Middle School
![[PJDS Middle School Students]](http://www.pardesschool.org/images/20061223001.jpg)
The Middle School curriculum integrates secular and Jewish studies to provide a rigorous and meaningful scholastic experience. Students receive top-notch training in the academic core subjects (Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science), Jewish subjects (Judaica and Hebrew), as well as supplementary subjects (Physical Education, Technology, Spanish, and the Arts). Their teachers are talented, dedicated, experienced professionals from the U.S., Europe, Asia, Spain, and Israel. A full-time learning specialist works with students who require additional academic assistance during the school day.
The faculty provides an exciting, respectful, supportive environment in which students learn how to be critical thinkers and caring individuals. We take great pride in knowing that when our graduates leave Pardes, they are well-prepared for future success. Many members of our graduating classes have gone on to be academic and social leaders at these high schools:
- Arcadia High School/Honors classes
- Brophy Preparatory High School
- Chaparral High School/Honors classes
- Desert Mountain International Baccalaureate Program (IB)
- Horizon High School/Honors classes
- Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School
- New School for the Arts
- North High School International Baccalaureate Program (IB)
- Phoenix Country Day School
- Pinnacle High School/Honors classes
Middle School Learning Objectives
- To master an academic program that combines experiential learning, problem solving and study skills.
- To build a strong foundation in Jewish values, ethics, history and Hebrew.
- To establish interdisciplinary explorations designed to foster the development of academic discipline and classroom cooperation.
- To experience a variety of extra-curricular activities including sports, grade level trips, competitions, music and drama
- To have the opportunity to learn and utilize independent study skills.
- To develop strong community ties through social action.
Middle School Programs
Core Classes
Language Arts
The Language Arts program at PJDS strengthens love for and mastery of the English language. Students read, analyze, and write about fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and both classical and contemporary drama as they receive a thorough grounding in correct grammar and usage, leading to a focus on writing for different purposes. Links are stressed between creative and performance arts, allowing students to participate in wide ranging multi-arts projects, expressing themselves vividly and creatively. The work students do in Language Arts permeates the entire PJDS curriculum.
Math
The Pardes math program features small classes and numerous levels ranging from 5th grade math to pre-Algebra to Algebra II. At younger and more basic levels, students master computational skills involving numerals, fractions, decimals, ratios, and percentages, while developing their number sense through math games and the use of math manipulatives. As they proceed through the Middle School, they move on to statistics, probability, matrices, 1-and2-variable equations, two- and three-dimensional geometry, and the xy-coordinate plane. Pardes students enter high school ready to succeed at the highest levels, and those so inclined make it to Calculus by their senior and sometimes even their junior year in high school.
Science
Middle School students benefit from a rigorous science program focusing on Earth, Life, Chemical, and Physical Science. The new Pardes campus features a science lab replete with sinks, glass cabinets, microscopes, hotplates, and even a digital oscilloscope. Students learn to practice scientific method through hands-on experimentation, both in class and through award-winning participation in annual science fairs. Pardes graduates are extremely well-prepared to succeed in the honors, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced Placement science programs at many of the Valley's finest high schools.
Social Studies
Pardes fifth graders build skills necessary for historical inquiry such as geography, demography, economics, government, and current events. Their primary subject areas are U.S. and Arizona history. Sixth graders continue to build skills while studying the Ancient History of different regions including Mesopotamia, Israel, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, Arabia, Mexico, and South America. They learn to analyze and compare aspects of civilization such as religion, government, architecture, economics, philosophy, science, art, literature, and family life. Seventh graders focus on Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, while eighth graders launch into a detailed exploration of the history and contemporary affairs of the United States.
