For our students, making the transition from the Lower to the Middle School, or from the Middle to the Upper School, can be a challenge. There are many unknowns and questions in the minds of our transitioning students. What will the new school be like? Will I fit in? How much homework will I have? What will my teachers be like?
Many times, they don’t know what to expect and base their beliefs on the rumors they hear from others. So, in order to change those beliefs and relieve some anxiety, Darlington School has developed a transition program for both our fourth- and eighth-grade grade classes.
One of our goals with these transition days is to take away the mystery and answer as many questions as we can. At the Middle School level, we want to help our fourth-grade students feel comfortable and welcome when they step foot into our building. With the eighth-graders, we want them to feel confident and prepared when they leave the Middle School to take on the academic rigor that awaits them at the Upper School.
At our fourth-grade transition, which will take place on April 16, we will give the students an opportunity to attend a few of our fifth-grade classes. This gives them a chance to meet their teachers and get a sense of what the classroom environment and workload will be like when they enter Middle School. They will also tour the building and learn more about what the Middle School has to offer in terms of facilities, extracurricular activities, etc. During this transition day, students not only get to experience what it’s like to be a part of the Middle School, but they also have time to ask questions about anything and everything they are unsure about – and this usually makes them feel better about what is to come in the near future.
On April 27, eighth-graders will each shadow a ninth-grade student during the morning, tour the Upper School, and meet with some of the Upper School student leaders in the afternoon. They will also have many opportunities to ask questions and learn as much as they can about what to expect when they become high school students. On this transition day, we also invite the parents to our afternoon informational sessions so they, too, have a chance to ask questions and learn more about what they can do to help prepare their kids for the Upper School.
The feedback that we have received in the past regarding both of these transition days reflected many positive impressions from both students and parents, and we hope that our upcoming transition days will have the same impact. Like I said before, our focus is to make these transitions as seamless as possible so that there are no surprises when the students move either into or out of the Middle School.
