March 25, 2025 • 16 mins
Navigating the transition from middle school to high school can be a formidable challenge, both for students and their parents. In this episode, we delve into the complexities of this pivotal moment, emphasizing the critical importance of understanding the differences between these educational stages. With insights from Dr. Brandy Brady, Cobb's Counseling Consultant for High Schools, and Erica Watford, School Counselor at Walton High School, we explore the autonomy and responsibilities that accompany high school, as well as the opportunities for course selection that await incoming freshmen. We aim to alleviate the anxiety surrounding this transition by providing essential information on navigating academic choices, establishing social connections, and fostering effective communication with school counselors. Together, we will equip you with the knowledge necessary to support your rising high school freshman in this significant chapter of their educational journey.
Guests:
- Dr. Brandy Brady, School Counseling Consultant - High Schools
- Erica Watford, School Counselor - Walton High School
Chapters:
- 00:02 - Navigating Freshman Year: A Guide for Parents
- 01:10 - Transitioning from Middle School to High School
- 04:10 - Addressing Student Placement Challenges
- 09:15 - Finding Friend Groups and Clubs in High School
- 12:43 - Planning for High School: A Roadmap for Success
- 15:17 - Transitioning to High School: Key Insights for Parents and Students
Useful links from the podcast:
Podcast Home:
https://the-inside-scoop.captivate.fm/
Cobb Schools on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/@TheRealCobbSchools
Give us a review:
https://www.podchaser.com/TheInsideScoop
Here's the link to let us know what you'd like to hear:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VYTRCLG
Cobb Sports Podcast:
https://cobb-sports.captivate.fm/episodes
The Cobb County School District:
https://www.cobbk12.org
Takeaways:
- Transitioning from middle school to high school represents a significant shift in academic and social expectations.
- Students are granted increased autonomy in high school, necessitating a corresponding increase in personal responsibility.
- High schools offer a wide array of elective courses, allowing students to tailor their education to their interests.
- Parents should remain vigilant regarding registration deadlines and communicate with middle school counselors for guidance.
- Social integration is facilitated through participation in clubs and orientation activities organized by the high school.
- Establishing a balanced schedule that incorporates both academic and extracurricular commitments is crucial for student well-being.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Got an 8th grader heading upto high school.
Helping your student navigatethose freshman waters is up for discussion
this week on the Inside Scoop.
Hello and welcome back to theInside Scoop.
I'm David Owen.
As part of our Leveling upseries this week, we're taking a
look at the big game, thefinal level in Cobb High School.
(00:23):
It can be daunting andintimidating, and that's just for
the parents.
Think about how the students feel.
Understanding how it'sdifferent from what you and your
student have experienced inthe past can help get your student
across that graduation finishline more successfully.
Here to provide us with thoseinsights are Brandy Brady, Cobbs,
counseling consultant for highschools, and Erica Watford, the school
(00:48):
counselor from Walton High School.
Ladies, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you.
You know, we've done theseleveling up podcasts in the past,
but now, like I said, in theopen, we're looking at the big game.
We're going from being aneighth grader to being a freshman,
back down to the bottom of thehierarchy, I guess you'd say.
(01:10):
So what are some of thebiggest things, biggest differences
in a school experience from8th grade, middle school, and freshman
year in high school?
I think it's a significanttransition because you're going from,
you know, a fairly smallermiddle school, and then you go to
(01:30):
this giant high school.
You may have longer periods inyour classes, more people, more things
to do.
So it's just a matter offiguring out the lay of the land.
Yeah.
Just some of the simplethings, like where are.
Where are the classes?
What is a specific, I don'tknow, J Hall or 400 hall or whatever.
(01:52):
And there is no swimming poolon the roof that only seniors get
to enjoy.
Right.
So what would be.
Well, I guess one of thethings that we talked about in the
fifth grade going into middleschool podcast was the fact that
students are given more autonomy.
Right.
