Middle School Showcase Night
Students about to enter middle school in Federal Way have a larger-than-ever array of specialized academic programs available.
Middle school students are growing more aware of their world and their place in it. It’s an ideal time to introduce new ideas and skills, and to provide them the opportunity to explore subjects that interest them.
For many students, the variety of subjects and activities at their neighborhood middle school give them all the opportunities they need. For other students and their parents, however, a program outside their neighborhood may better match their interests and needs.
Information about the Choice Enrollment program that takes place during the month of February will also be shared at the Middle School Showcase. Choice Enrollment allows students, or their parents acting on their behalf, to apply to attend a school other than their ‘home’ school.
What kinds of options are available?
In Federal Way, there is a wide range of choices for students in the middle years. There are seven traditional 6-8th grade schools, all of which offer challenging academic classes among their offerings:
- Lakota and Sacajawea Middle Schools offer the Cambridge Checkpoint Preparatory Academy, a rigorous academics program. Checkpoint offers a rigorous and relevant curriculum, and develops skills for success in any advanced program, but leads directly into Cambridge Preparatory Academy at Federal Way High School and an Advanced International Certificate of Education through Cambridge University.
- Kilo and Totem Middle Schools offer International Baccalaureate Middle Years classes. Completion of the IB Middle Years Program will prepare students for any advanced program, but leads directly into the International Baccalaureate program offered at Thomas Jefferson.
- Saghalie, Illahee, and Sequoyah Middle Schools offer College Board/Spring Board Pre-Advanced Placement classes. Completion of the Springboard/PreAP curriculum will prepare students for any advanced program, but leads directly into the AP programs offered at Decatur and Todd Beamer high Schools.
- Saghalie Middle School also offers Gateway to Technology classes, which teach students math and science through hands-on use of technology. In the fall of 2011-2012, the GTT program is being expanded, and the school will begin the transition to a Math and Science Academy. This academy is aligned with the Project Lead the Way engineering program at Decatur High School.
(Read more about these programs at http://www.fwps.org/info/advanced/)
Two small schools in the district are available to middle school aged students.
- Federal Way Public Academy is an academics-focused program for students in grades 6-10. FWPA has some of the highest MSP/HSPE test scores in the state.
- Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Academy opened on the campus of Totem Middle School in 2008 and provides an innovative Science, Technology, Engineering and Math based curriculum.
Finally, the district has two Kindergarten-8th grade schools, Nautilus K-8 and Woodmont K-8. These schools offer parents the opportunity to keep their students in a smaller school setting in sync with their Kindergarten through 5th grade experience.