Junior High Goals & Expectations

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We have the same baseline expectations of our Junior High students as we do of our Primary & Mid-Level Students with the additional expectation that they’ve grown and developed further. 

We expect our Junior High students to be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. They should be able to set and follow through with goals and manage their school time effectively while they remain academically engaged. 
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Our students should have the ability to help others without being asked and have appropriate hygiene and dress. They should be able to help others in homeroom and academic settings.

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Junior High Curriculum

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Junior High students are required to take a language arts and math course, along with at least three electives or a project that they’re interested in. In Junior High, our students are encouraged to explore their interests and develop their skills in a variety of areas while focusing on learning how to communicate effectively in their writing and reading. Included in their curriculum are 15 hours of community service and a Looking Back/Looking Forward essay.

Kino offers a rich variety of classes, including Language Arts, Humanities, Social Studies, Math, Science, Shop, Music, Spanish, Gardening, independent and creative play, caring for the animals, and special individual projects where our students can dig deep into their passion. Within those subjects, we offer a wide range of choices. For example, to earn an English credit, a Kino student could take a literature class that focuses on a genre or author or a writing class in creative writing, essay writing, or journalism. 

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Within those requirements, however, a Kino student will often have a myriad of choices. To earn an English credit, for example, a student may take a literature class, which might focus on a particular genre or author, or a writing class, which may be creative writing, essay writing, or journalism.

As students at Kino grow, they develop more than academic skills. They learn how to balance freedom and responsibility by learning that while they’re responsible for themselves, they’re part of a community where they are valued and others depend on them. 

Our learning environment is designed to give students time to do their research, practice piano or guitar, get further involved in their artwork, read books or write reactions to things they have been working on in independent projects or classes, work in the garden or shop, study their Spanish, struggle with math and get help from teachers. 

Kino children create bonds in homeroom and naturally develop empathy and understanding for each other. They feel a deeper sense of belonging and connection which encourages them to participate in the community.
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Students learn that actions and attitudes can positively or negatively affect the people in their homeroom. When someone takes something from another person’s cubby, we learn how this can affect the atmosphere of trust in the whole group. When we do lunch duty together we are actively participating in the maintenance of our environment. When an older student takes a moment to help a younger student with an activity or through some stressful situation, we learn how good it feels to help each other. 

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