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Middle School

Middle School Division

5th - 8th Grades

Middle School at LCCDS consists of 5th through 8th grades. LCCDS offers a challenging curriculum encouraging our students to become lifelong learners. Our Middle School curriculum is designed to meet the individual levels of each student while developing confident, lifelong learners.         

LCCDS encourages students to become creative, knowledgeable, and responsible digital citizens. In the Middle School, students utilize Chromebooks, Google Classroom, and FACTS to communicate and collaborate with teachers and other students. A variety of online resources are also available to support study skills, research, and enrichment.
 

 

Middle School Academics 

In Language Arts LCCDS offers a balanced literacy program with equal emphasis on reading and writing. The goal of our Language Arts program is to develop lifelong readers and writers. Through the study of quality literature in a variety of genres, students gain a deepening understanding of the reading and writing process. Students express their ideas through journals, writing assignments, projects, collaborations, and discussions. As they move through the middle school years, there is an increasing emphasis on the advanced skills of synthesis and analytical thinking.  As part of our balanced literacy program in middle school, the Language Lab allows students to continue the development of their grammar, vocabulary, and oral communication skills. Upper middle school offers an honors-level class in addition to the traditional Language Arts class. LCCDS honors classes are demanding and designed to promote higher levels of thinking and understanding.


In Mathematics, the foundation students have received in elementary school has prepared the students for the rigor of the 5th and 6th grade curriculum.  The emphasis of this program is conceptual understanding, application, and procedural fluency. The fifth and sixth grade curriculum prepares students for the transition into algebraic concepts in 7th grade and 8th grade.  Algebra 1 Honors is offered in 8th grade to students who exhibit mastery of foundational math concepts. LCCDS honors classes are demanding and designed to promote higher levels of thinking and understanding.


The Science curriculum integrates Earth/Space Science, Life Science, and Physical Science each year in middle school.  The goal of our curriculum is to develop students’ inquiring minds and encourage curiosity about science and the natural world. Students develop the skills of scientific inquiry through experiments and investigations. They are encouraged to think analytically, critically, and creatively, acquiring knowledge and conceptual understanding to solve problems and draw conclusions.
 

In Middle School Social Studies, fifth grade studies 20th Century History, followed by World Civilizations I in 6th grade and World Civilizations II in 7th grade.  American History and Civics are taught in 8th grade. Through this curriculum, our middle school students learn to make connections between the past and the present while also learning to integrate ideas, develop social understanding, and think critically. The curriculum centers around building enduring understandings, essential questions, and social responsibility through both traditional assessments and project-based learning.


In Middle School, 5th and 6th-grade Spanish prepares students to transition into immersion Spanish. By the time students reach Upper Middle School, Spanish is taught as a fully immersive class. Students build skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in addition to studying different Hispanic cultures. They learn through active engagement, songs, novels, and cultural projects. Spanish 1 is taught over the 7th and 8th grade years. At the end of 8th grade, students have completed the Spanish 1 requirement for high school and are awarded Spanish 1 High School Credit on their LCCDS transcripts.


Our core academic curriculum, enhanced with the following classes, ensures a well-rounded educational experience for our students.

The study of Art, as well as Art History, allows for freedom of expression through a variety of media that promote imagination, creativity, critical thinking, self-expression, and self-discipline. Students attend Art class once a week.

At LCCDS, believing healthy exercise is critical to the overall development of a child, students in the middle school have PE two to three days a week. Basic physical fitness skills and activities are planned to match the developmental level of the students. Good sportsmanship and learning to be a team player are integral to our PE program.

Our music curriculum is a creative active learning experience that all grades participate in. The study of music enhances reasoning, creativity, cooperation, and imagination. In the middle school students participate in a variety of musical experiences including voice and musical instruments. Students in the middle school attend music weekly.

LCCDS is a ministry of Lutheran Church of the Cross. Preschool through adolescent years, is crucial for children to internalize their Christian faith, values, and ethics, which provide a moral foundation for life and develop their God-given potential.  Christian values are reinforced through our weekly Chapel Services led by the Pastors and Youth Director of Lutheran Church of the Cross.

The High School Placement
LCCDS assists students and their families through the high school placement process, whether it be a public or private school.  LCCDS offers curriculum which meets the requirements for entry into the Pinellas County Schools, including Magnet High School programs, and competitive private high schools.
 

“Here at LCCDS, we have high academic expectations of our students. We recognize the developmental level of each student and encourage and challenge each student to work up to their potential.”
November 2025
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