W ELCOME F IELD F AMILIES ! Are you ready for Sixth Grade and BEYOND….

? TRANSITION QUIZ? Name one of the TOP challenges of students moving from elementary to middle school?

LOCKERS! Getting their locker open, grabbing their class binders and getting back to class before the bell rings…. All in 3 Minutes! Summer Practice can HELP!

T HIS W E BELIEVE… ( A DAPTED FROM AMLE) E SSENTIAL A TTRIBUTES OF A M IDDLE S CHOOL … Developmentally Responsive … We utilize the nature of young adolescents to guide all decisions. Challenging …We hold all members of our learning community to high expectations Empowering …We provide students knowledge and skills to take responsibility for their life and learning. Equitable …We believe all students have the right to a challenging and relevant learning environment

O N T O SIXTH GRADE… Bell schedule/ minute periods Lunch & Recess Lockers Weekly newsletters Daily B.E.S.T. class Daily Advisory and 2 nd Step lessons Strong community STARRR Teachers/Pod World Language Choice Athletic Team Access AVID My Life Plan- Naviance access Student Activities DANCES! What stays the SAME?What will CHANGE?

D EVELOPMENTALLY R ESPONSIVE Daily Advisory 25 minute period before lunch aimed at building meaningful connections within a smaller class Second Step-Social/Emotional curriculum Facilitated weekly (school wide) during Advisory. Topics include Empathy, Communication, Problem Solving, Bullying, Substance Abuse and Emotion Regulation strategies. Student Voice- Student Council, Upstanders, Student Newsletter (after school opportunity) Multiple Learning Approaches - Active, Relevant and Technology infused classrooms

? TRANSITION QUIZ? Name another CHALLENGE of students moving from elementary to middle school

FRIENDS… Will I have friends? Will people tease/bully me? Will my friends be in my classes/advisory? What about gossip/social media issues? What about dating? Be an AWARE parent…know who your child is spending time with and set reasonable limits on social media. Ask questions and then LISTEN …

E QUITABLE … EVERY STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN A DAILY ENRICHMENT PERIOD THAT IS MORE INDIVIDUALIZED TO THEIR LEARNING AND ACADEMIC NEEDS ….  B.E.S.T. (Basic Skills and Enrichment Time) Students alternate between a reading and math BEST class each day. Students are initially placed in their BEST class upon review of test scores, classroom performance and teacher recommendations. Students’ BEST class may change throughout the year according to student needs.  AVID ( Advancement Via Individual Determination) College readiness system designed to increase school wide learning and performance. AVID’s curriculum based on... Rigorous standards WICOR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading) Cornell note-taking Applied Learning Strategies

S TUDENTS I NTERESTED IN … Submit an application in spring and early fall for following year Complete an interview as part of the selection process Must demonstrate determination and make a commitment for one year Meet at least one of the qualifying factors What will students experience? Collaborative projects College Tours Tutorials Public Speaking Goal Setting and Study Skills Group Challenges Guest Speakers

CHALLENGING… AVID Strategies infused in Classrooms MUSIC Opportunities Cornell Notes WICOR... Critical Thinking-WHY/HOW Socratic Seminars Philosophical chairs Technology Integration Digital textbooks Edumodo-classroom Facebook Classroom IPads for deeper xploration and differentiation

A CCELERATED M ATH District is currently finalizing details Selection will be based on clear guidelines provided by district which will include: Test scores Student and teacher rating Classroom performance All MPS schools will be required to use same rubric and selection process Course placement will be determined prior to school start

Staff Professional Development…

EMPOWERING…. Interdisciplinary Projects My Life Plan- District wide requirement for all 6 th -12 th graders in MPS. Student Leadership/Collaboration with Teachers, staff and PTA Cooperative Learning/Tasks- me to we… Increased Student responsibility/ownership Grades Friends Time/Interests Values/Goals

M Y LIFE PLAN/NAVIANCE Students are introduced to Naviance each fall with a needs assessment which is then followed up with 2-3 classroom lessons each year for 6th-8 th graders at Field… 6 th Grade - Transitioning to Middle School -Learning Styles - Collaboration/Self Advocacy 7 th Grade - Budgeting your Needs/Wants - Career Interest Inventory 8 th Grade - EXPLORing my Options - MAPping out my Future

? TRANSITON QUIZ? Name another BIG challenge for students as they move through middle school…

HOMEWORK…. Middle School expectations will change…. Increased Rigor/Pace More independence/responsibility Students need increased self awareness of their strengths and areas needing improvement Parents can help… Provide consistent time, place and structure to their homework schedule. Check the Parent Portal regularly Encourage your child to self advocate by setting up time to talk with their teacher if they are confused about their grade or an assignment

S TUDENT A THLETIC O PPORTUNITIES Field 6-8 th graders are invited to participate in school sponsored extracurricular sports… Fall (Early Sept. - Mid Oct.) Girls Volleyball, Boys Flag Football Winter (Late Nov. - Mid Feb.) Girls and Boys Basketball Spring (Late March - Early May) Girls Softball, Boys Baseball

? TRANSITION QUIZ ? Name another CHALLENGE for students as they move through middle school

PARENTS! Expect TOO much Too nosy Too Strict Too many lectures Too many rules/regulations/limits This time period is often a tug of war related to POWER/CONTROL. They want independence AND relationship, freedom AND limits, control AND guidance… All of this becomes a complicated balancing act

RESOURCES : M IDDLE S CHOOL T RANSITION … Websites : sitioningtoMiddleSchool/tabid/313/Default.aspx sitioningtoMiddleSchool/tabid/313/Default.aspx Books: Parenting Teens with Love and Logic (by J.Faye) Boundaries with Teens (by J. Townsend)

FOR COMING! Please take a minute to fill out a comment card with any questions that did not get answered tonight and someone will contact you. We welcome your feedback as well!