In order to meet the unique needs of middle schoolers, we will include in each day social/emotional growth, physical activity, meaningful inquiry-based learning, and work to benefit the community. 

Starting time - Students arrive at school at 8:30 a.m.

Settling In - The day begins at 8:40 a.m. with 15 minutes of mindful reflection.  Occasionally this collection will be together with the high school students and staff, most days it will be used to connect as a middle school community.

Authentic Inquiry - The academic work will be guided by four semester-long themes: Soil, Water, Humans & Labor, and Food. Students will approach these topics through various lenses throughout the day--scientific, literary, historical, artistic and more--focusing on powerful questions that are both global and intensely local.

Math and Literacy - Each day will include time to focus separately on math and on writing in smaller groups of students who are at similar skill levels. Due to our low student-to-teacher ratio, we are able to meet the needs of a wide range of learners.

Moving our Bodies - Physical movement and meaningful work outdoors will be woven into the course of each day. Middle School students will learn from high school students on their daily work crews which include jobs like moving the sheep, cleaning up lunch, and collecting recycling.

Delicious Local Food - Students and staff from the middle and high schools will join together to eat a family-style lunch using food from our farm and pastures. Our cooks love using food from our farm, which supplies all of our meat, and most of our vegetables, especially in the fall and spring. Students learn to eat seasonally: tomatoes and sweet corn in August, lots of asparagus in May.

Branching Out - Students will have additional elective course opportunities in art, foreign language, and physical education.

Connecting to the Community - Within our small flexible school, we will also take advantage of many opportunities to break up the routine and learn off-campus. During the water theme, for instance, we may...

• go to Cedar Rapids to learn from a city
  engineer about flood damage mitigation
• visit the University of Iowa Hydrology Lab
• analyze water quality in Scattergood’s ponds and other local water sources

Ending the Day - The day closes by 3:30 p.m., with options for after-school programming in conjunction with the high school. No middle school students are permitted to be overnight boarders.