(02:13):
More autonomy means freedom,but it also means responsibility.
Yes.
So along those lines, what canwe expect the students to do in that
moving up phase?
For example, do they picktheir own electives?
Yes, they do have theopportunity to pick their own electives.
That is done typically thespring before ninth grade at the
(02:38):
middle school.
So there are tons of electivesat high school.
High schools offer, and sothey have lots of choices.
Middle school counselors helpwith that.
And then high schoolcounselors often visit the middle
schools in the spring to helpwalk the students through and give
them a snapshot of what isoffered at the school.
(03:00):
Kind of bridge that gapbetween the two.
Right.
Okay.
So we are Recording thispodcast in the springtime.
So I'm guessing maybe parentsand students need to be on the lookout
for notifications of theseopportunities coming up.
Yes, I think registration ishappening right now at most of the
high schools, and I'm positivethat the middle schools are communicating
(03:25):
with parents, deadlines, andother information.
So if parents have questionsabout this, they are encouraged to
reach out to their middleschool counselor.
Okay.
All right, so just keepingthose eyes open for the opportunities
is huge.
What about things like wesaid, electives, but what about core
(03:46):
curricula, AP classes, honorsclasses, things along those lines?
How do those get selected formy student?
So middle school teachers,they work with the high schools to
develop criteria for placementin those higher level, those honors
and AP courses, and they willplace the students based on that
(04:08):
criteria in those classes.
All right, so let me throw youa curve ball.
That's always fun to hear.
So let's say that I've got achild who I consider to be extremely
bright.
They've done very well in pastadvanced courses, but this year was
(04:30):
a hard year for some reason.
Maybe they had a tragic eventin their family of some sort or maybe
were hospitalized.
Maybe they were just sick fora long time.
Is there leeway that wouldallow a parent to say, hey, you need
to consider this extrachallenge my student had, and this
(04:53):
isn't truly reflective of whatthey can do.
I'd like them to takesomething more rigorous.
Can you address some of that?
So every year there are uniquesituations that we handle on a case
by case basis.
Typically, once a studentstarts the class on the first day
of school, they're in thatclass for the duration.
(05:14):
So if there are uniquecircumstances, such as a tragedy
or a hospitalization, theywould need to reach out to the counselor
to help work through that.
But don't delay, I would imagine.
Isn't there a window, like, ifyou can make some minor changes more
easily, at least within just afew days of starting class?
(05:36):
Is that a thing or is thatjust rumor?
Well, there is a policy, yes.
The COBB Policy is 10 days.
The first 10 days of thesemester, classes can be changed.
Schools will view thatdifferently from building to building.
So sometimes it might beextenuating circumstances only because
(05:57):
the master schedules massive.
And moving kids around.
The first 10 days of schoolcan be quite chaotic.
I can imagine.
But again, ultimately, it just is.
If you're within that first 10days, definitely reach out to the
counselor.
That is just the whole conceptof the scheduling effort.
I don't know, is that done bysoftware or by a person do you know
(06:20):
by chance, because it seems tome like AI level thinking.
The scheduler, still, theyhave each other that they can communicate
with, too, in case there's an issue.
There's always studentreporting that they can reach out
to here, but it's them that'sdoing it, that they're putting in
all that hard work and effortto create a master schedule for grades
nine through 12.
(06:41):
So hopefully, by the timerequests might come in, hopefully
they won't snap.
Right.
Because I could see that as areally tense time for administrators
and folks who are doing thatsort of thing.
Right.
Yeah.
And, you know, part of that isover the summer, so that when the
students come back in thefall, their schedules are ready and
available and, you know,student view and parent view.
(07:03):
So it's a lengthy process.
All right, so I'm going to.
Again, curveballs is what I do.
The students coming up frommiddle school typically are a target
market of the folks in themovie industry and the TV industry.
(07:24):
Let's just use Disney as an example.
