Upper Middle School

Grades 8-9

Junior High: The Bridge to Excellence

Welcome to Pear Tree School’s Grade 8-9 Program – where academic rigor meets real-world application. We aren’t just another middle school; we are the preparatory stage for our elite High School program.

Nestled in the heart of Kitsilano, our Junior High experience is designed to bridge the gap between elementary support and university-prep independence. We ignite passion and inspire action, but more importantly, we instill the executive function and deep purpose students need to lead extraordinary futures.

The Specialist Advantage: Why Choose Pear Tree?

Imagine an education where you don’t just learn science, you learn from a Scientist. At Pear Tree, we reject the traditional middle school model where generalists teach multiple subjects. Instead, our Grade 8-9 students are taught by a dedicated Specialist Triad—Masters-level experts in STEM, Humanities, and Business/Design.

Through our pioneering Pear Tree Method, students rotate between specialists, gaining high-school level depth in every subject. This ensures they master the “Why” behind the curriculum while being specifically prepared for the “What’s Next” of our Grade 10-12 program.

Real-World Rigor & Resilience

Our mission is to craft a learning journey that balances intellectual challenge with emotional resilience. In Grade 8 and 9, the Pear Tree Method shifts gears: we move beyond exploration to application.

Through advanced project-based learning—from financial modeling to urban planning—we equip students with the essential skills to navigate the future. It isn’t just about excelling academically; it’s about developing the ethical leadership and problem-solving stamina required to thrive in the real world.

36 Metrics of Future Success

Beyond academic excellence, we track success through 36 specific Transformative Outcomes. Our students master the skills that set them apart in a competitive world: from complex critical analysis to digital fluency and ethical leadership. We don’t guess at growth; we ensure every Pear Tree student is prepared to lead and succeed in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Core Values: The Foundation of Leadership

Integrity, Innovation, Compassion, and Excellence are the cornerstones of Pear Tree School. These values illuminate our path, but in Junior High, they become the grading rubric for our community. They guide every debate, project, and community engagement, shaping students into conscientious, global citizens ready for the world stage.

Program Overview: Mastering the Foundations

From Generalist to Specialist At Pear Tree School, Grade 8 and 9 mark a critical pivot point in a student’s education. We move beyond the traditional generalist classroom model to a Rotational Specialist Model. Students engage daily with Masters-level experts in STEM, Humanities, and Business/Design, fostering the independence and intellectual depth required for university-level thinking.

Applied Academics & Real-World Rigor Through our advanced theme-based learning, students don’t just study subjects—they apply them to complex realities. They don’t just “do math”; they use financial modeling to understand global commodities. They don’t just “do science”; they conduct lab-based inquiry into bioethics and physics. This interdisciplinary approach ensures students understand the application of knowledge, not just the theory.

Executive Function & Leadership Adolescence is the training ground for adulthood. Our program places a heavy emphasis on building Executive Function—time management, organization, and self-advocacy. Students learn to navigate teamwork not just as peers, but as colleagues on pre-professional projects, developing the resilience and initiative that define future leaders.

The Pathway to High School This program is the dedicated “training camp” for our elite Grade 10-12 experience. By combining small class sizes with expert mentorship, we ensure every student is equipped with the confidence, skills, and academic stamina to thrive in our senior years and beyond.

Experiential Education: Learning in the Field

Our students don’t just study the world; they engage with it. We extend the classroom boundaries to ensure learning is tangible, high-stakes, and impactful.

Curriculum-Integrated Expeditions: Our travel is never just tourism. From environmental stewardship in the Canadian wilderness to international cultural studies, every trip is a rigorous extension of the classroom designed to build resilience, independence, and global perspective.
Pre-Professional Project Work: Students move beyond standard assignments to tackle complex, real-world challenges. Using design thinking and industry-standard tools, they prototype solutions that demonstrate ingenuity and executive function, preparing them for the demands of the modern workforce.
Civic Leadership & Impact: We don’t just “do service”; we cultivate active citizenship. Students collaborate with local organizations to solve actual community problems, learning that their education gives them the power—and responsibility—to effect change.

Curriculum Overview: The Interdisciplinary Advantage

Rigorous Integration, Not Just “Themes” At Pear Tree, we don’t teach subjects in silos. In the real world, a scientist must be able to write; an entrepreneur must understand data; a historian must grasp economics. Our Grade 8-9 curriculum reflects this complexity.

Over a two-year cycle, students engage with 16 advanced themes. Each theme is co-delivered by our Specialist Triad, ensuring that the math component is taught by a mathematician and the writing component by a humanities expert, yet both serve a unified project.

