Middle School Report

Alexa Schmid, EdD

Middle School Principal

Drew Gregor

Middle School Assistant Principal

We had a great year of learning in the Middle School. It was wonderful to continually make shifts back toward some of our “normal,” pre-pandemic, amazing traditions and experiences - from going off campus for IC Day Trips, face-to-face parent workshops, student socials, and more! We will use the lens of our ISK values to celebrate our year of learning.

Community & Trust

Our Advisory program continues to strengthen and grow. Advisory is a key part of the student experience. It provides an opportunity for students to develop a trusted relationship with an adult advocate and a space for explicit instruction and conversations about socialemotional learning. Our House System also continues to thrive and expand, providing an incredible opportunity for student leadership and fun community-building. House activities have provided important ways for our community to connect, laugh, and engage in light competition. Advisory and our House System have been essential components of how we support our community over the last couple of years. With increased challenges related to mental health and wellbeing, our proactive and responsive programs to build trust, focus on mental wellbeing, and have fun building community together have played a vital role in the Middle School.

This year, we saw a return of Student Socials, hosting our largest number of students ever. All welcomed the opportunity to have fun with friends outside the school day. We also worked to return to our pre-pandemic InterCultural Trips. Since COVID had us postpone these trips twice this year (in September and January), we opted for the rebranded Ignite & Connect Day Trips - lower risk and less chance of cancellation. Eighth-grade students spent a day rafting, climbing, zip-lining, and SUPing at Savage Wilderness in Sagana, and then a second day participating in an Amazing Race at Ngong Hills. Our sixth and seventh-grade students participated in choice-based trips over two days, selecting from hiking at Ngong Hills, rock climbing at Lukenya, SUP and kayaking at Karen Waterfront, biking at Karura Forest, and sustainable farming and cooking at Mlango Farms. We were also pleased to start bringing parents back to campus and enjoyed hosting them for various drama productions, music performances, sporting events, and parent workshops. Parents are an essential part of our ISK community, and partnering at this critical stage of development, growth, and change is important. We enjoyed hosting parents on campus for a Parent Learning Tour, an Assessment & Grading workshop, a session about Student-Led Conferences (SLCs), Proud To Be Me Day, and Personal Learning Profiles (PLPs), a well-attended workshop on Parenting with Tech, and finally a workshop titled: Social Justice Education Starts at Home.

Equity & Justice, Inclusion

We have been so proud to launch the LifeCentered Education (LCE) program in the MS and HS this year. Housed in the new MS Building, Heidi Laws, Sally Ratemo, and their team have done a phenomenal job of supporting students with more intensive learning needs. We have worked hard to create an inclusive environment in the Middle School, where our community accepts our diverse learning needs. This has included speaking to advisories about the new program, creating a ‘lunch bunch’ to eat lunch in the LCE each day, and more. In addition to creating an inclusive environment, students have lots of opportunities to live our values related to equity and justice. We have a Social Justice Club, which looks for ways students can expand their understanding and bring about real change - in the world and at ISK. In February, we also engaged in our 4th annual Proud to Be Me Day. This is a day-off schedule when all students engage in student-led workshops on themes related to identity to expand our understanding, acceptance, and how to be an ally for marginalized groups. Topics included: gender, sexuality, race, neurodiversity, and religion/culture.

Innovation, Growth & Productive Struggle

Our teachers have continually sought ways to honor these three ISK values: innovation, growth, and productive struggle. Several of our humanities classes and math lab classes use a self-paced learning model that promotes students’ independence, responsibility, and choice while allowing for increased personalized feedback from the teacher. The math department created a study group, read Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl, and then worked to implement the ideas, including vertical whiteboards, rich tasks, and expanded math dialogue and collaboration. The science department ended the year by participating in professional learning about OpenSciEd, a research-based instructional approach aligned with the NGSS standards. The arts department collaborated with visiting artists to bring creativity and authentic experiences for our students. Across the curriculum, our teachers promote collaboration, meaningful communication, agency and student voice, and supporting meaningful learning that matters. This includes designing learning to include conceptual inquiry, choice-based projects, and thoughtful exhibitions. Overall, it was wonderful to have a year of learning almost entirely on the ISK campus and to see us continue to return to many of our pre-pandemic practices while at the same time finding ways to grow and improve as a learning community.

In Partnership, Alexa Schmid, EdD

Middle School Principal

Drew Gregor

Middle School Assistant Principal