Middle School

Our academics, partnered with a focused leadership development sequence, prepare students for the most demanding secondary schools. Students thrive as they build lasting relationships with peers and teachers through small class sizes and a community focus. Aspen Academy intentionally and consistently cultivates:

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Collaboration Across Networks
Agility and Adaptability
Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
Effective Oral and Written Communication
Accessing and Analyzing Information
Curiosity and Imagination

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LETTER FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Welcome to the Middle School! After 13 years in the classroom and the last six years here at Aspen Academy’s Middle School, I am thrilled to be the Middle School Director of this vibrant, kind, and amazing community. I look forward to continuing to support our students’ learning and the work of our talented and caring teachers in this new role. Our Middle School teacher team has a combined experience of teaching well over 10,000 students. I know that we, as a school community, recognize how exciting and important these adolescent years are and how we can support them and make each student feel a deep sense of belonging.

We support them in our intentional approach to leadership development, building their strengths and awareness of those strengths to make the greatest impact in their home and community. Our academic program is challenging, integrated, and engaging. We promote learning not just in the classroom, but with real world experiences and project-based lessons. The
successful Middle School student isn’t just a student who will succeed in High School, but will succeed inside and outside the classroom and be prepared for life. We can’t wait to work with you all as part of this journey.

- COREY SAMPSON, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Middle School Profile

ACCREDITATIONS

“One of the fastest-growing independent schools in the country.” - Association of Colorado Independent Schools.

“Top Scoring School” - AdvancED

Click here for more on accreditation.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMICS

MATH

Aspen Academy fifth through eighth graders grow to love the beauty of mathematics that comes from an inherent sense of how easily they can develop mathematical intuition. Students are taught to look for mathematics everywhere. For example, in athletics classes, items like force, motion and angles are discussed. Singapore Mathematics has produced the highest-performing math students globally. In seventh and eighth grade, students are transitioned to high school level mathematics in algebra and geometry to allow for honors or advanced placement opportunity once the student enters high school.

In addition to our foundational curriculum, Aspen Academy is preparing each and every child to be competent in the realm of financial literacy, self-management and self-sufficiency as well as to be able to understand and manage personal and business finances.

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Language Arts (Literacy & Communications)

Student choice and ownership are at the forefront of our language arts curriculum. At Aspen Academy, all of our language arts teacher prides themselves on tapping into the personal interests and learning styles of each and every one of their students. The workshop model, which consists of a short, whole-group lesson and extended time for differentiated-partner, small group and individual learning time, allows for each student to reach his or her full potential. Providing choice for both reading and writing creates an authentic learning environment full of passion and excitement in each language arts classroom. These choices provide an opportunity for critical thinking, self-reflection and decision-making unmatched among other programs in the nation.

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Social Studies

The world is changing faster than we realize, and preparing our students for a world that is global, dynamic and complex will not look the way it used to. Our Social Studies program doesn’t just teach history; we pride ourselves on an approach of learning about the world through history, geography, economics and civics. We focus on studying our world not just in a textbook and the classroom, but in context so that our students can go out into the world to apply the lessons, critical thinking and passion to the greater society.

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Science

Essentials

Our Essentials Program offers performance-based courses that continue to build leadership, confidence and pride for each student. We realize world language, performing arts, visual arts, technology and fitness, along with the academic content classes, create a space for students to grow and learn in all areas of their school life as well as discover their individual passions and gifts.

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INNOVATION & STEAM

Can you imagine a space where kids are coding as young as four years old? A place where they take an ordinary picture they’ve drawn and use technology to make their picture come alive and talk? A space where they have to work as an engineering team to design a new invention? A place where students are taking their 2-D drawings and making them come to life through a 3-D model? You don’t have to imagine any of it as this type of space is a reality for all Aspen Academy students from Pre-K through 8th grade.

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Entrepreneurship

Expeditionary Learning

Expeditionary Learning opportunities are intentionally designed to support a variety of curriculum content and provide students an opportunity to apply, extend, and enrich their learning within the world.

We travel with purpose and encourage our students to live their lives with intentionality. Our experiential learning opportunities are provided for students to see their classroom learning in a real world setting, for them to have the opportunity to apply their skills in a real and authentic way. We create a culture of setting and achieving goals and choose opportunities for our students to define, experience and expand their own personal mission, vision and values.

LEADERSHIP RETREAT (5th-8th Grades Only): Students begin their school year with an unforgettable retreat in the landscape of our beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains. Whether they are collaborating in a kayaking challenge (can they hold their boats steady so one classmate can run across the front?) or completing leadership games with friends, we encourage risk taking, community building, and outdoor education.
ASPEN ADVENTURE WEEK (5th-8th Grades Only): Trips to Moab, UT, Washington D.C., San Francisco, CA, Costa Rica, or local options of Outdoor Education, Film and Video Production, or Cooking.
Expeditionary learning includes a myriad of place based learning.

RECENT BLOGS

Middle School Students working on math problems.

Middle School Challenges & Triumphs

Corey Sampson

Learn more from Middle School Director, Corey Sampson, on how we support students in middle school as they evolve their independence and triumph over challenges

middle school

Learning About Making Difficult Decisions & Weather Closure

Kristina Scala

Teachable moments: Ms. Scala shares how she and students processed a recent tough call to close school due to forces outside our control.

middle school

Aspen Academy middle school students watching the World Cup during lunch

Middle School Highlight: Priceless Learning in a Community

Corey Sampson

Learn more about Middle School at Aspen Academy coming together as a community to support and cheer on the US in a worldwide event.

middle school

LiFE Lessons - Taking it Home

Rachel Adkins

We want parents to be able to reinforce concepts about leadership in conversations at home, or in the car on the way home, or in teachable moments, or wherever you see fit with your own children Here are some questions that can help get you started, and you can count on finding relevant questions in the newsletter in weeks to come, to help you to activate these dinner table conversations!

Lower School
middle school

5th Grade students at Aspen Academy, private school in Denver

Social Studies & Science: 5th Graders Compete to Build Durham Boats

Calynd Gee

5th Graders had the chance to bring social studies and science together for a challenge involving boats that were used to cross the Delaware River during the American Revolution.

Social Studies
middle school