# data[].attributes.body
Hopefully this will be easy access for you to the Depoali MS website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
S.T.R.I.K.E. = Strength Tolerance Responsibility Integrity Knowledge Empathy

It is our mission at Depoali Middle School to produce students who are personally responsible, accountable, and productive while fostering their spirit of inquiry; as a community of learners they will become collaborators, creators and communicators. As a staff, we are committed to providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum while integrating character education so students understand the importance of stretching themselves personally in order to contribute positively to their family.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 - "A" Day

NO EARLY RELEASE

Students released at 2:00

YEARBOOK ORDERS

Cost: $40 per yearbook

Payments: Credit/Debit card, order using the Jostens website

Cash or Check (made out to Depoali), order in the Depoali Office

Deadline to order: Monday, March 8, 2021

Online Registration for the 2021-2022 School Year is OPEN!!

All Washoe County School District parents MUST register their students for the upcoming school year

using online registration only. Click HERE for registration information flyer.

Online registration must be completed by April 12th, 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
S.T.R.I.K.E. = Strength Tolerance Responsibility Integrity Knowledge Empathy It is our mission at Depoali Middle School to produce students who are personally responsible, accountable, and productive while fostering their spirit of inquiry; as a community of learners they will become collaborators, creators and communicators.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Getting Ready for Middle School Part 1: Fears & Faves

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Getting Ready for Middle School Part 2: The School Day

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Getting Ready for Middle School Part 3: Friends & Activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Is it good to be in the middle? Sometimes it's not, like when you're in the middle seat on a long car ride. But sometimes it is, like when you're in the middle of a great movie. What will happen next?

Middle school is a little bit like that. It's called middle school because it's in the middle of your school years. Elementary school is behind you. High school and possibly college still await you.

Middle school often includes sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, but you might go to middle school earlier or later, depending on how it's done in your area.

For a kid, going to middle school often is a big change:

First, it usually means moving to a new building, which takes some time to adjust to.

Second, it may mean taking a different bus, with different students.

Third, the friends you made in elementary school may end up going to different middle schools.

All of that can make you feel a bit scared on the first day of school.

Other things that probably will be different are the teachers and the work. Have you heard rumors that middle school teachers are really mean and the homework is really, really hard? Oh, dear. We've heard those, too, but they're not usually true. Yes, you'll like some teachers better than others, but middle schools are not special breeding grounds for mean teachers!

Learning New Stuff

Your homework - and the work you do in class - likely will get more challenging, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. You're growing up and you get to build on all that learning you already did in elementary school. You'll also probably be learning some new and different stuff in middle school - like foreign languages, more advanced courses in computer technology, music and art, health, and life skills, such as cooking.

On top of that, middle school will probably offer a variety of new teams, clubs, and activities you can join. Maybe you love lacrosse, ceramics, or jazz music. You might find opportunities to do all three at middle school.

Still worried about middle school? Let's talk about how to make the transition and not get too freaked out!

Visit more than once. Most middle schools have orientation day for students who will be attending in the fall. Orientation is a day when you tour the school and get a little information about what it will be like to go there. Another great way to get oriented is to attend a concert or sporting event at your new school. And talk to friends who already go there. Ask them about any problems they had and ask if they could help you if you need it when you get there. It's cool to have an older kid as a friend at your new school!

It also might help if your mom or dad drove you to the school in the summertime. You might see sports teams practicing outside and just get a sense of the place. It's also good to get an idea of where it is in your area. Is it over near the mall or on the other side of town?

Prepare for Day 1. Read any materials you get at orientation or that arrive by mail in the summer. Are there books you need to read or supplies you have to buy? You'll also want to figure out what time school starts and what time the bus will pick you up, if you take one. Then you can decide what time you'll need to wake up. You also might want to find out when your lunch is. If it's later than usual, you might want to pack a snack. Also in advance, think about what you'll wear. Choose something that you like and feel comfortable in. If you'll be wearing a uniform, try it on to see that all the pieces fit and that they feel good.

Get to bed on time the night before! Try to get a good night's sleep - even if you're so excited you don't think you can sleep. Before bed, lay out all your stuff so you don't forget anything. Set your alarm, but tell your mom or dad when you need to get up in case you sleep right through it!

On the big day, eat breakfast and be brave. Breakfast might seem skippable if you're in a major hurry, but don't cut it out. You'll feel terrible by mid-morning, just when you need your energy and brain power to navigate your new school.

On your way out the door, take everything you need and try to remember that this is a big adventure. You might get lost in the halls. Oh, well, it's your first day! Check in with friends you know and try to be brave and say "hi" to other new kids. Don't know the kid with the locker next to yours? Say "hello." You'll be seeing a lot of each other this year!

In class, listen to what the teacher says and take notes because it's hard to remember everything. Try to write down the important stuff - like your locker combination and your homeroom number. Then you can look it over when you get home and be prepared for Day 2.

On Day 2, repeat. On the second day, do everything you did on Day 1. Hopefully, things are starting to go a little more smoothly. Keep referring to your notes. It might help to look over your class schedule at home so you start to memorize that math follows English and science follows gym, but only on Tuesdays!

After 1 week, pat yourself on the back. When you've been at your school for a whole week, it's time to give yourself a round of applause. You've probably absorbed a ton of new information - all in a short time. You probably know your locker combination, where your assigned seat is in all your classes, where the bathrooms are, and how to get to the cafeteria. Do you still get lost on the way to gym? If so, find a buddy who goes to gym at the same time and walk together.

Solving Problems Beyond Week 1

If you find you're having trouble with schoolwork or friends, don't panic but do get help. Just like in elementary school, ask the teacher for extra help after class if you don't understand something you're learning. You also might have study halls in middle school - these free periods are great for talking to a teacher or getting a jump on your homework.