They like to do a lot of showsthat kind of paint the picture of
what it's like in high school.
How accurate.
How accurate would youconsider those depictions in movies
and TV shows?
Who wants to take that one?
(07:46):
Well, I would say there isdefinitely some similarities, but
there's also a lot of hyperbole.
Personal opinion is that theteachers and administrators and counselors
are misrepresented becauseoftentimes they're the ones, the
(08:06):
adversaries in the movies,when in reality we're the ones that
are there to provide support.
The adults in the building arethe supportive people there that
students can really get help with.
I think there's a lot to besaid for just the general attitude
of high school staff.
And I hate to say it, butbecause of Disney and others who
(08:31):
depict slightly exaggeratedversions, people go into it thinking
that they are the enemy.
And in fact, they really are not.
That's all just a setup forthe entertainment world, I guess.
Okay, so how can students, inthe social side of things, how can
(08:52):
students find their friend group?
A lot of students move uptogether, and they already have friend
groups, but that's not everybody.
Can you make anyrecommendations for how they can
have a socially enjoyableenvironment by finding friend groups
that also maybe support them academically?
(09:15):
Orientation is something thathigh schools typically hold, and
every school does something alittle bit different.
But I think it gives thestudents an opportunity to see the
lay of the land, of theschool, to be able to walk, you know,
from one side of the Campus tothe other.
See what clubs andorganizations that they offer at
the school to see what you maybe interested in, maybe what you
(09:35):
want to try.
If it's something that youparticipated in in middle school,
like sources of strength orsigns of suicide, maybe that's something
that you want to continue inhigh school.
Because sometimes a of theseclubs and organizations may have
a high school component andit's just a great way for students
to meet new friends.
Maybe you see some of thoseindividuals in your classes.
(09:56):
And so that gives you anotheropportunity to communicate and get
to know people and reallybuild your community.
So I'm thinking back when youmentioned clubs when I was in high
school.
I think there might have been,I don't know, five, maybe, maybe
ten at the most.
I wasn't aware of some,perhaps how many.
There are a huge number ofclubs nowadays, right?
(10:17):
Yes.
There's really something for everybody.
At my school, we offer over100 different clubs and organizations.
Yes.
And many of them are studentled and student sponsored.
So if there's not somethingthat you see in that list and you
feel very passionate about anissue, you can apply to start your
(10:37):
own club.
And so it really just createsopportunities for.
For anybody to really get inand find their people.
Okay.
And common interest is alwaysa great place to do that.
I presume that club has tohave an adult, a sponsor.
Okay.
All right.
So we have done podcastingwith the magnet school people.
(11:03):
One of the core values thattheir students hold is being able
to do the massive amount ofschoolwork in a timely manner, and
that's through time managementof their lives.
How can students get that, Iguess what adults would call a work
(11:23):
play balance in their life.
School is work for them, essentially.
Right.
It's their job.
But how can they attain thatwork life balance in the school life?
I think first, making surethat you understand that you're a
student first and making surethat you know, you're doing what
you need to do in each of your classes.
(11:44):
And then with the space thatyou have in between all of your classes,
what do you enjoy?
It's important for kids tofigure out what the clubs are, maybe
what, you know, they want toget involved in.
And with their plate, becausethey're going to have a plate with
all of their academics and anyextracurricular activities that they
want.
Just making sure they're notputting too many options on their
(12:06):
plate because we want it to bebalanced and we don't want them to
be overwhelmed in one arena orthe other.
Sure.
Thinking ahead about what thenext step is going to be how important
is that in student life?
I think it's super importantbecause high school is the beginning
of the end.
(12:26):
Right?
And so once you're finishedwith high school, that sounds so
morbid, that sounds so depressing.
But it's an end as in finish line.
Right.
There's a finish line thereand people go off and so many different
directions.
And so starting with that endin mind is really helpful and really
important.
