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Middle school is a great time to make new friends, whether your current friends are attending the same school or not. One fantastic way to meet new people who have similar interests is to join activities, clubs, and athletics. Another way is to start conversations with other students on the bus, in your classes or in the lunchroom. 

Your parents will be sent a communication about a week before school starts sharing where your bus stop is and the bus route number. Not all students qualify for bus service, you may be within walking distance of your new school. The bus driver will go over the rules with you the first week of school. 

You will need to show your buss pass to the driver each day (especially if you have a substitute bus driver. If you lose your pass, get a new one before school or at lunch time in the middle school main office. 

It is a good idea to plan with your family if you miss your bus so that you know what to do if this happens. 

If you are a witness to bullying or experience bullying behavior yourself report it to a trusted adult; counselor, teacher, administrator, coach, etc. 

There are passing periods between each class and 30 minutes for lunch. Many middle schools offer activities during lunch to stretch your legs, play a game, or read a book. 

In elementary students have PE, Music, Library, and homeroom teachers. Sometimes students switch teachers for ELA and math. While you will have a different teacher for every period of the day, you will find this is much like what you did in elementary school. 

All middle school teachers are more than happy to help students who need extra help. Many middle schools also offer homework clubs at least one day a week after school. 

Middle Schools have maps and signs everywhere. You will also have a tour of the school at the start of next school year. School staff will be in the hallways the first week of school helping you. By the second week of school most students know exactly where to go. 

It depends on the middle school. Some assign lockers, others do not. If you are assigned a locker there will be adults ready to assist you the first week of school. If have a combination padlock at home, you can practice before school starts. All students will have access to a locker to use during PE class. 

PE/health is every day at middle school. You are expected to change into PE clothes and wear appropriate shoes for class. Students do not shower after PE in middle school. 

Yes! Each night you take it home and plug it in so that you are prepared for the school day. 

Dual Language classes are available at Mill Creek Middle School. Dual Language looks different in middle school. If you are currently enrolled in Dual Language at your elementary school, you and your parents will be given more information in the Spring. 

There are no Odyssey or ACE specific classes at middle school, HiCap students will receive services through advanced course offering, cross- disciplinary Humanities coursework, accelerated math coursework, and differentiated academic instruction with flexible grouping. 

Most of your classes are required, like English Language Arts (ELA), Social Studies, Math, and Science and you will be automatically signed up for those classes. 

There are also several electives offered at each of our middle schools. Later this spring counselors will be coming to elementary schools to share your elective choices and then you and your parents/guardians will submit your preferences for which elective you want. Student can choose year-long, or quarter long electives classes and each request is ranked by your interest. Not all students get their #1 choice but there is effort put into getting each student their top choice. 

Yes, Band, Orchestra and Choir are elective choices in middle school. 

You will be assigned a specific lunch period. Students eat in a cafeteria. Lunches work similar to elementary except that there are more food choices. Your current lunch n numbers will be the same for middle school. After you are done eating most middle schools have activities for students, like basketball or reading in the library, which you can participate in if you stay in designated areas. 

It is common for students to change friend groups in early adolescence. As students from several elementary schools blend into one middle school their world expands, and students find new peers with similar interests and personalities. If your child is struggling to find a friend group in middle school encourage them to participate in clubs, athletics, and other activities. This is a great way to find others who share the same interest. If your child has not found a friend group after several weeks of middle school, you can reach out to the school counselor to discuss what options there are to place them in spots where they may be able to find others with common interests. 

 Middle school may be the first time your child finds themselves needing to ride a school bus. If your child qualifies for transportation, then you will be mailed information on the bus route and bus stop approximately one week before school starts in the fall. When you get this information, you can help your child feel more confident by walking with them to the bus stop before the first day of school, so they know exactly where to go. Also make sure that your child has their bus route information on the first day. Often parents will drive their child to school on the first day which can cause confusion in the afternoon as they do not know what route number, they need to get on to go home. 

Bus rules will be sent home with the route information and the bus driver will review them with the riders the first week of school. Bus rules have been created to keep riders safe so please encourage your child to follow all expectations. If your child violates bus rules, they will receive consequences which may include suspension from the bus. If there is an issue on the bus, please report this to the transportation office 253-373-7442. 

Students should keep their bus pass in a secure/safe place since they will need to show their bus driver their pass daily (especially if they have a substitute driver). If a student misplaces their bus pass, they need to get a new pass in the main school office before school or at lunch. 

Develop a plan with your child if they miss their bus. It is likely that there will be a time they miss their bus, having developed a plan with your child beforehand will help make this an easier situation for them if it happens. 

Please visit our Transportation page for more information. 

It is important to remember that conflict among students happens frequently and just because your child has a conflict with another child it is not always a case of bullying. If the conflict has moved into bullying, then it is important to address the situation promptly. 

The process of reporting possible harassment, intimidation and/or bullying (HIB) is the same as it is in elementary school. Report the incident to a school official. While any staff member can take a report the school counselor, teachers and administrators are the most appropriate staff to take the complaint. The complaint will then be investigated in line with policy and procedure 3207/3207P and you will be informed of the outcome. Please review this detailed process of the reporting and resolution of complaints for more information. 

Although there is no recess in middle school there are natural breaks built into the schedule for the day. Students have passing periods between classes which allows them the opportunity to interact with peers and use the restroom. Also, lunchtime is a great time for students to take a break. Most of the schools have activities students can do after they eat their lunches. 

