Our Middle School students in 6th-8th grade are immersed in a stimulating environment where they learn to take risks and try new endeavors every day. Through classroom discussions, presentations and debates, FXW students are urged to express their feelings, needs, thoughts and ideas honestly, responsibly and respectfully. Our teachers give students opportunities to make decisions and act independently as they assume the responsibility of being accountable for their academic and behavioral choices.
We believe students need opportunities to connect with their peers and feel comfortable in the environments in which they live. This connectivity is especially important for our maturing middle schoolers who are taking on greater responsibility. Students need to feel confident and gain more independence. To this end, we provide an environment where connections between cognitive and social-emotional learning empower students to become globally minded citizens.
Students in Middle School are encouraged to take risks and investigate alternative approaches. As students develop the capacity to think abstractly, teachers focus on persevering in problem-solving, while strengthening computation in mathematics. Building on prior knowledge, students tackle new concepts. Their growing confidence allows them to actively engage in challenges, accept responsibility for their actions and believe that they will be successful in future endeavors.
FXW students explore and utilize the city of Chicago as an extension of the classroom. Through service learning and field trips, students are encouraged to take risks and expand their thinking. Our faculty provides opportunities that foster a genuine community experience that is collaborative in nature, and is built upon exploration of one another’s diverse backgrounds.
Experiential Learning—Community and Collaboration
- 6th grade—Outdoor Ed (Wisconsin)
- 7th grade—Irons Oaks (Illinois)
- 8th grade—Washington D.C.
The Frances Xavier Warde School integrates modern technology resources in relevant and meaningful ways to help students expand and apply their knowledge. Faculty and students work together to answer big questions, try new ideas, test and verify hypotheses, produce original and creative work, and demonstrate concept mastery. Our classrooms and lessons engage and inspire students while preparing them to be independent and critical thinkers.
- 6th – 8th students utilize 1:1 Microsoft Surfaces
- General Music
- Physical Education
- World Language: French or Spanish
- Current Events
Communicating Student Progress at FXW
Monitoring and communicating student progress involves multiple perspectives and sources of data: checklists, teacher observations, written and oral assessments, self-assessments, and portfolios. Information is formally communicated through standards-based reports in conjunction with parent/teacher conferences. The goal of communicating student progress in a timely and clear manner, is to promote a sense of shared responsibility for supporting student growth and development
By any measure, FXW graduates are successful, good citizens of the world who go on to attend competitive high schools, colleges and universities and find meaningful careers. Underlying it all is the strength of their character and their commitment to lifelong learning, which all began at FXW.