Planning for middle school will soon begin, and we look forward to working with you and your child during this important transition process.

Each student will be assigned to leveled sixth-grade courses in English, reading, and mathematics. The levels are Accelerated Honors, Honors, and Grade Level. The 2021-2022 Middle School Course Description Guide provides details for each of the courses.

The district will use a combination of data points, including teacher recommendations, sixth-grade report card grades, and test scores, to place each student. Our goal is to ensure that course work appropriately challenges each student. You will receive preliminary placement information in early May through Parent Portal.

You will have an opportunity to discuss the middle school transition process, including preliminary sixth-grade coursework during parent-teacher conferences scheduled for March 10-12, 2021. You are also invited to attend a middle school information night on May 5, 2021, to learn more about the transition process from your soon to be middle school principal.

Please see the reverse side of this letter for a detailed description of the middle school rigor levels.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Sokolowski                        Dr. Sara Missett                              Dr. Tammi Florio
Assistant Superintendent                   Director of Elementary Education     Director of Teaching & Learning
Director of Secondary Education

February 4, 2021

Dear Families of Fifth-Grade Students,

We are excited to welcome your child to middle school as this can be an exciting and emotional time as children take that next step in their educational journey. Middle school is a time of many developmental and academic changes, and our teachers and administrators are very experienced in helping them with the transition process. 

Our fifth-grade and sixth-grade teachers are working closely together to recommend the instructional level that would be the best fit for your child. Fifth-grade teachers will share their recommendations at the parents/teacher conferences in March. Basic information about our instructional levels can be found here. During conferences, you will also have the opportunity to opt into the WC Cyber Program for the next school year. Please find more information about the WC Cyber Program here.

Our middle school program offers a core curriculum in sixth grade. Students will not have to select electives as they will cycle through a series of what was known in elementary school as “specials” (such as art, physical education, etc.). Selecting electives will come later in their middle school career. We do, however, need your child to select a music option (chorus, band, orchestra, or classroom music) before we complete our schedules for next year. Please complete the sixth-grade music selection option form.

You can view the descriptions of the courses your child will be taking in our 2021-22 course guide on our website.

A virtual parent information session, Middle School 101, will be held on Thursday, February 18, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Please register to attend the Middle School 101 informational session. We will explain the programs taking place in our middle schools and be happy to answer any questions about the transition process. We will record this session and make it available for parents who are not able to attend.

Each middle school principal will host another parent information night on May 5, 2021, to provide parents with a more personalized look at the middle school experience.

If you have any questions, please email Gr5transition@wcasd.net. We feel very privileged to have the opportunity to work with your child and are looking forward to welcoming them to middle school.

Sincerely,

Dr. Tammi Florio, Director of Teaching and Learning

Dr. Sara M. Missett, Director of Elementary Education

Dr. Robert Sokolowski, Assistant Superintendent and Director of Secondary Education