Our Stories

Exploration, Creation, Investigation: Judaic Studies at MILTON

February 15, 2018 by Zahava Bensimon (Faculty and Staff)

Exploration, creation, and investigation are some of the values that guide our Judaic Studies program at MILTON. Second-grade students continue to bring depth and creativity to their exploration of the parashot (Torah Portions). Each week, one theme is highlighted and explored through the lens of art, music, Israeli culture, and personal meaning. As part of […]


Making Math Real

October 26, 2017 by Dafna Spear (Faculty and Staff)

This fall, all MILTON General Studies faculty members participated in professional development on experiential math education. The intensive 6-hours of learning were led by Jeff Heyck-Williams, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Two Rivers Public Charter School. The math instruction training focused on having students explore complex mathematical concepts and identify multiple methods for solving […]


Fifth Graders Discuss and Learn about Confederate Memorial

September 20, 2017 by Marissa Bullock (Faculty and Staff)

Near the New North Campus, on the edge of an old graveyard, stands a memorial to Confederate soldiers. After noticing the stone obelisk at the start of school, the fifth grade Stars & Stripes class wanted to learn more. During the first week of school, we used a Thinking Routines exercise called “See, Think, Wonder.” Students looked […]


Fourth Graders Learn About Asylum Seekers

February 2, 2017 by Vinny Prell (Faculty and Staff)

In the fall, as part of the exploration of communities and cultures around the world, the Fourth Graders began learning about people seeking political asylum. This unit of study provides our children with some insight into regimes and governments around the world. One of its goals is to create empathy for and an understanding of […]


Perspectives on Globalization: A Fourth Grade Election Project Update

October 20, 2016 by Janet Collier (Faculty and Staff)

As part of the school-wide Election Project, Fourth Graders are exploring one of the most challenging issues of our day, globalization. The topic was selected because it interconnects with the students’ year-long study of world geography and culture. Fourth Grade students have had the opportunity to engage with experts in the field who are highlighting […]


Exploring Public Land Use: A Third Grade Election Project Update

October 13, 2016 by Janet Collier (Faculty and Staff)

Third Graders are focusing on public lands as an important issue for the upcoming election. Their study includes defining what public lands are, exploring how they should be used, and determining whose role it is to take care of them. The topic of public land use dovetails with the Third Grade curriculum which includes learning […]


Starting the New Year Like an Aleph – Cultivating a Growth Mindset in 5777

October 5, 2016 by Arielle Derby (Faculty and Staff)

I have been spending time visiting classrooms, getting to know the students, and telling them a story about why Aleph is the first letter of the aleph-bet: the print Aleph (א) is the only letter that is “open” on all sides, with many access points. After the story, we talk about being open to new […]


Literacy for the 21st Century Student: Foundational Computer Languages and Programming in Middle School Curriculum

September 27, 2016 by Lisa Schopf (Faculty and Staff)

Computer literacy is becoming an expectation and a necessity, a critical skill for engaging with and contributing to the world in the 21st Century. In our middle school, all students will become more familiar and experienced with the foundations of computer programming through required and elective courses. Our courses in computer languages and programming will […]


Lifelong Learning at JPDS-NC

September 1, 2016 by Arielle Derby (Faculty and Staff)

Every August, I find myself counting the days until the start of the academic year when the building fills with the sound of children’s greetings, laughter, and excitement, and the school begins to hum with the energy and whirring minds of the teachers. As in years past, we began preparing for your children not by […]


In Case You Missed It: Habits of the (Sixth Grade) Mind

July 28, 2016 by Lisa Schopf (Faculty and Staff)

Earlier this month, NPR highlighted a segment about a new book about cultivating a growth mindset in children, Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children. On this same theme, last year Sixth Grade teacher Lisa Schopf invited her students to think about the habits of mind they have gained at JPDS-NC, and challenged them to write self-reflective […]