While transitioning to junior high can cause anxiety and trepidation, Mesa Public Schools has the answer with Step Up Day.
Every January, all sixth-graders have the opportunity to attend Step Up Day at the junior high school they will be attending. All the counselors make this experience useful and motivating to the incoming students.
Mrs. Salas, Mr. Martin and Ms. Spencer lead Step Up Day at Fremont Junior High School. They rotate through three sections. In one section, they are welcomed by the principal and entertained by an orchestra, a band, a choir and drama, as well as STUCO.
The counselors take over in the auditorium for another section. This is where the students complete paperwork for the following year, and watch a PowerPoint presentation about Fremont Junior High School. In addition, they receive backpacks donated from CTE. The backpacks are filled with resources and registration information.
Lunch in junior high school is always a huge concern. In this section, students enjoy a snack in the cafeteria where they observe how lunch works. Step Up Day is tied in with registration and parent orientation. By day, the students learn the campus, and the parents attend in the evening. Fremont is always pleased with the parental support at these events.
As Mrs. Salas and Mr. Martin agree, the transition from sixth to seventh grade is so important, and the biggest education change these students will experience. Admittedly, they have such a short time to prepare the students for high school. Both of them love what they do, which is evident in the warmth felt within the counseling office.
Step Up Day is another way to connect with the incoming students and make them feel more at ease with the next chapter of their educational lives. About a week later, the counselors visit each elementary school to meet with the sixth-graders to have them register for their classes.
Step Up Day may look different at each junior high school, but the goal is always the same—introduce the incoming seventh-graders to their new home for the next two years, while easing some of the anxiety, which may come with this new transition.
For more information about Step Up Day, ask your sixth-grader when the first session starts, or contact your junior high school, at www.mpsaz.org, to find out about the parent evening.