Morning Gathering
The Middle School begins four days a week with Gathering. This meeting is chaired by students and is held in the Middle School Commons. The Gathering sets the tone for the day. Announcements are made, songs are sung, problems are solved, celebrations are held, and world events discussed. The Gathering is also one way of building a cohesive community base.

Advisory Program
Each student is a member of a gender and grade specific advisory group with six to 12 students plus a faculty member or advisor. A student’s advisor gets to know the student well and remains aware of the student’s academic and personal progress and any problems that may arise. The advisor is the liaison between the student’s teachers and parents.

Advisory groups participate in activities designed to meet the needs of the group. These activities may deal with special problems which arise in the community or with particular students or with special concerns of Middle Schoolers. The Advisories plan and implement Chapel Programs, social activities, and service learning activities.

Advisories have a brief check-in on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with an extended meeting time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Parent Communications
Informal communication with parents is a way of life in the Middle School. Parents are invited to participate in Gathering, Chapel, and special social events. Parents are frequently contacted by phone to report both “good” and “bad” news.

More formal communications happen through the weekly Middle School Messenger which is emailed and placed on the OES website each Wednesday. You may receive hard copies of the Messenger by requesting this service in the Middle School office. The Messenger is your best source of current information. Please take time to read it with your Middle Schooler.

Sixth and Seventh Grade parents are asked to participate in half-day Partnership Workshops in the fall to strengthen this school-home partnership. Eighth Grade parents spend a day with us as part of our Eighth Grade Partnership program.

Parents are invited to Back-to-School-Night in the fall to hear about the particular classes their child is taking. Four days are set aside in the fall for structured parent conferences with Sixth Grade parents and parents new to OES. Seventh and Eighth Grade parents will have conferences in January at semester. Parents or teachers may request conferences at other times during the year as the need arises.

Parent Coffees
Once a month at our PAL meeting, interested parents gather with the Head of the Middle School, the Middle School Counselors, and the team leaders to discuss unique aspects of parenting this age group. In addition, special parenting classes are frequently offered. Please watch the Messenger for more details including date, time, place, and topic for discussion.

Chapel
Chapel is held once a week in the parish of St. John the Baptist. The program is coordinated by the Middle School Chaplain. The services are often developed and presented by the students. Students are asked to join in any choral singing and, when appropriate, to take part as acolytes, lectors and musicians.

There are five goals for the Middle School Chapel program. First, we seek to expose students to the liturgical seasons of the Episcopal Church and to the important holy days of the Christian tradition.

Second, we seek to honor and celebrate all of the religious traditions represented in the Middle School student body. The Chaplain works with students of different faith traditions to create chapel services that honor their beliefs and practices.

Third, we seek to create a space and time where students can be open to the possibilities of the Holy, and connect with a reality greater than themselves, however they might define that reality. The goal is not to name that reality or give the student’s faith a dialect, but to allow the students to articulate and voice their beliefs and practices.

Fourth, we seek to foster moral and ethical development through the chapel program. The Chapel program at OES is connected closely to our Service Learning program. Chapel is a time when we reflect on who we are and how we can respond to the needs of the world.

Finally, we recognize that adolescence is a time of great religious questioning and exploration. As an Episcopal School, we honor the principle of the “freedom of conscience” and the individual’s search for truth.

Social Activities
Special social events are held for all students several times during the year. These activities are planned by students with adult guidance. Examples of activities are: socials, roller skating, swimming, skiing, etc. Look for details in the Middle School Messenger.

Certain classes attend social and cultural events in Portland and the surrounding areas as these events fit into the curriculum. In addition, the Middle School presents at least one theater production each year.

Middle Schoolers also participate in All School events such as the Service Day in the spring.

The year ends with a special party for the Eighth Graders and their families after the Eighth Grade Closing Exercises. This is planned and implemented by the Eighth Grade parents.

School Lunches
Students are served nutritious, well-balanced meals daily. Although encouraged to eat, it is School policy not to force children to clean their plates or to eat a particular dish. Since MS students decide their own portion size, we ask that they take what they want, but eat what they take. Parents of children on a restricted diet are free to call the Director of Food Service to discuss problems or particular requirements.

NOTE: Students may be excused from School lunches only with written permission from a parent supported by a physician.

Middle School Snack Breaks
Students are given fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, etc.) or other nutritious snacks each day during the morning to help maintain their energy level and awareness for the remainder of the class periods. They are expected to eat this food and discard any remainder with respect. Some nutritious snack is available throughout the day.

School Store
Students operate a store selling snack items after lunch and afternoons after school. Snacks are chosen according to nutritional criteria and students are limited to a daily expenditure. The profits help fund team projects or eighth grade language trips.

Visitors to the Middle School
Students are welcome to invite visitors to the School while it is in session provided they obtain prior permission from the Head of the Middle School. Any school-aged visitor who arrives should check in at the Office.

All visitors of school age visiting the campus or participating in any School activities off-campus are subject to the same regulations applicable to OES students. As host, the OES student will remain with the visitor and be responsible for explaining School procedures and regulations, as well as for assuming responsibility for the visitor’s activities and conduct.

Counseling
A School Counselor is available to help students with issues such as interpersonal relationships, family difficulties, academic pressure, alcohol, nicotine, and other drug questions, peer pressure, and other issues. All discussions are confidential. In addition to individual counseling, support groups may be organized as needed. Parenting courses and group meetings are held throughout the year.

Service
We believe service to the community helps promote the worth and dignity of others to our students.

During the school year, three half-days are set aside for all Middle Schoolers to participate in Service with their advisory group. The students work on campus and in various social agencies throughout the Portland area. Each grade level has a specific ongoing service project coordinated through the various curricula, which allows students to develop positive group cooperation skills while learning how they can make positive contributions to the community in which they live.

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