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Phoenix Country Day School

Middle School

Individual Attention and A Smart Pace

The Middle School offers students ample opportunities to grow, to try new experiences, to expand their outlooks beyond their comfort zones. Students are presented with big questions, wrestle with new ideas, and learn to embrace challenges. Along the way, they develop care and compassion for themselves and others, letting joy and positivity permeate every activity and experience.

Schedule & Advisory

A student-centered approach to learning

Your Best Self

Middle School counseling courses for every student

Signature Experiences

Time-honored traditions in the Middle School

At a Glance

15

average Middle School class size

25

electives offered each season

10

students in each advisory homeroom

4

classes each day

 

In our block schedule, students attend 75-minute classes; these extended learning periods allow time for inquiry, collaboration, innovation, and depth of understanding.

3

breaks each day

 

The student-centered schedule includes three substantial breaks each day when students engage in enrichment (assembly, advisory, or electives), conference with teachers, do homework, or have down time.

1.5

hours of homework each day

 

In keeping with recent studies, we make homework meaningful and manageable, limiting that workload to 90 minutes a day and providing ample time to complete that work on campus.

Profiles

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Kelly Butler
Kelly Butler

Assistant Head of Middle School

For Ms. Butler, watching our middle schoolers progress from 5th to 8th graders is a gift, with each grade level bringing its unique experiences, growth, and excitement.

Walking into classrooms and seeing the passion and expertise teachers bring to lessons, students actively engaged, and the positive ways the students interact with one another is the absolute best. Ms. Butler is most proud of the team approach to supporting each student-with parents, teachers, advisors, counselors, coaches, Mr. Sullivan, and herself working together to provide guidance and encouragement while also fostering student independence and self-advocacy. Including students in conversations, allowing their voices to be heard, and allowing them safe spaces to take appropriate risks, ask questions, and hone their leadership skills, creates a greater sense of belonging for all students; and is one of the many reasons Ms. Butler loves being part of the middle school team.

Rachel Scarpone
Rachel Scarpone

Middle School Spanish Teacher

Early in Ms. Scarpone's career, she shifted her focus from elementary to middle school and now cannot imagine teaching any other age level.

Change is the theme of middle school, ushering in a new adventure each day and providing Ms. Scarpone with a constant reminder to laugh alongside her students and embrace these exciting years. Using engaging activities and conversational skits, Ms. Scarpone recognizes the importance of balancing the fundamentals of learning a language with classroom fun. Likewise, Ms. Scarpone prioritizes connecting with, caring for, and helping each student and advisee, providing them with the self-motivation and confidence to achieve their best. Watching students grow in their love of learning a language from middle school to upper school provides Ms. Scarpone with the greatest joy. Whether teaching in the classroom, leading Zumba in the quad or eating lunch with her advisees, Ms. Scarpone's heart is with her middle schoolers, encouraging and supporting them every step of the way.