Our Program

Core Beliefs
Expectations for University School Students
Curriculum
Day at a Glance
Daily Schedule
Homework
Principles of Good Practice

Core Beliefs

 

Medical University of South Carolina

An MUSC pediatric cardiologist demonstrates the catheter umbrella patch used to repair a hole in the heart

December 5, 2007

 

Academically talented students need a specialized learning environment.

Highly capable students are eager to move quickly to advanced levels of understanding and to apply what they learn to real problems and situations. To be effective, educational programs should engage students in a flexible combination of acceleration, enrichment, and the application of higher level thinking skills.

Intermediate/middle school should be designed especially for young adolescents' needs.

Programs and activities at the intermediate/middle school level must be active, interesting, and challenging in order to keep students engaged. Intermediate/middle school students need to be actively involved in their community and develop responsibility for their own education. Although adolescence can be a turbulent time of life, it should also be a time for exposure to many new pursuits, active learning, experimentation in a safe environment, and personal growth. Curiosity, reflection, inquiry, and problem solving are crucial to fostering interest in education at this time in a student's life when so many other things are happening physically, socially, and emotionally.

A small school and a personal setting work best.

Small class sizes and personal attention are vital to learning. Intermediate/middle school students need guidance from adults who know them well, in an environment where they are recognized individually. This individual attention and sense of belonging is more feasible in a small school with a low student-teacher ratio. In this setting, faculty and mentors can realistically give our students guidance in the social, emotional, and intellectual aspects of their lives.

Creating and maintaining a positive overarching culture is a cornerstone belief of USL. Students will see and regularly interact with people who believe in and exhibit the values and characteristics expected from each student. These individuals (high school students, college students, young adults, and adults) will serve as real-life models for USL students as they look to what the future can hold and what type of person they would like to be. In turn, our students serve as mentors for their younger classmates and for kindergarteners from Hibben Preschool.

Collaboration among teachers, students, and parents is imperative. Parents who are aware of what their children are learning at school can model learning and reinforce these ideas at home. Close and continuous communication among home, school, and student is essential at University School

Expectations for University School Students

Our students are expected to read and write continuously, complete assignments conscientiously, work independently and collaboratively, exhibit respectful behavior, be responsible for obligations, and contribute positively to the school community.

 

 

 

 

 

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Fort Johnson Facility

Biologist Billy McCord (“The Butterfly Man”) discusses S.C. butterfly and moth species, and then he demonstrates logging & tagging Monarch butterflies.

November 7, 2007

Curriculum

Humanities is an integrated History/Language Arts course. It focuses on skills: writing, reading, speaking, and listening. Students are asked to read for both enjoyment and content. Novels, short stories, plays, essays, poetry, and other primary sources are encountered regularly. A heavy emphasis is placed on improving writing, specifically drafting, rewriting, revising, editing, and polishing the final product. Our students are taught to write for a wide variety of purposes. Individual projects, classroom discussions, and oral presentations are common requirements. As students mature within the program, our expectations for in-depth thinking and high quality work increase. Historical topics are taught in a three-year-cycle. Students study U.S. history, world geography and cultures, and contemporary world issues. Humanities classes are presented in an interactive environment with a special focus on debate, simulations, research, and projects.

Mathematics includes the latest understanding of best practices as advanced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and we follow the standards for grades 6-8. The program encourages our students to think mathematically and solve significant problems in addition to learning and practicing the basic processes of arithmetic. Algebra is woven through the math course at each grade level, and each student will graduate with one high school credit in Algebra. Students have the opportunity to gain additional high school credit by taking Algebra II and/or Geometry.

Science courses use the scientific method to provide for in-depth study of core concepts in biological, physical, chemical and environmental sciences. USL science classes help students understand scientific processes, record and communicate findings, and appreciate the role of science in the modern world. Instructional methods are inquiry based, and students engage in frequent lab work and research and analyze topics at a high-school level. USL follows a three-year cycle of themes (ex. water) that blend all four sciences and ask each student to think and operate like a scientist.

Global Language classes are designed to expose students to the discipline of studying a global language and also emphasize an appreciation of different cultures. To capably function in an increasingly interconnected world, America's future citizens will need proficiency in non-English languages. Each University School student will study Spanish, and USL will strive to accommodate additional language interests of each student. The program is structured so that each student will complete, as a minimum, high school-level Spanish I upon graduating from University School. Students are grouped by ability, and the standard grade progression is as follows: 6th Grade (Spanish I-A), 7th Grade (Spanish I-B), 8th Grade (Spanish II or Introductory Topics in Spanish II). Therefore, a student will complete middle school one or two high school credits in Spanish. Opportunities also exist for our students to gain high school credit in one or more Global Language at the same time.

Physical Education / Health classes promote individual fitness, sportsmanship, and good health (diet, etc.) while encouraging lifelong recreational interests. Exercise is also built into our daily routine as classes regularly walk to educational resources and opportunities in the areas around USL's campus.

