Middle School Academics
We emphasize "constructivism," an educational approach which posits that learners construct knowledge based on their experiences. Essentially, constructivism puts the student in the driver's seat by utilizing active learning, student-to-student collaboration, problem-solving, reflection, contextual learning, and other student-centered practices.
We promote active student engagement with real-world problems and hands-on tasks across various disciplines.
Mathematics
Constructivism transforms math from a set of static facts to be memorized into a dynamic field of exploration, where students actively build their understanding, drawing from experiences, discussions, and reflections. Compared to traditional approaches, this is a groundbreaking shift in how students think and feel about math. Rather than viewing math as a mere collection of static facts awaiting memorization, constructivism transforms it into a vibrant field of exploration.
Literacy
Our literacy curriculum leverages the reading and writing workshop model. Students delve deeply into complex texts while expanding their writing prowess across various genres.
Students engage in individualized, self-paced reading sessions, critically analyzing literary and informational texts to cultivate a deeper understanding of themes, structures, and perspectives. Writing sessions emphasize drafting, revising, and editing, empowering students to narrate, argue, and inform with precision, coherence, and creativity. Throughout, students frequently collaborate in peer workshops, benefiting from collective insights and refining their skills through constructive feedback.
In Middle School, students can explore more than 30 electives and extracurricular clubs, including the First Lego League national robotics competition.
Electives & Extracurriculars
We give kids plenty of opportunities to explore new interests and find their voice! In Middle School, we offer 21 electives and 11 extracurricular clubs (in addition to 13 sports). Student agency is vital during this key transitional period. It boosts engagement and develops critical skills like decision-making and problem-solving. It's a fantastic way to prepare adolescents for the challenges of high school and beyond.
The Arts
Full Year
Stretch your artistic abilities and imagination as you explore and expand your personal voice through art. Advanced Art Studio is offered for interested students to expand their creativity and grow and develop art ideas, using a variety of media. This class is designed to permit motivated art students to develop their art over an extended period of time, and will provide students with in-depth problem-solving experiences through creating art. This is a full-year course.
Full Year
In Choir, we focus on preparing choral music for various performances throughout the school year, both within and outside campus. This class is offered for students who wish to actively participate in music as singers and performers. Topics that we will cover include basic music theory, sight-singing, care and maintenance of the voice, and the history of music. Students in this year-long course will be expected to perform in any number of school settings, both as soloists and within groups of varying size. This is a full-year course that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and optional Wednesday mornings.
Full Year
When people started combining the musical styles of Europe, Africa, and the rural South, new forms of expression were created that quickly spread around the world. Those combinations included Blues, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, and early Country/Rockabilly, and over time morphing into Rock 'n' Roll, Soul, Funk, Hip-Hop/Rap, and countless other modern styles. In this class you will learn, practice, and perform songs from many of these styles, based on the interests and abilities of the students. You will perform at school events, and hopefully record some things as well. We’ll be looking to recruit 2-4 guitarists, 1-2 drummers, a bass player, a keyboard player, and 1-3 singers. Other instruments could be possible as well depending on group needs. This is a full-year course.
Full Year
This class focuses on many theatrical elements including acting, script analysis, ensemble work, theater history and improvisation. We will build a strong theatrical ensemble through exercises and lessons while also casting, directing, staging and performing a one-act play. The play will be performed for Trinity students and parents and ideally will also be used to compete in the PSIA One-Act Play district competition in the Winter. If awarded the opportunity to go to the State competition students in this class will attend that in the Spring. This is your opportunity to participate in a Trinity production without regular after-school practices. This full-year course meets during the school day but will also have a small number (not to exceed two total) of after school and weekend rehearsals to be announced in September.
Trimester
Learn fundamentals of cartooning and illustration, develop your personal style, and create cartoons, comics, graphic stories, and illustrations. Your work will be published in a booklet to share with the Trinity community.