We strongly encourage all parents/guardians to sign up for Family Access. It is a great way to monitor your child’s grades, view missing assignments and attendance and to get important messages from the school. All secondary teachers report current grades in Skyward so seeing if your child has any missing assignments finding out is just a click away. If you are not already signed up for Skyward/Family Access sign up today. Your students will have a separate sign-in so they can monitor their own grades. Parent/guardians have access to more information, so it is important to use your own login, not your child’s login. 

Also, all teachers have an email address, and this is a great way to reach out to your child’s teacher. Each school website has a staff directory so you can easily find any staff member’s contact information. Please give staff 24 hours to reply to your communication. If it is an urgent issue that needs a quicker response, please contact the school’s main office phone number. 

Yes, elementary school staff will make sure that all IEPs and Section 504 plans are transitioned to the staff at the middle school level. Often there will need to be adjustments to the plans to reflect the differences in the structure of middle school. This will be done during the annual review of the IEP or 504 plans. If you have already had your meeting this year another meeting may need to be scheduled. 

Yes, your child or you just need to reach out to the teacher for help. 

There are school maps and there is signage around each school. Incoming sixth and seventh grade students will be given tours of the campus. The first week of school, staff are used to helping students find their way around the campus. By the second week of school most students are very comfortable navigating the campus. 

Assigning lockers is a school level decision, some of our middle schools assign them and others do not. All students will use a locker in PE. Opening a lock is one of the biggest concerns for students. If you have a combination padlock, please have your student practice at home so they feel more confident. School staff are used to students having difficulty opening lockers, so they are ready to assist as needed. Please impress upon your child the need to keep this combination private and not to share it with other students. 

PE will look a little different from elementary school. PE/Health is every day of the week in middle school. Also, students are required to change into different clothes for PE, including appropriate shoes that allows them to safely participate in physical activity. They will be assigned a PE locker to use during class and we encourage them to use them to lock up their valuables. Students do not shower in PE. 

Yes, students are required to carry their district issued laptops with them to each class and home each day. They need to recharge their laptops each night to be ready for the next school day. 

Mill Creek Middle School has the district’s only Dual Language middle school program. Students who are currently enrolled in an elementary Dual Language program are eligible to attend. The middle school model looks different than the elementary program. All currently enrolled Dual Language fifth and sixth graders will receive more information about this later this spring. 

There are no Odyssey or Ace classes at middle school. Though there are no Odyssey or ACE specific classes at middle school. HiCap students will receive services through advanced course offering, cross-disciplinary Humanities Coursework, accelerated math coursework and differentiated academic instruction with flexible grouping. 

The needs of identified highly capable students are met through enrollment in specific core classes at the middle school level. All middle schools have these classes. 

Sixth-grade students will be able to choose between a year-long music option (Band, Orchestra, Choir) or they can choose to take the elective wheel. The elective wheel will be quarter-long exploratory versions of other electives they will get to choose in seventh and eighth grade. 

Seventh and Eighth-grade students will be able to choose between a year-long music option (Band, Orchestra, Choir) or they can choose two semester long classes. Electives differ from school to school based on interest of students and qualified staff to teach it.

A greater explanation of the elective courses available at the middle school your child will be attending will happen during the Welcome to Middle School Nights in March. 

There is a committee still designing the model. This question will be updated when we have this information. 

Yes, there are a limited number of options at the middle school level in which students can earn high school credit. 

There is a need for families to continue to be involved at the middle school level. Please join the PTSA at your child’s new middle school and sign up to volunteer through our Volunteers in Public School (VIPS) process. 

A committee is still looking at which sports and activities will be offered at the new 6-8 grade middle schools. Please look for updates and requirements on the district's athletic webpage. Students will need to have a current physical and register online to participate in athletics. 

Children in early adolescence are at an important time in their life regarding peer pressure. As your child starts to assert their independence. influence of peers become more important. This is a crucial time for families to keep the lines of communication open with their kids. It is also the time to make clear to your children your expectations. 

Research has found that parents who speak openly with their children about risky behaviors have kids with greater skills to resist the pressure to engage in those behaviors. The social 

emotional curriculum taught in elementary and middle school also teaches this, however the conversations parents have with their children are the most important factors. 

Other tips to help your child make good choices include: 

• Regularly look at material on your child’s cell phone. This is not an invasion of privacy if you tell them you will be doing this. 
• Don’t allow use of social media until your child is 13. Monitor their social media use if you allow them access. Make them share their password with you. 
• Meet the families of your child’s friends. 
• Practice with your child how to get out of difficult situations. 
• Ask your child open-ended questions about their day. Avoid questions that can be answered in one word. Ask direct questions about whether their peers are pressuring them to make choices they know are wrong. 

We strongly encourage all parents/guardians to sign up for Skyward/Family Access. It is a great way to monitor your child’s grades and attendance and to get important messages from the school. All secondary teachers keep their grades in Skyward so seeing if your child has any missing assignments is just a click away. If you are not already signed up for Skyward/Family Access, do so today. All teachers have an email address, and this is a great way to reach out to your child’s teacher. Each school website has a staff directory so you can easily find any staff member’s contact information. Please give staff 24 hours to reply to your communication. 

All middle schools begin at 8:15 a.m. every day. Students may arrive after 8:05 a.m. when supervision is available, and breakfast is served. 

All middle schools dismiss at 2:55 p.m. (12:55 p.m. on Wednesdays) 

Students must be picked up at the dismissal time each day as there is no supervision after school.