Junior High School at BVP

At the junior high level, we prioritize grade level content and use the Common Core standards and research-based instructional practices to inform our instruction and assessment. We also believe enrichment courses are core to our academic program. We align our grading practices with those of BVPHS in order to best prepare scholars for credit-bearing high school courses.

At JHS, we spent a great deal of time on critical thinking: how can you trust a source? Does the answer you get make sense? What can be done to solve this problem in the world?

By the conclusion of 8th grade mathematics, scholars will be able to work with radicals and integer exponents; understand the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations; analyze and solve linear equations and pairs of simultaneous linear equations; define, evaluate, and compare functions; use functions to model relationships between quantities; understand congruence and similarity using physical models, transparencies, or geometry software; and understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem.

In science, scholars will be able to describe forces, such as magnetism, and how energy transfers through an electric circuit; calculate speed and acceleration and define gravity, kinetic energy and potential energy; understand how wavelength, frequency, and amplitude describe wave; describe the process of natural selection and how variation of traits can impact a population; describe the human body as a system of interacting subsystems; construct, use, or present an argument supported by evidence and reasoning to support or refute an explanation; and analyze and interpret data to determine similarities and differences in findings.

In ELA and history, scholars will read a variety of texts that both reflect their own experiences and the experiences of others; write essays where they support their opinion with evidence, write original narratives, and write other informative pieces; research topics to find answers to questions; analyze historical sources, including primary and secondary sources as well as visual sources like maps and charts; and acquire and use grade appropriate vocabulary. We believe in bold books, and read texts that reflect the intentional diversity of the school community

Time is not a commodity at BVP; time is golden. We have a longer day, a longer year, and we tap into Saturdays and school breaks when scholars require extra support.

There’s no time to waste, and that is perhaps one of our most deeply held beliefs.

So where does all this time go?

At the middle school level, daily instruction includes:

• 100 minutes of English Language Arts
• 100 minutes of Mathematics
• 50 minutes of Science
• 50 minutes of History
• 50 minutes of Enrichment, inclusive of Art, Music, Physical Education
• Plus community time, lunch, and MTSS

Somehow, it isn’t enough. Even with all of this time, we continue to see scholars who need more support. We also see scholars who can be pushed to truly phenomenal heights, and we want that time with them, too.

We want to spend more time analyzing text at deeper levels, supporting writers to better articulate their ideas, offering opportunities to invent new pathways to solving mathematical problems, exploring our scientific experiments further.

We believe in capitalizing on every single moment with scholars and extending the learning when scholars are not with us. That’s where homework comes in. We have big goals for our scholars, and the bar is high in order for our scholars to compete in today’s global economy. Knowing that, we can’t stop the learning when the school bell rings.

Learn More

1. Explore
   a day in the life of a middle school scholar.

   Sample Middle School Scholar's Schedule

   
   

   Time	Activity/Subject
   7:40-8:00	Arrival, Breakfast, & Community Clubs
   8:00-8:15	Community Clubs
   8:17-8:57	Elective
   8:59-9:48	ELA Block 1
   9:50-10:39	ELA Block 2
   10:41-11:30	Enrichment
   11:31-11:53	Lunch
   11:53-12:42	Science
   12:43-1:32	History
   1:33-2:22	Math Block 1
   2:24-3:13	Math Block 2

   Close
2. Learn about our school leadership.
3. Contact us for location and other general information.