What is a FORM and why do we use it?
Portsmouth Abbey School adheres to the British custom of calling grades Forms:
Grade levels describe where you are according to specific educational standards.
A Form anticipates who you are at each stage of your academic journey.
Form III is our 9th grade
Form IV is our 10th grade
Form V is our 11th grade
Form VI is our 12th grade
We sometimes think that we are alone in our questions, that this moment in time is unlike any other moment. NOT TRUE. Circumstances are unique but the DESIRE TO KNOW is UNIVERSAL.
GO AHEAD AND ASK:
Who am I? Where did I come from? Is there a God? What am I supposed to do with my life? What is the Good Life?
The curriculum and each year you spend on campus is designed to FORM you and OFFER a genuine encounter with all that is true. Afterall, VERITAS is our School motto.
LIFE IN FORMATION
Third Form Year
The start of your journey as a Raven can be a bit nerve-wracking. Fear not; there is a flock around you. This is your opportunity to start fresh, make new friends, engage fully and explore what matters most to you. Designed to lay the foundation for your four years at the Abbey, our “physics first” approach is based upon learning the most elemental aspect of our world: MOTION. You will be propelled into an INQUIRY-BASED science education where you are encouraged to probe the workings of the world in which you live. Through Geometry, Introduction to Literature, Basic Theology, Ancient History, Modern Language and Latin, you will explore LOGIC and RELATIONSHIPS, develop PRACTICAL SKILLS in reading, writing, and discussion, STUDY God, and establish a continuity of thought, language and history that offers a FRAMEWORK to understand our language and a development of STRUCTURED THINKING.
You will discover that co-curricular activities like music, theatre, community service, student clubs and athletics are a great break from academics and can help you meet people who may become lifelong friends.
Fourth Form Year
No longer a novice, you will adventure through the HUMANITIES PROGRAM with friends and classmates, encountering the best that has been thought and written. Walk through a vivid image of Hell with Dante and his guide Virgil. Learn as Gawain, St. Augustine and St. Paul seek to know who they really are. Return to the foundations of why we are like we are through “Paradise Lost.” Join Macbeth in asking what we should do with our lives. Consider “The Good Life” through works by St. Thomas Aquinas and More, Marx and Freud.
Fifth Form Year
This is the year you spread your wings and make even more memories. The beginning of the college search is upon you and leadership opportunities or experiences like the Haney Fellowships abound. Form V grades are important, especially if you are considering applying to college as an early decision or early action candidate Events like Homecoming and Prom remind you that your time as a Raven is special. Serious college counseling begins in the Winter Term. Now is the time to start reflecting on what You want from a college post Portsmouth Abbey.
Sixth Form Year
Get ready to soar. This is the year you will remember most. From college applications and essays to choosing your next destination, there is much to do and much to enjoy with the friends you have made. Form VI is filled with hope, anticipation, joy, and exhilaration. You have journeyed through Humanities and discovered who you REALLY are. You have asked the BIG QUESTIONS and, hopefully, have determined, at least at this stage, what you should do with YOUR LIFE. We can’t wait to see where your journey will take you next.
Sixth Form Day of Service
A relatively new tradition allowing students to give back before they graduate, the Sixth Form Day of Service supports the School’s Mission to nurture a commitment to community life and honors its Benedictine heritage by encouraging students to be good neighbors and stewards of our land and wildlife. The day typically involves community service tasks on campus and collaborative projects with external organizations such as Newport’s Cliff Walk Commission and Martin Luther King Community Center, Green Animals Topiary Gardens, East Bay Food Pantry and Thrift Shop, My Brother’s Keeper and other social service agencies.
Commencement
