Advisory groups meet every morning for the Circle of Power and Respect (CPR). In CPR, students build social skills, get to know each other better, and work together while discussing subjects that are important to them and playing games. It also allows students to do what they most want and need to do: connect with their peers. Prepared activities during CPR focus on empathy, impulse control, building community and problem solving. From daily morning meeting to the language teachers use with their students, what’s best for students is at the heart of each student-teacher interaction at Shorecrest.

The advisory extends beyond daily morning meetings; advisories meet again for a Study Hall period twice each week when students can work on homework and classwork, ask teachers questions about assignments, and Advisors can check in with students.

The fifth grade curriculum includes English, math, science, social studies, and P.E. Students also choose either Spanish or French. A rotating schedule incorporates art, music and drama each trimester. Technology education is woven into all subject areas throughout the year. 

Read more about our Middle School curriculum here.

Project-based learning is an in-depth study or investigation of a topic or theme that allows students to follow their questions and to learn about a given topic of interest. Through these projects, students learn how to learn, how to make sense of what they are learning, how to apply what they learned, and how to share or teach from a place of authority about what they have learned. Projects are typically interdisciplinary, meaning they aren’t confined to simply one subject area.

Fifth grade is a time to explore. Children need to try different study strategies in order to find the right fit. It may take a while for your child to find his or her particular learning style and to figure out what works best for him or her. It is a time for students to make mistakes, in class and on homework. As the year progresses we will we gradually release more responsibility to them in order to foster their independence. Students struggling with study skills - and their parents - can receive additional support through The Learning Center at Shorecrest.

Schoology provides a user-friendly web space where teachers can securely post photos and announcements about classroom activities and assignments. It can also be used to monitor assignments and grades online, class events and other student resources.

Some fifth graders at Shorecrest take part in Forensics / Debate club, FIRST LEGO League Robotics, after school clubs and intramural sports, and the annual National Geographic Geography Bee competition.

Shorecrest also offers a fifth grade band. Fifth graders have the opportunity to select an instrument to study under the guidance of band director Ethan Updike. Options might include flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, etc. The goal of the Fifth Grade Band is to develop basic instrumental musical skills that can be used for advanced study in the Middle and Upper School or simply to develop a lifelong love of music.

September: Weedon Island Field Experience

November: Drop Everything and STEAM

February-March: Minecraft grade-level project

Spring: Celebrate the Arts Week

Shorecrest contracts with Gardaworld to provide campus safety and security. Together, we developed a school-wide comprehensive safety, security and protection program that retains the open and welcoming atmosphere of our independent school campus while enhancing all levels of safety for the Shorecrest community. Shorecrest employs two School Protection Officers (SPO’s) with unique skills, interest and training to serve as on-campus leaders for the safety, security and protection of Shorecrest students.

Shorecrest employs a full-time registered nurse and a part time nurse to manage and maintain a fully stocked clinic located in the middle of campus. They dispense any approved prescription medication, manage student health records, and handle on-campus illnesses or injuries.

Shorecrest serves a broad range of students, from the inquisitive and wiggly 3-year-old to the college-bound senior.

Organized in four divisions or ‘schools,’ Shorecrest Preparatory School houses The Experiential School of Tampa Bay (3, 4, and 5-year-old program), the K-4th grade Lower School, the 5th-8th grade Middle School, and the 9th-12th grade Upper School. Each school is led by experienced educators with expertise in their respective fields, be it early childhood education or adolescent brain development. The curriculum spirals upward, each year building on the previous year's experience.

Fifth grade is the main entry point of the 5th-8th grade Middle School, a part of the preschool through 12th grade Shorecrest Preparatory School family.