Middle School at Forest Ridge

Middle school is about far more than academic growth. It is a time when students are discovering who they are, building confidence, navigating increasingly complex relationships, and developing the independence to advocate for themselves and others. At Forest Ridge, Advisory is intentionally designed to support students through every stage of that journey.

Meeting twice each week, Advisory provides every student with a trusted adult who knows her well and a small community where she is seen, heard, and encouraged to grow. Guided by our Sacred Heart mission and strengthened through our partnership with Responsive Classroom and the Fly Five social-emotional learning curriculum, Advisory intentionally develops the skills students need to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.

Through reflection, goal setting, collaborative challenges, and meaningful conversation, students learn to build healthy relationships, communicate with empathy, resolve conflict, make thoughtful decisions, and lead with confidence and compassion. As students mature, Advisory evolves alongside them—supporting the transition into middle school, cultivating resilience through challenge, strengthening leadership, and preparing students for the increased independence of Upper School.

Just as importantly, Advisory ensures that every student is truly known. Advisors partner closely with students and families, celebrating successes, providing guidance through challenges, and helping each girl recognize her strengths while setting meaningful goals for continued growth.

The Forest Ridge Middle School Advisory Program supports the school community in living out the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria. Advisory meets twice a week to provide a structured opportunity to develop social, academic, and leadership skills for students in middle school. Through a variety of activities, grade-level teams of adults empower students to create solutions to problems, to develop responsibility for their learning, to communicate openly, to serve others, and to better understand what it means to be part of a Sacred Heart community through open discussion of our school values and goals. Advisory provides students the opportunity to learn to work and play together, to talk and listen together, and to learn to be self-directed. Advisory is one of many ways that the faculty at Forest Ridge come to know the unique and special gifts each child contributes to the class and school environment.

At the fifth and sixth-grade levels, the homeroom teacher is the academic "advisor” to the students assigned to her/his homeroom. In the seventh and eighth grades, a student's advisor serves as her academic advisor and leads her advisory group of ten to fifteen students. The advisor helps promote a sense of community and trust among students in his or her advisory group or homeroom, members of the class, and the entire middle school. The advisor takes an active interest in the student's academic and social-emotional experience, tracking ongoing progress through the year. When appropriate, an advisor may contact parents with progress updates or concerns. The starting point for parent-student-teacher conferences in October is with the student's advisor, and parents are encouraged to get to know their daughter’s advisor early in the school year.

One of the essential goals of a Sacred Heart education is to graduate young women who are "educated to a social awareness which impels to action." At Forest Ridge, service learning is woven throughout the student experience, connecting classroom learning with meaningful engagement in the community. Through direct service, advocacy, experiential learning, and intentional reflection, students develop empathy, build authentic relationships, and discover how their knowledge, talents, and leadership can contribute to the common good.

From fifth grade through graduation, service learning is intentionally sequenced to grow alongside students' academic, social, and personal development. As students mature, they move from understanding the needs of their local communities to examining complex social and global issues, engaging with community partners, and recognizing their own capacity to create meaningful and lasting change. Along the way, they develop the habits of compassionate leadership, thoughtful advocacy, and responsible citizenship that prepare them to lead lives of purpose and service.

Field studies are a hallmark of the Forest Ridge Middle School experience, transforming the Pacific Northwest into an extension of the classroom. Purposefully designed to complement each year's curriculum and developmental goals, these multi-day experiences immerse students in authentic scientific inquiry, environmental stewardship, and collaborative problem-solving while fostering confidence, resilience, and independence.

5th Grade - Islandwood -

6th Grade - Camp Coleman  

7th Grade - Naturebridge 

8th Grade - Camp Gallagher - Environmental Stewardship 

Each field study builds on the one before it. As students progress through Middle School, they move from exploring local ecosystems to conducting field research, investigating Earth systems, and examining the interconnected relationships between people and the environment. Along the way, they strengthen leadership, deepen friendships, and discover that some of the most meaningful learning happens beyond the classroom.

By the time students enter Upper School, they have not only developed a deeper understanding of the natural world but also the curiosity, confidence, and sense of responsibility to make a meaningful difference in the communities they serve.

Spring Immersives are a one-week course during which students take one integrated, academic class which covers topics not traditionally explored in the middle school curriculum. Immersive courses include experiential learning opportunities such as week-long immersion trips, field trips, service-learning experiences, and labs.