Arts classes are designed for immersion in the multiple media and forms of expression, and they allow for each student to develop and gain confidence in his/her artistic ability. USL engages in collaborative opportunities in the arts with Creative Spark.

Flex Time allows for students to engage in pursuits geared to their individual interests and talents. This can include additional courses in Math and/or Global Languages, on-line courses, and guided independent study. For example, a student may concurrently take two Math courses or two separate Global Languages, and the student can earn high school credit for both. This time is also occasionally used for all-class and all-school theme-based seminars.

Day at a Glance

Research findings on the use of time at schools drive the daily schedule at University School. While some aspects of the school program will occur at regular times, flexibility in the use of time is a key organizing aspect. While most schools operate in 40-50 minute periods, in-depth teaching is associated with more intense experiences and varied teaching approaches carried out in longer class periods. To promote deep learning, USL is committed to providing academic learning time as it is needed for our students. This means that specific class/instructional periods may vary in length throughout the year. This approach to time honors student achievement and a supportive school culture as the primary goals in organizing time at USL.

University School believes that intermediate/middle school-age students benefit from extensive involvement in the community.  This involves service learning (service to others) and first-person learned (as opposed to received) knowledge that one gains from discovering the many opportunities, aspects, complexities, occupations, people, etc. that are present in the world around us.  The information that students encounter is incorporated into classroom activities to help students make relevant and direct links to what they learn. Experiences are selected that are consistent with USL's mission. For example, developing leaders who can self-advocate and make a positive difference in the world are key goals. To foster this development in our students, we guide and regularly evaluate our students in six areas of leadership (encompassing over thirty separate skills). Students track their growth in these areas by sorting and analyzing their rankings in these areas.

Daily Schedule

The sample schedule below is crafted for the day after a visit to the USDA Vegetable Laboratory in West Ashley:

8:00-8:30	Morning Meeting	It is important to the life of our school community that we meet together and discuss (and also celebrate) global, community and individual issues.
8:30-9:30	Math	Analyze the economics underlying efforts to genetically modify foods.
9:30-10:30	Spanish	Translate a brief primary source (newspaper) document about genetically-modified foods.  Send email/post a message to students in partner school in Spanish-speaking country.
10:30-12:00	Humanities (interdisciplinary English & History)	Examine local, national, and international responses to genetic manipulation of food.  Craft a personal reflection after reviewing others’ opinions.
12:00-12:30	Lunch
12:30-1:00	P.E. / Arts
1:00-2:00	Science	Review the genetic processes used by the USDA-VL.  Explore the ethics of manipulating genes.
2:00-2:40	Flex Time / Independent & Advanced Study / Seminars	This time is for other courses (high school credit and/or online), guided independent study, or theme-based all-grade or all-school seminars.
2:40-2:45	Campus Clean-up and Dismissal	Students sweep the floors, rearrange classrooms, wipe off the desks and checkthe bathrooms. We want each student to understand the importance of taking care of one's environment (and others) and not rely on others to maintain it.

Homework

University School's approach to homework is guided by the following principles:

1. USL firmly believes that galvanizing curiosity in each learner will result in extensive activity at home, and this will generally take the form of guided or independent reading and researching.  Our approach respects family time and dynamics, and it yields a student who learns self-discipline for life by balancing acting upon personal interests (academic, artistic, etc.) and meeting school expectations.

2. USL strives to assign homework that is designed by our teachers with specific objectives.  We feel “busy work” should be avoided, and assignments should have strong relevance to a student’s needs and capabilities.

3. Students will be asked to make choices in many of their homework assignments.  Students relish the challenge of doing assignments worth doing, and they learn how to make good decisions by making decisions.

4. The amount of time needed to complete homework will vary nightly.  Homework is a carefully considered response to what is going on at school at the time, and this entails different lengths and types of assignments at different times.

Principles of Good Practice

University School of the Lowcountry subscribes to the National Association of Independent Schools' Principles of Good Practice for Middle School Educators:

Recognizing that middle school students experience a variety of significant changes, middle school educators respond to and provide for the unique developmental needs and characteristics of their students.

1. Middle school educators affirm the dignity of each individual and promote equity and justice.
2. Middle school educators and all personnel who interact with middle school students have a thorough understanding of the patterns of physical, intellectual, social, and emotional growth of their students.
3. Middle school educators actively engage parents as partners in recognizing the implications of the significant changes affecting middle school children.
4. Middle school educators work to ensure a smooth transition experience for students and parents entering and leaving the middle school years.
5. Middle school educators provide programs that support each student's need to develop a distinct self-concept and to be recognized as an individual and as a member of a group.
6. Middle school educators create an environment that fosters respect, understanding, and acceptance of differences.
7. Middle school educators help students learn to make responsible choices and understand the consequences of their actions.
8. Middle school educators create opportunities for students to develop a sense of belonging to and responsibility for the multiple communities in which they participate.
   
   The NAIS Principles of Good Practice for member schools, defining high standards and ethical behavior in key areas of school operations, are designed to help guide schools in becoming the best education communities they can be.