Building Bridges to Support Grade-Level Transitions

May and June are filled with mixed emotions for students and staff. Classrooms that have grown to become an extended family over the past nine months face goodbyes and new transitions, and future plans loom on the horizon. Even if students are staying in the same building, the unknown can cause a range of emotions, including anxiety, sadness, and excitement. For students who may be moving on to middle school or high school, this transition can be more significant and riddled with mixed feelings. It’s important to honor and reflect on the growth and bonds that students have made during the present school year, and to simultaneously prepare for the next school year and future experiences.

One way that schools can support end-of-year transitions is through a model that I call “Bridges Visits.” Bridges visits occur at the end of the school year and utilize the mentorship of older students to support younger students as they transition to the next grade. I have used this model in grades three through eight, and it has become a springtime tradition in our building. In eighth grade, we organize the visits to align with high school registration and coordinate with the local high school students to facilitate these visits.

Step 1: Identify Student Mentors

As a school counselor, my first step is to connect with teachers to identify student mentors who would like to visit younger classrooms. Then, I create a schedule for the visits to occur during the final weeks of school. It’s exciting for student mentors to be chosen to visit younger students. The tradition of our Bridges Visits has become a leadership opportunity that students look forward to. They foster motivation and engagement during a time of the school year when kids are easily distracted.

Teachers nominate students who have shown perseverance, growth, and resilience—not necessarily students who are top performers. The nominations are a great way to recognize students’ positive work habits and demonstrate that growth is evident in more than just grades on a report card. Students may accept or decline the offer to be a mentor, and they should be comfortable speaking in front of a group of younger students.

Step 2: Highlight Glows and Grows, and Generate Questions

Students then participate in a transition lesson with the school counselor where they individually identify “glows and grows” that they have encountered since September. “Glows” are skills that they have gained confidence in and moments that they are proud of, and “grows” are skills or subjects that have been challenging for them that they’ll continue to work on next year.

We have a group discussion about different “glows and grows,” as well as the emotions associated with transitioning to the next grade. Students then create a list of questions that they have about the next grade, and this list typically includes topics outside of academics, as well as questions related to what they will learn next year. Here are some questions that students commonly ask:

“Did you make new friends this year? How?”

“What work habits are important in ___ grade?”

“What was your favorite field trip?”

“What were you nervous about at the beginning of the year?”

“What was something that was hard for you in September, but is now easy?”

“What was your favorite project, and what subject did you enjoy this year?”

Students submit their questions on paper anonymously, and the mentors choose questions to answer at random. This alleviates any stress around not wanting to ask a particular question and normalizes topics that students may be embarrassed to ask about in front of their peers. Student mentors often share their own experiences, areas of growth, and challenges, which helps younger students understand that everyone feels nervous and the mentors were once in their shoes.

Step 3: Have Students Write Letters of Encouragement

Lastly, students write themselves a letter of encouragement for the following school year after learning from the student mentors. They include goals that they have, things that they’re looking forward to, and words of advice for their future self. These letters are given to their teacher for the following year and are provided to students in September as a personalized boost of encouragement to start the year. Some teachers choose to share these in a morning meeting or give them to families during an open house event.

Bridges Visits for eighth-grade students moving on to ninth grade provide an opportunity for high school students to return to their middle school. We ask that the high school counselors coordinate the selection of the student panelists/mentors.

This inter-school visit allows high school students to connect with their early roots and offer important mentorship to middle school students. This opportunity strengthens the sense of community for students and staff, and also facilitates a bond between eighth-grade students and upper-class students as they start high school.

Step 4: Reach Out to Families

Bridges Visits provide a means to communicate with families about the transition to the next grade, which is helpful. We communicate with families (via email and in our school newsletter) about the transition lesson so that they can continue the conversation about what their child is looking forward to next year and celebrate their child’s glows and grows. This also provides an opportunity to proactively address concerns or misconceptions about the next year.

Bridges Visits are a fun way to commemorate the end of the school year, celebrate the successes that both older and younger students have experienced, and offer an opportunity to look forward to future milestones. The end of a school year, while exciting and welcomed, is the end of a chapter in each student’s educational journey.

Bridges Visits offer a unique opportunity for counselors, teachers, and students to collaborate in an effort to ensure a smooth transition in the fall and a positive start to the next school year.