Welcome to Winter Term at MICDS

Yes, Winter Term is required for each student and attendance is mandatory. In the Upper School, participation in Winter Term all four years is a requirement for graduation. Vacations are not considered an excused absence from Winter Term.

If a student misses more than one day of Winter Term, the Winter Term committee will review the feasibility of a student receiving credit for the course and whether a student must enroll in the June make-up Winter Term course option.

If a student is going through a medical emergency or family emergency, the family can send an email of appeal to withdraw from Winter Term to the Winter Term Committee with specific details about their emergent situation and their request about participation. The committee may request additional documentation. Once appropriate documentation and details are shared, the committee will outline an appropriate course of action related to that student’s Winter Term Participation/Credit moving into the following school year. Possible remedies include participation in a summer course.

Students will be expected to complete coursework on a pass/fail basis. Transcripts will include “Winter Term” and denote whether the student passed or failed the session. 

Winter Term is primarily academic, offering a deep-dive into a « pure learning » environment with classes in the morning and afternoon.

A typical Winter Term course can cover classic topic that includes the common elements of an academic course (teacher-curated content, essays, tests, presentations, teacher-designed projects, etc.) while offering an opportunity to stretch into something that provides more space for students to develop the content and topics and drive the direction the course might take. The courses are driven by student-centered activities and active learning. Courses include peer and self-assessment/reflection of competencies and skills found in an open exploration of a topic, theme, or question.

To help break up the day, there are supplemental activities designed to encourage students to have fun with their classmates and perhaps explore a new hobby or skill.

While shifting two weeks from our typical courses does reduce contact time in those classes, Auxiliary classes offer additional time in those courses across the year. Additionally, Winter Term is an opportunity for students to do something different and find new areas of interest. We are always thinking about the best ways to engage, challenge, and support students and are ever mindful of the opportunity cost of all of our programs.

Each Winter Term course is 150 minutes long for either eight or nine meeting periods (it depends on the year and how the calendar falls). Courses are designed to adhere to the mission and values of the Winter Term program. They are student-centered and very hands-on and activity-driven, leveraging student voice and choice. The time allotted to each course is filled with content that engages students and provides opportunities to improve the skills that each course selects. Each day will include an activity period that is student-planned during the lunch block to allow for breaks.

There is no homework for Lower and Middle School Winter Term courses. For Upper School students, there is minimal homework. Any assignments are issued to advance or prepare for upcoming work or conversations in class. Homework is confined to watching a documentary or movie excerpt, reading relevant material that previews the next day’s work, or listening to a podcast, and won’t exceed 30 minutes. Homework won’t be writing a paper or creating a podcast or movie; those tasks are included within the class structure.

Middle and Upper School students are surveyed in advance of Winter Term and are able to rank select their courses of interest. We aim to give each student their highest choice possible while also maintaining balance in the student body. Students who enroll late will be placed in a Winter Term course with availability. All Winter Term course placements are final. Students are now allowed to repeat Winter Term courses and may also be restricted from participating in two courses that are similar in nature during the same term (for example, two cooking classes).

The Winter Term courses are designed for students through 11th grade, while the Senior Experience is designed for 12th grade in anticipation of their matriculation to college. Seniors make connections and dive deeper into their personal areas of interest by volunteering or exploring future career interests through internships. Seniors may also apply to participate in a domestic or international travel program.

We are hoping to support enthusiastic engagement in school despite the dreariness of January.  In May, there are already many events and programming that we don’t want to undermine or compete with. Additionally, we want to include our seniors, whose class time typically concludes in early May.

This timing creates two semesters of equal length to support depth of study in our credited classes and a change of pace in the winter.

Lower School follows the regular school day schedule. Some grades may attend special events, classes, and/or assemblies based on the programming for those grades, but the overall daily schedule will remain with normal school hours.

The Middle School follows the traditional class day and contains two courses and an elective.

Grades 9-11 follow the traditional class day and includes two courses, time in advisory, and an activity that could be student-planned and by advisory, class, or with all students on campus.

Twelfth-grade students are expected to participate in full-day activities of their choosing (approved by MICDS) in the Senior Experience.

With the exception of trips, all Winter Term activities happen during the school day and should not interfere with sports schedules.