Middle School At A Glance

Student Body

Enrollment	114 (55 girls, 59 boys)
Average Class Size	14 (Maximum Class Size is 18)
Student to Faculty Ratio	8 Students to 1 Faculty Member

Geographic Reprensentation

Besides Fayette County, 23% of the Middle School students come from Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Jessamine, Madison, Scott, and Woodford counties.

Faculty and Administration

Full Time	13
Part Time (includes full time cross divisional faculty)	10
With a Bachelors Degree	23
Faculty holding an Advanced Degree	17
Average years Teaching Experience	17.9 years
Faculty with 10+ Years Teaching Experience	17

SAYRE MIDDLE SCHOOL in a few words………

A student’s Middle School years are a time of exploration, discovery, and questioning. In these transitional years, Sayre seeks to capitalize on the wonders of the age, to foster a student’s movement from the concrete to the conceptual, to challenge students to go beyond expectations, and to provide a safe environment in which to question, to learn, and to grow.

The Middle School offers a challenging curriculum that is designed to provide the information and skills with which reflective decisions can be made. In a nurturing and supportive atmosphere, our students begin to embrace the concepts of analysis and academic challenge, to view learning as a life-long pursuit, to use the print and digital resources available in a creative and progressive way, to grasp the importance of communication, both written and oral, to understand the necessity of attaining fluency in another modern language, to see that community service is the responsibility of every concerned citizen, and to recognize that increased freedom and independence come with heightened responsibilities.

Classes

Middle School students follow an established curriculum of English, Science, Math, Social Studies, Fine Arts (studio art, music, and drama), World Language (French or Spanish), and Physical Education. Electives vary each quarter with students able to select from course offerings such as Chorus, Band, Leadership, Quick Recall (Academic Team), Video Creations, Community Art, Improvisation, and a Dramatic Production.

Evaluation

The academic year is divided into semesters, one which concludes in December and the other in May. Each semester contains two grading periods. Grade reports are sent home at the end of each grading period. Students are graded on an A to F scale, and their effort is graded on a 1 to 5 scale. A Midterm Progress Report is sent home if a student’s grade has dropped to a “C” or below. Progress Reports may also be written to commend improvement or a job well done. Students discuss both the Term Grade Reports and the Mid-Term Progress Reports with their advisors. The Middle School schedules a Conference Day each semester. However, families are encouraged to contact the teacher, the Director, the Middle School Dean, or the student’s advisor whenever they have concerns or questions as they occur throughout the year.

Advisory Program

Middle School students meet on a daily basis with their faculty advisors in both classroom and “Morning Meeting” formats. Advisory groups are made up of eight to eleven students from all three grade levels. The Advisory program provides the opportunity for students to meet informally with members of the faculty as well as other students to discuss topics and issues that are of concern to the Middle School students and to socialize. Advisors also discuss academic progress with their advisees and assist in setting goals, both scholastic and social. In addition, students meet with their advisors at the conclusion of the academic day to make sure they have the necessary books and materials for their assignments and to “wrap up” the activities of the school day. Special activities done through the Advisory Program are Advisory lunches, Wednesday snacks, the annual Can Drive (to collect food items for God’s Pantry), and the Holiday Helpers Program, an annual program to make the holidays a happier time for Lexington families in need.

Athletics

All students who have an interest in a sport may participate if they fulfill the school and coach’s requirements. Sports available for Middle School students include soccer, basketball, tennis, cross-country, cheerleading, lacrosse (boys only), golf, track, baseball, softball, swimming, and diving.

Service Learning

Four to five times each year students participate in opportunities to serve the Lexington community. Over the past two years, the Middle School’s service learning projects have moved toward affinity groupings as students participate in specific areas of interest. Last year, these groups coordinated their efforts to host a “Senior Date,” a morning of special activities for senior citizens from area nursing homes, and a Sayre extravaganza which offered a host of organized activities for students in an effort to raise awareness and funds for a local animal shelter.

Grade Level Meetings

We often hear about the importance of voice and how students are empowered when they have the opportunity to express their concerns and propose solutions. Therefore, it is imperative that students have a forum conducive to self reflection and self governance. Throughout the year, time is set aside during our Flex Period (a weekly time reserved for special programs, advisory time, grade level meetings, and service learning projects) to allow students to meet in their grade levels, to deal with issues relevant to their age and class, to encourage open and constructive communication, and to validate student concerns. Topics include goal determination, prejudice, conflict resolution, kindness, peer mediation, media literacy, and leadership skills.

Community Matters

Community Matters is a life skills program for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, which focuses on the decisions students will face during their adolescent years. To help them learn the social and life skills needed at this age, the School Counselor and other Middle School faculty members team teach the classes, which are held every other week in the sixth grade and approximately four to five times a semester in the seventh and eighth grades.

Reading Zone

Four to five times a semester, seventh and eighth grade students meet simply to read. The sessions provide students with supplementary Language Arts time to pursue outside reading and with additional opportunities to talk about the books they are reading outside the curriculum.

Class Trips

Each year, Middle School students take a class trip that relates to their classroom curriculum. The sixth grade class takes an environmentally-based trip. The seventh grade takes a trip to explore Kentucky and familiarize themselves with its flora and fauna and its musical culture. The eighth graders travel to Chicago to explore the resources and attractions of a large urban center.

Technology

Classroom Smartboards, a computer lab, a mobile laptop cart, and a high speed wireless connection throughout the building provide Middle School teachers with tools to further enhance and differentiate instruction. Students learn to be responsible and flexible users of technology, to navigate the internet efficiently for their daily academic tasks, and to communicate with one another on issues and topics of academic interest. In class, students learn to create and edit digital photography, video, and audio files, to access and utilize on-line resources, both public and licensed, and to determine the combination of resources most effective in communicating a message to a given audience.