Grade 5 Transition
Renbrook’s fifth-grade program is a “school within a school” that balances opportunities to explore and excel as middle schoolers with a homeroom model that builds strong student-teacher relationships and foundational academic skills.
During the ages of 10, 11, and 12 years, children grow in maturity, executive functioning, and in their social-emotional and cognitive capabilities. As they develop in their desire and capacity for independence, they are ripe for increased challenge with appropriate support. As they transition from a lower school homeroom experience to a decentralized upper school model, this hybrid approach to balanced support and independence serves our students developing personal agency.
The program nurtures and challenges students with a modified “advisory family” and subject-specific teachers who provide appropriate exercises in organization and executive functioning. As a part of the Upper School, fifth graders take advantage of opportunities to capture their passion and celebrate their developing identity. They compete on interscholastic athletic teams, take the stage in our winter musical, lead student-driven clubs, attend weekend social events, and fuel their curiosity through STEAM and design-thinking challenges.
