Oct. 17, 2011—Ask any fifth-grader what his or her favorite part of being at the middle school is and they’ll likely tell you their lockers.

Three fifth-graders are pictured outside during recess on a beautiful fall day.

They aren’t just a place to store coats and a book bag—they symbolize the transition from an elementary school building to the middle school.

The 2011-12 school year marks the first-time ever that fifth-graders are attending the middle school. The changes come as a result of the school board’s decision to begin teaching all students in kindergarten through fourth grade together in one building, shifting fifth-graders to the top floor of the middle school.

“Isabella feels like she has a little independence,” said Felicia Amoroso about her fifth-grade daughter. “She knows where to find all of her stuff. It’s also great practice for next year.”
Academically, the fifth-grade curriculum remains unchanged.

“I’m doing things the same way as I did them at Jefferson,” said fifth-grade teacher Mary Zanta. “I’m getting the same questions and concerns that I would have received in the elementary school setting.”

Students spend most of their days in self-contained classrooms in the middle school except for lunch, which is separate from older grades, and when teachers escort them to and from special classes such as art and music. A special drop-off and dismissal procedure has fifth-graders riding on elementary school buses each day.

“I think we’re off to a really good start, and students seem to be enjoying themselves,” said Schalmont Middle School Principal Michael Kondratowicz.

Lunch and recess are also a big hit.

Students have a little more freedom during lunch. They can opt to sit with their peers from other fifth-grade classes scheduled during the same lunch period as opposed to sitting with just their class.

This summer, school officials created a new fenced-in recess area for fifth-graders at the middle school that features a basketball hoop and four-square. Students can also play a variety of sports and games on the upper soccer field.

“For a middle school to have all of this, it’s really good,” said fifth-grader Nicholas Ragucci. “The field is a lot of fun.”

Parents and staff seem to be pleased with the transition as well.

“I think they’re doing a great job,” said Amorosi, who also serves as the fifth-grade parent representative. “As the days have progressed things have gotten better and better. The principals have been great. They listen to our ideas and are ready to do anything to make the transition easier for parents and their children.”

School officials have been working in conjunction with fifth-grade parents through a subcommittee of the PTO to determine students’ participation in age-appropriate activities.

Last year, the decision was made to wait until fifth-graders began attending the middle school to make decisions about opening up activities to them.

“We just weren’t sure how things would work out so we decided to make a conscience effort to make those types of decisions together,” said Kondratowicz.

Following the success of the first joint fifth/sixth-grade Sabre City, fifth-graders have since been invited back to another function as well as to a few other combined grade-level events.

“I’m glad they’re involving the fifth-graders,” said Amoroso. “They aren’t in the elementary school anymore, so technically, if you don’t include them in anything at the middle school they are sort of out of place. It makes sense to involve them.”

Fifth-grade teacher Melissa West has been focusing on teaching her students responsibility and better organization skills—key areas needed for success in the sixth-grade.

“It’s easier to teach them more independence here at the middle school,” said West. “As a fifth-grade team, we set the expectation that students needed to get what they needed from their lockers at the beginning of the day—before coming to class.”

West said students’ participation in Sabre City will teach them about acceptable behavior while helping them feel like part of the middle school.

Fifth-graders will continue to enjoy an end-of-the-year class trip, which the subcommittee is brainstorming fundraising ideas for. They are also discussing the yearbook and opportunities for parents to get involved in class events or activities.

“Once parents are here, they’ll see that this is a really well-run building,” said Zanta. “There’s a huge comfort zone here.”

“It’s a really nice place,” said Nicholas.

To learn more about the fifth-grade program, parents are encouraged to contact Felicia Amoroso at 355-5839 or the building principals at 355-6255.

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