Counselor Chat - 6th Grade Edition

Over the coming weeks, quite a bit of information will be coming home. Please take a moment and make sure that your address, email, and phone numbers are correct in FOCUS. This way, no matter how the information is shared, you will not miss important events, reminders, and decision or results information. If you need help with your FOCUS account, please reach out to the campus data specialist at MST.

Maura Arevalo

469-593-7390

maura.arevalo@risd.org

If your child has applied for any specialized or magnet programs, decision letters will be coming home at the end of January. This includes magnet schools and magnet programs, Spanish screening results, AVID, and GT program results. You will receive this information prior to course cards being sent home, so that you are able to make decisions with this information.

Throughout the month of January, many exciting things are going to be happening for your future junior high/middle school student. There will be campus tours, parent information meetings, decision letters about magnet schools, GT placement, Spanish screeners, and the important task of selecting courses for the 2024-2025 school year. During this time, I will be working alongside your child every step of the way. I will be delivering classroom lessons to your student about all things junior high/middle school, including:

Course offerings

Required vs. Elective Courses

What to expect at junior high - what a typical day looks like

Extra-curricular activities

I will also meet with your student individually or in small groups to learn about the course card, and talk about what they might be interested in. We will practice choosing courses on a "draft" course card.

These activities will help guide them to being able to confidently choose courses for junior high, and hopefully help ease their fears about the future.

The junior high/middle school program of studies is a great resource for finding out about the different courses offered. Each course has a course description, giving information about what you will learn, as well as if there are any prerequisites. Some courses are only offered at a particular campus. This will be noted in the description as well.

Starting on February 2nd, your student will bring home a course selection card. The card will be used to choose courses for the 2024-2025 school year. Please spend time going over this with your student. Once you have reviewed the options and made selections, please sign the course card and return it to your child's teacher by Friday, February 9th. Their teacher will give the course cards to me. I will complete a final review and then share the information with the junior high/middle school counselors.

Course Verification Letters will be sent home towards the end of March. This letter will include a list of the courses that you and your student have chosen for the 2024-2025 school year. This will be your opportunity to review the courses chosen earlier and make changes if needed. After this time, you will not be able to make changes to course cards. Please review these letters carefully, and sign and send them back to your child's teacher.

If your student chooses to participate in athletics for the 2024-2025 school year, you will need to submit a physical form to the junior high. Please be looking for more information about an opportunity to get a low-cost physical through the school district later in the spring. You may also visit your primary care physician to obtain a physical, but you must use the UIL Athletics Physical form. Each physical is only good for one year, so please wait until later in the spring to have this done.

January 9th - 31st

• Pre-Registration Guidance Lessons
• Magnet Interviews (West)
• Program Decisions - AVID, Spanish Screener, Magnet Programs

January 25th- All 6th graders will go on a school field trip to our feeder pattern junior high. Students must return their permission to attend.

January 31st - Program Results Letters sent via email

February 2nd - Course Selection Cards sent home. West & Westwood Counselors visit MST to discuss course selection and registration.

February 9th - Course Cards due to Ms. Camacho

March 22nd- Course Verification Letters sent home- last opportunity for students to change classes

Saturday, May 18, 2023: Physical Exams offered at CMLC

April 1st - Course Verification Letters due to Ms. Camacho