Trimester
Are you looking to make some noise? Do you want to groove, bash, and crash? Then your prayers have been answered - the forecast calls for THUNDER. The Trinity Drum Line, or THUNDER, meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays of each trimester, and as a member of the Drum Line, you will learn what it takes to perform rhythmically as a unit, read music, and care for your percussion instrument. This is a performance-based course, and the THUNDER will be expected to show out at school functions throughout the year. No experience is required.
Trimester
This course is for those students who love to explore many different types of art media as they create realistic, imaginary, abstract, and original works of art. This class will integrate the study of artists and world cultures, while learning about the purpose and role that art has in society. Students will experience both two-dimensional media and three-dimensional media throughout the trimester. Each student will be encouraged to improve their art skills as they gain confidence through self-expression.
Trimester
This class offers the opportunity for a student to both analyze and craft lyrics. We will explore the basic chord progressions and also learn some of the classic Blues 12-bar progressions. Performance opportunities will be offered for those interested in sharing their songs. Keyboard/piano skills are not necessary as a prerequisite.
STEAM
Full Year
With studies of historic and contemporary architectural design providing context, students will learn the fundamentals of architectural design, rendering, modeling, and develop their own architectural creations – from treehouses to urban landscapes. This will be an active and productive class, with lots of hands-on fun. This is a full-year course.
Full Year
D-Lab is a makerspace for students to d-esign, d-ream, and d-iscover. Students bring stories and objects of their imagination to life in the workshop through electronics and visual media tools. This course includes exposure to the fundamental principles of robotic technology -- from microcontrollers that power the interplay of sensors, motors, and lights to mobile, articulating robots built with Mindstorms EV3 and Lego Spike components. Students will also develop empowering media production skills through stop-motion animation, video/audio recording and editing, and digital compositing with greenscreens and Photoshop. This is a full-year course.
Full Year
Are you curious why people do the things they do? Maybe you’ve wondered what makes someone "tick"? This class will provide a general understanding of the science behind human thought and behavior. We study topics like nature vs. nurture, sleep, dreams, why we dream and how to manage stress and promote wellness in our bodies and minds. We also examine theories of personality and learn more about our own personalities by taking several personality tests, and we also look at various psychological disorders as we learn about all that can go on in the human brain. Have you heard of the Stanford prison experiment and the famous Pavlov dog conditioning experiment? We'll study those and other famous research experiments in the field. This course promises to give you the opportunity to learn more about yourself and other people as you learn and grow as a middle schooler! This is a full-year course.
Full Year
This elective provides instruction in computer programming, a.k.a. “coding”. Lessons are sequenced to provide students with a strong foundation in coding fundamentals and to promote the development of problem solving and algorithmic thinking skills. Within each lesson, students are encouraged to harness their creativity and are given broad latitude to pursue coding challenges of their own design. Students first enrolling in this elective start with the basics and steadily progress to more advanced concepts and materials; those who repeat it (or enroll in the full-year course) continue to progress to new content and ever-greater coding challenges. This is a full-year course.
Trimester
Students in this class will create, design and help bring to life all of the theatrical elements for one of the three Middle School productions this school year. Students enrolled in this class will design and build sets, lights, costumes, props and make up for each show. Students will also help act as sound and lighting assistant technicians for daily Chapel and other school-wide events. These students must be available for minimal after school time slots (not to exceed 3 total) to help with technical support for the fall play, the PSIA One Act Play or the Spring musical. Thriving in a team environment, a creative mind and a very strong work ethic are a must!
Trimester
This elective provides structured instruction in computer programming, a.k.a. “coding.” Lessons are sequenced to provide students with a strong foundation in coding fundamentals and to promote the development of problem solving and algorithmic thinking skills. Within each lesson, students are encouraged to harness their creativity and are given broad latitude to pursue coding challenges of their own design. Students first enrolling in this elective start with the basics and steadily progress to more advanced concepts and materials; those who repeat it continue to progress to new content and ever-greater coding challenges.
