As a parent of a fifth grader, how is it better for my child to remain in his elementary school rather than moving to the intermediate school?
Presently, fifth graders leave elementary schools of three or four sections in their grade level to the intermediate school where students from seven different schools merge together in a grade level of 25 sections. Often, these fifth grade students are in classes where they know no other students. Although many students adjust very quickly and make new friends, it is a challenge for all students and some students find the change difficult. We find sixth graders more ready for that type of change, though some of them struggle as well. Under the plan being proposed, your child, as a sixth grader, would be in a smaller setting in terms of the number of sections at his grade level. By fifth graders remaining in the elementary schools, more opportunities exist to make certain that the essential basic skills of reading, writing, arithmetic and the beginning applications of those skills in science and social studies are at or above grade level. Once a student moves from the elementary school
