MIDDLE school

Grade 5 – Grade 8

Ms. Jennifer Bertram

AIS Middle School Principal

“Welcome to the Middle School at American International School. One of the main goals of middle school education is to create a personalized, compassionate, and community-oriented environment characterized by deeply engaged learning for all members.”

The middle years at AIS mark a critical and exciting transition from childhood to young adulthood. Our Middle School curriculum follows rigorous American-based standards, primarily adopted from the Common Core State Standards. In Grades 5–8, we help students successfully navigate this transition by providing an educational program that holistically supports both academic success and positive personal growth. Our nurturing environment, founded on strong relationships and a sense of belonging, is driven by our Core Values of Justice, Knowledge, and Love.

AIS students are eager to learn, explore new ideas, and express their opinions as they develop independence and confidence. Our dedicated and talented faculty understands the importance of providing multiple pathways for success, building on students’ interests, and maintaining engaging learning experiences. Teachers encourage students’ enthusiasm and natural curiosity while providing necessary guidance and structure. The Middle School faculty recognizes that learning is greatly enhanced through inquiry, exploration, sharing, and reflection.

At AIS, learning extends beyond the classroom. Our students are encouraged to become fully involved in the AIS community through active participation in our many extracurricular activities, including after-school programs and athletics. We strive to help our students become well-rounded individuals who are effective communicators, empowered thinkers, and global citizens.

Please review the information available on our website. We welcome you to contact us if you have any questions or wish to visit the school.

ais middle school program

Curriculum Overview

The Middle School program is grounded in providing our students with a well-rounded education that balances high academic achievement with social and emotional growth. The framework for teaching and learning builds from a commitment to our students becoming confident, engaged, and caring global citizens. A set of challenging curriculum standards taken from the United States is used to develop learning units and ensure a comprehensive program. As an independent international school, we are able to take proven standards and teaching practices to provide a dynamic and balanced international education.

At AIS, we continuously strive to move instruction beyond traditional texts by embracing cross-curricular projects, collaboration, inquiry and the integration of technology into all areas of the curriculum. Our classrooms reflect a dynamic and active approach to teaching and learning with extensive IT support to enhance our 1:1 Bring Your Own Apply Device Program.

Specialist teachers in Visual Arts, Music, Performance, and Engineering, Design and Innovation provide students with further opportunities to extend their learning, assisting us in the pursuit of nurturing well-rounded and empowered students. The expertise of our designated Middle School Counselor also enriches the program through the development of our socio-emotional learning curriculum and support of student-life initiatives.

At times, our learning extends beyond campus with various field study trips that allow students to make real-world connections to their learning and connect to our Hong Kong community. In addition to field study, all Middle School students are required to participate in our Outdoor Education and Leadership Program (OELP) which involves an adventure week off campus.

In support of social, personal, and applied learning, our students often engage in project-based learning activities. One annual highlight is our Intensives Project Period, which provides opportunities to work on a flexible schedule in order to deeply dive into learning. During these times, the Middle School follows a modified schedule and spends extended, uninterrupted periods on project‑based learning led by teacher teams.Mixed-age collaboration and cross-curricular investigation allow for the application of various skills and culminate in high-quality exhibitions of learning.

AIS middle school curriculum handbook

Core Academic Subjects (Full Year)	Specialist Academic Subjects (Half Year)	Flex Time / Homeroom (includes Advisory)
Humanities (English Language Arts/Social Studies), Mathematics, Science, Mandarin, Physical Education & Health	Art, Music, Performance, Engineering-Design-Innovation (EDI)	Lessons in support of our AIS core values, team building, and community assemblies
What it Looks Like
Inquiry-based, balance between collaborative projects and individual practice	Students creating, trying out new ideas, working through problems, interdisciplinary	Students build close connections and learn important social and study skills, as well as digital safety and career exploration
Special Notes
Literacy skills are reinforced across the curriculum. On occasion, projects are cross disciplinary	Students get two at a time for half a year; progression of skills over the years	The Homeroom teacher helps create a school-home connection with parents/guardians