Middle School Transition

1. Middle School Transition Learning to Live, Learning to Learn, Learning to Work, Learning to Contribute

2. Our school needs our help! The immigrant families of our school and community are not feeling connected to the school . They do not fit in and are not participating in activities because of social awkwardness. With this in mind the attendance and achievement of the students are slipping. It is ever so important for our school to reach out to these families and support them with their child’s transition from elementary school to middle school. Ultimately, to help these families grow a sense of belonging to our community.

3. Needs Assessment Analysis from student achievement data and surveys from students and teachers revealed feelings of social awkwardness from 5th grade immigrant students and their families at Grover Elementary School. A successful transition to middle school program for immigrant families is part of the one-year action plan for partnerships goal 4 of Climate of Partnership. Our main objectivefor the transition program is to create a more welcoming school environment for immigrant students and families. The school counselor from Grover Elementary School partnered with one of the school counselors at Ray Middle School to develop a committee to create this program.

4. Team Leader The leader of our team is the elementary school counselor. This individual organizes the meetings, comes up with the survey for teachers and families, addresses the focus of the team, and assesses the needs of the students, families, and the school.

5. Our Team consists of: Action Team Partnership Committee:Parents – 4 from various immigrant culturesTeacher – 1 or 2 5th grade teacher (based on number of 5th grade classrooms)Counselors – 1 from the middle school and 1 elementary schoolCommunity member – 1 business ownerAdministrator - 1

6. Communication Tactics • Email • Phone • Meetings at school or community centers once a month • EDMODO staff/parent/guardian social network

7. Our Goals Our goals reflect one of the major goals for the School Improvement Plan: Ensuring successful transitions and adjustments to new schools. Social– Help decrease social awkwardness of these students and families.Career – Have one of the business or community people who come in be about exposing to different careers etcetera.Academic – to help the students and families feel more comfortable in school and prepare them for middle school so that their attendance increases and they know of resources that can help them succeed academically.Citizenship – maybe have one of the activities be about service learning – maybe have the families and students come up with an idea for how to improve the school for all students and then implement it, or how they can expose the whole school to their culture (specific social nights for specific cultures – food, dancing, activities etcetera).

8. The ATP will achieve these goals through 6 types of involvement: • Parenting:With the collaboration efforts of the ATP the gap between the family and school will reduce. As families are informed about the school environment, policies, and activities, they will become familiar with teachers and other school staff. • Communicating:Since the bridge between school and home will be strengthened, students will receive consistent information from both the ends. This will reduce the discrepancy between home and school expectations; therefore students and parents are equally aware of how the transition phase from middle school to high school. • Learning at Home: If communication between school and home become open and transparent, it can directly reflect in to the child’s openness to learn both at school and home.

9. Decision Making: When school, family and child are on the same page regarding middle school life and the process of transition, students are empowered to make informed choices and effective decisions in terms of resources utilized in middle school, seeking help for problems and crisis, how and when to communicate to school about family life and vice versa. When school learns about its own families, and when families learns about their school, better programs and collaborations could be implemented. • Volunteering: As the parents become more familiar with the school environment they might be more willing to volunteer their time. They can bring in their expertise. This will enhance their own community contributions, especially if they do not find themselves a good fit culturally and ethnically. • Collaborating with the Community:Students become more aware of the active community members, perceives a model of community contribution, becomes aware when help is needed within one’s own community, and the community gets to interact more with the diverse members of the neighborhood.

10. Our school • Group Focus:Immigrant and first generation populations • Demographics: 15% of school population • Cluster of schools:Elementary to Middle to High School – there is an equal distance between these schools

11. How will this project fit our school schedule? • Weeknights, weekends, weekday mornings, if meetings are held during dinner time we will have a potluck style meeting • Take a poll on what works best for families • Meet at community places: • Library • Park and rec places/community centers • Middle schools (from elementary transitions)

12. Stakholders • Immigrant Students – To ease feelings of anxiety about transitioning to middle school. To help connect them to their school and community. • Immigrant Families– To help them feel more connected to their children and the school their children will be attending. To help them learn about resources in their community they can access. • Teachers – To help their students feel more connected to school and improve attendance/achievement in the classroom. Also to increase class participation and motivation. • Administration– To improve attendance/ achievement for this population. • Community-Based Resources– To help them get the word out about the resources they offer. • Businesses– To help them get connected to a part of the community that may not utilize their services. • Counselor(s)– To help the population of the student body that is experiencing social awkwardness, so that they feel more connected to the larger student body and school in general. • Local Media - To highlight an example of the community working together to create cohesion and support. • Others – School Resource Officers, Faith –Based Leaders, Volunteers

13. How do we envision working with our stakeholders?

14. Our Project Timeline Getting Started: As the school year begins we would send out surveys thatinquire about  parent/guardian’s talents, occupations, interests, and availability to serve as volunteers. From here we would organize the resources and talents. Then start the connection process and building or maintaining the relationship with all our stakeholders.

