House in The Middle School

The House is central to the Middle School program. House Advisors guide students through the school year by carefully following their progress in all disciplines, mentoring students, and functioning as the primary liaison with parents. 

Middle School teachers in the humanities and math serve as House Advisors. This special role as an advocate and mentor assists teachers in building special partnerships with students. The most significant benefit of the House system in the Middle School is that it provides adequate time and space and a forum for students to learn essential life skills and engage in cooperative discussion. House is a time for dialogue, learning, reflection, and problem-solving. It is an important time of the day when students learn about community. It is a place where they can contribute their perspectives on critical issues—the House Advisors guide this learning and sharing in a warm and supportive environment. Here students can communicate and discuss their ideas, learn about themselves, take risks, mediate and resolve issues, and model civic responsibility. 

In the fourth and fifth grades, students work and learn primarily in self-contained classrooms where much of their instruction takes place. Guided by House Advisors who provide support and a caring environment, students become confident learners, expand their knowledge, and refine their social skills. 

The academic program becomes fully departmentalized in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades when the House Advisor’s role as advocate and mentor is crucial. Each House meets at the beginning of every day and for an additional period each week. House Advisors help students develop necessary social and organizational skills to become successful, independent learners.