Sixth Grade:  Transitioning With the support and encouragement of the teachers and the administration, the transition from fifth to sixth grade is a smooth one.  The students are excited to shift from the self-contained classroom experience of the Lower School, to the more departmentalized program at the Middle School.  The essential skills for success are taught directly - including how to organize a notebook and maintain a Daily Planner. The academic demands of the program are met through effective teaching, proctored study halls, and individualized help that is available in the morning before school begins.  Each teacher is pleased to support students in these ways.  Teachers communicate with parents often - by phone and mail - to ensure each student's progress.  Advisory groups are established to further support the overall needs of each student.  The core subjects are taught by the highly qualified and multitalented faculty.  In addition, each student plays an instrument in the concert band, and experiences art, drama, and computer on a rotating basis.  Any student who wishes may play interscholastic sports which are offered seasonally.  More than 80% of the student body takes advantage of this great opportunity. In the fall, the sixth graders, with their Lower School prekindergarten buddies, head off to the Pumpkin Patch. The students go from making paper airplanes to visiting and learning about the atmosphere and space at the Aerospace Museum.  In addition, they participate in the Challenger Space program at the Reuben H. Fleet Space Center, where they experience space from the perspective of an astronaut, as well as from Mission Control.  They also participate in the County Math Field Day, and test their math and designing skills by creating and building kites as part of a combined science and math project.