TRANSITION TO MIDDLE SCHOOL

Parent/Guardian Information Night – Wednesday January 15, 2020

School Counselors in the Middle School

Developmental Changes in Middle School

◦ Lots of physical changes

◦ Brain restructuring

◦ Puberty

◦ Young adolescents need a lot of

SLEEP!

Social and Friendship Changes

◦ Middle school - developing sense of self

◦ Social-emotional maturity is slow

◦ Strong need to belong to a group

◦ Peer approval is much more important than family approval

◦ Spotlight Effect: the phenomenon in which people tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really are.

◦ Take time to listen to your child.

School and Class Structure

◦ 1 class → 7 classes

◦ 1 primary teacher → 7 teachers

◦ Communication with teachers

is best by e-mail

◦ Last name, first name initial

@bsd405.org

◦ Help your students take the

lead on communication!

English

Math

Science

Social Studies

Electives

Electives

Electives

Academic Grading

◦ Many teachers use Letter Grades

◦ Each teacher has their own

grading policy

◦ No set parent-teacher conferences

◦ Meet with teachers individually if

needed

◦ Families may log into Synergy

to check their student’s grades

Academic Supports in Middle School

◦ Communication with teachers and staff such as school counselor is key!

◦ Tutorial is open to all students after school!

◦ If at any point you have concerns, get in touch with your school counselor.

Technology◦ All middle school students will receive

their own laptop and have their own e-mail address

◦ Most classes use OneNote

◦ Cell phones are discouraged during class time

◦ Be prepared to talk with your children about the use of laptop/technology at home

◦ www.commonsensemedia.org

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Sports and Clubs

◦ Get involved! Clubs are available for middle school students.

◦ All students can create their own club!

◦ Check out your school website!

◦ Sports is available in partnership with Jubilee REACH after school

◦ Different seasons = different sports

◦ All activities happen AFTER tutorial

Transportation

◦ Choice Schools: Limited bus

transportation is provided by the

school district if you live more

than 1 mile away from the school

◦ ORCA card for public

transportation is also available for

students if this is easier. You must

live over a mile away from school.

Supporting Students in Middle School

◦ Sleep: help your student carve out enough time to sleep by setting consistent bedtimes, creating a no screen rule after a certain time, etc.

◦ Talk: communicate with your student about your day and ask about their day, strive to listen first

◦ Connect: connect with teachers, school counselor, other staff if you have any concerns or questions – remember let your student take the lead whenever possible!

Volunteering in Middle Schools

◦ Volunteering in

middle schools

look differently

than in

elementary

schools

◦ Join your

school’s PTSA

Resources in Middle Schools

Family Support

Specialists

Access to Translators

Community Resources

Before/After School Care Programs

◦ Please note: our middle schools do not offer

before/after school care

◦ Boys and Girls Club: picks up from Tillicum,

Tyee, International School

◦ BSD Bus: drops off from Chinook, Odle,

Highland

◦ Cost: Free

◦ For more information/questions, e-mail Seth at

sdostart@bgcbellevue.org

mailto:sdostart@bgcbellevue.org

Looking Ahead: Summer Program Options

Operation Ideation• For students entering Grades 6-8 – focusing on design and thinking

Accelerated Math Summer Program• Please note that this program does not guarantee that you skip a math level!

Looking Ahead: College Bound Scholarship

◦ The College Bound Scholarship is designed to

inspire and encourage Washington middle

school students from low-income families to

prepare for and pursue postsecondary

education. The early commitment of state

funding for tuition is intended to alleviate the

financial barriers preventing students from

considering college as a possibility.

◦ Students may only apply in 7th or 8th grade!