While it looks different atevery high school, each freshman
(12:47):
will go through a period offreshman advisement where they'll
have an opportunity to sitdown and kind of work out a potential
four year plan with no stringsattached so they can see what classes
they're in now and kind ofproject out what things will look
like through their senior year.
So one of the things that Ifound when my kids were in an unnamed
(13:11):
Cobb county high school was Iwas really pleasantly surprised.
I just remember walking in thedoor and looking over and seeing
these tables with adults,presumably administrators and counselors
and whatnot, helping studentsindividually sit down and look at
(13:31):
what the next four years oftheir high school life was going
to be.
I found that amazingly coolbecause when I was in school, they
didn't do that.
It was like, you're here, goto your class.
What's my class?
That's up to you to figure out.
So if I have an 8th grader whois leveling up, do they have to know
(13:55):
what their course pathway is going?
Do they?
What do we need to be preparedwith when we sit down at that table
to talk with an advisor on?
For parents, first start atthe middle school with a middle school
counselor.
And many high schools willoffer a rising 9th grade parent night
(14:18):
where the administration andcounselors will go into the curriculum
offered.
And typically at that point,parents will hopefully have an idea
of the classes their studentwill be in the first semester that
first school year.
And that will kind of give ajumping off point when we go through
(14:40):
ninth grade advisement in the spring.
Okay, so that advisementopportunity isn't a locked in thing.
It's just kind of getting you started.
Here's how it might look.
Correct.
And you do have some leeway tochange things as you go along, right?
Yes.
Okay.
All right.
And to her point, I think youmentioned the ninth grade family
nights.
(15:00):
It's also important forstudents to be there.
So if they can attend withtheir parent, that would be great,
so that they're getting thesame information that their parent
is getting so that they canboth be on the same page.
It can be overwhelming ifyou're going solo, whether you're
a student or a parent, right?
Yes.
Very cool.
Are there any other insightsthat you might be able to offer parents
(15:20):
and students for that matter,who are getting ready to level up
to high school?
I would say because it's sucha significant transition, encouraging
them to let someone know whenthey need help, when they need support.
I think that's going to be thebiggest piece, is communication with
everybody, knowing how tomanage your time, learning how to
(15:43):
advocate for yourself, I thinkare some very important pieces.
Yes, Very, very important, asa matter of fact.
And if I could chime in with apersonal experience, please.
And that is, it's alwayseasier for the high school career
for a student to do very wellin their first year because if you
see that GPA start dropping,it's hard, harder and harder to raise
(16:07):
it as you go along, Right?
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for sharingall these insights.
I wish I'd had your insightswhen my kids were going into the
high school age range.
And I'm sure our audiencemembers are grateful as well.
So thank you so much forcoming in.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So if you, in fact, did findsomething in this conversation that
(16:29):
you would be able to use tomake your students life easier in
high school, or maybe just inthe transition getting to high school,
please make sure you give us alike subscribe and share it with
another parent or anotherstudent so that they can experience
the same benefit.
Thanks for listening to thisedition of the Inside Scoop, a podcast
(16:49):
produced by the Cobb CountySchool District.
Got an 8th grader heading upto high school.
Helping your student navigatethose freshman waters is up for discussion
this week on the Inside Scoop.
Hello and welcome back to theInside Scoop.
I'm David Owen.
As part of our Leveling upseries this week, we're taking a
look at the big game, thefinal level in Cobb High School.
(00:23):
It can be daunting andintimidating, and that's just for
the parents.
Think about how the students feel.
Understanding how it'sdifferent from what you and your
student have experienced inthe past can help get your student
across that graduation finishline more successfully.
Here to provide us with thoseinsights are Brandy Brady, Cobbs,
counseling consultant for highschools, and Erica Watford, the school
(00:48):
counselor from Walton High School.
Ladies, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you.
You know, we've done theseleveling up podcasts in the past,
but now, like I said, in theopen, we're looking at the big game.
