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Learning in the Middle School

Character, Curiosity, Community

When adolescent minds are introduced to a broad range of subjects and electives, they have more opportunities to explore their interests during these formative years, and in the years to come.

Reinforcing Character

Our Middle School (Grades 6-8) places a strong emphasis on the development of each child's character, leaning into how each student can live out the TAS values of honesty, respect, responsibility, kindness, and courage each day. Both in and out of the classroom, our Middle School program is designed around the natural enthusiasm and curiosity of our students, and it seeks to support them during this crucial stage of their personal and academic development.

Middle School Curriculum

Encouraging Curiosity

Our Middle School students follow an American curriculum, developed to help students be academically successful, and to become more independent, adaptable, and resilient, both as learners and as people.

In addition to traditional tests and quizzes, Middle School teachers create opportunities for children to demonstrate their knowledge, build communication skills, and see connections through hands-on activities, simulations, and projects. All students take the Comprehensive Testing Program in Grade 8, and our students regularly perform as well as or better than students at independent schools in the United States.

Explore our Middle School curriculum below, and see just how our students develop their confidence and discover their interests.

Explore our Middle School Curriculum

Eye-opening and inspiring classes

Homeroom and Beyond

The daily homeroom structure at TAS is where we provide a welcoming and safe environment, where students build strong and caring relationships with their homeroom teachers and each other. In Middle School, homerooms are the bedrock of the intentional well-being modeling and intentional wellness lessons, where students gain the confidence to share their thoughts and opinions and ask questions knowing their input is valued. Another staple program of the Middle School is Middle School Camp, when Grade 6-8 students go on a four-day extended field trip, outside of Taipei, for experiential learning and bonding with their classmates.

Our goal is for students to have a fundamental belief in their ability to learn and grow socially, emotionally, and academically. Part of the fun of Middle School is being able to explore new things, make mistakes, and try again!

Dr. Lori Richardson Garcia

Middle School Associate Principal

Middle School Camp

Each September, all Middle School faculty and students attend Middle School Camp, taking four days away from Taipei for experiential learning that includes implicit and explicit character education. It gives students and faculty endless opportunities to put the TAS values into action, and to have fun at the same time! Camp helps all of our Middle School students gain independence and awareness of their new skills and abilities, while fostering the social skills necessary for cooperative work, travel, and life in a group. Students learn to make informed choices and take responsibility for their own learning in a unique outdoor environment.

Extended Homeroom

In Extended Homeroom classes each month, students tackle different and important topics as a group, both by reading and learning about them, and by discussing how each idea comes to life in the Middle School. Previous topics have included the power of language, ideas like honesty and fairness, prudence and perspective, humor and leadership, and other DEIJ topics.

DEIJ Lessons

In line with TAS's mission, values, learning outcomes and beliefs, we remain committed to ensuring a diverse, equitable, inclusive and just learning environments for all Tigers on our campus. This includes homeroom work with students in the middle school! TAS uses the Learning for Justice standards and CASEL framework to ground our lessons with students, which have included exploration of identity layers, identity journey maps, explorations of justice and injustice in their lives, work to enable them to better connect with others across differences, gender identity work, unpacking of privilege and empathy, and so much more!

Community Support

The transition to Middle School is full of opportunities for personal and academic development, and our Middle School community nurtures our students each step of the way. Whether this means helping children develop healthy study habits, or teaching them to navigate different friendships, our homeroom and grade-level teachers work with our counselors to ensure that our students make a successful transition into this stage of their life. This close-knit community of learners tackles key academic and developmental goals during this three-year chapter of each student's learning journey.

Putting the Home in Homeroom

Our homeroom structure provides students with the daily opportunity to engage in important learning and discussion across a variety of topics, designed to develop their character in a supportive environment.

There's A Club for that!

Working in tandem with the academic program, we offer Middle School students many ways to discover their interests while building confidence. From a variety of sports and student clubs to MUN (Model United Nations), debate, and a variety of after-school activities, there is something for everyone in our Middle School!

A World of Choice

Our students have the voice, choice, and agency to discover what inspires and motivates them. With dozens of activities and clubs to choose from, students learn in new ways, make new friends, and nurture their passions alongside their academic development.

Learn more about after-school activities and clubs.

Learning and Language Support

We offer support services for all students. Our English as an Additional Language program is available for Grades K-8. We also offer academic support in Grades K-12, and speech/language support in Grades KA-12. Each program serves students with mild learning differences, with the goal of enabling every child in the program to thrive at TAS.

Language Learning

Supporting Multilingual Learners

Learning Support

Services Offered at TAS

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Meet the Middle School Admin Team

Josh Budde

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Josh Budde

Middle School Principal
Josh Budde spent 30 years teaching in the United States prior to coming to TAS. Most recently, he was the Head of the Boys Middle School for 12 years at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Along with his other responsibilities, Josh also teaches middle school math at TAS. He earned his bachelor's degree from Davidson College and his Master of Education from Pepperdine University. Josh's wife Becca is a Middle School counselor, and they have three children in the Middle and Upper Schools.

Karisti Cormier

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Karisti Cormier

Middle School Associate Principal
Karisti has a rich background in education, spanning 28 years across five schools and four countries. Most recently, she served as the MS Principal at the Anglo-American School of Moscow (AAS) and taught Grade 8 English at The American School in London. With 24 years in middle level education, Karisti brings a wealth of experience to TAS Middle School. She holds a B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa, an M.A. from the University of Iowa, and a Post-Master’s Certification in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and exploring her new home city in Taiwan.

Dr. Lori Richardson Garcia

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Dr. Lori Richardson Garcia

Middle School Associate Principal

Dr. Lori Richardson Garcia served TAS for 12 years as a Middle School Counselor before moving into the role of Middle School Associate Principal. In addition to her counseling role, at TAS Lori has served as MS Student Support Services Department Chair and MS Counseling Team Leader while also supporting community well-being on several iterations of the school-wide Wellness Task Force, MS DEIJ team, and MS Rock Climbing Club. Prior to TAS, Lori worked in middle and high schools in Virginia and North Carolina, USA. Lori graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Psychology and earned her M.Ed. in School Counseling from the University of Virginia. She earned her Ed. D in Educational Leadership from East Carolina University in 2019. Lori and her husband have two young children.

Discover More

Explore more of the people, places, and programs, that nurture our vibrant Tiger community.

Learning in the Middle School

Character, Curiosity, Community

Reinforcing Character

The Middle is the Best Part

Encouraging Curiosity

Putting the Home in Homeroom

There's A Club for that!

A World of Choice

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Meet the Middle School Admin Team