Middle School FAQ

The Student Council Association (SCA) is a leadership student organization comprised of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.  The purpose of the organization is to conduct service activities, fundraise for various activities, and organize the yearly FAW Middle School Dance (which is usually at the end of the year).  Service activities that have been performed in previous years include the Thanksgiving food drive, Christmas stockings for our military, picking up trash around the school, purchasing gifts at Christmas time for the needy, and collecting coats for our yearly coat drive.

SCA consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Spirit Commissioner, and three class representatives from each of the middle school grades.  Any middle schooler can run for any of these positions except President.  Only those students who have been a member of SCA previously may run for President.  All members of the SCA must maintain a C (or better) average in every class at all times.

The President is responsible for running biweekly meetings.  The President is also responsible for adding members to the board when the need arises. The Vice President is responsible for helping the President. The Treasurer is responsible for tracking SCA funds.  The Secretary is responsible for any correspondence.  The Spirit Commissioner is responsible for pep rallies and any other events to increase spirit at the school. The class representatives are responsible for running committees.  All members of the SCA are responsible for actively engaging in all SCA activities. 

Father Andrew White, S.J. School, Linda Maloney Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) was established to recognize outstanding middle school-level students.  Membership in the National Junior Honor Society is both an honor and a commitment.  Father Andrew White S.J. School’s dedication has helped to shape our reputation for proudly upholding timeless ideals that support and prepare its future leaders for our global society.

The National Junior Honor Society is open to seventh and eighth graders only. You are eligible for an invitation into the National Junior Honor Society if you have a minimum core cumulative GPA of 92%, which is a 3.68 GPA or higher. Core cumulative GPA is defined as your year’s end GPA from the prior school year; calculated from the following core subjects: Religion, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, and E in specials. More than just an honor roll, the National Junior Honor Society serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Character, and Citizenship.  

If you have qualified based on GPA and have returned your application by or before the deadline provided, you will advance to the final round where a panel will meet to carefully weigh excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Character, and Citizenship.  Do you excel in your studies? Do you have an interest in leadership and service? Do you have a thirst for challenge and accomplishment? Membership in the National Junior Honor Society may be an ideal fit for you! 

Our NJHS Officers include: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian.

FLL is FIRST LEGO League – a hands on Robotics STEM program offered as an elective to 6th, 7th and 8th graders.  The teams build a robot and write programs in the Mindstorms programming language to perform various predefined tasks.  In addition to that, the teams are required to do a research project.  They then compete at a local level for the opportunity to compete at the state level.  This program starts in September and runs until possibly the end of March.  A qualifying competition takes place in December and a final competition takes place at the end of March. You can learn more information HERE.

Yes, our middle schoolers are required to complete Science and History Fair projects during their middle school years. This year students in 6th grade will participate in the Science Fair. Our 7th graders will participate in the History Fair. Our 8th graders may choose between the Science or History Fair ensuring they participate in at least one of each during their 6th – 8th grade years. Middle schoolers will be given the opportunity to research during school hours in the weeks leading up to the Fairs. More information will be coming home soon!

Our middle school students have the opportunity to take four different electives each year. These nine week courses change every quarter. Students sign up for classes based on their interests. 

ALL 6th and 7th grade students are REQUIRED to complete ONE PERFORMING ARTS (PA) and ONE FINE ARTS (FA) elective each year.  PLEASE NOTE:  Band and Chorus count as Performing Arts credits, so students in band and chorus may, but are not required to, choose a PA elective.

ALL 8th grade students are required to take one quarter of Keyboarding and one quarter of EITHER a PA or FA elective. 

Elective classes help our children become more well rounded. We offer a variety of courses every year! Here is a sample list of what students can enjoy: Physics in Flight, Handbells, Crafts, Fun with Cooking, Bucket Drumming, Keyboarding, Beekeeping, Card games, School Store, Volleyball, Improvisation, Yearbook, Anatomy, Sports Medicine and an Introduction to Doctoring, Zentangle, 3-D Art, Bioengineering Deoxyribonucleic Acid, Criminal Justice: A Case Study Including a Mock Trial, First Lego League/STEM Lab, Strategic Board Games, Gardening, Walking Outside, Architectural Modeling, American Sign Language, Engineering Design, and Photography. 

Please see our current policies HERE.

Safety Patrol is a service and leadership program sponsored by the AAA.  The purpose of the program is to allow 7th and 8th graders the opportunity to assist teachers with arrival and dismissal procedures. They are responsible for helping younger students when arriving in the mornings and when leaving in the afternoon.

Yes, all middle school students switch to different classrooms throughout the day.

Our middle schoolers have the opportunity to check their own grades on PlusPortals.  (It is a good habit to check grades on a weekly basis.) This online system displays scores on assignments. It also shows if anything is missing. Keeping up with the To Do List (click on the hamburger on the left side) in Google Classroom will help keep students organized. 

FAW Time is available once a week for students to complete make-up work and to take (or retake) tests. 

Progress Reports are generated mid-quarter and Report Cards are posted at the end of each quarter.  If students earn a D or F in a class at the mid-quarter point, the Progress Report will be printed and sent home. 

 If students need assistance, feel free to reach out to any teacher with questions or concerns. We are partners in your child’s education and want to work with you to help your student succeed! 

Teachers also support our students by attending a weekly Middle School Team meeting and referring them to a Student Assistance Team if needed. 

Yes, students have the opportunity to participate in the archdiocesan band program. Students are taught by a dedicated band teacher once a week during school and also participate in an after school session as well.  Chorus students practice weekly and participate in various events such as at Masses, during graduation, in town festivities, and more.

Yes, we have Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Relays and Volleyball available for our middle school students.

We are excited this year to offer robotics to all students in grades 5th through 8th grade.  They meet with the robotics instructors once a week or every other week to build a robot using a Lego EV3 robot.  They are then given a challenge to perform and use problem solving skills to determine the most effective way to complete the given task by programming the robot in the Mindstorms programming language to autonomously perform the task.

We also have a Destination Imagination (DI) program offered for various grade levels. In DI, students work creatively in teams to solve open ended STEAM challenges. They learn to think critically, speak publicly, and problem solve collaboratively. Teams compete regionally and if they place high enough, they will go on to the State competition or even the Global competition.

Please see the Personal Safety Education Grid Sheet for Middle School

Yes! Students have Google Classrooms that each have calendars to help them keep track of assignments. There is a special calendar that lists upcoming quizzes and tests for middle school. It can be found on the middle school page HERE.