We're going from being aneighth grader to being a freshman,
back down to the bottom of thehierarchy, I guess you'd say.
(01:10):
So what are some of thebiggest things, biggest differences
in a school experience from8th grade, middle school, and freshman
year in high school?
I think it's a significanttransition because you're going from,
you know, a fairly smallermiddle school, and then you go to
(01:30):
this giant high school.
You may have longer periods inyour classes, more people, more things
to do.
So it's just a matter offiguring out the lay of the land.
Yeah.
Just some of the simplethings, like where are.
Where are the classes?
What is a specific, I don'tknow, J Hall or 400 hall or whatever.
(01:52):
And there is no swimming poolon the roof that only seniors get
to enjoy.
Right.
So what would be.
Well, I guess one of thethings that we talked about in the
fifth grade going into middleschool podcast was the fact that
students are given more autonomy.
Right.
(02:13):
More autonomy means freedom,but it also means responsibility.
Yes.
So along those lines, what canwe expect the students to do in that
moving up phase?
For example, do they picktheir own electives?
Yes, they do have theopportunity to pick their own electives.
That is done typically thespring before ninth grade at the
(02:38):
middle school.
So there are tons of electivesat high school.
High schools offer, and sothey have lots of choices.
Middle school counselors helpwith that.
And then high schoolcounselors often visit the middle
schools in the spring to helpwalk the students through and give
them a snapshot of what isoffered at the school.
(03:00):
Kind of bridge that gapbetween the two.
Right.
Okay.
So we are Recording thispodcast in the springtime.
So I'm guessing maybe parentsand students need to be on the lookout
for notifications of theseopportunities coming up.
Yes, I think registration ishappening right now at most of the
high schools, and I'm positivethat the middle schools are communicating
(03:25):
with parents, deadlines, andother information.
So if parents have questionsabout this, they are encouraged to
reach out to their middleschool counselor.
Okay.
All right, so just keepingthose eyes open for the opportunities
is huge.
What about things like wesaid, electives, but what about core
(03:46):
curricula, AP classes, honorsclasses, things along those lines?
How do those get selected formy student?
So middle school teachers,they work with the high schools to
develop criteria for placementin those higher level, those honors
and AP courses, and they willplace the students based on that
(04:08):
criteria in those classes.
All right, so let me throw youa curve ball.
That's always fun to hear.
So let's say that I've got achild who I consider to be extremely
bright.
They've done very well in pastadvanced courses, but this year was
(04:30):
a hard year for some reason.
Maybe they had a tragic eventin their family of some sort or maybe
were hospitalized.
Maybe they were just sick fora long time.
Is there leeway that wouldallow a parent to say, hey, you need
to consider this extrachallenge my student had, and this
(04:53):
isn't truly reflective of whatthey can do.
I'd like them to takesomething more rigorous.
Can you address some of that?
So every year there are uniquesituations that we handle on a case
by case basis.
Typically, once a studentstarts the class on the first day
of school, they're in thatclass for the duration.
(05:14):
So if there are uniquecircumstances, such as a tragedy
or a hospitalization, theywould need to reach out to the counselor
to help work through that.
But don't delay, I would imagine.
Isn't there a window, like, ifyou can make some minor changes more
easily, at least within just afew days of starting class?
(05:36):
Is that a thing or is thatjust rumor?
Well, there is a policy, yes.
The COBB Policy is 10 days.
The first 10 days of thesemester, classes can be changed.
Schools will view thatdifferently from building to building.
So sometimes it might beextenuating circumstances only because
(05:57):
the master schedules massive.
And moving kids around.
The first 10 days of schoolcan be quite chaotic.
I can imagine.
But again, ultimately, it just is.
If you're within that first 10days, definitely reach out to the
counselor.
That is just the whole conceptof the scheduling effort.
I don't know, is that done bysoftware or by a person do you know
(06:20):
by chance, because it seems tome like AI level thinking.
