Dear Transition parents and students:

Welcome to Tamalpais high school’s Summer 2007 Transition program! Our program provides an opportunity for students to become familiar with high school atmospheres and expectations in an environment much less hectic than first week of school. Designed to introduce incoming 9^th graders to the intellectual, behavioral and interpersonal skills that high school students are expected to exhibit, Transition students will attend three separate classes a day, each designed to lead students to improved literacy skills. The goal of our program is not remediation; rather, the goal is to, in 19 sessions, provide students practice with complex high school level materials at a pace that can reasonably be expected in 9^th grade. The Transition teachers teach either/both 9^th graders and 10^th graders, assuring that students will receive realistic assignments and realistic expectations that address skills essential to a positive high school experience.

We have established a series of goals that are independent of specific content standards. We will track students’ progression towards the program objectives through involvement with classroom activities. Our objectives include:

Ø Consider, practice, and develop a pattern of organization

Ø Consider, practice, and develop active reading and writing strategies appropriate for various subject matters and texts

Ø Develop familiarity with high school intellectual, academic, and social expectations.

We know the pitfalls and the lulls into which 9^th graders tend to fall. The main benefit of the program is that students will be shown simple strategies for avoiding the common patterns that lead to under-achievement. A more concrete benefit is that students who complete the program will earn elective credits, the amount of which is variable. By earning elective credits, the students will begin high school with credits that count towards their required amount of credits for graduation.

We adhere strictly to Tamalpais Union High School District’s summer school attendance policy. A student will be dropped from the program upon a third absence. There are no excused absences during summer school. Three tardies equal one absence, and as our program has three periods, it is possible for a student to be tardy three times in one day. Students who arrive to class more than 30 minutes late will be marked as absent.

The 9^th Grade Transition Program is NOT a required program, and voluntary participation is fundamental for a student to gain value from the classes. To this end, we will disenroll any student who demonstrates an unwillingness to participate in the program. Our attached Behavior Code covers the types of behavior we consider to be indicative of willing, active participation. If a student demonstrates an unwillingness to participate in the program, then the following steps will occur:

Ø A phone conference with the student’s parent/guardian will take place that same day (if reachable). The family will be notified that the student has ONE more chance to demonstrate willing participation. If the student demonstrates unwillingness a second time, then the student will be disenrolled from the program.

If a serious breach of the behavior code occurs, then the student will be dropped from the program immediately.

The program begins of Wednesday, June 20^th and ends on Friday, July 13^th. We will not hold classes on Wednesday, July 4^th. Sessions begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 12:00 p.m.

Students are to show up on the first day with a large 3-ringed binder with at least three dividers, a stock of college-ruled binder paper, and multiple pens and pencils. Please have fresh supplies, or at the very least, have binders and backpacks cleared of all papers and material from the previous school year.

Sincerely,

Michael Pollard-Krause

Abbey Levine

Fox DeMoisey