The Slice – April 2012
[/responsive]Movin’ Up: PiE Eases K-12 School Transitions
Growing older and starting a new school can be scary for students at any age, from kindergarten to college. At each juncture, Palo Alto Unified School District offers programs and resources – many funded by Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) – to assist kids as they prepare to move up, and transition into a new school community.
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IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
Starting kindergarten is an exciting transition for many families and young children. But, is your child ready? For more than 45 years, PAUSD has provided a successful transition model with its popular Young Fives program, partly funded with PiE dollars. Sharon Keplinger, Principal, knows firsthand that a high quality preschool experience can prepare children and their families for success in kindergarten and beyond.
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IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Starting Over in Middle School
The transition into middle school characterizes the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence; a seismic shift that requires students to accept many new challenges, both social and academic. At home, parents and children struggle with redefining roles and relationships. In school, students need to communicate, participate and work cooperatively, exercise self-control, and resolve conflicts thoughtfully, without resorting to avoidance or aggression, according to the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE).
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IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS
Tackling High School — and College!
The structure of American school systems is such that the pains of adolescence coincide with entrance into new physical, social, and pedagogical environments that mark teenagers’ transition to high school. (Schiller, 1999) Gunn Principal Katya Villalobos knows that families and incoming students may see high school as this “big and scary place.” That’s why she and her administrative team developed Titan 101 this year; a PiE-funded program designed specifically to ease entry into the high school community. In this program, incoming students are paired with seasoned ones, who answer questions, show them where to get information, and advise them on everything from managing stress to explaining how the tutorial period works.