Middle School

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Middle School Programs + Resources

Advisory: Comprising one faculty advisor and approximately 12 students from

one grade, advisory groups meet weekly to focus on self awareness and

advocacy in 6th grade, community contributions in 7th grade, and service

learning in 8th grade.

Academic Mini-Courses: Designed to help students hone organization and

study skills, pursue areas of interest, and understand their individual learning

preferences, mini-courses explore topics such as test-taking, media literacy, and

health and nutrition. Mini-courses meet three times weekly and enable

students to enrich their core academic courses and provide additional

opportunities to connect with teachers.

Rotation: Students take a once weekly rotation class each trimester to explore

areas of interest for focused study. Classes range from literature studies and

drawing to knitting, gardening, and Ultimate Frisbee.

Technology: Essential computer skills—including internet-based research

techniques and a critical thinking approach to media literacy—provide a

foundation for enhanced learning and expression. Students participate in the

construction of knowledge through technology, including building and creating

wikis, learning how to build the infrastructure of online communities, student-

produced videos, presentations, digital portfolios, and web sites.

Field Trips: Living history experiences, field studies, civic explorations, and an

annual eighth grade trip to Washington, DC, give students the opportunity to see

the ways in which lessons at school have relevance beyond the classroom walls.

Service Learning: Connecting with the community allows students to explore

societal issues while engaging in concrete experiences to effect change.

Projects include recycling and composting, volunteering, food drives, and more.

Groves: Every Live Oak student is a member of a mixed-age Grove—a small

group with one or two students from each grade, led by a faculty member.

Students remain in the same Groves throughout their time at Live Oak. Middle

school students take on leadership roles in these groups, acting as models for

social interaction and supporting younger members in Grove activities and

community projects.

Outdoor Education: Grade-level overnight trips give students a unique

opportunity to explore curricular and community goals. Working together,

students learn to support one another in discovering the potential of each

individual and the responsibility that comes with greater independence.

Learning Specialist: The learning specialist regularly consults with middle school

teachers to offer strategies that allow students to reach their academic

potential. The specialist also teaches a middle school mini-course to help

students develop individual strategies for organization, time management,

studying, and test-taking.

Visit Live Oak School on the web at www.liveoaksf.org

Live Oak School

1555 Mariposa Street . San Francisco . CA 94107

(415) 861-8840 . info@liveoaksf.org

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Live Oak’s middle school provides an environment that challenges

students academically, embraces their individuality, and provides a safe,

inclusive community that promotes positive and developmentally

appropriate risk-taking. Live Oak students leave middle school confident

and connected to their community, with a love of learning and the solid

academic foundation to excel in high school and beyond.

Academic Excellence

Live Oak’s curriculum is stimulating, rigorous, and relevant. We stress hands-on

learning, encouraging students to pursue their curiosity through inquiry-based

instruction focusing on problem solving and independent thinking. Using

differentiated instruction as the foundation for our teaching methods, students

come to understand themselves as learners and are offered numerous ways to

engage with the material and demonstrate understanding and mastery. Teachers

have a close and collaborative relationship with students, fostering and enhancing

individual achievement. Students also learn to work collaboratively with each

other—a skill crucial to their future success. The result is a high level of academic

achievement in the absence of pressure—a healthy space for emotional

development. Students succeed because they are motivated and inspired by

those with whom they are learning—both teachers and classmates.

A Healthy Environment at a Crucial Developmental Time

Live Oak’s middle school encompasses a wide array of personalities, and Live Oak

welcomes and embraces students’ individuality at this crucial developmental time.

During the middle school years children begin to establish an identity separate from

their parents. It is important that they take this first step in a safe and accepting

environment, one that encourages them to stay connected to their families while

fostering connections to other adults as mentors, resources, and role models. In

middle school, Live Oak expands from one class section per grade to two as we

Live Oak Middle Schoolers Want You to Know . . .

What’s So Great About Live Oak?Live Oak Has Friendly Kids

� A whole new class (12–15 kids) comes in for 6th grade, so you’re

not alone as a new student. � Live Oak students are welcoming and

excited about new classmates. � Live Oak has all sorts of kids—be

yourself! � Everyone fits in and you’ll make great new friends. �

Live Oak Has Cool Teachers

� Your teachers get to know and understand you. � You get to call

teachers by their first names. � They make the subjects fun and not

boring. � They make sure all the kids understand the work and

succeed at it. � You get to do weird stuff like mummifying a chicken,

experimenting with dry ice, and writing your own wiki. � You learn

in a comfortable but exciting school environment. �

Live Oak Has Inspiring Classes

� Classes are small—15 to 18 students. � Twice a week: Art, Music,

and P.E. � Once a week: Drama, Advisory, and an elective you

choose like Music Appreciation or Ultimate Frisbee. � Four times a

week: Spanish (or advanced Spanish if you already speak Spanish).

