1. Welcome to SVMS! What to Expect From Smithson Valley Middle School and How to Prepare

2. The Middle School Goal To grow into mature, caring and responsible teenagers who will someday make appropriate decisions which will impact their lives, the lives of their parents, and family in a positive manner.

3. 6 th Grade is… A time of great change : *Multiple classes *Hundreds of new faces/students *Physical/hormonal changes *Changes in friendships *More freedom

4. Grading Scale A = 90-95 Excellent B = 80-89 Above Average C= 75-79 Average D= 70-74 Below Average/Poor F= 69 and below Failure Academic Advising: Students are expected to strive for the best grades and to stay away from the D and F range of grades.

5. Academic Pass Failure report published on Wednesday mornings 2 nd period teacher “punches” the card if student is passing ALL classes with a 70 or above This makes the pass “current” and makes student eligible to attend pep rallies, games, dances, etc. Otherwise, they are ineligible to attend

6. How does a student keep up in school and stay off the failure list?

7. #1: The Agenda Some teachers require its use for a grade Use agenda DAILY Recommend students obtain contact info of at least 2 students in each class Recommend parents require students to write assignments in agenda and check agendas daily Recommend consequences when they do not use agenda (e.g. oops! No video games tonight!)

8. #2: TxConnect Account * Set up the account so that you get email or text alerts letting you know if grades fall below a specific numerical value of your choice (i.e. below 75) * Check the account two or three times a week (minimum) * We encourage your student may set up their own account so that he/she may check his/her own grades. * Contact your child’s counselor for login Portal ID

9. #3: Online Sources for Information Many teachers use Studywiz to keep parents informed of assignments. Some use their school web pages. Explore your child’s teachers’ Email/Website. If you ever need help with the above, contact your child’s counselor.

10. #4: Get Organized Organization is the key to be successful in middle school!!! If your child is organizationally challenged, plan on helping him/her in the following ways: 1. Empty child’s backpack daily 2. Re-organize backpack daily with your child until he/she gets the “hang” of it: consider “practicing” in the summer and have child work on organizing activities that are fun!)

11. #5: Learn and Practice WCT: 1. Write down the assignment/due date 2. Complete the assignment 3. Turn in the assignment on or before due date.

12. #6: Acceptance of Responsibility Students learn to be mature and responsible when they accept that poor grades mean they did not master the material. The solution to this is to attend tutoring. Get to know their teachers’ tutoring schedules. Know that you can write a pass for your child to get into the building if he/she loses their tutoring pass.

13. Middle School Challenges Multiple classes/multiple assignments Multiple distractions, i.e. cell phones, changing friendships, hormones, etc. Class content difficult to retain; Pre-AP classes taught are taught at a higher level. Teachers in middle school have 160 students to provide assistance in class and during tutoring. Elementary teachers have about 50 students. Students must make the effort to ask questions and attend tutoring.

14. More Challenges Overcoming their sense of fear/pride/shyness, to ask for help (practice role playing this with your child) Students learning to review notes for homework and using them to improve mastery of material presented Organization: keeping multiple assignments organized in a way that is easily retrievable Learning to manage time/responsibilities when studying and completing long term projects and homework

15. Studying Study for tests/quizzes if you or your child need a refresher on studying, go to http://www.videojug.com/interview/middle-school-test-tips It is important to schedule study time (one hour) after school daily in order to 1. Establish a HABIT of studying. This eliminates the conflict of “Do I have homework?” and helps students KNOW they need to study, whether or not they have assignments to do at home. 2. Review notes they took in class. 3. Organize, organize, organize!

16. Absences 1. Student is completely responsible for asking their teachers for any work missed and when the assignments is due when they return. 2. Student has 1 day per EXCUSED absence to make up work. Unexcused absences get no extra time.

17. How Parents Can Help Make the Transition Easier The Involved Parent’s Sixth Grade Guide By Ellen Shrager

18. Reasons I Recommend This Book 1. It does not blame parents for mistakes students make 2. It shifts the perception of student mistakes from “failure” to learning opportunities/setbacks. Better to learn now in 6 th grade when the grades do not figure into GPA then in high school when they do. 3. Prepares parents for adolescent behaviors such as cheating, etc. and focuses on resilient behavior: how to respond to such setbacks in a way that will help students grow in a direction that is mature and responsible.

19. Other Resources www.loveandlogic.comwww.loveandlogic.com - Helps parents set up guidelines/boundaries/consequences when students fail to meet academic expectations. www.khanacademy.orgwww.khanacademy.org – Free videos to help students learn about math, art, computer programming, science, history, and more

20. Stay Connected SVMS Website: http://www.comalisd.org/Schools/SVMS/http://www.comalisd.org/Schools/SVMS/ Teacher Websites/Emails: http://www.comalisd.org/Schools/SVMS/SVMS_Staff_Director y2.asp http://www.comalisd.org/Schools/SVMS/SVMS_Staff_Director y2.asp Comal Shares: http://www.comalisd.org/News_2014/http://www.comalisd.org/News_2014/ Facebook: “Like” us on https://www.facebook.com/cisdsmithsonvalleymiddle https://www.facebook.com/cisdsmithsonvalleymiddle Twitter: @SVMSCounseling Instagram: svmscounseling StudyWiz: https://studywiz.comalisd.org/https://studywiz.comalisd.org/

21. Smithson Valley Middle School Counselors Maria Anna Esparza - (Last Names A-L) 830-885-1249 maria.esparza@comalisd.org Monica Ulbricht – (Last Names M-Z) 830-885-1209 monica.ulbricht@comalisd.org Smithson Valley Middle School: 830-885-1200