Community Engagement
Full Year
In Latin 1A, students are introduced to Latin pronunciation, basic sentence patterns, grammar, Roman culture, and English derivatives. The class uses the Cambridge Latin Course. Daily practice is devoted to the study of the Latin roots of English words. Since 60-70 percent of English vocabulary is derived from Latin, students learn how to determine the meaning of unfamiliar English words by analyzing their Latin elements. Through the study of Roman civilization, students learn about the enormous influence of Roman ideas on our everyday lives – on law, literature, medicine, architecture, gladiatorial combat, the role of women in the Roman world, and political theory, as well as the customs, values, and ideas we have inherited in the Western world. The readings introduce and repeat grammatical points and integrate language and culture by incorporating authentic Roman subject matter. The entire Cambridge Latin Course introduces historical characters whenever possible and one family is followed throughout Units 1-4. Unit I, set in Pompeii during the year of its destruction by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, focuses on the familia of the historical banker Caecilius Iucundus. There are no prerequisites to take this class. This full-year course meets during the trimester electives slot for all three trimesters.
Full Year
In Latin 1B, after a brief review of key grammatical and cultural concepts, students begin the second unit of the Cambridge Latin Course. This text uses, whenever possible, historical characters and situations that illustrate Roman life in the first century A. D. at opposite ends of the Roman Empire – Britannia, the easternmost province, and Alexandria, Egypt, one of the most important and influential cities in the Ancient World. Unit 2, while introducing new grammatical items, simultaneously reviews and integrates concepts already met in Unit 1. The study of Roman civilization includes the invasion and Romanization of Britannia, the rebellion of Boudicca, the native Druids, the role of client kings with a focus on King Cogidubnus and his palace at Fishbourne, the founding of Alexandria by Alexander the Great and the city's importance to Rome as a major supplier of food sources, the worship of Isis, and the evolution of medicine and science in Alexandria. There is continued focus on English derivatives from Latin words. Prerequisites are successful completion of Latin 1A, or permission from the instructor. High school credit is awarded to students who successfully complete Latin 1A & 1B. This full-year course meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays with an additional asynchronous lesson to be completed over the course of the week.
Full Year
In this course students will gain skills in the following areas: print media publishing, page design, copywriting, editing, and photography while producing a creative, innovative yearbook which records school memories and events. There is an emphasis on journalism skills in this class. Participants gain useful, real-world skills in time-management, marketing, teamwork, and design principles. This is a full-year course and requires students to commit to attending several after school events.
Trimester
This class gives students the opportunity to engage with our youngest campus learners while expanding their understanding of the cognitive, motor, and emotional development of children, ages 2 - 6. Students will learn practical skills in how to facilitate safety and security with little children as well as gain hands-on experience in teaching. Under the guidance of Blue House administrators, students will assist teachers in a preschool classroom as well as participate in seminar style discussions. The course requires leadership, initiative, love of children, and time management.
Trimester
Service Leadership Corps combines community service with classroom instruction, engaging students in critical, reflective thinking, and encouraging personal and civic responsibility. As an Episcopal school, we recognize our commitment to seek and serve all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and respecting the dignity of every human being. Service learning programs involve students in activities that address community needs while developing academic skills and commitment to community service. During this course you will plan and lead campus-wide service opportunities such as Connections Day and the food drive, and engage in on-site activities that will serve the larger Austin community.
Trimester
Tornado News develops digital media, critical thinking, and communication skills while producing original news reports. Along with technical instruction on the use of cameras, microphones, and iMovie editing, our lessons develop broader media literacy and communication skills, including listening, asking questions, writing scripts, teamwork, and public speaking. During this course, students are actively involved in brainstorming story ideas, participating in investigative journalism, conducting interviews, and producing stories (news, editorials, features, sports, etc.). Student-produced newscasts are shown during Middle School Assembly.