Bellevue School District Middle Schools

◦ Big Picture School (choice school: 6th-12th)

◦ Chinook Middle School

◦ Highland Middle School

◦ International School (choice school: 6th-12th)

◦ Odle Middle School

◦ Tillicum Middle School

◦ Tyee Middle School

Types of Middle Schools: Neighborhood, Choice, Open

Choice Schools

◦ Choice Schools offer unique learning

environments to any student in the

Bellevue School District. Enrollment is

done through an online application

process. Online Applications will be

accepted until Friday, January 31, 2020

at 4:30pm.

◦ Big Picture School

◦ International School

Open Enrollment Schools

◦ Open Enrollment is for current

Bellevue School District residents who

wish to attend a school other than their

assigned neighborhood school. Open

Enrollment applications for the 2019-

20 school year will be accepted until

Friday, January 24, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.

◦ Highland Middle School

◦ Tillicum Middle School

Big Picture School◦ Choice School Grades 6-12 – Applications for lottery accepted

through January 31st!

◦ Project Based Learning

◦ Advisory and PMU

◦ High School Students have full day Internships

◦ Student Led Conferences 3-4 times during the year.

◦ Sports:

◦ MS: Available through Jubilee Reach Program

◦ HS: Students can participate in sports by going to their

neighborhood HS

International School◦ Choice School – Apply by January 31st!

◦ 7-year Course Study – required seven-year study of core subjects: International Studies, World Language (French), Math, Science, Humanities, Fine Arts, and PE

◦ Focus Week – Each student participates in one week of focused study outside formal classroom structure, e.g. environmental study in the Cascades, cooking classes, furniture building, disaster preparedness, film making, designing inventions, trips to Washington, D.C. and abroad, etc.

◦ Community – Each student participates in “community,” held on Wednesdays, as a time to get to know one another through common interests.

◦ 6th Grade Retreat – At the beginning of the school year, all 6th

grade students spend an entire day together, getting to know one another and the school, playing games and team building activities.

Odle Middle School◦ Odle Middle School home of the Vikings we currently have

1050 students in 6-8th grade. Students participate in our

Honors(traditional) program or Advanced Learning.

◦ Advanced Learning (Gifted)

◦ Advanced Learning Services provide identified students with

academic services at an advanced level and accelerated pace

due to their ability to comprehend and process information.

Services provide instruction in the core content areas of

language arts, social studies, science and math. Instruction is

designed to meet students’ cognitive and academic needs at

the appropriate level.

◦ https://bsd405.org/services/advanced-learning/

https://bsd405.org/services/advanced-learning/

Odle Middle School◦ Good to know information

◦ WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) is an orientation and transition

program. You will be invited to a special orientation day in August to meet

other 6th graders, tour the school, connect with 8th grade leaders and just

plain have fun! More information about this event will be mailed home in the

Spring!

◦ My child is beyond the beginner level in a certain elective. Can we sign up for

the next level instead?

◦ You will need to contact the teacher of the course directly and gain

his/her permission to bypass the pre-requisite course. In some cases your

child may need to take a placement exam or audition. This would be

arranged with the teacher.

◦ How can my child accelerate in math?

◦ Students who are highly motivated and wish to accelerate in math may do so

by taking the next course in the sequence during the summer. For

accelerating past IMT 1 and IMT 2, the only acceptable summer course

option is through BSD’s summer school program.

Registration/Admissions Process

Neighborhood School

• Middle school counselors will be going to feeder elementary schools to help 5th grade students register

Open Enrollment

• Highland Middle School

• Tillicum Middle School

• Application is available online and due on January 24th!

Choice Schools

• Big Picture School

• International School

• Application is available online and due on January 31st!

Questions?◦ Open Enrollment Deadline is

Friday January 24th at 4:30pm

◦ https://bsd405.org/departments

/student-placement/open-

enrollment/

◦ Choice Schools Application

Deadline is Friday January 31st at

4:30pm

◦ https://bsd405.org/2019/01/ap

ply-to-choice-schools-and-

programs/

https://bsd405.org/departments/student-placement/open-enrollment/https://bsd405.org/2019/01/apply-to-choice-schools-and-programs/