Getting ready for middle school
Rocky Heights Middle School Principal Chris Cooke welcomed Timber Trail Elementary fifth-grade students to their sixth-grade-student tour to prepare them for middle school.
Transitioning from fifth grade to middle school is exciting, and it can be a little scary and stressful for adolescents about to leave elementary school behind. For the first time, students will have to manage multiple classrooms and class schedules, a major milestone of independence.
Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) takes pride in focusing on making it a little easier for its future students by hosting school visits for feeder schools, Timber Trail Elementary and Buffalo Ridge Elementary. Walking the halls with staff and students answering questions can help reduce the anxiety of the transition.
“The students are so ready to be in middle school,” said RHMS Principal Chris Cooke. “They have worked so hard to get to this point, and we wanted to bring them into our school, help them to get a feel for the hearts of the people here and show them the exciting opportunities they will experience in this new environment.”
Visits take place in the morning, bringing students back to their feeder schools with high levels of energy and confidence as they are better prepared to begin their journeys as Nighthawks.
“Experiences like this are a strong example of what makes the RCHS feeder pattern truly exceptional,” said TTE Principal Robert Thelen.
Buffalo Ridge Elementary fifth-grade students listen to opening remarks from their future principal, Rocky Heights Middle School principal Chris Cooke.
By Julie Matuszewski; photos courtesy of Robert Thelen and Jennifer Murdock
