Hello future 6 grade students! I’m Ms. Gelman and I am the counselor for grades 6 and 7 at Frink Middle School.
I know coming to Middle School can be very exciting, but such a big change can also be a little scary, so I've included some information about Frink Middle School that I thought would be helpful so you'll feel more comfortable when you come here next year.
High Expectations
We at Frink have high expectations for our students. We expect you to be more independent, more focused, and more responsible. Your teachers will help you learn to handle the more challenging coursework and deal with having more teachers, who each have a different teaching style and set of expectations.
Getting Lost
You will get lost at school. But don’t worry! I got lost a lot when I was a new counselor. All you have to do is ask someone for directions. If you’re not sure where to go for your next class, ask your teacher before you leave the classroom. If you’re lost in the hallway, try to find your way to the office or ask any adult and they’ll be able to help you. We put signs up with arrows to different classrooms, like street signs, so you can find your way by following them.
Be sure to get permission to come and visit Frink when your school goes on the Middle School trip. This way you’ll get to see the school and you’ll know what to expect. We’ll also have orientation before school starts and an open house after school has started, so you and your parents/guardians can come to the school to take a look around and meet your teachers. We’re going to give you a schedule so you’ll know the order of your classes and their room numbers.
Teachers and Classes
You will have 6 or 7 teachers. Everyday you will have 7 classes:
4 Core classes (Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, and Science)
Every student at Frink has to take a computer class and a Health/PE class every year. The computer class for 6th grade is Keyboarding, and every 6th grade student HAS to take it.
Locks and Lockers
All students are required to have a locker, and if you have a locker you’ll want to have a lock! Your new teachers will know that you’ve never had to use a locker before and they’ll be patient and help you figure out how to use your locks. You won’t be allowed to carry your backpack with you in the classroom, so you’ll have locker times in the morning and afternoons so you can grab the things you’ll need.
If you have phones, iPods, iPads, nooks or anything else that’s valuable, the safest place to keep it will be in your locker. Because of this, you should NEVER tell ANYONE your locker combination. Not even your best friend in the whole wide world. If you’re having trouble opening your lock, ask a teacher or adult for help. Don’t ask a friend or classmate, because then they’ll know your locker combination and can open it whenever they want. Your locker will no longer be a safe place to keep your things.
Chorus and Band
You are given the chance to sign up for Chorus or Band. When we visit your classroom, our Chorus and Band teachers will give you a separate handout with information on how to sign up for those classes. These are the only classes you can choose to take. Unfortunately, you cannot take both Chorus and Band, so you’ll have to choose one. Be careful when you’re filling out your form! Some of our students sometimes accidentally sign up for the wrong class, so we have to fix some schedules at the beginning of the year.
If you did not sign up for Chorus as a 6th grade student, you cannot join Chorus during 7th or 8th grade unless you have an audition with the teacher. If you did not sign up for Band as a 6th grade student, you will not be able to join Band in 7th or 8th grade. There are exceptions to this rule, such as taking private classes outside of school to catch up to your classmates who have already been playing their instruments for a year.
Sports
Our students grow a lot throughout the year. Because of this, we keep 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students separated from each other. At Frink Middle School, 6th and 8th grade students are all upstairs and 7th grade students are all downstairs. Sixth grade students will be on one side of the school and 8th grade will be on the other side of the school, so you won’t see them too much. Some of our 8th grade students are really tall, so we like to keep you all separated so they won’t accidentally bump into you.
Because students grow so much during the summer between 6th and 7th grade, it wouldn’t be safe for 6th grade students to join sports teams where they’d have to play against other students who can be 1-2 feet taller than them. Therefore, you can’t join a sports team until you’re in 7th grade. And yes, Cheerleading is a sport. We also have basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, and soccer teams. If you’re interested in being on any of these teams, it’s never too early to start practicing!
Gossip and Rumors
Gossip and rumors spread very quickly in Middle School. If you have an argument with a friend on the bus in the morning, lots of students and teachers will know about it by lunch time! If you’re not getting along with someone now, you should try and fix the relationship soon so the issue won’t continue in 6th grade. Let this person know that even though you didn't get along in Elementary School, there's no need to continue not getting along in Middle School. Make promises to be respectful and nice to each other during Middle School. After all, part of growing up is fixing friendships and being kind to everyone.
Look at coming to Middle School as a new beginning. You get to start fresh and make it your best year ever! We look forward to having you as students at Frink Middle School!
Multiplication and Division
You should know how to multiply and divide and your multiplication times table by the time you're in 6th grade. If you don't know these math functions, learn them over the summer after you graduate from Elementary School. You can find all sorts of different websites online that can help you learn them. Here are a some I found: