What is Middle School Immersion Like?

There's no doubt that middle school is a LOT different from elementary school!  Here are a few things to help you prepare for the transition to increased student independence.  

Three things to know: 

• Your kids are going to be very busy, both with homework and especially if they are involved in extracurriculars.  
• Students have a lot more responsibility to manage their workload during the day for multiple teachers, and more access to distractions.  
• Immersion classes may have multiple grades together, to meet scheduling needs.  

Three things to try: 

• Advocate for your student's placement in advanced language arts, math, or science courses as appropriate.  
• Include Mandarin in your leisure activities (Mandarin Netflix, food & museum outings, board games, Mandarin recipe videos, visit Chinatown).
• Look for enrichment options like the GLCC activities (art, quiz bowl, speech).

Three things to avoid: 

• Falling behind in homework is a common middle-school challenge.  Learn how to identify upcoming or overdue assignments in Schoology and Skyward.
• Don't let yourself be caught off-guard.  Invest in open dialogue with your student about the risks that come with access to social media and the internet as a whole, and be proactive in moderating personal devices.  
• Avoid isolation.  Connection with peers continues to be important support for middle-school students while their social circle evolves.

Three things to help: 

• Make time daily for homework.  Start early reviewing assignments with your student in both Schoology and Skyward.   The grades pages in Schoology let you see whether work has been turned in, even if it is not yet graded.  Skyward is the official record for both Schoology and paper-only assignments.
• Attend conferences.  Connect with the teacher. 
• The Securly parent app lets you monitor at-home Chromebook use, and set bedtimes for the devices.