The scheduler, still, theyhave each other that they can communicate
with, too, in case there's an issue.
There's always studentreporting that they can reach out
to here, but it's them that'sdoing it, that they're putting in
all that hard work and effortto create a master schedule for grades
nine through 12.
(06:41):
So hopefully, by the timerequests might come in, hopefully
they won't snap.
Right.
Because I could see that as areally tense time for administrators
and folks who are doing thatsort of thing.
Right.
Yeah.
And, you know, part of that isover the summer, so that when the
students come back in thefall, their schedules are ready and
available and, you know,student view and parent view.
(07:03):
So it's a lengthy process.
All right, so I'm going to.
Again, curveballs is what I do.
The students coming up frommiddle school typically are a target
market of the folks in themovie industry and the TV industry.
(07:24):
Let's just use Disney as an example.
They like to do a lot of showsthat kind of paint the picture of
what it's like in high school.
How accurate.
How accurate would youconsider those depictions in movies
and TV shows?
Who wants to take that one?
(07:46):
Well, I would say there isdefinitely some similarities, but
there's also a lot of hyperbole.
Personal opinion is that theteachers and administrators and counselors
are misrepresented becauseoftentimes they're the ones, the
(08:06):
adversaries in the movies,when in reality we're the ones that
are there to provide support.
The adults in the building arethe supportive people there that
students can really get help with.
I think there's a lot to besaid for just the general attitude
of high school staff.
And I hate to say it, butbecause of Disney and others who
(08:31):
depict slightly exaggeratedversions, people go into it thinking
that they are the enemy.
And in fact, they really are not.
That's all just a setup forthe entertainment world, I guess.
Okay, so how can students, inthe social side of things, how can
(08:52):
students find their friend group?
A lot of students move uptogether, and they already have friend
groups, but that's not everybody.
Can you make anyrecommendations for how they can
have a socially enjoyableenvironment by finding friend groups
that also maybe support them academically?
(09:15):
Orientation is something thathigh schools typically hold, and
every school does something alittle bit different.
But I think it gives thestudents an opportunity to see the
lay of the land, of theschool, to be able to walk, you know,
from one side of the Campus tothe other.
See what clubs andorganizations that they offer at
the school to see what you maybe interested in, maybe what you
(09:35):
want to try.
If it's something that youparticipated in in middle school,
like sources of strength orsigns of suicide, maybe that's something
that you want to continue inhigh school.
Because sometimes a of theseclubs and organizations may have
a high school component andit's just a great way for students
to meet new friends.
Maybe you see some of thoseindividuals in your classes.
(09:56):
And so that gives you anotheropportunity to communicate and get
to know people and reallybuild your community.
So I'm thinking back when youmentioned clubs when I was in high
school.
I think there might have been,I don't know, five, maybe, maybe
ten at the most.
I wasn't aware of some,perhaps how many.
There are a huge number ofclubs nowadays, right?
(10:17):
Yes.
There's really something for everybody.
At my school, we offer over100 different clubs and organizations.
Yes.
And many of them are studentled and student sponsored.
So if there's not somethingthat you see in that list and you
feel very passionate about anissue, you can apply to start your
(10:37):
own club.
And so it really just createsopportunities for.
For anybody to really get inand find their people.
Okay.
And common interest is alwaysa great place to do that.
I presume that club has tohave an adult, a sponsor.
Okay.
All right.
So we have done podcastingwith the magnet school people.
(11:03):
One of the core values thattheir students hold is being able
to do the massive amount ofschoolwork in a timely manner, and
that's through time managementof their lives.
How can students get that, Iguess what adults would call a work
(11:23):
play balance in their life.
School is work for them, essentially.
Right.
It's their job.
But how can they attain thatwork life balance in the school life?
I think first, making surethat you understand that you're a
student first and making surethat you know, you're doing what
you need to do in each of your classes.
