Transition to Middle School

Transition to Middle School Hart Middle School 2013-2014 Terry Conde, Principal Tom Domer, Vice Principal Jessica Brooks, Vice Principal Counselors: Tammy Schoonover A-K Sharon Stewart L-Z

Mission Statement In following the ideals and standards of our namesake, Thomas S. Hart, the staff is committed to creating an environment for our students that fosters integrity, responsibility and respect for others. In partnership with the parents of Thomas Hart students, we will strive to prepare our students for continued academic success, to become respectful and accepting of our increasingly diverse society..

Middle School Transition for Parents • Become a school partner by • Maintaining regular contact with teachers • Joining PTSA • Volunteering (yes, we need you!) • Attend school events • Attend monthly principal coffee • Demonstrate a spirit of cooperation • TALK TO YOUR CHILD

Communication Tools • Q connection • Pleasanton E connection • Telephone/E-mail • School website: • www.Hartmiddleschool.org • Principal’s newsletter • PTSA info • School Site Council • Hart Weekly Woof (student on-line newspaper) • Parent resources • School Calendar

Middle School Student Transition • Responsibility begins to shift to student • Accountability increases • Bodies change • Friendships change • Experiments with new behaviors/personas

How to help your child with the transition • Help child to divide new tasks into smaller, more manageable parts • Avoid rescuing • Get the whole story, not just your child’s side

Communication Goals • Listen • Gather information • ask questions • check assumptions • Resolve issue at lowest level • Remain calm • Model communication skills

Communication: The Steps • Planner, Q connection, Study Buddy • E-mail teacher • If no response (allow 24 hrs.), leave message for teacher • Make appointment with teacher • If issue is still unresolved after meeting with teacher, call principal or vice-principal

What changes can you see in your middle school child? • Many changes in Physical, Cognitive (thinking processes) and Social/Emotional PHYSICAL • Body Changes! (muscle mass, strength, weight) … need more food and sleep! • Concern about appearance • Personal hygiene (may be needing things such as deodorant) • nutrition

WHAT CHANGES? COGNITIVE • Preteen concrete thinkers • Maturity = understanding complex issues, even when they don’t agree • YOU MAY SEE MORE ARGUING – RATIONALIZING THEIR NEEDS (new phone, curfew etc.) • Arguing becomes more sophisticated – wears you down! • Abstract thinking (starting to see their future …)

WHAT CHANGES?? SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL • Some hormones bring on emotional changes (mood swings …) • Acceptance – peer relationships (fitting in) • FRIENDS! (May choose friends over parents for confiding in, solving problems etc.) • Moving towards independence

WHAT TO EXPECT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL - PARENTS • Your “puppies” turn into “cats” … • Toddlers and Teens – one and the same?? THIS IS A GREAT TRANSITION! • Be gentle with yourself. • Be gentle with your child. • Choose your battles wisely. • Maintain your sense of humor!

How to help your child make the most of middle school • Keep grades in perspective • Maintain balance between work & play • Monitor electronic communications • Develop an organizational system that works for the student

Middle School Expectations • Middle School students are expected to: • Remember to write down assignments consistently • Keep track of assignments and other materials (notebooks, folders, etc.) • Know which materials need to be brought home or taken to school daily • Plan and monitor long-term assignments, including breaking them down into subtasks and creating timelines • Plan how work will be organized and time will be spent, including estimating how much time is required to complete daily assignments as well as long-term assignments • Keep track of other responsibilities or belongings – gym clothes, lunch money, permission slips, etc. • Manage the complexity of changing classes, including the problems associated with having to take different materials to different classes and having teachers with different organizational styles and expectations

Why are good study habits important? Able to develop long-term goals, such as going to college, becoming an engineer, winning the league championship in basketball, etc. Able to develop short-term goals, such as completing math homework before dinner, achieving a high score on the social studies test, winning the soccer game, etc. Help your child to identify goals that matter to him/her and that are within his/her power to achieve Goal Setting

Organizational Skills • Backpack: What system does your child use? a binder, a notebook, a folder? Where is homework placed? • Possibly have a different colored pocket folder for each class • In each folder a student can keep a record of their test, quiz, and homework grades for that class • Never put loose papers in the backpack. Clean out backpack once a week, minimum • Store returned assignments in a file at home

Organizational Skills (cont’d.) • Planner: use every day in every class. Check off all completed assignments. • If needed have teacher sign, have parent sign. • Use it as a planning calendar for long-term assignments.

