DifferenceMakers, Ltd.

No first impression is as important as the students' first impressions of high school. In those first minutes, hours, and days, they will develop or reinforce their attitudes towards: 1) their degree of involvement in cocurricular activities, 2) their commitment to the educational process in genera, 3) the realization of their personal responsibility, and 4) their behavior patterns.

Unfortunately, these first impression opportunities fall at some of the busiest times of the school year, late spring and early fall when planners are deeply involved with graduation and prom or the details of launching a school year. Consequently, there is little time and limited resources for a positive, dynamic transition activity. This program provides the tools for solving that problem.

The Stakeholders

A properly planned and executed transition program is the responsibility of all the stakeholders in the community: administration, faculty, classified staff, older students, parents and community members. Prior planning and proper emphasis on the part of these stakeholders will result in benefits to the entire community. This program leads team stakeholders through the process of planning and executing an effective transition.

The Most Effective Time to Influence

The new freshman class arrives that first day with mixed emotions: trepidation and joy. Each student is happy to be part of something “older,” something perceived as the next step toward adulthood, yet, anxious about what's around the corner. They wrestle with the ideas of personal power and peer pressure. Rumors of hazing, getting lost, being lonely and the sheer difficulty of “high school” create a palpable tension. This tension and the instability students feel in this new environment makes them extremely susceptible to new ways of thinking and becomes an opportunity to get them involved in positive activities which can establish the good habits that lead to personal success.

Benefits

Taking the time to set expectations, teach accepted behaviors and reinforce positive involvement and good personal leadership skills at the beginning of students' high school career, sets the right tone and saves hours of administration time dealing with and retraining them in the future. The principles of involvement, conduct, attitude, responsibility and effort work together to diminish truancy, lack of motivation, bad behavior, and lack of personal responsibility that plagues many in later life.

Complete and Flexible

Transitions is calculated to maximize your incoming students exposure to the right ideas, the best habits and personal responsibility. It is designed by experts in human development who care a great deal about helping you positively influence your new students. It is an outline of opportunities from which you pick and choose the components to develop or expand your program.

Easily Accomplished

You will quickly see that many of the recommended transition components are already in place at your school in one form or another. You will also find new ideas to consider with all the tools you need implement them. By “tweaking” and realigning the existing and adding a couple of new ideas, you will be able to create a complete, powerful and focused transition experience for your incoming students.

Life Changing

Your time and creativity coupled with these materials can change lives. You can create an atmosphere where academic achievement can flourish for everyone and where everyone will WANT to be a part of your school. Just as a building needs a strong foundation, so does a happy successful school year. Transitions helps you, help your students build that foundation.