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Grade 8 Teams

Team Philosophy 

King Philip students belong to an academic team which helps create smaller schools within the building. Students receive more individualized attention from a team of teachers who collaborate throughout the year for their success. A team is composed of five to six academic teachers and members of the Unified Arts team working with approximately 120 students. Teachers on core teams have common planning time so they may meet together on a daily basis. Each academic team has a team leader who is responsible to the principal for providing guidance and direction to the team. We believe that a student’s team becomes their “family” at school, and that the team spirit adds a unique flavor to the middle school experience.

Grade 8 Curriculum Overview

Dear Families,

It is a pleasure to share a brief overview of all areas of the Grade 8 West Hartford Curriculum, including descriptions of our Unified Arts program, School Counseling, Library Media Services, and Gifted Programs. Our curriculum is based on the Connecticut Core Standards and provides instruction on the essential skills and understandings necessary for success on both district and state assessments.

Inherent in our curriculum is the belief that every student can and should learn. Instructional strategies that your child will experience include but are not limited to: collaboration, active and direct learning, problem solving, guided discovery, independent activities, and differentiation.

This curriculum comes alive in the hands of our talented teachers who are committed to ensuring that our students reach their highest potential. We are dedicated to accommodating children’s diverse needs, the way they learn, their experiences and interests, and to facilitating continuous educational growth. If you should have any questions about your child’s curriculum, your classroom teacher is the best source of information.

No single document can fully explain the rich and complex nature of the school curriculum and instructional goals. We know that learning is optimized in a partnership with families, teachers, and schools. Working together, we can use your experiences as a family and our work in the classroom to create a respectful climate of academic success, healthy personal and social development, and joy for lifelong learning.

Sincerely,

Anne McKernan
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

WHAT YOUR CHILD WILL LEARN IN Grade 8

Unified Arts

Our middle school students participate in 36-day unified arts rotations in the areas of physical education, music, art, health, and technology education in grades 6 through 8. The following pages include descriptions of the curriculum. Below please find a sample student schedule of Unified Arts courses throughout the grade 7 year.

Rotation 1: PE morning, Art afternoon 

Rotation 2: Health morning, Music afternoon

Rotation 3: Technology & Engineering morning, PE afternoon

Rotation 4: Art morning, PE afternoon

Rotation 5: Music morning, Technology & Engineering afternoon

Note: The Unified Arts Program is delivered slightly differently at Bristow Middle School where there are 6 rotations, each lasting for 30 days. The UA curriculum and the courses are identical to the other two middle schools with the only difference being that at Bristow, physical education and health are combined into one course of study called “Wellness.” Every student will be in a wellness rotation at any given time throughout the year.

Support Services

Special Education, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), remedial reading services, and math support are available for students who may need them.

King Philip Middle School Awards

Each year at the 8th grade promotion ceremony, students may receive one or more of the following awards based on the criteria described below:
 
 
The American Legion School Award Program
Recognizes the accomplishment and development of the qualities:  courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship, and service which are necessary to the preservation and protection of the fundamental institutions of our government and the advancement of society.
 
The Paul A. Berkel Character Counts Award
Presented to one student on each team for demonstrating the character traits most promoted by KP's former principal Paul A. Berkel: Respect, Honesty, Responsibility, Excellence, Caring and Tolerance.  
 
The Connecticut Association of Schools Scholar Leader Recognition

The Connecticut Association of Schools honors two students from each middle school in the State of Connecticut at a special dinner. These students are outstanding in their academics, minimum scholastic average is 85%, or B, or 3.0 GPA, as well as their leadership, i.e.: demonstrates leadership in the classroom and school activities, exercises influence on peers in upholding school ideals, exemplifies positive attitude and inspires positive behavior in others, and consistently exemplifies desirable qualities of personality, character and integrity.

The Mary Hourdequin Principal’s Academic Award

Named after Mrs. Mary Hourdequin to honor her body of work and dedication to educational excellence during her tenure as principal of King Philip Middle School.  This award is presented to the top academic students, as determined by the student’s cumulative grade point average of 4.0, consistently over all 3 years at King Philip.

"It Matters" Award

Since 2016 the staff of King Philip Middle School has celebrated the legacy of Mr. Paul Duquette, former 8th grade history teacher with the “It Matters” Award .  Mr. Duquette was a caring teacher, compassionate friend, and dedicated member of the King Philip Family. In 1806, Thomas Jefferson was given two silver cups by his teacher, George Wythe. Jefferson later used these silver cups to have several other cups of his own design created, which he presented to family and friends. To connect with Paul's love of history and passion for life, the staff has chosen to present a Jefferson Cup to an 8th grade student whose character, kindness, and commitment exemplifies Paul Duquette's vision that...  “It Matters.”

The President’s Award for Educational Excellence
Awarded to those students who placed in the top 15% of the 7th grade ELA portion of the Smarter Balanced Assessment and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above. Along with a certificate, The White House sends a letter for the school to read to the recipients.