Sixth Graders Prepare For Leap To

‘Half-Mile-Long’ School

By Larissa Lytwyn

With the bloom of daffodils and sunlit blue skies, fourth, sixth and eighth graders make the notable transition not only from grade level, but also to schools.

Recently, Reed Intermediate School’s current sixth grade class enjoyed a daylong orientation to the fabled “half-mile-long” Newtown Middle School.

“It’s a bigger building, with a lot more students,” noted sixth grader Ellie Tarshis. She added, “We used to be the oldest kids in the school; now we’ll be the youngest!”

Sixth grader Michael Fridfertig commented on the noticeably more complex academic schedule.

“In sixth grade, we have different subjects taught in two different classrooms,” he explained. “We go from homeroom to class and back again. It’s like the same group of students.”

The exception, he added, are gym, music, and art classes, as well as recess.

In middle school, however, students will be following a high school-like schedule, moving from class to class as the day proceeds.

They will also be beginning their school day at the same time as Newtown High School at 7:30 am.

The sixth graders currently begin class at 8:15 am.

“The [sixth grade] environment is definitely more intimate,” said sixth grade teacher Elizabeth Stevens, a former Newtown Middle School teacher.

Reed and Newtown Middle School share the “cluster” concept, in which partnered teachers follow similar lessons plans.

This exposes students to a wider peer group while allowing instructors to develop collaborative professional relationships.

But, Ms Stevens continued, “At Reed, we have two-teacher clusters. At the middle school, because of the increased number of students, we have four-teacher clusters.”

While less intimate, Ms Stevens said that next fall’s seventh grade class would be introduced to a broader peer group and inevitably develop greater social independence.

“There are more strident middle-school level expectations,” Newtown Middle School guidance counselor Kate MacKinney said simply.

Ms MacKinney and fellow counselors Al Beatini and Sue Connelly, as well as vice principal Kathy Boettner, introduced themselves to the sixth graders at the beginning of the day.

The class would be broken into smaller groups to tour different sections of the building, including classrooms, the guidance office, and the principal’s office.

Newtown Middle School Principal Diane Sherlock was away for the week with the eighth graders on their annual spring field trip to Washington, D.C.

Middle school students and administrators alike consider the trip a highlight of the middle school experience.

In lieu of her physical presence, Ms Sherlock personally prepared a videotaped greeting for the future seventh graders, introducing herself and the school’s general administrative and academic policies.

“This was an excellent time for the sixth graders to come,” said Ms MacKinney.

The absence of the eighth graders, she said, made the experience potentially less intimidating.

Between touring different rooms, the sixth graders did a scavenger hunt, identifying classrooms’ distinctive features to better understand the various aspects of the middle school. 

“For example, one questions asks students what makes a room where we teach science unique,” said Ms MacKinney, who designed the scavenger hunt with the assistance of a faculty committee. “The answer is the presence of lab tables and lab equipment!”

“There are definitely a lot of differences between Reed and the middle school,” acknowledged sixth grader Heather Carlson. “Like, there will be a lot more kids. But I am excited. It’s going to be a new experience!”