Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Where growing minds meet hands-on inquiry and artistic exploration, with real-world challenges channeling emerging ideals into purposeful action.
Awakening Thought, Purpose and Responsibility
As early adolescence unfolds, students seek deeper purpose, real-world challenges, and broader horizons.
At River Valley, our collaborative middle school teaching model guides each class through experience-based science labs, primary-source historical inquiry, diverse and engaging literature, rigorous work with math, and our rich middle school arts programming.
This dynamic curriculum channels emerging intellect and idealism into meaningful, inspired action.
Whole-Child Approach
- Developmentally-aligned, challenging curriculum: Literature, biography, and hands-on science experiments meet adolescents’ emerging intellect and unfolding capacity for abstract thinking.
- Artistic approach to learning: Creative expression channels evolving identity and deepens capacities for focus and self-reflection.
- Phenomenological science & real-world math: Observation and hands-on experiments establish the foundations for rich understanding in physics, chemistry, geology, business math, geometry, and algebra.
- Leadership and service woven in: First-grade buddies, jobs at school and community festivals, afterschool clubs, service projects, and the 8th-grade trip foster confidence, responsibility and purpose.
- High-school ready: Most students are accepted into their first-choice high schools and demonstrate strong academic and social preparation as they transition into high school. Our graduates consistently thrive in high school and beyond.
A Day In the Life of a Middle School Student
- 8:00-8:20 Morning recess on the back playground
- 8:30–10:15 Main Lesson (History, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Creative Writing, ect.)
- 10:15-10:45 Snack and recess
- 10:50-11:30 Handwork / Woodwork
- 11:35-12:15 Math skills
- 12:15-1:00 Lunch and recess
- 1:05-1:45 Chorus / Orchestra
- 1:50-2:30 English Language Arts skills
- 2:35-3:15 World Language / Art’
- 3:15 Cleaning, Closing Verse, and Dismissal
Learn More
Our Middle School Programming
Cyber Civics
Cyber Civics is a digital literacy curriculum, taught with ethics, empathy, and critical thinking at the center. Cyber Civics is a comprehensive, teacher-led digital literacy curriculum packed with engaging, hands-on lessons and activities.
Math Skills
Middle School students receive mathematics instruction from a dedicated mathematics skills teacher. Students strengthen foundations, learn problem solving skills and resilience through screen free mathematics instruction.
8th Grade Trip
The 8th Grade Trip is an honored tradition at River Valley Waldorf School. The 8th Grade class embarks on a capstone trip with their class teacher that is full of adventure, independence, and bonding with their classmates. The 8th Grade Trip location and experience changes from year to year based on the group of students and inspiration of the class teacher.
Middle School Play
Each spring the Middle School works together to prepare a Middle School Play. These plays take place as an academic block of study. Every student has an important role. Every student helps with props and costumes. Every student works together to bring the story to life for the rest of the community. The resulting performance is always as inspiring as the journey the group goes through to bring the play to the stage.
Community Service Project
During the summer leading up to 8th grade, each rising 8th grader identifies a community service organization with whom they will form a relationship. 8th grade students volunteer their time over the summer and then prepare a presentation for the community about the organization and their experience for the community. Through this process students are reminded of the importance of community service, citizenship, and the impact their time and energy can have on others.
8th Grade Project
Students were asked to choose a subject to explore deeply over the course of their 8th-grade year, which included many components. In addition to their project, each student researches a topic and writes an accompanying paper. Students often work with mentors all over the country to help their process. The results are always impressive. Students research and create a myriad of products from combustion engines to ball gowns.
Sixth Grade
Sixth grade at River Valley marks the true beginning of middle school, a year of rising expectations, growing independence, and deepening curiosity.
As students enter early adolescence, they are ready for challenge, clarity, and complexity in both their inner and outer worlds.
The study of Ancient Rome provides a powerful mirror: students explore the construction of cities, systems, and empires while reflecting on transformation and the consequences of power. Their historical journey continues through the rise of Christianity and Islam and into the Middle Ages.
