Back to School Comes Early for Sixth Graders

Your name goes in the upper right corner of the page, and the dots need to be on the left side.

This might seem like old hat for a lot of middle and high school students. For incoming sixth graders, however, knowing how to properly title an assignment can be as foreign as combination lockers, PE uniforms and changing classrooms when the bell sounds.

At in Watsonville, kids are getting a boost before classes start Aug. 20.

The Jump Start Academy has incoming sixth graders learning the ropes before the pressures of tardiness, upper classmen and homework begin.

"We ease them into this thing instead of showing up on the first day of school with all these seventh and eighth graders around them," explained Rolling Hills after school program coordinator and special education teacher Todd Riddick. "... And we make sure they're having fun."

All this week, about 142 of the 170 sixth graders who are expected to attend Rolling Hills this year come to school at 8:30 a.m.—the normal start time during the school year—and attend classes in math and science, language arts, PE, computes and art until 12:30 p.m.

They switch classes and take a mock lunch break, 10 minutes when they get a healthy snack and bottled water, during the academy.

The kids aren't tackling big assignments yet. For example, English teacher Mike Donegan shares that how-to on labeling assignments and a lesson on the importance of pre-writing essays.

"We're kind of learning the rules and how each teacher is a little different," math teacher Lori Gaudin explained to her class.

In the computer lab, students are taught how to access the school's website and get a basic tutorial in Internet safety. They're shown learning-centric games.

"It's a way to orient our sixth graders," said Riddick, an educator for 33 years who's been at Rolling Hills for the past 23. "This is more preparation."

It's also a good way for sixth grade teachers to get to know their students' strengths and weaknesses early.

In the PE class, teacher Ashley Rosas called the kids by their T-shirts ("smiley-face" and "sequins") to play a rousing game of tag, but promised to learn their names once school starts. She's already reminded them not to share lockers with friends and that clean PE clothes are a must.

"It's so much information, your head might explode," Rosas said.

Salvador Andrade, who turns 11 this year, was practicing shading his drawing of a serpent in art class. Jump Start Academy is helpful, he said.

"You learn more things and I get a head start to what I'm going to do," Salvador said.

Students with perfect attendance receive a Rolling Hills backpack stocked with the binders paper, pencils and dividers they'll need on the first day of school. They also get a free PE uniform. Parents appreciate the complimentary school supplies and encourage their kids to come to Jump Start Academy.

The Jump Start Academy is funded by an ASES grant. Rolling Hills Middle School receives about tens of thousands annually in After School Education and Safety grant funding from the state. Most of the money covers the after school program, which Riddick oversees.

Part of the Jump Start Academy is getting incoming sixth graders signed up for the after school program, which they are required to attend on Mondays and Tuesdays for tutoring and extracurricular activities, like piano lessons, yoga, art programs and sports. All Rolling Hills students can take part in the after school any day of the week.

Aug. 20 in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.