Middle school can be intimidating at first, but here are some tips to help make the transition from elementary school to middle school:
Academically:
Stay organized
Use a planner to keep track of all your assignments throughout the school day.
Be sure to write down not just the assignment name, but the due date as well.
Use folders/separate notebooks for classes if needed in order to make it easier to find assignments for a certain class
Participate in class
Ask questions if you do not understand the material. It may feel intimidating right away, but asking questions in advance will overall be less stressful than getting multiple low grades and having to try and get your grades up.
Pay attention during class and participate! This will help ensure that you are fully understanding the content.
Physical Health and Wellbeing:
Get enough sleep.
You should get at least 9 hours of sleep each night to stay healthy.
Eat well and exercise.
Be sure to eat breakfast each morning. If you are not a big breakfast person, keep a granola bar or small (reasonable) snack in your backpack to eat if you need to before lunch.
It is recommended that middle school age students should get AT LEAST 60 minutes of exercise each day.
Being physically active makes it easier to think, sleep, and feel better in general.
Take care of yourself!
Make sure to schedule in some "me time" for yourself and find healthy ways to process difficult emotions, such as listening to music or reading a book.
Social and Emotional Health
Be yourself.
Stay true to who you are! Don't let the opinion of someone else change who you are.
Be kind and respectful.
Treat everyone you meet with kindness to build positive relationships with your peers and your teachers!
Find your people.
Find people who build you up, make you feel confident, and encourage you to be the best person you can be!
Avoid drama!
This one is extremely important! Stay out of unnecessary drama (which is almost all drama!) as it does not benefit you, and can create you more stress. Don't take gossip too seriously, gossip started by other people does not define who you are.
Need some more tips? Watch the video below!