Shelby County School District prepares rising middle school students with ‘transition camp’

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Rising middle school students within the Shelby County School District have a little more insight into what middle school has to offer after a month full of ‘transition camps.’

The two-day-long camps brought students and their parents to their new schools for half a school day, according to Highland Oaks Middle School Principal Monica Fleming.

“It starts off with a brief meeting with the parents,” Fleming explained. “Once the parents leave, I just go in with the students, telling them more things they need to know in order to be successful to get here. Just to relive a lot of that pressure from transitioning from elementary school to middle school.”

During the camp, the students learn about their new building, which Fleming said helps eliminate a lot of fears some students have.

“They are very anxious,” she explained. “The biggest thing is just about the building. They feel like the building is going to eat them alive. So, it’s a really good thing to actually be here on campus to really see the classroom, see where the bathroom is, to see here the gym, the cafeteria.”

The day is informative for parents, too.

“We talk to them for about 20-25 minutes, depending on how many questions they have,” Fleming said. “And we tell them, ‘you go do your job, and we got it from here.’”

Classes within the Shelby County School District resume Aug. 8.

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