William H Bailey Middle School

1. Memorize your classes - Even though most of the sixth grade classes will be in the 600's (Sixth Grade Wing), they may have a class or two in the other hallways.   Remember, passing period is only four minutes long, so plan your route and bathroom breaks accordingly!

2. Use the Planner -  Probably the single most critical thing you can do to help get the school year started out right is to assist your child with their planning and organizing.   Many students find it very intimidating to go from a single teacher in elementary school to six teachers in middle school.   Keeping track of each teacher's expectations, homework assignments, upcoming tests and projects can be an overwhelming first experience.   That is why every Bailey student is required to carry a Planner.   In his/her Planner, the student writes down the daily objective and homework assignment for each period of every day.   As a parent, you can review your child's Planner at home to ensure it is being used, check on homework and generally keep on top of what your child is learning at school.

3. Keeping track of homework -   I have talked to many frustrated parents who have spent an entire evening helping their son or daughter with a homework assignment that ends up never being turned in the next day!   It is a very enlightening experience for parents when we open up their child's locker to have a cascade of finished and unfinished work fall out to the floor of the hallway.   Or, have the student dump out their backpack in the counselor's office to find wads of crumpled work stuck in every corner and pocket that was never turned in to their teacher.   Creating a system for keeping track of work due and completed work is often the single difference between success and failure in a class.   Have your child make a folder clearly marked "Work to be Turned In" and help them get in the habit of putting their finished work in it.    Also create another folder for returned work that has been graded.    Sit down with your child and periodically clean out their folders with them.   This would be a good time to compare the returned graded work to the homework listed in the Planner.    If there is work missing, it may be a simple thing like your child forgetting to place his/her name on the top of the paper!

4.  Using a locker -   We are concerned about students carrying excessively heavy backpacks to and from school and to class.   Lockers are assigned to those students who request them.   Encourage your child to get a locker and use it at least twice a day to exchange their morning and afternoon text books.   To help your child become familiar in opening up a locker, purchase them an inexpensive combination padlock and have them practice opening and closing it until they can do so comfortably.

5.  The reason it is called "Middle School" -  It is important not to lose sight of the most important goal of middle school and that is to help prepare every student for high school, college and beyond.   In all of our planning, preparing and organizing we want to make sure that we tie in today's activities with the future goals of graduating high school, preparing for college and thinking about a career.   Middle school is just intermediary step along your child's path to college and a fulfilling career choice.

For more information on transitioning to 6th Grade, check out this PBS website: Middle School: Movin' On Up!