15. January - Conduct needs assessment. • Early February- Come up with a list of possible immigrant students that would benefit from this program. Organize a meeting with the principal and teachers to come up with ideas for marketing the program and getting student/family participation. Put up posters around the school, in the 5th grade area, about what to do in middle school (before middle school visits) . • February- Re-connect with businesses, families and community resources to ask them to participate in the program. • Early March - Meet with the businesses, families, and community members who are willing to help on the committee. Come up with sub-committee leaders: Example 1: Individuals will organize a career panel of adult immigrants that can come into the classrooms to talk about their different careers (highlights the career area and the decision making type and I’m sure some other things too). This could include talking with the teachers about their curriculum . An individual that may be an Artist or in the medical field - teach a lesson in Art or health.

16. Example 2: Families can organize a cultural evening designed to help the school learn about the different cultures of these families - including food, dancing, stories, etc. They may work together with the PTA. Example 3: Businesses will take the lead on a field trips – to community centers highlighting the activities that can benefit the families throughout the year and summer; alternative practices: yoga, meditation, eastern philosophy (Consider other alternate practices that exist in Hispanic culture, American Indian culture and others) . * Chinese traditional medicines - Asian center for health in SE Example 4: Middle School Counselor – give presentations to students and their families about attendance policies, homework, and what to expect. * Middle school visit – Giving the students a chance to familiarize with the campus and meet other immigrant students. End of March: Meet again with the committee to see how everything’s coming along.Early April: Maintain communication through email , phone calls, social networks and meet if necessary.End of April: Begin the events that go through the end of school.

17. Implementation of the Transition-to-High-School Program The following activities were decided on during the January meeting:1.     A trip to the middle school for the 5th grade immigrant students and their parents. • 6:00 – 6:45 – 5th grade immigrant students and their parents arrive at the middle school and are greeted in the front entry area. • 6:45 -7:15 – The 5th grade students get an opportunity to meet alone with 6th and 7th grade immigrant students from the middle school to ask questions and hear suggestions. • 7:15-7:30 – A raffle and information on resources in the area that can help with varying needs.

18. 2.     Preparing 5th grade students for the different experiences and expectations at the middle school - The 5th grade teachers at the elementary school will include “preparing for middle school curriculum” the last couple of months of school. 3.     Post-transition step : Bringing in community members representing immigrant groups with successful careers into the classroom – The middle school counselor and parents of immigrant students at the middle school will take the lead on this activity. 4.     Post transition mentoring for 6th grade immigrant students – The middle school counselor will coordinate with 7th, 8th grade immigrant students to connect with 6th grade immigrant students once a week for the first month of school and then once a month for the next 6 months.

19. How this program meets the goals of learning to live, learning to learn, learning to work, and learning to contribute...

20. Learning to Learn: Fostering a welcoming environment, in which all students feel comfortable and connected to school will increase student motivation and will positively affect their academics. Getting more parental involvement through this program will also help the academic achievement of their children.

21. Learning to Work: Bringing in members of the community to present on their various careers will expose all students to careers and will help to increase cultural awareness.

22. Learning to Live: Decreasing feelings of social awkwardness will increase feelings of belonging. Making connections with friends and the school will also help to increase self-esteem and the development of personal goals.

23. Learning to Contribute: Acting as a mentor once immigrant students reach the 7th, 8th grade years will help increase their awareness of the benefits giving back to their peers, school and community.

24. How this program meets each type of learning 1.     Parenting: This program will help facilitate parents of immigrant students’ involvement in their child’s learning.2.     Communicating: This program includes many ways to communicate with parents, which includes: The 5th grade teachers sending home information to parents about how they can help their child transition into middle school. Another way of communicating is holding the discussion panel at the middle school for the parents to hear from the principal, teacher and counselor about the expectations and rules of middle school.3.     Volunteering: Parents of immigrant students in middle school, as well as the middle school immigrant students will be asked to act as mentors to the incoming immigrant students and parents.

25. 4.    Learning at Home: Interactive middle school preparation curriculum that will be sent home with the 5th grade students will include lessons on how parents can help with time management and goal setting etcetera. 5.     Decision Making: Parents are included in the planning committee and are very involved with deciding how best to assist immigrant families transitioning into middle school.6.     Collaborating with the Community: Including immigrants in the community to come speak to classes of students at the middle school helps to gain awareness of business and resources in the community.

26. Funding: Creating Local Partnerships • Local Fred Meyers , Whole Foods, New Seasons & Safeway Stores: Provide a checklist that will help students to pick up the necessities for Junior high. Examples may be anything specifically related to academics, fashionable clothing, and other helpful stuff for this age group. These stores will provide a 10% discount to our families for shopping at their local stores. • McMenamins: Supports Education, Community Development, and Human Support Services. They donate gift cards, meeting spaces, and up to 50% of sales to an organization. • Nike: The School Innovation Fund - Inspiration and innovation funds for academics, “community investment strategy” • Adidas • Colombia Sportswear • OMSI • Portland Business Alliance – Attend meetings

27. Acknowledgment Our volunteers, community members, families, and everyone involved are so important to the success of our students. These individuals keep our school alive with culture and compassion. We thank the people in our community in many ways. One is during the last event of the year. We have one individual, from each community stand and thank the people, the foundation. We do respect that some cultures would not liked to be thanked or they may not stand up in front of others, so we learn ahead of time the culturally respectful way in which we thank the individuals who give to our school and community. Another way to thank the people who support us, is through the artistic creations of the 5th grade students. The students lead this art project and present their piece of “thank you” to those giving individuals.