Preparing to transition between classrooms

Because of the mixed-grade classrooms at our Early Childhood and Elementary divisions, transitioning from one classroom to another happens less frequently for students than it does for those enrolled in single-grade schools. There are many positives to this structure, which is why we have it, but one ancillary result is that sometimes anxiety or tension is heightened for a student or family who is making the transition from ECC to K, from 1st to 2nd, from 3rd to 4th, or from 5th to 6th grade. Because we know that this is the case, back in late March we asked each grade level team to pass on three or four top priorities for the next grade level down to be working on throughout the spring. This is just one of the ways in which we are thinking about supporting this transition both now, as school draws to a close, and in the fall, when we lead off the year with a variety of transition-related activities. Below, I've listed what the teachers asked each other to focus on as the year draws to a close.

What the K/1 faculty asked the ECC faculty to work on with incoming Kindergarden students:

1. A love of learning, and interest in the social aspect of learning.

2. Good separation strategies in place with the family.

3. Developmentally appropriate ventures with communication and conflict resolution.

4. Practice with transitions during morning work period, including lining up.

5. Familiarity with developmentally appropriate structured work in larger settings.

What the 2/3 faculty asked the K/1 faculty to work on with 1st grade students:

1. Social skills: sit in circle attentively for 20 minutes, wait his or her turn, be mindful of the feelings of others, be responsible for his/her own materials, do classroom care jobs conscientiously, speak respectfully to adults and peers, and articulate feelings to others.

2. Academic skills: mastery of all consonant and short vowel sounds, know most digraphs, write several sentences using phonetic spelling, rote count to 100, using some method (finger counting, pictures, manipulatives) to combine amounts, know what "take away" means, has the idea of sharing by making equal amounts.

What 4/5 faculty asked the 2/3 faculty to work on with 3rd grade students:

1. The ability to overcome challenges/failures.

2. Managing the emotions of having homework.

3. Math fact recognition, especially with addition and multiplication.

4. Making connections while reading.

What 6th grade asked the 4/5 faculty to work on with 5th grade students:

1. Academic stamina.

2. The ability to transition between routines, subjects, and classes.

3. Ownership of their own learning.