Anxiety-free Transition to General John Stricker Middle School for BOTH parents and their child!

 **How will I open my locker?  **How will I find my classrooms?  **How will I know to get on the right bus?  **How will I get my lunch?  **How will I learn the rules of the school?  **How will I get to each class on time?  **How will I find the main office, library, gym, cafeteria, lavatories, nurse’s office, and music rooms?  **How will I know how to read my schedule of classes?

**Talk to your child about the differences between elementary and middle school but do it in a positive light (Remember that your child will take clues from you as to the level of anxiety that they should feel as they move into middle school.). **Share the fun in being able to change classes, as well as, teachers. **Since there are generally more students in middle as opposed to elementary schools, there are more opportunities to make friends. **Encourage your child to join one or more of the many after school activities (Intramurals, Chess, Future Educators of America, National Junior Honor Society (6 th /7 th /8 th grades), National Junior Art Honor Society, Quiz Bowl, School Store, Student Advisory Council, Student Service Learning Hours, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Band, STEM Club, Robotics, Basketball, Track & Field, Badminton, and Drama) offered at GJSMS. **Share with your child what they can expect a normal day in middle school to be. (Share with them your memories of and experiences in middle school.) **Keep the lines of communication open between you and your child so that they feel comfortable sharing their experiences in middle school, as well as, their concerns.

 ** Call the school ( ) or our Counseling Office ( ) during the summer from 8:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. to arrange to visit and meet with an administrator.  **We encourage parents to visit our school during the year.  **Access our school’s website for information on our school’s dress code, school supply list, forms, parent and student information, grades, homework, tests/quizzes, projects, calendar, etc.

 **Students will enter the building and report to the cafeteria where they will be met by their homeroom teacher.  **There will be an extended homeroom period so that students can be taught how to read their class schedule and they will have time to practice using their locker combination to open their assigned locker. Never share your locker with another student.  **Students will learn both the school’s rules and expectations, as well as, those for the classroom.  **Lunch time will be extended so that the students are able to learn the cafeteria rules and become familiar with the food choices.  **Students will receive a tour of the school building so that they become familiar with the locations of classrooms, lavatories, nurse’s office, library, gym, locker rooms, main office, counseling office, and cafeteria.  **Students will attend each of their classes to meet their teachers and learn the expectations in each of their classes.

 **receive a Physical Education packet  **continue learning classroom and school rules  **have extended lunch all week  **dismiss early from their last class so that they have time to locate where to stand outside of the school building to wait for their assigned bus to take them home  **continue practicing opening their lockers  **be provided assistance in the hallways (by teachers) in order to locate their classrooms  **begin learning the Common Core Curriculum in each of their classes.

 **Breakfast (Grab & Go): Breakfast $1.55/Reduced $.30 AND Lunch $3.00/Reduced $.40 (Parents can complete a Prepayment Form along with cash or check (made payable to the school cafeteria) and submit it to the cafeteria manager (Rose Wilson) or a cashier. A student can place a prepayment on his/her account when purchasing either breakfast or lunch. A parent can place a prepayment online using either a debit/credit card.)  **Physical Education uniforms: shirt $ 9.00 and shorts $ 9.00 (on sale the first week of school & Back to School Night)  **Summer Mailing consists of: Principal’s letter, System/GJSMS calendar, miscellaneous information, School Dress Code, Homeroom sections, School supply list, Bus rider behavioral expectations, Bus Stop information, Health Contact information, Opt Out Form, Student Emergency Contact information, Bullying/Harassment/Intimidation Reporting Form Your child’s class schedule will NOT be included in the summer mailing information. Your child will receive their schedule in their homeroom on the first day of the new school year.

 **Summer Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  **Permission to Walk form (included in summer mailing envelope)  **After School Coach Classes/Late Bus provided on Wednesdays and Thursdays  **Students will receive Student Handbook Presentations  **Students enter the school building at 8:00a.m., enter the cafeteria at 8:10a.m. to purchase Grab & Go breakfast, go to their locker and must be in their homeroom by 8:25a.m.  **Afternoon Dismissal is 2:55p.m.

 We look forward to welcoming your child to General John Stricker Middle School.  Please encourage your child to read over the summer to keep their mind active for the upcoming school year.  We encourage our parents and their child to visit GJSMS over the summer, as well as, we always encourage our parents to visit during the school year.  Once again, please join our PTSA and consider assuming a position on the PTSA. We are in need of a PTSA president for next school year. Please contact Christine Dudley at if you are interested in becoming involved with the PTSA.

General John Stricker Middle School Dress Code NO hats of any kind (NO hoods as well) NO large bags/totes/purses that are large enough to hold a 3 inch or larger binder NO backpacks NO shirts/blouses/pants/dresses, etc. that show a student’s undergarments (pants should appropriately cover the entire seat area) NO shirts/blouses/pants/dresses, etc. that are considered revealing and/or inappropriate coverage (strap shirts should be a minimum of two fingers in width) (shorts, skirts, and dresses should be mid-thigh in length) NO shirts/blouses/pants/dresses, etc. that display inappropriate language and/or pictures NO slippers NO pajama pants