transitioning into middle school??

[Jena]

good morning

had to share this...... got difficult child's school schedule. huge transition into middle school. she has ten periods a day. I was assured she would be in one corridor and it wouldn't be that confusing.

well, we did walk thru yesterday. took her 30 tries to get locker open, yet she did it. she has to walk into bldg. alone, and very far into bldg. to get to staircase to go to 2nd flr. homeroom and her locker. from there she has to travel basically throughout the bldg. throughtout the day. im a grown up and i got lost easily and i do not have the issues she has.

tried calling school to speak to them about reviewing the accomodations, the plan also to see what we can do to make her classes closer if at all possible, also they gave her wrong locker and one wrong class. no one in till first day of school tuesday.

school begins at 7:30 if many of you remember difficult child couldnt' get in door at elementary school by 9 a.m. due to anxiety and lack of sleep. nor could she walk thru side door with rest of kids to her class only ten feet away (paranoia and anxiety thought everyone was talking about her).

so, i can't truly see how difficult child will be able to pull this off. we have no supports right now still searching for therapist and also pyschdoc.

she's been up till 3 and 6 a.m. past two weeks due to anxiety and slight mania. shes' been irritable, volatile, nasty, disrespectful you name it.

i am working with her peditrician right now on medications till we get a psychdoc. i researched luvox which we have never tried and klonipin. i think i'm giong to try luvox tmrw nite. waiting for dr. to call it in.

what does anyone else do at this point when your kid is transitioning from elementary school to middle school like this? did they sink or survive? if they didnt' cut it what did you do? at this point if she cant' pull it off i'm thinking i'll have to fight to get home tutors for her and home school till point i can shove her back in the flow if ever.

 

[nvts]

Hey! I know that the NYC school system is open on Tues. for teachers and administration only. It's being used as a teacher prep day. If yours is doing the same, you may have some luck getting them on the phone and possibly running down there to talk in person. I would ask if I could bring difficult child and introduce her to her 1st or 2nd period teachers so that she feels comfortable going in on the first day.

Have you considered adding a 1 to 1 para for her? They handle it better in middle school. The para doesn't "hover" over the student, they just "float" around so she doesn't have to feel like odd man out. It might be in everyone's best interest to do so.

Can't even begin to address medications - I'm in that nightmare myself!

Talk to you soon!

Beth

 

[Jena]

Beth!!

Hey, thanks how are you?? we start on tuesday we aren't city we're in suffolk county all the way out on island in middle of storm also lol.... it just began here. so no time to introduce to teachers.....
as far as para goes school wont' supply me with-any addtl. services on my 504 till difficult child completely tanks academically. they bite if you know what i mean. she squeeked through last year shes' a bright kid, yet her testing scores were amazing so they look at that not how many failed tests, or homeworks forgotten, or books forgotten or missing classes due to being late due to anxiety.

so basically if i cant' stabilize her somewhat we'll just have to wait till she hits rock bottom to get services we need. soo backwards isnt' it??

 

[SRL]

Some suggestions:
1) Identify one contact person (ie case manager or guidance counselor) in the building that she can go to whenever she gets panicky over something.
2) Multiple copies of her schedule--hanging on locker door, in binder, in her pocket. You can even laminate a card with her schedule and locker combination and hang it inside her backpack or in her packet.
3) Zipper binders are common in the grade schools, and it's been a big help to my kids to keep everything together.
4) Email all of her teachers, inlcuding the specials teacher -- ie you want to touch bases with them right away at the beginning of the year because anxiety has been severe in the past and these first weeks are critical. Mention she has a 504. Most teachers will be glad to help watch out for a child with such issues and help them transition.
5) Touch bases with a mom of an older junior high girl to make sure you've covered the non-academic bases to help her fit in. Here all the girls have locker mirrors and of course we all know that junior high is all about hair. ;-) Also make sure that she knows what to expect when she walks in the building that first morning--ie here all the kids go the gym and sit by grade before being dismissed to their lockers.

On your end, make sure she gets plenty of sleep and good meals, plus pick outfits and pack backpack the night before. I have a easy child who just started junior high and she comes home exhausted and has needed lots of extra mom support these first two weeks.

 

[nvts]

Wait a minute! You can get a letter from her doctor recommending a para for her for the anxiety. If that doesn't do it, why not go IEP and have one put on there. Jena, I'd post the academic stuff on Spec. Ed. 101 forum - Martie, Sheila and JJJ are really good at this stuff. I know that we got a para via the 504 based on ADHD which eventually got difficult child 3 classified as "Other Health Impaired".

My sister is out is Suffolk (Farmingdale area) and she's "buttoning up" for the storm that won't be. The worst part for you guys is the electric - it seems like a powerful sneeze can shut things down for days!

We're not expecting much here - it gave me an excuse to haul my backside out and clean up the deck and the yard. Ugh - it's just so swampy outside - the air feels like your breathing in old soup!

Later!

Beth

 

[Jena]

We have ZERO going on here...... i'm going to take a ride down to the beach with-difficult child to see what's going on there.

not a bad idea with-letter yet we tried that last year and they woudlnt' do it, even with a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis!