What Does Student Success Look Like in Peck’s Upper School Years?

Students begin Peck’s Upper School as children and graduate as confident young teens who understand themselves, work toward goals with purpose, and value community. How does such a transformation occur? At Peck, it’s a team effort of support guiding each student toward their success. 

Student success during the Upper School years at Peck is layered and individual. Academic growth remains foundational, while habits, relationships, extracurricular interests, and durable skills also play significant roles in each student’s development.

Parents transform alongside their children. As children grow up, parents shift from managing each detail to coaching through questions, encouragement, and expecting appropriate accountability. Knowing when to step in, when to step back, and how to support your child’s growing independence can feel like pioneering unfamiliar territory.

To support Upper School families, I host Student Success Workshops for parents of students in Grades 5–7. The workshops provide parents with timely, developmentally appropriate guidance throughout the Upper School years. My inspiration for developing the workshops draws from over a decade working with Peck families, and my desire to help parents feel confident by normalizing their experience, sharing tools, and discussing topics when they matter most.

The workshops focus on helping students develop, one stage at a time, the skills and self-knowledge that will serve them throughout Peck’s Upper School and even after graduation as they continue to mature.

A Progression Through Each Stage of Upper School

• Beginning in fifth grade, workshops focus on the foundations of independence. Topics include how parents can help children develop productive habits, communicate with teachers, manage challenges, and take responsibility for their learning.

• In sixth grade, the conversation expands to include collaboration, time and attention management, digital boundaries, and extracurricular interests. Parents consider how to recognize the activities that genuinely engage their children and when deeper involvement in one or two areas may be more meaningful than a crowded schedule.

• By seventh grade, families look ahead with intention and perspective.  This workshop focuses on helping students become comfortable expanding their networks, articulating their interests, and considering the academic programs, activities, and communities in which they might thrive after Peck.

• The developmental foundations ladder up to Peck’s individualized secondary school guidance experience that begins mid-seventh grade. I guide each student and family in identifying schools aligned with the student’s strengths, interests, goals, and values. Through Peck’s Secondary School Guidance program, students develop life skills as they explore schools, prepare for interviews and assessments, write applications, and learn to make best decisions with confidence and authenticity.

The Student Success Workshops help parents guide their children as they reflect upon: What can I begin to manage for myself? What matters to me? How do I contribute to the community? What support do I need? 

Strengthening the Partnership Between Home and Peck

Each workshop offers parents context, active opportunities to reflect on their child’s experience, and practical strategies to apply at home. My goal is for parents to leave understanding of what matters at their child’s particular stage of development and with actionable tools.  By sharing the relevant information at the appropriate time, Peck helps parents support their children with confidence and perspective.

The transformation of each student’s success in Peck’s Upper School is actually a steady experience of becoming self-aware, purposeful, and prepared to take ownership of their continuing educational journey.

Discover how Peck helps middle school students grow into confident, capable, and self-aware learners. Schedule a visit to learn more about our Upper School program and the partnership we build with families throughout these important years.