Judaica/Hebrew
Integrated Judaica and Hebrew programs are central to life at Pardes. At all levels, we take pride in our devotion to our Core Values: Kavod (Respect), Tikkun Olam (Responsibilty for Repairing the World), L'dor V'dor (Responsibility for Passing Traditions and Values from Generation to Generation), Avodat Halev (Service of the Heart) and Ivrit (Responsibility for Maintaining Hebrew as a Living Language). Pardes students work closely with Rabbis, Cantors, and other Jewish educatiors to read and interpret Tanakh, Talmud, and other Rabbinic literature, and modern Jewish theology. Together they study the Torah portion every week, with Pardes students chanting the Torah cantillation during the week of their bar or bat mitzvah. Pardes students pray together in egalitarian services that include traditional and contemporary practice es. All middle school students take Hebrew every day from experienced and dedicated Israeli teachers.
Specialty Classes
Art and Music
![[PJDS Middle School Students Performing]](http://www.pardesschool.org/images/20061223005.jpg)
All Pardes students study secular and Jewish art with a talented and creative Israeli art teacher. The new campus features a dedicated art room that children at all grade levels are able to utilize. Music is an integral part of our prayer experience, and student instrumentalists also get to perform in an ensemble or take private music lessons after school. In the spring of 2006, Pardes middle school students performed the musical The Phantom Toolbooth.
Enrichment
All Pardes students study secular and Jewish art with a talented and creative Israeli art teacher. The new campus features a dedicated art room that children at all grade levels are able to utilize. Music is an integral part of our prayer experience, and student instrumentalists also get to perform in an ensemble or take private music lessons after school. In the spring of 2006, Pardes middle school students performed the musical The Phantom Toolbooth.
Middle School students participate in weekly Enrichment classes that add further dimensions to their Pardes experience. The topics have included drama, music, movie making, journalism, and Israel studies. Three times a year, students share the work they have been doing through a talent showcase. The Enrichment curriculum is a favorite of Pardes students and helps them to develop their creativity in special ways.
Physical Education
A healthy body helps develop a healthy mind. All Middle School students participate in P.E. twice a week, and the majority of students also participate in one or more after-school, interscholastic sports. The new Pardes campus features ample space for both indoor (during very hot or rainy weather) and outdoor athletics. Children enjoy the use of the field, courts, and swimming pool on campus and a beautiful and expansive public park across the street. Our competitive sports teams play in the Mountain Valley Athletic League with the likes of Phoenix country Day School, Tesseract, and Rancho Solano. The Pardes Panthers girls' teams compete in volleyball, soccer, basketball, and softball; boys' teams compete in flag football, basketball, soccer, and baseball.
Spanish
As residents of Arizona , a border state with one of the largest Spanish-speaking populations in the United States, Pardes students learn Spanish during all four years of Middle School. Led by an experienced, native-speaking teacher, they develop their skills in conversation, grammar, and literature. They also gain an appreciation for Spanish-speaking cultures in Arizona, Mexico, Central and Souoth America, and Spain. Pardes students graduate with a firm foundation upon which their high school Spanish (or other Romance languages) studies can build.
Technology
The technology curriculum recognizes that keyboarding, responsible Internet research, and desk-top publishing are tremendously important skills in our society. The new Pardes campus offers students significantly upgraded space and equipment for computers and technology. The tech lab, housing several dozen new terminals and current top-rate software, is where students learn advanced functions using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other programs. In each classroom, three to five additional computers (all hooked up to the internet via high-speed connections) allow teachers and students to research their subject areas and work on essays and projects.
Off-Site Learning
![[PJDS Middle School Students on a Field Trip]](http://www.pardesschool.org/images/20061223002.jpg)
Pardes students have been privileged to enjoy field trips to a number of Phoenix area locations, including, among others, the Arizona state legislature, the Arizona State University Schools of Music and Art, the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Historical Society, Jess Schwartz Jewish High School, the Arizona Science Center, various medical facilities, and Pinnacle Peak. Pardes students also go on overnight trips to the Phoenix Zoo (5th grade), Bisbee and Tombstone (6th grade), Catalina Island (7th grade), and Washington, DC. (8th grade).