� Five time a week: Science (with hands-on experiments),

Humanities (English meets Social Studies), and Math (it’s fun

because you learn how to use it in the real world). �

Live Oak Has Fun Things to Do

� Tech lab: Make your own web site. Take a podcasting elective.

Learn to work with digital media. � After school sports: Anyone can

join—cross country, volleyball, basketball, and futsal (indoor soccer).

Compete in a league against other schools. Learn from great coaches.

� Drama: Anyone can participate in the two yearly drama

productions. Choose an on-stage or back-stage role and work with

our director who is a professional actor. � Camp Live Oak: The

whole school goes camping for three days. Try something new and

challenging like horseback riding, beading, canoeing, archery, the zip

line, or even the talent show. � Other Stuff: We have a rock

climbing wall at school! In 8th grade we visit Washington, DC, and

go on other trips every year. �

Live Oak Has You!

� You make new friends, succeed academically, challenge yourself,

explore your creativity, have fun, and go on to a great high school

when you’re done! �

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admit 12–15 new students in 6th grade. With an average of 16 students in a class

session, students receive the close attention of teachers, while different class

configurations throughout the day maximize opportunities for students to form

connections and friendships with all students in the grade. Live Oak enjoys a diverse,

inclusive, kind, and supportive social culture that allows children to be themselves

and flourish in both academic and non-academic settings. Each year most middle

school students participate on a Live Oak athletic team, in the drama productions,

or in a myriad of other opportunities within the Live Oak community. Every student

who wants to participate finds a welcoming place for their contribution.

Beyond Live Oak—High School Placement

Live Oak enjoys an excellent high school placement record. Bringing a combination

of high academic achievement and active citizenship, our students are sought after

by competitive schools in the Bay Area and beyond. Most are accepted into the

school of their choice. They arrive at high school prepared, enthusiastic, and

confident—ready to take on new challenges. Live Oak families are supported

through the high school placement process. Live Oak’s parent forums and student

classes prepare eighth graders and their families for applications, interviews, the

SSAT, and the transition process. Most graduates attend independent high schools,

with some attending public, parochial, and boarding schools. Our alumni attend:

Core Subjects Overview

Math: Applying math skills and concepts toreal-world situations, students develop alanguage for communicating about quantity,relationships, space, and organization. Teachingfocuses on developing problem-solvingstrategies, a deep understanding of math skillsand concepts, and the communication ofmathematical thinking. All students completecourses in pre-algebra and algebra.

Science: Hands-on, inquiry-based instructionencourages students to pursue their curiosityand to think like scientists. Students developskills for understanding the natural world anduniverse through investigations in physical, life,and earth sciences. Research materials,experimental activities, discussions, cooperativelearning, field trips, and the middle schoolscience fair form the basis for scientific inquiry.

Humanities: Students become well-informedcritical thinkers through an integrated course insocial studies and language arts. Students studycivilization from the ancient world through themodern world, exploring geography,economics, government, and culture tounderstand world civilizations from differentperspectives and to learn to communicate andact within their own communities.

Spanish: Students learn to appreciate thelanguage and culture of Spanish-speakingcountries. The communicative approach isused, as students learn to listen, speak, read,and write, and learn the structure of thelanguage. Advanced Spanish is offered tomiddle school students who are either nativeSpanish speakers or who come to Live Oakfrom Spanish immersion programs.

Music and Movement: Students learnexpression through music and movement.Instruments, choral singing, and dance areamong the tools and activities used to buildskills and techniques for reading, composing,and playing music, and for fostering a lifelonglove of music. Middle school music class is heldtwice weekly.

Drama: Students gain an appreciation for thedramatic arts by reading plays, exploring dramatheory, attending performances, learningdramatic techniques, and performing in avariety of venues throughout the year. Middleschool drama class is held once a week.

Visual Art: Combining art history with thecreation of art, middle school students learnabout the experiences, expressions, andtechniques of well-known artists to informand inspire students’ original work in drawing,painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Art isheld twice a week and is also offered as anadditional elective.

PE and Athletics: Students participate intwice-weekly PE classes to develop skills andhabits for lifelong fitness. Teaching focuseson strategy, teamwork, communication,health, sportsmanship, and fun. Students areencouraged to participate in varsity and juniorvarsity athletic teams after school. Live Oakteams compete in an independent schoolleague in basketball, cross-country, volleyball,and futsal.

The Bay School of San Francisco

Cate School

City Arts and Technology High School

Convent of the Sacred Heart

Drew Preparatory School

Gateway High School

International High School

Lick-Wilmerding High School

Lowell High School

Mercy High School

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory

Saint Ignatius College Preparatory

San Francisco University High School

San Francisco Waldorf School

School of the Arts

Stevenson

Stuart Hall High School

The Urban School of San Francisco

For details visit our interactive curriculum

matrix at www.liveoaksf.org/matrix

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