Time Management • Excuses: • I give up on a homework assignment as soon as it gets too hard • I have trouble getting started on my homework • I wonder why I should be doing my homework assignments • I try to do so many assignments at once that I cannot finish any of them • I put off starting the homework that seems too difficult • I put off doing the homework I’m not interested in • I try to come up with reasons to do something other than my homework • I ignore a homework assignment when I am not sure how to start or finish it • I start a homework assignment but stop before finishing it • I hope that if I ignore an assignment, it might go away • I find myself daydreaming instead of focusing on my homework

Strategies to overcome procrastination • Prioritize time and assignments • Make a list and check off each assignment when completed • Do homework during the times when child works best • Break large tasks into small manageable parts • Get help! • Make a schedule for completing homework • Schedule breaks • Start homework at the same time every day • Expect homework to be completed before any use of electronics • Keep track of assignments on Q connection • If needed build in a system of rewards for doing homework

Study Skills • Active listening, active reading • Help your child to formulate questions about everything he/she is learning • Review material that was learned as soon as possible • What did I just read? Why is that so? • What are the general concepts and important ideas? • How can I summarize this in as few words as possible? • What questions about this are likely to be on the test? • Why is this important? • SQ3R: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review • Don’t study later than the usual bedtime • Note taking, review before, be attentive during class, rewrite after class • Highlighters • Use study buddies, get phone number of at least one person in each class

The Study Area • Home: Where does your child study? When? What works? What doesn’t work? • Make study place available whenever your child needs it • Free from interruptions? Distractions? • Enough light? Enough room? • iPod maybe, TV probably not • Does the study area have all the materials needed? • Make the kitchen table an option?

Test Preparation • Setting aside time for studying: when should your child begin preparing? • Identifying what to study: textbook, class notes, teacher handouts • Ways to study for a test: flashcards, read notes aloud, use graphic organizers, review homework assignments, answer study guide questions, quiz your child • How to memorize information: repetition, write things down, say material aloud, appropriate use of electronics to access information • Use (DETER) 1. Directions , read carefully 2. Examine, see how much there is to do 3. Time, decide how much time will be spent on each part of test 4. Easiest, answer easiest questions first 5. Review • Space out studying, don’t try to do all studying the night before a test • Don’t just read through the study material • Self test or have another person test the info. studied

Good Listening In Class • Be Cognitively ready to listen as soon as class starts • Be emotionally ready to listen, attitude is important • Listen with purpose, what does the student expect to learn and hopes to learn? • Listen with an open mind • Be attentive • Be an active listener • Meet the challenge, don’t give up when you find the information being presented is difficult to understand • Triumph over the environment, don’t give into the inconveniences of noise, temperature, light. • TRY TO STAY FOCUSED

Morning and Evening Routines • Use effective, noisy, annoying alarm clocks • Use lists to remind child of what to take to school • Prepare the backpack the night before • Put all work to be brought back to school into the backpack • Prepare clothes the night before • Make and use lists daily • Make a daily schedule

Sixth Grade Schedule Includes: ~Block: Language arts, History ~Science ~Physical education ~Mathematics: math course 1 seq. 1, math course 2 seq. 2 ~Wheel: art, computers, home economics, music, quest, world language

New Bell Schedule

Activities Offered at Middle School • Dances • Math Counts • County Spelling Bee • Activities at lunch • Extracurricular athletics • Clubs • Leadership activities

Don’t forget, We are a support system for your child • Your child’s success depends on systems of organization, time management, study skills and you! • “Be the child’s safety net. Monitor the child’s progress while standing close by in the background. Most of the time, you won’t be needed, but there’s no harm in standing by.” • Resources: • Organizing the Disorganized Child by Kutscher and Moran • AVID Learning Style Inventory • Smart but Scattered by Dawson and Guare

Transition to Middle School