Math becomes more practical and precise, with a focus on business concepts like percentages, interest, and ratios, alongside the beauty and precision of geometry. Students work with compasses and straightedges to construct geometric forms, developing accuracy and discipline.
Science expands into geology, astronomy, and physics (sound, light, and heat) meeting students’ desire to understand the forces that shape both the earth and the cosmos. Geography shifts southward to Central and South America, broadening their global awareness and cultural understanding.
Through it all, the sixth grader is seen and supported as a thinker, a doer, and an emerging individual seeking purpose and connection.
Sixth Grade Faculty
Abigail West
Guidance Counselor
“Through years of attending parent-child classes, I have experienced Waldorf education firsthand and appreciate its focus on experiential learning in nature, as...
Benjamin Rogers-Petro
Music Teacher
“I have nothing but fondness and deep appreciation for Waldorf education, and the friendships I made; life long bonds forged by common...
Dominique Kury
German Language Teacher
“Curiosity, self awareness, and compassion are not just academic goals—they are qualities that shape how children move through the world. In Waldorf...
Eve Sheldon
Orchestra & Strings Teacher
“I want to bring joy to the music department so kids feel ownership and happiness in making music.”
Irene Richardson
Gardening & Woodwork Teacher
“I’m excited to help children steward the land while exploring art, song, story, and practical work in a Waldorf education that is...
Melanie Niemczura
Grades 5 & 6 Class Teacher
“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars.” ~ Max Ehrmann
Shannon O’Connell
Fine Arts Teacher
“I love the idea and practice of nurturing the individual spirit of each student. It is so important for children to be...
Stacy Zink
Handwork Teacher
“The world needs to operate as a collective while still cherishing each person’s uniqueness. By creating a learning environment that emulates this,...
Susan Dils
Games and Movement Teacher
“I believe that movement and physical activity are essential components of a holistic education. They help children develop physically, socially, and emotionally...
Seventh Grade
Seventh grade at River Valley is a time of bold inquiry, personal awakening, and expanding perspective.
As students step deeper into adolescence, their desire to explore both the outer world and their inner landscape is met with a curriculum that challenges convention and celebrates discovery.
History comes alive through the Renaissance, Exploration, and Reformation, a time when humanity dared to question the status quo, chart new territories, and reimagine what was possible. Our approach seeks to de-centralize the European perspective, while still studying the lives of visionaries, explorers and inventors, including Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei. These figures mirror the adolescent’s own search for truth, identity, and meaning.
Geography focuses on Africa, grounding the students in a rich continent with diverse cultures, histories, and ecosystems. Scientific studies build on previous years, delving into chemistry through the exploration of acids and bases, and into physics with combustion, electricity, refraction, and reflection. The study of simple machines reveals the power of mechanical advantage, beginning with the human arm as nature’s perfect lever.
Mathematics enters the abstract with the introduction of algebra, equations, negative numbers, powers and roots, while work with geometry deepens through practical applications such as perspective drawing and geometric constructions, offering a unique intersection between math and art. These lessons foster flexible thinking and problem-solving while supporting the students’ growing capacity for logical reasoning.
Seventh graders also begin to understand the interconnectedness of systems: astronomy and meteorology are not just scientific disciplines, but essential tools for navigation, both literal and metaphorical. They support students in orienting themselves in a world that is increasingly complex and interconnected.
In all subjects, the curriculum reinforces a central truth: adolescence is a journey of transformation, and the tools of observation, creativity, and courageous thinking are essential companions on the path.
Seventh Grade Faculty
Abigail West
Guidance Counselor
“Through years of attending parent-child classes, I have experienced Waldorf education firsthand and appreciate its focus on experiential learning in nature, as...
Benjamin Rogers-Petro
Music Teacher
“I have nothing but fondness and deep appreciation for Waldorf education, and the friendships I made; life long bonds forged by common...
Bridget Brier
Grades 7 & 8 Class Teacher
“I love this pedagogy’s richness and experiential-based methods, and I love that our students are comfortable in so many art forms. It’s...