(11:44):
And then with the space thatyou have in between all of your classes,
what do you enjoy?
It's important for kids tofigure out what the clubs are, maybe
what, you know, they want toget involved in.
And with their plate, becausethey're going to have a plate with
all of their academics and anyextracurricular activities that they
want.
Just making sure they're notputting too many options on their
(12:06):
plate because we want it to bebalanced and we don't want them to
be overwhelmed in one arena orthe other.
Sure.
Thinking ahead about what thenext step is going to be how important
is that in student life?
I think it's super importantbecause high school is the beginning
of the end.
(12:26):
Right?
And so once you're finishedwith high school, that sounds so
morbid, that sounds so depressing.
But it's an end as in finish line.
Right.
There's a finish line thereand people go off and so many different
directions.
And so starting with that endin mind is really helpful and really
important.
While it looks different atevery high school, each freshman
(12:47):
will go through a period offreshman advisement where they'll
have an opportunity to sitdown and kind of work out a potential
four year plan with no stringsattached so they can see what classes
they're in now and kind ofproject out what things will look
like through their senior year.
So one of the things that Ifound when my kids were in an unnamed
(13:11):
Cobb county high school was Iwas really pleasantly surprised.
I just remember walking in thedoor and looking over and seeing
these tables with adults,presumably administrators and counselors
and whatnot, helping studentsindividually sit down and look at
(13:31):
what the next four years oftheir high school life was going
to be.
I found that amazingly coolbecause when I was in school, they
didn't do that.
It was like, you're here, goto your class.
What's my class?
That's up to you to figure out.
So if I have an 8th grader whois leveling up, do they have to know
(13:55):
what their course pathway is going?
Do they?
What do we need to be preparedwith when we sit down at that table
to talk with an advisor on?
For parents, first start atthe middle school with a middle school
counselor.
And many high schools willoffer a rising 9th grade parent night
(14:18):
where the administration andcounselors will go into the curriculum
offered.
And typically at that point,parents will hopefully have an idea
of the classes their studentwill be in the first semester that
first school year.
And that will kind of give ajumping off point when we go through
(14:40):
ninth grade advisement in the spring.
Okay, so that advisementopportunity isn't a locked in thing.
It's just kind of getting you started.
Here's how it might look.
Correct.
And you do have some leeway tochange things as you go along, right?
Yes.
Okay.
All right.
And to her point, I think youmentioned the ninth grade family
nights.
(15:00):
It's also important forstudents to be there.
So if they can attend withtheir parent, that would be great,
so that they're getting thesame information that their parent
is getting so that they canboth be on the same page.
It can be overwhelming ifyou're going solo, whether you're
a student or a parent, right?
Yes.
Very cool.
Are there any other insightsthat you might be able to offer parents
(15:20):
and students for that matter,who are getting ready to level up
to high school?
I would say because it's sucha significant transition, encouraging
them to let someone know whenthey need help, when they need support.
I think that's going to be thebiggest piece, is communication with
everybody, knowing how tomanage your time, learning how to
(15:43):
advocate for yourself, I thinkare some very important pieces.
Yes, Very, very important, asa matter of fact.
And if I could chime in with apersonal experience, please.
And that is, it's alwayseasier for the high school career
for a student to do very wellin their first year because if you
see that GPA start dropping,it's hard, harder and harder to raise
(16:07):
it as you go along, Right?
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for sharingall these insights.
I wish I'd had your insightswhen my kids were going into the
high school age range.
And I'm sure our audiencemembers are grateful as well.
So thank you so much forcoming in.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So if you, in fact, did findsomething in this conversation that
(16:29):
you would be able to use tomake your students life easier in
high school, or maybe just inthe transition getting to high school,
please make sure you give us alike subscribe and share it with
another parent or anotherstudent so that they can experience
the same benefit.
Thanks for listening to thisedition of the Inside Scoop, a podcast
(16:49):
produced by the Cobb CountySchool District.
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