Small classes, individual attention, hands-on and thematic learning – these are the highlights of San Juan Diego Middle School’s educational program. The school purposely limits the size of its classes to offer our students the greatest attention. This way, teachers are able to attend to the needs of all of the students and to assess their strengths and areas for improvement. There is a concentration on meaningful teaching, with more visual and creative instruction. Students also study particular topics with lessons stretched across the curriculum to give depth to their learning from Math, to Reading, from Social Studies to Science and beyond.

Each class participates in two Downtown Learning Environment experiences that take them out of the classroom and into the community, where they can see classroom concepts in action. These multi-week units offer students the unique advantage of learning directly from the professionals in our community. The themes of these special units are woven throughout the curriculum and include topics such as Art & Architecture, Aviation, Zoology, Health & Wellness, Technology and Communication. During their work on a unit, students are focused on a topic of study that follows them from Mathematics class to Language Arts.

San Juan Diego Middle School nurtures the whole student, offering each opportunities to discover new hobbies, grow talents and increase physical abilities. When the traditional school day is completed at 3:30 p.m., our students participate in a different kind of learning. With the collaboration of a multitude of volunteers and community partners.

Students learn how to swim and to play competitive sports. They adopt new hobbies, such as quilting or music. They learn about citizenship and Christian leadership through ministry experiences, Boy and Girl Scouts and other opportunities. The whole student is the focus.

In its research, the Search Institute of Minneapolis has determined there are 40 assets that contribute to a child’s well-rounded development. Many of these assets have to do with a child’s environment, community support, adult encouragement and positive role models. At San Juan Diego Middle School, we know students thrive best with solid adult support. It is the school’s goal to match each student with a mentor, who meets with the student once a week to help with homework and to offer encouragement.