Cynthia Ramirez
Spanish Language Teacher
“I believe that Waldorf education helps students develop a strong sense of self, self-awareness, and the confidence to express themselves in unique...
Eve Sheldon
Orchestra & Strings Teacher
“I want to bring joy to the music department so kids feel ownership and happiness in making music.”
Irene Richardson
Gardening & Woodwork Teacher
“I’m excited to help children steward the land while exploring art, song, story, and practical work in a Waldorf education that is...
Shannon O’Connell
Fine Arts Teacher
“I love the idea and practice of nurturing the individual spirit of each student. It is so important for children to be...
Stacy Zink
Handwork Teacher
“The world needs to operate as a collective while still cherishing each person’s uniqueness. By creating a learning environment that emulates this,...
Susan Dils
Games and Movement Teacher
“I believe that movement and physical activity are essential components of a holistic education. They help children develop physically, socially, and emotionally...
Eighth Grade
Eighth grade at River Valley is a year of culmination, confidence, and deepening social responsibility.
As the oldest students in the school, 8th graders step into leadership roles mentoring younger buddies, participate in organizing events, and prepare for their 8th grade trip and 8th grade project presentations. They are seen not only as scholars but as role models and stewards of the community.
Academically, the curriculum rises to meet their growing intellect and sense of justice. In history, students trace the arc of revolution, political, industrial, and ideological, through the Enlightenment, American and French Revolutions, and modern history. These pivotal shifts in human thought and society resonate with students’ own quest for independence and moral clarity.
The study of geography continues with Asia and the Pacific, broadening global awareness and rounding out a five-year journey that began with local geography in Grade 4. Science deepens with explorations of human physiology, organic chemistry, aerodynamics and hydraulics, offering students insight into both the systems of the body and the forces of the natural world.
Mathematics continues with algebra, plane geometry, surface area, volume, and the introduction of linear graphing. Students construct Platonic solids, reinforcing spatial understanding and mathematical beauty through hands-on work. Literature, composition, and journalism challenge students to articulate their thoughts with clarity and conviction.
The eighth grade project, which includes months of independent research and creative effort, is the crowning achievement of the year. Whether building a combustion engine, designing a gown, studying the honeybee, or composing original music, students engage in meaningful inquiry around topics they are passionate about and present their work to the full community with poise and purpose.
By year’s end, our eighth graders emerge ready for high school. They are not just academically prepared; they are also confident, curious, and grounded in a strong sense of self and their place in the world.
Eighth Grade Faculty
Abigail West
Guidance Counselor
“Through years of attending parent-child classes, I have experienced Waldorf education firsthand and appreciate its focus on experiential learning in nature, as...
Benjamin Rogers-Petro
Music Teacher
“I have nothing but fondness and deep appreciation for Waldorf education, and the friendships I made; life long bonds forged by common...
Bridget Brier
Grades 7 & 8 Class Teacher
“I love this pedagogy’s richness and experiential-based methods, and I love that our students are comfortable in so many art forms. It’s...
Cynthia Ramirez
Spanish Language Teacher
“I believe that Waldorf education helps students develop a strong sense of self, self-awareness, and the confidence to express themselves in unique...
Eve Sheldon
Orchestra & Strings Teacher
“I want to bring joy to the music department so kids feel ownership and happiness in making music.”
Irene Richardson
Gardening & Woodwork Teacher
“I’m excited to help children steward the land while exploring art, song, story, and practical work in a Waldorf education that is...
Shannon O’Connell
Fine Arts Teacher
“I love the idea and practice of nurturing the individual spirit of each student. It is so important for children to be...
Stacy Zink
Handwork Teacher
“The world needs to operate as a collective while still cherishing each person’s uniqueness. By creating a learning environment that emulates this,...
Susan Dils
Games and Movement Teacher
“I believe that movement and physical activity are essential components of a holistic education. They help children develop physically, socially, and emotionally...
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Send a brief form, and our enrollment specialists will call you by the next business day to learn about your child, share how Waldorf nurtures whole-child growth, and answer every question you have.
