Congratulations to you as your child completes grade 5 and prepares to begin the next phase of his/her educational journey. We are looking forward to welcoming you and your child to middle school. We believe that the middle school years are a wonderful time of excitement, exploration and change. We have two Middle School mottos: “Caring Counts at ISB Middle School” and “Together we are the best that we can be”. Like the elementary school, we are a school where character and community are strongly emphasized. It is our goal to assist your child through this transition from child to young adult as well as prepare them academically for the rigors of high school.
All grade 5 students will visit the middle school on Thursday, May 2nd. Current grade 6 students will be their guides for an event we call “Bridge Day”. Grade 5’s will visit various stations and accomplish tasks which introduce them to the teachers, facilities and format of middle school life. They will talk with grade 6 “buddies” about the difference between elementary and middle school. This fun event helps ease worries about the move to middle school. As part of this day, 5th grade students will also attend an information meeting where they will be presented an overview of the grade 6 program as well as instructions on how to submit their course requests for 6th grade.
On the evening of Thursday, May 2, there will also be an important parent information meeting where you, as parents of present 5th graders, will be presented an overview of the grade 6 program as well as instructions on how to submit your child’s course requests for grade 6. The 2013-2014 Middle School Program of Studies, containing program information and descriptions of the courses offered in grades 6-8, will be available soon online. The parent meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 2 at 7:00 – 8:00pm in the Chevron Theatre.
We look forward to meeting you on May 2nd. We want you to know that you are a vital and valued part of our middle school community. If there is one adjective that most accurately describes the early adolescent years, it is change. It is our hope that we can work together over the course of the next three years to ensure that your children successfully ride the roller coaster of change.
If you have any questions about either of these events, please contact the counseling office at extension 4406.
Best Regards,
Tom Burgess, MS Principal
Moe Baron-Toaldo, MS Vice-Principal
Ellen Bagnato, MS Counselor
Kevin Davy, MS Counselor