Also talk to your mom or dad if you're having trouble with your classes. It could be that you're just a little rusty after that long summer. But if your problems don't go away, you'll want to talk to the teacher and maybe a school counselor.

When it comes to friends, the switch to a new school can leave you feeling a little dizzy. What if your best friend isn't in any of your classes and you never see him or her? What if none of your friends even goes to your school? Middle school is a good time to make new connections and new friends.

Sometimes, it's easy to make a new friend. You might meet the first day and then hang out all year long. But it also can go more slowly, especially if it seems like a lot of kids are already hanging out together in groups that don't include you. Let someone know how it's going for you. Talk to your mom, dad, or a school counselor if you're feeling lonely and it's not getting any better.

You might wonder what you can do to feel less lonely and make friends. Here's something: Try joining a club, sport, or activity. It's a great way to get to know kids you don't know yet. Being in these groups also can help you feel more at home at your school. By next year, you'll be that cool older kid who's helping out the new kid. If he's lost on the way to the gym, please show him the way!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Is it good to be in the middle? Sometimes it's not, like when you're in the middle seat on a long car ride. But sometimes it is, like when you're in the middle of a great movie. What will happen next? Middle school is a little bit like that.

# data[].attributes.body
Do I have to take music?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A few ways teachers can help new middle schoolers-and their families-cope with this big change.

©Shutterstock.com/Monkey Business Images

The biggest shift in K-12 education is the transition from elementary school to middle school. So much is different: campus size, the numbers of students in each class, the accessibility of teachers, how lessons are implemented, student expectations, and the interaction with families.

As a teacher, you want parents invested, but some families need guidance in stepping back a bit. Nevertheless, you know that some students falter or fail when the scaffold of parent or elementary teacher falls away.

Another significant change? Students go from a single teacher to learning the expectations of multiple teachers for the first time. They're hustling across campus between classes. They're changing for PE and wearing deodorant, and stressing about their first school dance, all while trying to figure out how to do well in your class. It's a tough chapter.

Yet in many times, we as middle school teachers lose sight of how difficult it can be, and if we aren't sensitive to this jarring shift, some kids are lost by the wayside. For instance, sometimes middle school teachers, in the name of increasing rigor, focus all our attention on content and academics. Yet while it's vital to raise expectations, we must still employ engaging strategies that lure learners to the content.

Why the Shift?

From kindergarten to elementary school, elementary to middle school, and then to high school: One might ask why the K-12 system needs these shifts at all. I would argue that each stage is developmentally appropriate for that age group's brain.

In the elementary years, for instance, the brain is occupied making connections between memories and what is being learned now. Students memorize routine knowledge, both academically and socially, but nothing is yet routine enough to free up space for more rigorous concepts. According to the American Psychological Association: "As skills become more automatic, the child does not have to think as hard about what he or she is learning or doing, and brain resources are freed up to be used for complex tasks that require more and more attention and processing." The elementary years, therefore, are about training for fundamental academic behaviors-and teachers work with students daily, sometimes hourly, to help them prepare.

As a student enters middle school, however, their connections begin to increase and "inferential thinking becomes more emphasized." Students' brains spend energy deciding what knowledge will be stored in short- or long-term memory, and decision-making abilities begin to develop. The expectation is that students have the rote stuff down, though as students struggle with the developmental challenges of becoming tweens, that rote stuff can't be assumed, and teachers must be savvy about both teaching deeper content and communicating that content engagingly.

For many, the transition to becoming a successful middle school student-neurologically and socially-is a gradual one, and being more independent doesn't happen automatically on the first day (or in the first month) of middle school.

Advice Teachers Can Give Students and Their Families

Training students and families to be more independent doesn't mean abandoning the scaffolds. Quite the opposite: It means being transparent about what's to come and offering strategies to help. So here's some basic advice teachers can give to both students and their families.

Use your agenda. Track assignments from all of your teachers each day. You'll probably drop the ball otherwise.

Be your own advocate. Email teachers yourself with questions about assignments.

Redefine yourself. Take this time to try out everything from different styles of clothing to different styles of writing. Start to figure out who you want to be.

Get to know your school counselor. Put yourself on adults' radars in a positive way. They are there to support you.

Stop bringing items to school for the student. Help us teach students responsibility. Don't bring lunches or forgotten work.

Check their agenda daily. Be the other bookend of the accountability equation.

Keep technology in a public area at home. Bring devices out of the bedroom. Have students work, and charge devices, in a shared space. And while you're at it, make sure you know your child's usernames and passwords.

Loosen the reins when they prove they can do it. Step away once your child has proven they can be more independent.

For middle school students:

The Role of the School and the Teacher

Actively teach study skills. Don't assume students come to you knowing how to manage their time.

Be transparent with assignments and deadlines. Make it easier on families struggling to support students as they learn independence. Don't keep assignments hidden from families on password-protected agendas. That doesn't build independent learners-it sets some students up for failure.

Provide education for all stakeholders. Provide classes and workshops on topics from cybersafety (for students and parents) to strategies on dealing with a tween's eye-rolling and other acts of resistance (for parents).

Start a support program. The WEB Program (Where Everyone Belongs) is a peer-mentoring program that helps kids transition into middle school.

Both teachers and schools have a role to play here to help students as well:

Middle school students aren't just smaller high schoolers. Continue to utilize student engagement strategies even while pushing your expectations higher. Remember, middle school is a harsh jolt for some students. While some may appear already prepared to leap into high school, others may be looking back longingly at recess.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Easing the Shift From Elementary to Middle School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A few ways teachers can help new middle schoolers-and their families-cope with this big change.