The%20Transition%20from%20Elementary%20School%20to%20Middle%20School

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The Transition from Elementary School toMiddle
School

• Kelly Jackson
• Natoscha McKinnon
• Rebecca Wilson
• Johns Hopkins University
• October 18, 2006

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WELCOME!

• Please make a nametag for yourself.
• Please take an orange dot and rate your level of
  anxiety (high, medium, low or somewhere in
  between) about the middle school transition.
• Child care is provided in Room 400.
• Spanish-speaking presentation tomorrow night at 7
  pm.

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Todays Agenda

• Anxiety Level Pre-Assessment
• Introduction
• Goals/Objectives
• Icebreaker/Energizer
• Content
• Procedural, Academic Social/Emotional Concerns
• What Parents Can Do
• Schools Role
• Transitional Activities
• Role Plays
• Evaluation
• Anxiety Level Post-Assessment

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Goals/Objectives

• Reduce your level of anxiety about the middle
  school transition
• Give you information, tools and resources to make
  the transition successful
• Inform you about transition activities

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Icebreaker/Energizer

• Independently read and rate the questions
• Please split into four groups of 2-3
• Discuss and list any additional anxieties or
  concerns about your childs transition to middle
  school
• Share anxieties and concerns with group

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The Transition to Middle School

• It is normal for your child to be nervous about
  starting middle school.
• It is also perfectly normal for you to be nervous
  about your childs transition to middle school.
• The transition to middle school may be one of
  the toughest transitions during childhood, for
  both parents and kids (Brown, 2004).

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Procedural Concerns

• Getting lost or finding classes
• Finding and opening the locker
• Finding the bathroom
• Not knowing the school rules
• Carrying around all those books
• Going from class to class without being late
• Bringing the right materials to the right class
• at the right time
• Traveling longer distances to school
• Eating in a larger cafeteria
• (Brown, 2004 Elias, 2001)

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Procedural ConcernsWhat You Can Do

• Buy a combination lock before school and have
  your child spend time trying to open the lock.
• Go to the school two or three days before school
  starts and get a copy of your childs schedule.
  Take a few minutes to walk from room to room with
  your child.
• Dont buy backpacks that can store 50 lbs. of
  materials. Smaller backpacks allow for better
  organization.
• (The elementary to middle school transition
  Five helpful hints for parents, n.d.)

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Academic Concerns

• Getting good grades
• Competition for grades
• Having more than one teacher
• More homework
• More long-term projects
• Work that is more challenging and requires more
  effort
• Expectations of teachers in different subject
  areas
• Basic tasks such as studying, taking notes, and
  taking tests
• (Brown, 2004 Elias, 2001)

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Academic ConcernsWhat You Can Do

• Be the example Show the importance of education
• Ask your child about their day
• Set aside a quiet space and time for your child
  to study/complete homework
• Balance school work and play time
• Encourage reading
• Assist your child with their homework and/or
  check their homework daily
• Set high but reachable expectations for your
  child
• ENCOURAGEMENT!
• (Ford-Coabley, Crenshaw, DelAunter Isaacs,
  2006)

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Social/Emotional Concerns

• Bullies and/or being teased
• Making new friends/Finding and connecting with a
  peer group
• Feeling stupid compared to other kids
• Success in sports
• Popularity
• Being embarrassed by parents in front of other
  kids
• Puberty (pimples, body changes)
• Changing before and after P.E. in front of other
  kids
• Having girlfriends and boyfriends
• Having someone to sit with at lunch
• Pressure to smoke, drink alcohol, or take drugs
• (Brown, 2004 Elias, 2001)

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Social/Emotional ConcernsWhat You Can Do

• Increase your knowledge of adolescent development
• Be upbeat about what lies ahead
• Recognize their fears
• Offer support
• Hold your child accountable
• Give your child the opportunity to make decisions
• on his/her own
• Pick your battles
• Give them tools they need to succeed
• Allow them the freedom to make mistakes
• (The elementary to middle school transition
  Five helpful hints for parents, n.d. Dean, n.d.)

