Fifth Grade Orientation
“Welcome, Class of 2025,” said Principal Rich Leprine. “This is my last year at John Jay Middle School, but you will be in great hands. The teachers here are eager to get to know you. I know you will be a little nervous for September, but you will get a lot of help. There’s no reason to worry about lockers. We will invite you back in late August and you will find your locker and have time to practice using the combination lock.”
He introduced the new middle school principal, Mr. Jeffrey Swiatowicz.
“I look forward to getting to know you!” said Mr.Swiatowicz. “You can call me Mr. S.”
“The next time you will be sitting here together you will be sixth graders,” said Assistant Principal Monica Bermiss. “I’m very excited for that moment. “
She dismissed the students in groups that mixed students from all three elementary schools. They visited world languages, physical education, science, English language arts, social studies, and math classrooms and met many sixth-grade teachers. A highlight was meeting with the guidance counselors who gave each student a letter written by a current sixth grader.
An unofficial survey of the 237 letters written by rising seventh graders to incoming sixth-graders reveals a friendly bunch who are confident and happy after their first year of middle school. Their number one piece of advice: Don’t worry! You’ll love it!
- Do your homework and study for tests
- Keep your locker clean and tidy
- Make new friends and have fun!
No Walking in Lines
Trust me, you’ll LOVE 6h grade. One thing that’s great is that you don’t need to walk in lines to go from class to class. You can talk to your friends in the hall and never get in trouble. Another great thing about 6thgrade is the lockers. You can keep all your books and your phone in it.
Get enough sleep
You will have so much fun doing projects, going on field trips, and learning new things. Some advice : Keep your locker clean and tidy. Make sure you are always organized, hand in your homework on time (VERY IMPORTANT) and, last but not least, make sure to get enough sleep.
The food is good!
One thing I know is that you shouldn’t sweat the first day! JJMS is a lot of fun! You will cook, build, and make art. The only thing you should worry about is waking up early. All of the teachers are friendly. Plus, the food here is really good! Trust me, you will have a lot of FUN!
Team-Building Day
Middle school is not hard AT ALL!! On the first day of school, the teachers will lead you to all of your classes so you know where to go. Then a couple of weeks into school there will be a team-building day where you get to do a bunch of activities to get to know the people on your team.