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Academic Experience & The IB MYP Framework 

The Middle School is dedicated to nurturing the whole learner through a holistic, standards-based academic experience that emphasizes both cognitive and social-emotional development.  Central to our approach is Project-Based Learning (PBL), which drives the cooperative nature of our classrooms. Through interdisciplinary units and differentiated instruction, students collaborate to tackle real-world challenges, culminating in authentic assessments where they express their learning in diverse ways and take meaningful action to impact their communities. 

All core courses, including mathematics, sciences, humanities, languages, and the arts, incorporate best practices to ensure continuity for growing global citizens. To ensure our students achieve high-level academic fluency in both languages, all courses are taught in English, except for Mexican Humanities and Spanish Language and Literature. These specific subjects are taught in Spanish, anchoring our international curriculum in robust local academic standards. 

Alongside core academics, students begin to explore their unique talents and personal interests through robust elective offerings in the performing and visual arts, such as art, chorus, drama, and band, as well as innovative STEM pathways like robotics and imagineering.

Outdoor Learning & Global Journeys

Education at the Middle School extends far beyond the traditional classroom walls, offering immersive experiential learning opportunities designed to build character, resilience, and community:

  • The Middle School Camp: A foundational outdoor experience held at the very beginning of the school year. Fully included in tuition, this camp serves as a vital community-building milestone where students form lasting friendships, collaborate in nature, and set a positive tone for the academic year.
  • Grade 7 Biodiversity Week: An experiential journey focusing on a variety of ecological systems and their unique characteristics. Students can participate in either national or international experiences, allowing them to compare distinct ecosystems and understand biodiversity through both a regional and global lens.
  • Grade 8 Capital Cities Week: A signature travel experience that connects historical, cultural, and political concepts directly to the real world. Offering both national and international visits, this week invites students to explore the seats of government and cultural heritage that shape our society and the wider world.
  • Global Performing Arts Opportunities: Special international travel opportunities that allow young musicians, actors, and artists to perform on global stages and participate in workshops with professional artists.
  • Model United Nations (MUN): Our budding diplomats expand their perspectives by attending both local and international MUN conferences, developing essential skills in negotiation, debate, and global citizenship.

 

 

Experiences

Six young girls with playful expressions stick out their tongues in the foreground, set against a backdrop of lush green trees and foliage.
A young girl in a green cardigan reads from a music sheet in the foreground, while other children sit behind her in a classroom setting.
Two boys are building a colorful Lego creation on a white table in a classroom with blurred tables and chairs in the background.
Three girls sing from music stands in the foreground, with musical instruments and equipment filling the background.
A young boy with dark hair draws a colorful mandala on paper at a wooden desk with a pencil case full of art supplies, while blue chairs and tables are visible in the blurred background.
Five young boys are holding cups and smiling in the foreground, with a blurred outdoor scene of trees and buildings in the background.
A person in a blue shark costume walks across a green football field with spectators in the background.
A large group of children poses for a photo in front of a massive stone pyramid with people climbing its steps in the background.
Children in the foreground are jumping with excitement, while a lush green park with trees forms the background.
Two smiling girls with arms around each other sit on artificial grass in the foreground, surrounded by craft supplies, while a table with various items is visible in the blurred background.
Two boys in the foreground look into a glass enclosure filled with vibrant red and green foliage, while other people are visible in the background.
In the foreground, young people play miniature golf on a grassy field, while in the background, a lush green forest provides a natural backdrop.
A young man in a white shirt plays a marimba in front of a red backdrop with music stands and chairs.
A group of dancers in colorful costumes stand on a stage with a dark backdrop illuminated by purple stage lights, while an audience watches from below.
A choir of young women in white shirts and black skirts sings from sheet music on risers in front of a red backdrop, while a cellist plays in the foreground.
A group of young performers in various costumes stand on a reflective stage in front of a dark, blurred background.
Children browse a table laden with colorful books in the foreground, while a red wall adorned with heart cutouts forms the background.
A young person in a white shirt and tie plays a drum set in front of a red wall.
Two smiling girls stand in the foreground, one holding a bouquet of red roses, with lockers and bags visible in the blurred background.
A group of excited children, some in the foreground wearing casual clothing, are gathered on a grassy field with a blurred background of more people.
Four smiling girls are seated in the foreground, with blurred figures of other people in the background.
A smiling boy in the foreground holds out a handful of coins to a group of children on a green field with other people in the background.
A group of children gather on a bright green artificial turf field, with some kneeling to examine something on the ground while others stand around them.

 

Head of Middle School

Chelsea Armstrong

Chelsea Armstrong is excited to learn and lead in the Middle School at ASF. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she has been a principal and teacher at schools in Taiwan, Egypt, Vietnam, the Marshall Islands and Chicago, USA. These experiences have fostered her love for social emotional learning, student led experiential learning, school improvement through accreditation, and restorative justice practices.
Chelsea has a BA from the University of New Mexico, an MA from Concordia University, Chicago, is an Illinois certified Learning Behavior Specialist and has a certificate in Universal Design for Learning from the University of Pennsylvania.             
Outside of school, Chelsea enjoys reading, crafting, swimming, and cooking for her family while listening to true crime podcasts.

 

Meet the Middle School team

A smiling woman with auburn hair and a green jacket is pictured against a gray, textured background.
 
academic dean

Kristen Leutheuser
 

A smiling woman with dark hair and a camouflage scarf is pictured against a gray background.
 
Dean of students 

Alejandra Fernández Cueto
 

A smiling woman with brown hair and makeup wears a beige shirt and a blue necklace against a mottled gray background.
 
ACTIVITIES SPECIALIST

Sabrina Montoya
 

A woman in a white textured jacket with gold buttons smiles at the camera against a plain, light-colored wall.
 
gRADE 6 COUNSELOR

Lauren Vidaurri
 

A man with curly dark hair and a beard, wearing a tan t-shirt, is pictured against a gray, mottled background.
 
gRADE 7 COUNSELOR

Ari Weingarten
 

A woman with dark hair and a white sweater smiles against a gray, mottled background.
 
GRADE 8 COUNSELOR

Meyali Pola