South Whidbey staff lay out middle-school transition, schedules and device rules at parent meeting

Kayla Phillips, the middle school principal, told parents at a district "coffee with the principal" that the school is focused on helping students bridge from elementary independence to middle-school responsibility and that advisory will provide coordinated social-emotional learning for all grades.

Phillips said the school will separate sixth graders from older students at lunch and in core spaces to ease the transition, use a common advisory curriculum developed by the building leadership team, and enforce five-minute passing periods between classes to help students learn routines. She described the typical school day as six periods with classes of about 55 minutes (Wednesdays are shorter), and noted that sixth graders will primarily have fewer teachers than older students to reduce complexity.

The meeting laid out classroom and scheduling practices parents should expect: sixth graders choose band for the full year or enter an elective rotation (speech/drama, ceramics, garden); teachers post daily assignments in Google Classroom while Skyward holds grades and attendance; ParentSquare will be the district's primary family-communication channel. Phillips said teachers will post weekly lesson digests so families can follow daily work and measure progress.

On technology, Phillips said the school will take a tiered approach to devices: "We have committed to as a staff being a personal device free campus," she said, explaining that personal phones and earbuds must be invisible while students are on campus and visible devices will be collected and held in the office until a parent pickup. Sixth graders will use classroom Chromebooks stored on carts ("Computers on Wheels"); devices will be checked out to students starting in seventh grade to give older students more independence while limiting younger students' home screen time.

Staff also reviewed supports for students with special needs. Existing IEPs and 504 accommodations travel with students; new referrals require an evaluation and team process. Phillips said teachers also use classroom-level accommodations when appropriate and that more intensive interventions are escalated through student-support teams.

The principal closed with practical tips for families: bring a $6 lock for hallway lockers, review bus assignments so students know where to go, and attend student tours and orientation dates the district will post on ParentSquare. Phillips said the campus will close for major construction starting June 15 and that office access is expected by late August, with further logistics to be communicated as plans firm up.