Jumping to middle school

n 5th-graders face big move

Friday, May 9, 2008

So going from elementary to middle school ranks with starting kindergarten and entering high school as a milestone for students – and their parents.

However, there are systems in place to help the 10- and 11-year-olds preparing for that transition, including counselors, open houses and sixth-grade teaching teams ready to assist.

At Mechanicsville Elementary School on Tuesday evening, fifth-graders and their parents got a chance to meet their future principal and hear a little about what to expect next year. ‘‘I’m there to help the students and I’m there to work with parents,” Margaret Brent Middle School Principal Michael Egan said.

When Egan joined the school last October, he asked what people thought of when they heard the word principal. ‘‘I heard all of these things that really aren’t that nice,” Egan said.

When he posed the same question to the group of elementary students in front of him, answers such as ‘‘trouble,” ‘‘hide” and ‘‘tells you what to do” came back.

‘‘From now on,” Egan said, ‘‘when you hear the word ‘principal’ I want you to think of something positive.”

Parents soon will receive forms to register their children for sixth-grade classes, he said. Honors classes will be available to students based on scores on the Maryland School Assessments and having a teacher recommendation. School staff will work to hand-schedule students with special education needs.

Final schedules will be mailed to students’ homes over the summer.

‘‘It’ll be cool,” Anthony Lisanti said of going to middle school. He is looking forward to new subjects and switching classes.

‘‘I think it’s going to be a wonderful time,” his mother, Melissa Lisanti said. ‘‘He’s looking to grow up a little bit and face new challenges.”

She said she has talked about the transition with her son and discussed what to expect, including more homework (even on weekends) and new types of classes, such as health.

‘‘I’ve known these kids for six years,” Mechanicsville Elementary School Principal Barbara Abell said. She praised the class for its good manners and its high academic achievement. That class of students was among the top five fourth-grade classes in St. Mary’s last year on the math Maryland School Assessments and the top scorers on the reading assessments.

Margaret Brent Middle School Assistant Principal Rebecca Amstutz told the parents and students that things are different in middle school. There will be new activities, such as class dances and intramural sports, and a host of clubs to choose from.

Time to socialize is at a minimum, she said. Other than lunch, the only time to chat with friends is during after-school activities and clubs, which she encouraged the students to join.

She said that the sixth-graders are kept separate from the seventh- and eighth-graders and essentially have their own hallway.

‘‘Our teachers ... and our staff have very high expectations for behavior and academic performance,” Egan said. ‘‘It’s a nice place to be.”

The new middle school students aren’t overwhelmed and the team of sixth-grade teachers does look after the young students, said Tammy Hart, an eighth-grade teacher at the school who also has a fifth-grade child at Mechanicsville.

‘‘Don’t panic about the lockers. We will work with you,” Egan said. ‘‘After the first week of school, you’ll get it open so fast.”

And to clear up potential rumors, Amstutz told the students ‘‘Don’t worry. You do not fit into the lockers.”

Egan added, ‘‘And there is no pool on the third floor. That’s another one you’re going to hear.”

The school is on a demerit system where students get marks for minor infractions. If a student acquires too many demerits, they are sent to the office for discipline.

Sixth-graders have double blocks – 90 minutes total – of math and English and switch every other day between a double block of science or social studies. There is also a period that changes daily between physical education, art and music.

‘‘We didn’t have that when I was there,” Sonnia Courtney said of the alternate day schedules. Courtney attended Margaret Brent Middle School some years ago and now her daughter, Tyshana Harley, will be going to the school starting in August.

‘‘I liked the school. I had fun,” Courtney said.

Harley, 10, said after the presentation that Egan seemed to be ‘‘a nice guy.” She has been talking to her friends about going to middle school and is excited about next school year, especially having different teachers.

Changing classes to have different teachers is probably the biggest change. Instead of just one teacher for the entire day, the students will have six.

‘‘I want to make it fun. I want you to work hard. I want you to enjoy yourselves,” Egan said. ‘‘My door is always open for students.”