Informational Meeting for parents on Wednesday, May 31 at 6 p.m. in the school library
— by Margie Doyle —
Orcas Island School District administration and teachers are excited at the prospect of the 6th grade class joining the Middle School beginning next September. The new structure has been in the works for the past two years, and the three classrooms in the Middle School will now be fully occupied as Orcas adopts the more “traditional” Middle School format of the three-grade structure.
Superintendent Eric Webb joins Elementary Principal Lorena Stankevich and Middle/High School Principal Kyle Freeman in saying, “We are most excited by the opportunities that this new structure will provide us to break away from a static traditional schedule.”
“The middle school teachers have been studying and working toward this move over the past year in an effort to make this transition as smooth as possible,” said Superintendent Eric Webb.
This restructuring addresses the complex formulae of class scheduling and the recent declining numbers of Middle School students. Freeman says that with the 6th graders joining the older students, the Middle School will move toward being a “whole” school.
Freeman says, “With the lower numbers in the classes, there is not a lot of teacher FTE dedicated to Middle School. During the recession, the Middle School experienced a drop in staffing; we were sharing teachers piece-meal with other programs.
“Small is good, but really small takes flexibility out of the model,” said Freeman. Every 30 kids enables the district to employ a teacher which then enables the Middle School to be more creative and flexible.
Principal Stankevich says that restructuring the makeup of the schools will benefit students and teachers in opportunities to collaborate and integrate. “The sixth grade will look similar curriculum-wise and teacher staffing, but the 7th and 8th grades will have more flexibility in integrating courses,” she said.
The district has been discussing the integration of the sixth grade into the Middle School for a few years. It has looked to other schools, such as North Star Middle School in Kirkland, a highly-rated Middle School project inside a bigger school. OISD plans to send its own teacher team to North Star next year to facilitate the three-grade Middle School.
Some of the goals that drive the Middle School restructuring are:
- mix students between grade levels
- design a more integrated curriculum, connecting courses such as Language Arts, Science and Social Studies
- provide an Advisory class to give students with support in social, emotional and academic skills
- enhance the Middle School staffing
Principal Freeman says that in conversation with retired Middle School teachers Kathi Anderson, Lynn Perry, and Lori Oakes, he was impressed that the creativity and flexibility happening then were made possible by the fact the Middle School, with more students then, opened the door for more more teachers. “It makes the Middle School ‘whole’ that way. How can we do that with our numbers, how can we increase the numbers of students?” Both principals point out that while in Elementary School students are learning concepts; in the Middle and High School students are learning the applications. Sixth grade is a good point to consider how to use the next six years in the best way.”
The staff will spend the summer tweaking the curriculum, Freeman says, and administration will work to finalize staffing. “We do know that teacher Kim Freeman will be moving up with the 6th grade, and that all staff are excited about these changes.”
Stankevich says, “It’s exciting from the teachers’ perspective in that it is very powerful in energizing student learning and motivating the teachers too — it can be very powerful and rejuvenating.”
The OISD has had multi-age (mixed) classrooms in recent years. The 6th grade has had a strong component of leadership; by 6th grade they’re bigger, louder, and ready to be middle-schoolers. The biggest challenge may be space as the Middle School is not a huge building. However, it was built with three classrooms and auxiliary spaces, and most days there is one empty classroom for one of the six periods, that can now be used for the 6th-graders.
The administrators hope to see the impact on 6th graders in a positive way, socially and emotionally. Principal Freeman says, “There’s often a fear of older kids’ influence; but the shock factor is not as great, given that the kids are already playing together. I have a 6th grader next year, and I’m not worried about it. It will open new doors to athletics and the arts as well.”
Stankevich says, “This a wonderful opportunity; a really exciting way to move forward and focus on best practices, collaboration and integration. It will strengthen everyone.”
It’s great to see how much thought and care our administrators are putting into this move. We have heard from some of the current 5th grade girls that they are nervous about the move and our 6th grader girls have expressed natural anxiety over the move to middle school, too. With the help of P.A.C.T., a group of middle school moms will be organizing all girls in all 2017-18 middle school grades to come together over the summer to help create a drama-free, mean-free, clique-free environment where girls can be confident and thrive. If you are interested in helping or attending these free events, please reach out to Ayn Gailey on facebook.