Helping Your Child Prepare For

Helping Your Child Prepare for

Adjust to Middle School

Congratulations! Your child is about to graduate from elementary school and move on to middle school. There are a lot of differences between elementary and middle school and your child is excited and apprehensive about the change. Here are some tips that will help you and your child prepare for and adjust smoothly to middle school.

How to Prepare Your Child for Middle School:

1.  Encourage your child to attend the middle school tour coordinated by the elementary school and to meet the middle school counselors, Dr. Wheat and Mrs. Clarke.

2.  When your child receives his/her schedule, see if a map of the school is available. You can help your child mark out where their locker and classes are and help them get an idea of where they are going before their first day of school.

3.  Teach your child how to use a combination lock. Signal Knob has combination locks on gym lockers, but it is optional to place one on student lockers, so it is important that your child knows how to use them.

4.  Signal Knob gives students 3 minutes in between classes, so make sure that your child has a watch that is set to the correct time. This can help relieve some anxiety about getting to class on time.

Tips for Making a Smooth Transition into Middle School:

1.  Encourage your child to use the planner provided by the school. Since students will have more than one teacher, writing assignments down will help them remember what homework they have for each class.

2.  Read over every syllabus for each of your child’s classes. This allows you to get an idea of the expectations each teacher has for your child. It will also help you identify when major projects are due and when tests are scheduled.

3.  Set aside time and a place for your child to study and do school work and check your child’s progress. This will allow you to make sure that your child is understanding material and ensure that they are keeping up with their school work.

4.  Encourage your child to get involved in clubs or activities that he/she is interested in. This will help him or her make friends and develop social skills.

5.  Communicate with your child’s teachers on a regular basis. Don’t wait until a bad grade appears on a report card; check in with your child’s teachers often enough to get an idea of how your child is doing in his or her class. Attend PTO meetings, open houses, and conferences.

References:

http://www.greatschools.org/pdfs/trans_midschool_adults.pdf

http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?pl=327&sl=130&contentid=130