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Upper Form: Grade 6–8 Girls & Boys

"Getting the Wind Beneath Their Wings"

In Upper Form, children emerge into their adolescence and approach their high school years with the need to develop agency and exhibit honed cognitive and executive functioning skills. Centered around one of the school’s foundational principles, “Students as Producers,” acquired knowledge and skills are developed into outcomes and products that demonstrate students’ curiosity, innovation, independence and collaboration with one another. The process through which students explore their interests with deep inquiry prepares them for our rigorous high school program, which includes the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) in Grades 11 and 12.

The Upper Form years engage students in a curriculum that is rigorous, inspiring and relevant. In addition to the scope and sequence of their course work, varied offerings in mathematics and modern and classical languages challenge each student to take courses that meet their “growth edge.”

In the Upper Form years, students engage in a rigorous math curriculum.

A foundation in logical, creative and resilient mathematical thinking sets the stage for high school.

A Convent & Stuart Hall student is equipped to explain the world around them and is ready to design for the next frontier of challenges.

We believe the study of science and its related fields is fundamental to a complete and practical education for the 21st century.

Course offerings and placement decisions are articulated and shaped by the work of the K–12 Academic Council. All students complete high school level algebra, biology, modern and classical language and American history courses as well as several independent research projects by the time they graduate from eighth grade. Some students who are on an accelerated track complete a high school geometry course that positions them for the most challenging course of mathematical study in high school. 

It is important that students in Grades 6–8 continue to exhibit a robust love of learning across all fields of study, while becoming equipped to thrive in the coed environment of our high school and the world at large. Separate Upper Form Deans for girls and boys invite the particular developmental questions and concerns that occur in mid-adolescence, and bolsters our commitment to help students develop relational and self-advocacy skills as well as a sense of caring for others and their world. 

Outward Bound wilderness expeditions build confidence and bonds among students.

Sixth- and eighth-grade backpacking trips establish a connection to nature and one’s peers that sets the tone for the year ahead.

Convent eighth graders exploring the backcountry of Yosemite National Park.
Stuart Hall eighth graders on a five-day trip to the John Muir Wilderness.

Contacts

Head, Convent Elementary (415) 292-3121
Head, Stuart Hall for Boys (415) 292-3118
Assistant Division Head of Elementary, K-8(415) 292-3119
Upper Form Chair (Grades 6 & 7), Learning Strategist(415) 292-3116
Upper Form Chair (Grade 8), Learning Strategist & High School Transition Coordinator(415) 345-5845
Director of Studies (415) 292-3178