Grades: 6-8    Students: 194    Building: B

Schedule: 8:30am - 3:10pm (12:30pm dismissal on Fridays)

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Nanaimo Christian Middle School is different.

 

We’re always moving, laughing, and learning in new ways. We celebrate progress over perfection and skills over content, because we love that each student is unique. We help kids discover who they are and who they’re called to be. Middle school is a community. We live together, learn together, and grow together. We belong here.

 

At Nanaimo Christian School we realize that adolescence is a unique time in life and, as such, deserves a unique program. Our middle school teachers don’t just want to teach, they specifically want to teach middle school. Our program is based on the philosophy that education for young adolescents must be: developmentally responsive, challenging, empowering and equitable.

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Program highlights

 

BYOD technology integration

NCS middle school students are part of a Bring Your Own Device program (BYOD). NCS is a Google Education Fundamentals environment, which means that a personal Chromebook or laptop is required for all studies.

 

Integrating technology allows teachers to provide more relevant and engaging learning experiences. Within our program we take the time to educate our students about the appropriate use of technology as well as how we can use technology to live out our school mission statement.
 

Middle school rotations

Students get a taste of high school by travelling with their class to a variety of middle school rotation classes, including PE, French, Health & Career, Outdoor Ed, Visual Art, and ADST. Students experience different specialist teachers and practice travelling from room to room with all the supplies needed for their classes.

 

Exploratories electives

Students sign up for their choice of “Exploratories” electives courses, which run once per week for approximately 5-6 weeks. Exploratories give students the chance to try new things and explore their interests including: languages, crafts, sports, and more. New exploratories are added based on student interests and are designed to expose kids to new activities and experiences that enhance their learning.

 

Leadership & service

One advantage of being part of a K-12 campus is the ability to lead and be led by others. Through different classes and activities we teach students conflict resolution, leadership styles, and more in order to equip them to lead others. All students are given opportunities to step out in leadership through service to others in the school community. Opportunities include:

• Big buddies

• MS ambassadors

• Worship band

• Groundskeeping

• PE leadership

• Special events crews

• MS marketing

• Lunch clubs

 

Middle school ambassadors

These ambassadors are a group of grade 8 students who have applied and been trained for a specialized leadership role. In the fall they participate in a six-week leadership exploratory to get them ready and excited about leading. They work as student-leaders among the middle school students with the goal of helping to facilitate community, as well as helping with leadership events. Grade 7 students interested in this role need to go through an application process before the beginning of grade 8.

 

Genius Hour

Students in middle school take part in a specialized learning project where they focus on an area of interest throughout grades 6-8. Each student is taught to learn about something in depth, rather than simply settling for breadth of knowledge. Student projects culminate at the end of each year with a presentation of learning to the school community.

 

Out trips

At the start of each school year, the middle school gathers at Rathtrevor Provincial Park for an extended day of outdoor fun. Students also spend time in a variety of locations throughout the year as part of the outdoor education class. At the end of the year, the graduating Grade 8 class goes on a special day trip to Camp Imadene to celebrate their time in middle school.

 

Middle school awards

At the year-end assembly we recognize academics, athletics, service and leadership -- big things that we strive for in our students. We also recognize students who have had a positive impact on our school culture or demonstrated a spirit of perseverance and resilience. At the highly anticipated Grade 8 graduation “roasts” we award students with a funny title and memorable anecdote from their time in middle school.
 

Clubs & activities

During lunch and after school, students can connect with others who share common interests through various clubs & activities: 

• Athletics

• Prayer Club

• Homework Club

• Space for Belonging

• Student interest clubs (chess, Legos, dance, drama, board games, etc.)

Homework tracking

We use a homework tracker spreadsheet to hold middle school students to a higher standard and to help them (and parents) track their work across classes. In the first week of school parents receive their child's student number and a link to the homework sheet. Take note of the 3 colours of cells:
 

• Green -- Work is complete and meets criteria

• Orange -- Work has been handed in, but needs to be resubmitted based on feedback from the teacher (considered incomplete)

• Red -- Work has not been submitted (incomplete)

Students with two or more incomplete assignments will be highlighted green. When students fall behind, they will be required to attend a lunch homework club session to receive one-on-one support. These homework club sessions are scheduled with their homeroom teacher.

 

Middle school podcast

In 2020 during the COVID pandemic, two NCS middle school teachers decided to create something that would bring joy to their students, their families, and the community. The “In the Middle Of” podcast is the result. It was designed to give you something to talk about around the dinner table and to keep us all connected. We hope you’ll laugh with us (and maybe at us) as we try something new and enjoy each other through stories.

 

Listen to the first episode

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