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What Parents Can Do at SCHOOL

• Maintain a good working relationship with your
  childs teachers
• Visit the school
• Know and understand school rules
• Attend meetings (PTA, conferences, etc.) and
  childs activities
• Make sure your child attends school daily
• Volunteer in any way you can

• Make a contract with your child and/or teacher
• If you have raised adolescents, be willing to
  share advice and information with other parents
• (Ford-Coabley, Crenshaw, DelAunter Isaacs,
  2006 The elementary to middle school transition
  Five helpful hints for parents, n.d.)

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What Happens ifParents Get Involved

• Decades of research show that when parents are
  involved students have
• Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
• Better school attendance
• Increased motivation
• Better self-esteem
• Lower rates of suspension
• Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
• Fewer instances of violent behavior
• Greater enrollment rates in post-secondary
  education
• (Ford-Coabley, Crenshaw, DelAunter Isaacs,
  2006)

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Schools Role

• Adolescents making the middle school transition
  need a combination of skill training and
  social-emotional learning (Elias, 2001)
• The school provides experiences that meet
  essential needs in these four areas
• Contributions (Service learning)
• Belonging (Peer groups, positive relationships,
  safe)
• Talents (Academic and non-academic)
• Life Skills (Learning about feelings,
  goal-setting, group work, problem solving and
  resilience) (Elias, 2001)

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Schools Transition Program

• Helps students form a realistic expectation of
  what middle school will be like
• Provides a positive and successful first
  impression
• Insures a successful introduction to the middle
  school experience
• (Lorain, n.d.)

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Transition Activities

• Curriculum articulation
• Guidance counselors visit elementary schools
• Letters sent home welcoming students and
  families, and inviting to school activities
• Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members call
  each new family welcoming them to school
• Mentor/buddy program
• Programs new to entering students will be
  highlighted during student visitations

• Student orientation
• Open house before the first day of school
• Back-to-school night
• School handbook
• Monthly newsletters sent home to parents
• Individual and group counseling
• Classroom guidance lessons
• Parent workshops and groups
• (Schumacher, 1998)

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Role Play

• Please break into 3 groups of 3-4 people.
• Each group will receive a role play scenario.
• Please discuss and role play within your group
  how you would address your childs middle school
  anxiety/concern.
• Share your reactions with the whole group.
• Have Fun!

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Positive Aspects of Transition

• Choosing classes
• Making new friends
• Participating in sports
• Having lockers
• More personal and social freedom
• Changing classes
• Electives
• Greater academic choices
• (Akos Galassi, 2004)

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References

• Akos, P., Galassi, J. P. (2004, April).
  Middle school and high school transitions as
  viewed by students, parents, and teachers. ASCA
  Professional School Counseling, 7(4), 212-221.
• Brown, N. (2004). Middle school transition.
  Retrieved October 3, 2006, from the Palo Alto
  Medical Foundation Web site http//www.pamf.org/
  preteen/parents/middleschoo.html.
• Dean, L. (n.d.). Easing your childs transition
  to middle school or junior high. Retrieved
  October 3, 2006, from the Partnership for
  Learning Web site http//www.partnershipforlearn
  ing.org.
• Elias, M. J. (Winter, 2001). Middle school
  transition Its harder than you think Making
  the transition to middle school successful.
  Retrieved October 3, 2006, from the National
  Association of Elementary School Principals Web
  site http//www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentI
  d519actionprint
• Ford-Coabley, M., Crenshaw, P., DelAunter, B.,
  Isaacs, S. (2006). How to get involved in your
  childs learning Powerpoint presentation.
• Lorain, P. (n.d.). Transition to middle school
  Are swirlies for real? Retrieved October 3,
  2006, from the National Education Association Web
  site http//www.nea.org/teachexperience/msk03040
  8.html?modeprint
• Schumacher, D. (1998, June). The transition to
  middle school. Champaign, IL ERIC
  Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood
  Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
  No. ED422119)
• The elementary to middle school transition Five
  helpful hints for parents. Retrieved October 3,
  2006, from the National Middle School Association
  Web site http//www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExc
  lusive/Helpful Hints/tabid/649/Default.aspx

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Wrap-Up

• Questions?
• Please complete the evaluation.
• Please use a blue dot to indicate your level of
  anxiety after this workshop.
• Please drop your evaluation in the box.
• Please pick up an informational packet and
  brochures.
• Thank you for attending our workshop!