8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Arrival and the day's list
Homeroom
A middle school in Cockeysville, Maryland
A smaller room for grades 6 to 8
Thirty-six students and seven teachers share one floor. Every day runs on the same eight blocks, with a checklist at the start, planning time in the middle and a note home at the end.
- Grades 6 to 8
- Thirty-six students
- Seven teachers
A school day
Eight blocks, in the same order every day
Arrival, two long lessons, planning time, lunch, a project, an elective and a note home. Students know what comes next, and so do their families.
A week in the school year
Monday
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Humanities: reading, writing and discussion
Vinay Pai · Humanities room
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Math
Kaede Ogura · Math room
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Planning time
Homeroom
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch and open room
Commons
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Science project
Kaede Ogura · Science room
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Art studio
Studio
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A note home, then dismissal
Homeroom
Tuesday
8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Arrival and the day's list
Homeroom
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Humanities: reading, writing and discussion
Vinay Pai · Humanities room
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Math
Kaede Ogura · Math room
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Planning time
Homeroom
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch and open room
Commons
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
History seminar
Vinay Pai · Humanities room
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Music
Studio
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A note home, then dismissal
Homeroom
Wednesday
8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Arrival and the day's list
Homeroom
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Humanities: reading, writing and discussion
Vinay Pai · Humanities room
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Math
Kaede Ogura · Math room
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Planning time
Homeroom
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch and open room
Commons
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Science project
Kaede Ogura · Science room
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Woodworking
Studio
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A note home, then dismissal
Homeroom
Thursday
8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Arrival and the day's list
Homeroom
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Humanities: reading, writing and discussion
Vinay Pai · Humanities room
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Math
Kaede Ogura · Math room
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Planning time
Homeroom
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch and open room
Commons
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
History seminar
Vinay Pai · Humanities room
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Music
Studio
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A note home, then dismissal
Homeroom
Friday
8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Arrival and the day's list
Homeroom
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Humanities: reading, writing and discussion
Vinay Pai · Humanities room
10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Math
Kaede Ogura · Math room
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Planning time
Homeroom
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Lunch and open room
Commons
12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Making: a project from the week
Kaede Ogura · Science room
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Art studio
Studio
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
A note home, then dismissal
Homeroom
Sample classes.
Study hall runs from 3:15 to 4:30 on Monday to Thursday for families who need it.
How we support
Support is a habit, the same for everyone
Nobody at Epigraph is handed a different day. Everyone uses the same few routines, so a student who needs them is never singled out, and a student who doesn't is not held back.
A checklist for the day, written in homeroom
Planning time at 11:15, with a teacher at the table
Extra time on an assignment, when a student asks
A short note home every afternoon
A quiet room for a break or a test
Grade by grade
One class in each grade, with a number on the door
Every grade has its own room and its own homeroom teacher. The columns show when the day runs, and the costs below say what each is for.
Sixth grade
Grade 6
Class size: 12Sixth graders get a longer first morning in August and a weekly check-in with their homeroom teacher.
- School day8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · Monday to FridayOffered
- Study hall3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. · Monday to ThursdaySign up by the weekOffered
- Planning time11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · Every school dayOffered
Seventh grade
Grade 7
Class size: 12Seventh graders choose their own elective each term.
- School day8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · Monday to FridayOffered
- Study hall3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. · Monday to ThursdaySign up by the weekOffered
- Planning time11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · Every school dayOffered
Eighth grade
Grade 8
Class size: 12Eighth graders lead the Friday meeting and plan their own project week.
- School day8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. · Monday to FridayOffered
- Study hall3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. · Monday to ThursdaySign up by the weekOffered
- Planning time11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. · Every school dayOffered
Fees and what each is for
- Application
- Covers reading the application and starting a student's file. Due when a family applies.
- Enrollment
- Holds a place after an offer is accepted, and counts toward tuition.
- Materials
- Paper, art and lab supplies for the year, bought by the school.
- Study hall
- Supervised afternoon hours for families who need them, billed by the month.
Sample programs.
The faculty
Seven teachers, thirty-six students
Every teacher knows every student on the floor by name. Two of them are introduced here, and the rest are at the visit mornings.
Vinay Pai
Head of school
Leads the humanities block and the history seminar, and meets every new family at a visit morning.
Kaede Ogura
Science and math teacher
Teaches math and the science projects, and runs the planning-time routine on the floor.
The year at a glance
Visits, applications and decisions, month by month
Most families start in the fall and apply in the winter. A family who comes mid-year can write to the office at any time.
This school year
October and January
Open houseOpen evenings
Walk the rooms, hear how a day runs and meet the teachers.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, October to May
TourVisit mornings
A student spends a morning in class while a parent talks with the head of school.
Book a visitNovember
Applications open
For the fall that follows.
February
DeadlineFirst reading of applications
Families who apply by then hear back together.
March
Decisions
By letter and by phone.
June
EventSummer meeting for new families
Meet the homeroom teacher and see the planning-time routine.
Late August
First day
A short morning for sixth graders, then the regular day.
December
ClosedWinter break
Sample dates.
Questions
What families ask first
How does admissions work?
Families visit, apply and hear back in March. The admissions page lists each step and the months it falls in. A family who comes mid-year can write to the office at any time.
Can we visit before applying?
Yes, and we ask every family to. A student spends a morning in class while a parent talks with the head of school.
How does tuition work, and how do we ask about aid?
Tuition is set for the school year. The tuition page explains how a place is held and how to ask about financial aid, and the head of school goes through it at a visit.
What happens when a student needs more time?
Everyone on the floor uses the same habits: a checklist for the day, planning time, a note home. A teacher can give extra time on an assignment, and there is a quiet room for a break or a test. Tell us about your child at the visit.
What about lunch, clothes and phones?
Families send lunch, and we eat together in the commons. There is no uniform. Phones stay switched off in a locker until the last bell.
Visit
Book a visit morning
Your child spends a morning in class with one grade, and you talk with the head of school about what your family is looking for. Plan on about three hours.
Phone(410) 555-0111
School hours
- Monday to FridayToday
- 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
- Saturday and SundayToday
- Closed