After fifteen months of careful research, Renbrook School has created a divisional realignment and a reimagined fifth and sixth-grade experience for its students beginning in the fall of 2021. This “division within a division” is at once a bridge and a destination of its own.
This intentionally designed program and curriculum within the Upper School better serves students during pivotal years. During the ages of 10, 11, and 12 years, children grow in maturity, executive functioning, and in their social-emotional and cognitive capabilities. As they develop in their desire and capacity for independence, they are ripe for increased challenge with appropriate support. As they transition from a lower school homeroom experience to a decentralized upper school model, this hybrid approach to balanced support and independence serves our students best.
The program nurtures and challenges students with a modified “advisory family” and subject-specific teachers who will provide appropriate exercises in organization and executive functioning. As a part of the Upper School, fifth and sixth graders take advantage of opportunities to capture their passion and celebrate their developing identity. A modified team sport experience including both intramural and interscholastic opportunities, visual and performing arts, musical theater, and student-driven clubs are just a few of the ways that students develop agency, confidence, and independence.