.
CREATIVITY
Academic approaches based on experimentation, expression, and problem-solving, along with elective experiences, create an environment where challenge fuels growth, and inspiration drives achievement.
CRITICAL THINKING
Beyond rote learning and memorization, students are tasked with evaluating, synthesizing, and applying ideas. Our service-oriented, leadership-focused 8th Grade Capstone Initiative takes students out of their comfort zone as they initiate, pursue, and report on off-campus community service projects.
COLLABORATION
Our exciting academic program is centered on activities that are group-organized and project-based, while electives bring students together with peers who have shared passions and interests across different grade levels. Students learn to work with others collaboratively to achieve collective goals.
COMMUNICATION
Students learn to report out or speak in front of classmates and adults in our annual poetry and speech contests, as well as in classroom projects. Students learn to listen actively, articulate their thoughts, write coherently, and speak publicly.
The Result: Confident, Engaged, Future-Ready Students
Harvey Middle School graduates are ready for high school, not just academically, but as independent, motivated learners and kind, engaged citizens. Harvey offers students something more than large, impersonal public schools or overly rigid private programs.
Our students know how to advocate for themselves, collaborate with others, and pursue their passions with confidence. By the time they enter high school, Harvey students are self-assured, capable, and ready to lead and distinguish themselves, wherever their ambitions might take them.