Your student has been at Neal Middle School for a full month! Whether your current 6th grader is your first child to enter middle school or another sibling who will attend Neal, this time can be scary. Students are changing and middle school is a big adjustment from elementary. For our students, it is one of the most important and difficult transitions they will make in their educational journey. We want to be here to partner and ensure that students find success and meet this challenge. If we challenge them together, there is no telling how far they can grow. Here are key things to know:

• Middle school is different: Students may have an adjustment period that includes missed assignments and challenging behaviors. It is normal to see things now you haven't seen before from your student. We meet this with logical consequences and parent partnership. If we work together, students will come out better.
• Students have more responsibility: Teachers at Neal MS push our students to keep track of their assignments and be responsible for communicating with you and their teachers where they need support. You should expect that students bring home progress reports every 5 weeks or so and are checking their google classroom and other pages for assignments.
• We hold high expectations for your students: We expect that all of our students are positive members of our community. We use the RISE acronym to talk about these values (Respect, Integrity, Self Control, and Excellence). This includes high expectations for their engagement in class and their treatment of one another. Please speak with your student regularly to ensure they are feeling good about meeting the expectations for success here at Neal.

As we move through the year, I will give more updates through this newsletter about how you can prepare your student for success. Here are a few ways you can support us in making your student the most successful:

1. Forward the parent newsletter to other families you know and make sure they are engaged. They can email Mr. Hickson (information below) to sign up for the newsletter.
2. Sign up for the parent remind: https://www.remind.com/join/28de4bd
3. Contact teachers to ask how you can support their classroom and your child.
4. Attend our first Parent Night on October 15th. Arrive at 4:30 for time to meet your child's teacher. Program starts at 5:30PM. Dinner is served at 7:00PM.