Wilsonville first and sixth graders give advice to students making transition

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Change can be scary, especially when switching schools or entering a new grade level. Whether it's moving from kindergarten to first grade or making the transition from primary school to middle school, or from middle school to high school, students take on these hurdles throughout their education. But it makes it a little easier knowing what to expect and to receive advice from students who have undergone the same transition. As the school year came to a close, the Spokesman asked a handful of first graders from Boones Ferry and Lowrie primary schools and sixth graders from Inza R. Wood Middle School advice they'd give — or what they'd say to ease the nerves — to incoming first graders and middle schoolers. Below are their answers:

Boones Ferry Primary first graders

"When you're in first grade you can do cool stuff. In kindergarten you can't do fractions but this year you can do fractions. … You can have choice time on Fridays and close to the end of the year, you can have choice time on Wednesdays and Thursdays."

— Isaac Keller

"You can make friends very easily. You get to do a lot of different things that are really fun and my favorite thing is music. Everybody at Boones Ferry supports one another."

— Jordyn Blauer

"There is a ton of people that you might see in your class and you can make new friends. The (teachers) are all very nice but sometimes they just give you reminders."

— Mason Grey

"The teachers are really nice. You almost always get free choice at the end of the day — you get to do almost anything. (If you're worried about making friends), just ask them if you can join in."

— Jude Luth

"It's OK, you will learn new things and you will make great friends. It's OK if you make mistakes. You could ask your teacher for help and they will help you fix it."

— Jackson Norwood

Lowrie Primary first graders

"Have courage in themselves, trust themselves and have faith. There's a lot of fun activities in first grade, like theres two recesses and sometimes you might get an extra one."

— Sarah Nada

"You're going to do great and you're going to love your new teacher. You get to do awesome poetry and awesome writing. If you have my teacher, she would be really nice."

— Addyson Pollo

"Don't be worried because it's fun and the teachers are very nice. In first grade, all the students are kind so all the students will be very kind to you. The teachers will give you courage and be very kind to you and they will make you feel at home."

— Roslynn Ramirez

"It's OK, you don't have to be afraid. If you're in Ms. Sproul's class, we do marbles and we get a celebration if you fill the marble jar. Just play with someone that you like for a first grader."

— Noah Johnson

Inza R. Wood Middle School sixth graders

"Stay on top of everything because when you don't, you're going to have a lot of work pile on you and it will get overwhelming. Lockers aren't actually that hard. If you're super worried, you can just practice with a combination lock at home."

— Aasha Patel

"Some advice is stay really close to your friends because there is a lot of homework and sometimes it can get stressful and hanging out with some friends can get your mind off of it. There are some ways to help you with homework like Homework Club."

— Shasta Polanco

"Be organized for sure with your binders. Have every folder named off and stay on top of your homework. … Turn in every homework assignment in on time. If you like band and play instruments, sign up for band and Ms. Bonn-Savage is really nice too."

— Christian Epping

"Don't overthink it. Middle school is a lot easier than you might think. There's plenty of opportunities to have more friends and it's a lot nicer. … The teachers are pretty nice."

— Tommy Burch