Sixth Graders Heading to JHWMS

Sixth graders will be attending John H. Walker Middle School this upcoming September here in Nutley to give them better preparation for high school, greater independence, and more access to foreign language classes and electives. 

Carly Johnson, a middle school science teacher at JHMS, believes that this will be a positive experience for all. 

“Both of the schools I taught in before coming to Nutley were 6-8 middle schools and it was always a really positive experience to have all three grades together in one place.’’

Johnson does have concerns, but not about the incoming 6th graders. She wants to make sure that she is prepared enough for this adjustment. “My concerns are always around making sure I am prepared and that I have everything to make sure my students, in any grade, are well cared for.”

Johnson does feel confident that the transition will go smoothly for both the students and teachers. She feels that the students are going to be well prepared for this adjustment. “I think that the students and teachers will handle the transition just fine in terms of the workload and expectations.’’

Ana Caltagirone, a current 5th grader,  is nervous about the transition as she has only been accustomed to one school. She knows there are going to be a lot of new people.“I am scared about going to middle school as a 6th grader because there will be so many people that I don’t know.” 

Caltagirone is also excited to meet new people and make new friends. 

Claire Garland, another student who will be among the first sixth grade students in middle school, is more excited and optimistic about the opportunity. “I am excited to see how it will be as and interested to see where my classes will be and what new teachers I will have.’’ 

She is looking forward to joining new clubs and activities and looking forward to having a locker. She is also wondering what will be different from elementary school as well. “I am happy that I will get to pick clubs to join and possibly meet new people that I haven’t met yet.’’

Garland is also looking forward to switching classes.“I am super excited to start using lockers and to switch classes as I didn’t really like how in elementary school we had the same classes at the same time every day.’’