Lower and Upper Middle Grades

Cobblestone's Lower Middle Grades (ages 10-12, grades 5 and 6) and Upper Middle Grades (ages 12-14, grades 7 and 8) students experience much of their learning directly in the Rochester community. They utilize the Rochester Museum and Science Center, the Memorial Art Gallery, and the Rundel Library regularly, as well as other cultural institutions. Real world learning continues within the school building through the students’ use of the Internet.

As in the lower grades, teachers continue to weave the acquisition of skills and knowledge into contexts meaningful to their students' emerging capacities as critical thinkers. Some students may work independently in certain subjects, pursuing interests in math, science or the arts beyond the range of a typical middle school program.

Because early adolescent years are also a time of tremendous physical growth and change, the PE program gives students the opportunity to explore various activities through centers such as the Rochester Fencing Center, Aikido Kokokai, and the Rochester Curling Club.

Weekly service commitments in the community and in the school nurture these older children's desire to contribute meaningfully to their world. All of their experiences provide a springboard to conversations regarding students' current lives and an increased sense of their own possibilities.