Dorothy Hamm - 6th grade info

[Anonymous]

Hi all, we had to miss the Dorothy Hamm info night and are a bit lost as to next year from the limited information posted on the Hamm website. Can anyone help?

They told us that kids will need to select classes in January. The posted schedule shows two elective periods. Do students just choose between band, chorus or orchestra? Are there other options?

Is there another course selection for the other elective block? When do they get to pick a language?

What intensified classes are being offered next year for 6th grade? Do students get to ask to be in intensified classes or are they selected by APS? If selected by APS, what is the criteria for placement?

Is PE a full year course or does it alternate with Health? Do they change into gym clothes for PE?

If students do a school sport (e.g., swim or track) is practice 5 days a week? Are swim and track no cut or do they have to try out? What about basketball? Is there just one team or several teams by grade/skill?

What else did I miss that I should know about the jump to MS?

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

They can choose band/chorus/orchestra, or a handful of other electives (art, latin, spanish, home ec, etc). There's also a "wheel" that people can take where they spend one or two months with each elective.

I think you can only have intensified math in 6th grade. There are intensified classes for 7th and 8th, but my feeling from my older kids is that they aren't really that different from the regular class. Its self selecting, so I think it may be a better class in that respect (less distracted student body). Math placement is determined by APS, but I think you can argue to get into whichever class you want. When you get to highschool, math is self selecting too.

Very few 6th graders make the school teams that have tryouts (basketball and soccer especially). The coaches are the gym teachers, its a good experience I think socially, but you aren't going to get better and the teams aren't particularly good at hamm. A couple of people I know were annoyed because the gym teachers just pick kids who look like they would be good at a sport, not necessarily kids who are good at the sport. For example, a kid who plays on the ecnl team for travel soccer didn't make the team, but someone who only plays rec did. Maybe sour grapes, not sure, but either way the coaching isn't amazing, so it may not be worth it if your kid is extremely serious (wants to play in college). My kids did the non-cut sports (swimming, track) and they had great experiences. Practice is typically 2-3 times a week for an hour afterschool. I think most of the teams are just one team, other than possibly soccer.

PE is a full year course, where a day or two a week they have health. Or maybe it is health for a few weeks, and then PE a few weeks. They don't change clothes for PE. You need to wear closed toe shoes (its a lot like elementary school).

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

So it's not possible to take music and a language in middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So it's not possible to take music and a language in middle school?

You can but it starts in 7th. In 6th, they have a separate class for reading and just one elective. In 7th and 8th, no reading class and two electives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it's not possible to take music and a language in middle school?

You can but it starts in 7th. In 6th, they have a separate class for reading and just one elective. In 7th and 8th, no reading class and two electives.

I think in the latest school board update they said they would take away reading and add intensified classes for 6th grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So it's not possible to take music and a language in middle school?

You can but it starts in 7th. In 6th, they have a separate class for reading and just one elective. In 7th and 8th, no reading class and two electives.

I think in the latest school board update they said they would take away reading and add intensified classes for 6th grade

It would be great if that happened. I'd love for my 6th grader to be able to do both music and a foreign language, in addition to taking more challenging classes.

So far 5th grade has been a big let down, with her not being challenged at all. I think she literally has above a 100% average in every single class. And getting random choice boards in math after finishing the required assignments is completely insufficient to keep her challenged. It's so frustrating.

[Anonymous]

I didn't hear that reading was going away, but currently reading is one semester and then the other semester you can pick a foreign language if you'd like.

My child has taken a foreign language and chorus all three years.

[Anonymous]

Please contact the counselor's office at Hamm directly. They are friendly and quick to respond. Currently, a 6th grader cannot take both chorus and a language. A lot of the responses are outdated or based upon other middle schools. Each APS middle school is different, because that's the APS way. And Hamm for this 6th grade class is very different from what the 8th grade was offered.

Your child is likely to make their elective selection in their 5th grade classroom (our child didn't bring hers home -- it was solely up to her), so if this matters to you, get the info from Hamm directly. Do NOT rely upon what your elementary school tells you; it's also likely not accurate, in our experience.

If your child needs physical exercise, they won't get it at school. PE is only every three weeks and rotates with health every three weeks. Outdoor time is limited to if there's time after lunch.

If your child needs challenged, fight for advanced math. We did not, and we should have.

Hamm is perfectly fine, but go get the info from the source.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't hear that reading was going away, but currently reading is one semester and then the other semester you can pick a foreign language if you'd like.

My child has taken a foreign language and chorus all three years.

This is not correct for the current 6th grade class at Hamm. Reading is all year. They only have access to a language if they elect the wheel. They do not have access to a language if they elect chorus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't hear that reading was going away, but currently reading is one semester and then the other semester you can pick a foreign language if you'd like.

My child has taken a foreign language and chorus all three years.

This is not correct for the current 6th grade class at Hamm. Reading is all year. They only have access to a language if they elect the wheel. They do not have access to a language if they elect chorus.

What is "the wheel"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't hear that reading was going away, but currently reading is one semester and then the other semester you can pick a foreign language if you'd like.

My child has taken a foreign language and chorus all three years.

This is not correct for the current 6th grade class at Hamm. Reading is all year. They only have access to a language if they elect the wheel. They do not have access to a language if they elect chorus.

What is "the wheel"?

The wheel is the other electives that are not chorus/band/orchestra, it includes languages. Your student will rotate through the electives (that are not chorus, band, or orchestra) throughout the year, hence the name "the wheel."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please contact the counselor's office at Hamm directly. They are friendly and quick to respond. Currently, a 6th grader cannot take both chorus and a language. A lot of the responses are outdated or based upon other middle schools. Each APS middle school is different, because that's the APS way. And Hamm for this 6th grade class is very different from what the 8th grade was offered.

Your child is likely to make their elective selection in their 5th grade classroom (our child didn't bring hers home -- it was solely up to her), so if this matters to you, get the info from Hamm directly. Do NOT rely upon what your elementary school tells you; it's also likely not accurate, in our experience.

If your child needs physical exercise, they won't get it at school. PE is only every three weeks and rotates with health every three weeks. Outdoor time is limited to if there's time after lunch.

If your child needs challenged, fight for advanced math. We did not, and we should have.

Hamm is perfectly fine, but go get the info from the source.

At Ms info night, they introduced the counselor for rising 6th graders who is the current 8th grade counselor Mr. Tuttle.
He mentioned that he will be visiting each of the elementary schools in late January/early February to help with course selection. Your elementary school counselor is probably also aware when that visit is happening and can let you know a more exact date.

[Anonymous]

I have a current 8th grader and Mr Tuttle is great!
I’m not sure if I would be supportive of intensified classes in sixth grade other than math. Parents really push their kids do I feel like it would be the norm to take all intensified, and I feel like the first year of middle school is such an adjustment already. They don’t have grades in elementary anymore, so it’s the first time they understand that tests matter.
Reading in sixth grade is really important because I’ve seen kids who literally do not know how to read by then and I feel like it’s a good way to make sure no kid falls through the cracks.

[Anonymous]

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/CXSSSQ733D2D/$file/G-1%20Final%20Program%20of%20Studies%202024-2025%20Presentation.pdf

Here's a link to the presentation. It lists all the new intensified courses for grade 6. I think reading is just being renamed, but can't really tell from this presentation.