By Kandice Kimmel, Latin & History, 5-8th Grade

The eighth graders hosted the first grade class this morning in honor of Finn's birthday! They had an eighth grade buddy and played a Trivia Blooket, enjoyed a delicious treat, and participated in an ABC scavenger hunt. I don't know who had more fun, the eighth graders or first graders! As a teacher and mom, I felt like this was an amazing learning opportunity for BOTH classes! I was impressed with how the eighth graders put forth their best effort to make sure these first graders had a wonderful experience. Every student was learning or cultivating a new skill.
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By Kandice Kimmel, Latin & History, 5th-8th Grade

It is a rite of passage to go on the traditional sixth grade field trip to Mo Ranch in Hunt, Texas. Mo Ranch is an adventure-based, hands-on expereince where individuals come together to learn more about themselves, their classmates, and how to work together as a team to overcome challenges. Carefully constructed, the course is a collection of poles, cables, and ropes strung together into elements, individual activities that challenge individuals and groups in distinctive ways. The low elements course emphasizes teamwork as participants tackle a series of obstacles and situations that require the use of 21st century skills-problem solving, communication, leadership development, adaptability, initiative, social skills, and more.

Mrs. Denise and I took the sixth grade class to Mo Ranch recently and I was absolutely blown away by my students! They challenged themselves, encouraged their classmates, and had so much fun doing it. They staff was impressed with how effectively and kindly this group of students could communicate with one another. Most adults could not do what I saw these eleven and twelve year old children accomplish. We hiked in the mountains, zip lined, canoed, participated in high elements, team building exercises and made memories to last a lifetime!

The 6th & 7th grade math classes joined together for our annual Pi Day celebration. The number pi is approximated as 3.14 and is commemorated on March 14th. We measured the diameter and circumference of circular desserts to calculate pi for ourselves. A great time was had by all.

By Kandice Kimmel, History & Latin, 5th-8th Grade

My family and I have been a part of St. James Day School for eleven years. As the students get older I see enrollment decline in middle school as students leave to enter public school for many reasons; dance, band, basketball, drill team, football, baseball, trap, and socialization. My husband and I decided to keep our oldest children, Cooper and Olivia, at St. James Day School throughout middle school because it was the best and safest place for our adolescent twins to navigate so many different things all at once (hormones, executive functioning, relationships, learning differences) while being challenged academically.

 Were we worried about the social aspect? Absolutely! It was a small class and we had two of the students! We felt that our kids had enough socialization with the entire middle school student body and outside relationships (Boy Scouts, church, family, and friends) that it was more important for Cooper and Olivia to concentrate on their academics, continue to cultivate their love of learning, and the character development that is so intentional at SJDS. The twins graduated eighth grade from St. James Day School with five high school credits (Algebra I, Physical Science, Art I, Latin I &II). They actually skipped ninth grade because they were so ahead of the Arkansas public school system (it is a small school, we live in Prescott, AR and I know COVID played a part).

 When I had the chance to meet their high school teachers a few months ago they all had wonderful things to say about the twins and how impressed they were with their academic performance. The thing that made me proud and the biggest compliment I could receive as a parent was the fact that each teacher told me how kind and helpful my children were. Their teachers were blown away by the fact that my kids look them in the eye when talking to them, can speak effectively to a group, and even as the 'new' kids they have a leadership quality, manners, and problem solving skills. I am so happy we kept our oldest kids at SJDS and I plan for our youngest, Finn, to graduate from St. James because that is how much I believe in our school. The education, traditions, and culture that is unique to SJDS is invaluable. Our students go on to achieve success in the areas and fields that interest them the most, and I do not think that is coincidental. SJDS has found the formula to create successful, lifelong learners!

By Kandice Kimmel, Latin & History, 5th-8th

St. James Day School has always had a  reputation in our community of high academic success. But how? It really is a pretty simple formula. Relationships + learning style + fostering a passion of learning = successful, life long learners! 

Relationships are important between the teacher and each student, and also the parents and the teacher. At SJDS, it is a team effort to meet each child where they are and move them forward. Building trust and relationships with our students and families is an integral part of fostering success and creating lifelong learners. 

‘Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid’. -Albert Einstein. Everyone has a learning style that is unique, and at SJDS we value all learning types. Our project-based learning pedagogy emphasizes the concept of learning by doing. Students actively get involved in the learning activity, helping them enhance their skills and thinking capacity. Lessons are taught and projects assigned to engage visual and verbal/linguistic learners, but also spatial, social, logical, and kinesthetic/tactile learners. Two of my own three children are dyslexic, and they were screened at six years of age and have received (the youngest is still currently receiving) a structured, multisensory language therapy focused on phonics, decoding, spelling, and comprehension. The wonderful thing about SJDS is most of these multisensory techniques are already taking place in every classroom! The teachers know their students' learning styles, and teach them in the way they learn best as well as challenging them with new ways of learning.  

One of the things I hear about after our students graduate SJDS and move onto different high schools and colleges is they are lifelong learners. They simply love to learn, and want to keep learning as much as they can about the subjects that interest them. I have first hand experience with this as my oldest children are sophomores in high school right now. I watched them grow and thrive over the past ten years at SJDS, and all the wonderful teachers that poured into them the love for learning each and every year while teaching to their unique learning style. They continue to be excited to learn new things and seek out learning opportunities constantly.