2017 Annual Conference

Heather Haynes
Jennifer Moore
Clarissa Pavcik

Transitioning to middle school is no easy task.  It can be even more difficult with a large student body and/or multiple feeder elementary schools.  Come gain new ideas and pick the brains of counselors who work to successfully transition 600 fifth graders (and their families!) from four feeder schools into sixth grade.  Ideas for supporting students, teachers, & parents through the process will be discussed.

This session will cover student visits to the middle school, teacher visits to the middle school, & parent visits to the middle school, communication with fifth grade parents & teachers, scheduling students for success both academically and socially, a sixth grade transitition summer camp, and vertical teaming amongst counselors, all from the perspective of a larger school (approximately 600 rising sixth grade students).  Audience members will be invited to ask questions, share in the discussion, and brainstorm new ideas, and handouts/resources will be provided via a Google Docs link.  Handouts will include a timeline, copies of brochures/handouts/etc. that are shared with parents, students, & teachers, a mock schedule for a sixth grade visit to the middle school, and other important planning tools.  It is our hope that participants would walk away with not only new ideas, but also the concrete tools necessary to implement an effective transtion program for all involved.