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
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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
Goal Setting
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
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