A committee of administrators, principals, guidance counselors, special educators, and parents is progressing to plan for the inclusion of sixth graders at Veterans and Winman Middle Schools for the 2018-2019 school year.
This committee is motivated to provide grade 6 students with a true middle school experience on par with their peers across Rhode Island.
Thus far the committee has determined:
- Sixth graders will be members of academic teams of approximately 100 students who will share the same math, science, social studies, and ELA teachers
- They will be exposed to a variety of exploratory classes, such as music, computer technology, art, and pre-engineering. This will assist them in making choices for grades 7 & 8.
- They will remain with their sixth grade peers in physical education and as much as possible in all other classes such as music & fine arts.
- Grade 6 students will have the opportunity to participate in a full offering of extracurricular areas such as clubs, dram, music, and athletics.
The next meeting is scheduled for January 3, 2018 and will focus on communication and outreach to our elementary communities.
This does not explain how they will be housed in the building. At Vets, the science teacher is at a different location than the rest of the team. The 6th graders then will be traveling across the building through crowds of 7th and 8th graders to get to their science classes, gym classes, and other non-core classes. In other words, for the majority of the day they will be outside their “protected” 6th grade area.
Stating that they will be with their 6th grade peers “as much as possible in all other classes such as music & fine arts” is not reassuring at all. This means that 6th graders can and will be in classes that are mixed 6th-8th grade. This is educationally, developmentally, and socially inappropriate and unacceptable.
How will lunches be handled? Will 6th graders be simply mixed in with 7th and 8th graders? How will they be physically accommodated? We have had to go to a 4 lunch class period that lasts from 11:20-12:50 to accommodate the 7th and 8th graders. Will we have 5 lunches now?
Administration needs to meet with elementary parents and explain that this is the school district’s plan. I do not believe that they will be very pleased.