Core Competencies & Application

📖 Advanced Literacy & Rhetoric: Moving beyond reading comprehension to complex analysis, persuasive writing, and public debate.
🔢 Applied Mathematics: Students stop asking “When will I use this?” by applying algebra, statistics, and geometry to financial modeling, engineering, and data science.
🌍 Integrated Sciences & Humanities: We fuse lab-based inquiry (Physics, Biology, Chemistry) with social context (History, Ethics, Geography) to solve multi-dimensional problems.
🎨 Innovation & Design Technology: Students use industry-standard tools to prototype solutions, blending creativity with engineering constraints.
🏃‍♂️ Athletic Conditioning & Wellness: A daily commitment to physical health that builds the stamina and focus required for academic success.

Term 1 Themes (Year 1 of 2)

Cities Under Stress

The Body Electric

Entrepreneurs

Sample Grade 8-9 Schedule

A soft start eases students into the school day, reducing stress and fostering a calm, focused environment for learning.

A 1-hour P.E. session with our own P.E. teacher at Connaught Park.

These guitar classes are led by our dedicated music teacher.

All students take part in our Healthy Hot Lunch Program. Our menu for this month is, as follows:

Monday: Creamy potato and veggies soup with bacon and cheese
Tuesday: Chickpea and spinach soup with bread
Wednesday: Salmon curry pasta
Thursday: Jambalaya with rice
Friday: Dan Dan noodles

Students take a 45-minute break at Connaught Park, rain or shine.

There, they have access to the playground, as well as the sport fields.

There is a 10-minute walk there and back, which the students do every day.

Beyond Academics

Daily Physical Education

Grade 8-9 students at Pear Tree move and play every day in our daily one-hour P.E. program, setting the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle.

Developmentally-Appropriate Activities: Students build essential gross motor skills (jumping, running, balancing) through activities like gymnastics, obstacle courses, and ball games.
Fun, Confidence, and Teamwork: Through structured games and play-based exercises, children develop self-confidence, coordination, and cooperation.
Multi-Sport Exposure: Students get an introduction to parkour, ice skating, and other physical activities, helping them discover what they love.
Whole-Child Benefits: P.E. is about more than movement—it improves focus, behavior, and self-regulation in the classroom, too!

Hot Lunch Program

At Pear Tree School, our Grade 8-9 students benefit from our Healthy Hot Lunch Program, ensuring they get the nutrition they need to focus, play, and grow.

Kid-Friendly, Nutrient-Rich Meals: Our lunches are thoughtfully crafted with balanced, seasonal, and local ingredients, designed in collaboration with a holistic nutritionist and prepared by our in-house Red Seal chef.
Introducing Healthy Eating Habits: We encourage Grade 8-9 students to try new foods and learn the importance of a balanced diet, making mealtime a learning experience.
Catering to Dietary Needs: Whether your child requires gluten-free, vegetarian, or other special accommodations, our program ensures allergies and dietary preferences are met safely.
Connection to Learning: Food is integrated into theme-based learning, where students explore cooking, nutrition, and food science in ways that make sense for their age.

Co-Curriculars (optional)

For our grade 8-9 learners, after-school programs aren’t just extra—they’re essential to exploring interests and developing new skills!

Designed for Early Learners: Co-curriculars introduce creativity, movement, and problem-solving through activities like storytelling, music, art, building, and STEM games.
Social-Emotional Learning: Activities are designed to boost confidence, patience, and teamwork, helping students make friends and feel part of a community.
Rotating Options: Choices change each term, but may include cross country, art, performing arts, coding, chess, robotics, basketball, and martial arts.
Exploration without Pressure: Grade 8-9 co-curriculars are about having fun, trying new things, and growing in a supportive space.

Before & After School Care

Pear Tree School offers a supervised, fee-based Before and After School Care Program to support parents with busy schedules. This program is available to all students, with flexible registration options for any combination of days.

Before School Care

🕢 7:30 – 8:00 am | $10 per day

A calm, supervised environment to ease into the school day.

After School Care

🕞 3:30 – 5:00 pm | $25 per day

What Parents Say About Us

“Pear Tree School is a forefront leader in childhood education.”

Vanja

“Pear Tree School provides an environment where children are welcomed and supported.”

Katherine

“Pear Tree School is what 21st century education should be.”

Ivy

“Pear Tree School fosters children's love for learning and helps them grow as confident, responsible and kind people.”

Irina

“Pear Tree students are learning to think deeply and critically about the big issues of our day.”

Kate

“Pear Tree's project-based learning approach is practical and impactful.”

Zahra

Experience the Pear Tree School Difference

Eager to see what sets Pear Tree School apart?

Dive deeper into our world. Schedule a visit to witness how we’re transforming education and nurturing tomorrow’s leaders.

At Pear Tree School, we’re not just preparing students for the next test – we’re preparing them for life. Be part of this thrilling educational journey.

SCHEDULE A TOUR