Transition to Middle School
Welcome to Forest Lake Area Middle School, we are excited to welcome your student!
We know that the transition to middle school can be a big step, and we have a process in place to guide students and families along every step along the way.
Beginning in September of 2025, our school will serve students in grades 6-8. This means that we will welcome two grades of new students into our building next fall. The 2025 middle school transition process will be slightly different depending on whether the student is an incoming 6th grade or 7th grade student, and we’ve outlined the details below for both grades.
While it is new for our building to serve sixth grade students, families can be assured that our staff are experts in the educational and developmental needs of 11-14 year old students and we will have experienced 6th grade teachers on staff.
Getting Ready for Middle School
The Middle School Experience
Our middle school uses a team concept to create a small school experience for students while still offering larger school opportunities. That means our students spend the majority of their day within the same "house" or wing of the school and have all of their core classes with a smaller group of students.
Beginning in the fall of 2025, our 6th grade students will be housed together in the green wing of the school, while our 7-8 grade students will be split into three different teams of students within the tangerine, blue and maroon wings of the school.
Daily Schedule
The following provides an idea of the daily schedule within a six period day and the number of minutes for each period. The exact minutes are still being calculated as are the number of lunches, but the schedule below is a general concept.
Class Period | Minutes |
Advisory/FLEX | 37 |
1st Period | 52 |
2nd Period | 52 |
3rd Period | 52 |
4th Period | 52 |
5th Period | 52 |
6th Period | 52 |
Course of Study
Frequently Asked Questions - Middle School Grades 6-8 Transition
- What will this do to class sizes?
- What will happen to 6th grade teachers?
- Is there enough space? Won't it be crowded?
- What about physical activity & recess?
- What will the daily schedule (start/end time) and busing look like?
- Will Spanish Immersion continue at the middle school?
- Will students have enough time for lunch?
- How will you handle the larger volume of traffic for drop off/pick up?
- Why are you planning this for next year instead of the year after? Isn't that too rushed?
- How will this impact sports?
- What will you do to help my student have a good transition into middle school?
- Will 5th graders miss out on all of the fun milestone activities they would normally do in 6th grade?