Middle School Program Overview
Noblesville East and West Middle Schools provide a comprehensive, responsive, and effective program designed to meet the unique academic and social needs of middle school students. All programming is aligned with our school and district vision to engage, empower, and inspire our students to be prepared for success in the 21st century, as well as the latest research regarding the needs of middle school students. We daily communicate and support our “Miller Way,” which establishes learning, responsibility, respect, and safety as primary expectations that allow all students, teachers, and parents to work collaboratively in a positive and proactive school environment.
Our middle school program is first and foremost centered on interdisciplinary teaming, which allows staff to more effectively meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students in a developmentally appropriate manner. Teaming helps our larger middle schools to feel smaller and more welcoming, promotes a sense of belonging, and more easily facilitates positive relationships and rapport between students, staff, and parents.
Each interdisciplinary team at grades 6, 7, and 8 provides instruction in the core academic areas, which include math, language arts, science, and social studies. In grade 8, students also experience Spanish as a fifth core subject.
Each day students in grades 6, 7, and 8 break from core instruction to experience wellness and diversified arts classes. Wellness occurs for a full year, while Diversified Arts changes to a new subject each nine weeks. Diversified Arts subjects include art, music, gateway to technology, and business technology. Detailed course descriptions for these subjects at each grade level can be found online in the NEMS Program Guide.
Students at all grade levels also have the opportunity to select band, choir, or strings as a performing art. Students who select one of these options takes the course in place of a semester of Wellness and two of the four Diversified Arts courses.
While students on each team are experiencing wellness, diversified arts, and/or performing arts, team teachers are provided collaboration time to analyze and assess student performance data, adjust curriculum, instruction, and weekly schedules, conference with parents, and work with guidance and administration to best meet individual student needs. This time ensures that teachers, counselors, and administrators are as responsive as possible to the needs of middle school students.
In addition to these opportunities, students in grades 7 and 8 may participate in an enrichment period at the end of the day. Enrichment includes show choir, jazz band, honors strings ensemble, yearbook, or studio announcements. Students not in enrichment are in Student Learning Time, which allows additional time for students to seek help from teachers, complete homework, and view daily announcements. Counseling staff will also periodically deliver curriculum or additional enrichment to students during this time designed to tackle important issues related to the positive social-emotional development of middle school students (for more information regarding our guidance program and curriculum, visit the guidance link on our website).
Outside the classroom, students have numerous opportunities to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. Organized clubs that meet before or after school allow students to explore areas of interest. Student council, National Junior Honor Society, academic bowl, drama, and athletics are just some of the additional extracurricular activities available to our middle school students.