BCPS today announced a new process for introducing students to middle school and high school:
What: Baltimore County Public Schools will host a half-day “Early Entry Day” for rising Grades 6 and 9 students for the 2016–2017 school year. Students will start their day in period one and continue through their entire class schedule, including lunch. Students also will have the opportunity to engage in various activities designed to acclimate them to their new school environments; such as visiting their lockers, taking school tours, and meeting teachers and school counselors. Transportation will be provided for those students who will take buses to middle and high school. Those students will be picked up at their assigned bus stops at their regular scheduled times and will be transported home at the end of the half-day schedule. A complimentary lunch will be served to all participating students, and students will be able to add funds to their cafeteria accounts in preparation for the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.
When: Monday, Aug. 22, 2016, half-day morning schedule (specific times determined based on schools’ start times)
Where: All middle and high schools in Baltimore County Public Schools where students will attend for the 2016-2017 school year
Background: The Early Entry Day is for students only and will not replace other school-based student-parent orientation activities such as Sneak-a-Peak, evening student-parent orientation, or Back-to-School Night. More detailed information regarding the Early Entry Day, such as specific bus stops, exact hours of the morning half-day, student schedules, and school-based agendas for the day will be included in each school’s “Welcome Back” correspondence in early August 2016.
Current research and best practices on student transitions from elementary to middle and middle to high school indicate that students experience a broad array of socio-emotional and academic concerns as they enter into these transitions. Student transitions are much more efficient and effective when students are given an opportunity to meet their teachers, walk throughout the school building, visit their lockers, visit the cafeteria, and begin meeting their new classmates in an environment that is exclusive to them. By limiting Early Entry Day to only transitioning students, these students are provided an opportunity to build community and familiarity with school staff and new classmates.