Elementary school visits
Frequently, articulation agreements include special days when elementary school students visit the middle-level school they will attend in the fall. There the middle school counselors, students, and staff members familiarize the visiting
students (and, in some cases, their parents) with the setting and the programs offered. The middle school leadership students and peer counselors often play an active role in the visitation, serving as tour guides, demonstrating the school rules through skits, playing confidence-building games, and assigning incoming students to peer buddies who will be available to answer questions at the middle school when the new students enter in the fall.
In the Spotlight
Alice C. Stelle Middle School, Las Virgenes Unified School District, a 2009 California Distinguished Schools
Stelle Middle School
is featured on the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Closing the Achievement Gap Web site for its Signature Practice, Community Building—Creating a Middle Grades Culture. This exemplary practice addresses several of the CDE’s 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success, including transitions, rigor, and relationships.
At Stelle Middle School, the practice of community building is systemic and includes a three-tiered process that begins before the students enroll and extends through their promotion into high school. The process includes transitions, character education, and student involvement on campus. A primary goal is the cultivation of a seamless transition from elementary school and to high school and involves parents, students, and staff.
Activities include:
- Visitation days and tours for prospective students and parents
- Special assemblies
- New student matching with current students
- Counselor visits and focus on at risk and special needs students
- Relationship building activities
Alice M. Stelle Middle School is also one of the schools featured on the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Closing the Achievement Gap Web site. The site contains helpful information, research, and success stories including “Signature” Practices from some of California’s Distinguished Schools.
Previous
Academic counseling to prepare for transitions
Next
Mentor/buddies for incoming students
Back to Top