"Students adjust quickly and effecâ€" tively to high school, a finding which did surprise me," Instructional Services superintendent Dean Fink told trustees recently. It‘s part of the findings of a Halton Board of Education study of the transiâ€" tion between Grade 8 and Grade 9. However, the study also shows that the trepidation isn‘t really necessary. That‘s the advice Halton Grade 9 public school students would give Grade 8 students heading to high school next fall with the ageâ€"old foreboding that comes with the entry to high school. Today, most Grade 8 students are concemed about workload, not fitting in, Niner day, getting lost, and bullying, in that order, when they think about high school. By ANGELA BLACKBURN Oakville Beaver Staff "Relax, it‘s not as scary as you think!" Study finds students adapt quickly to high school Give you a ‘/â€"* RATE DISCOUNT Transfer your mortgage to Halton Credit Union and we will pay you. MORTGAGES PUD "Students perceived the change to be greatest in the area of school work. This perception is supported by the grades cation from Grade 9 teachers down to Grade 8 teachers and we‘re going to work hard to bridge that," said board chairman Dave Coons. Fink admitted the gulf between Grade 8 and Grade 9 is still very wide, from the teacher‘s point of view. Bruce Fulcher â€" Manager (at North Service Road) Up to ©‘800.00 CASH® Burlington for the term of your mortgage. People First ... the Credit Union Way OFFER MAY BE WITHDRAWN AT ANYTIME WITHOUT NOTICE. UKâ€"UH. yOU ALWAyS ASK FOR MILK, THEN WHEN I POUR iT 6N you say you T LIKE MILK,, AND WE END UP WASTING students achieved...They found the work in Grade 9 to be more difficult than in Grade 8, and they reported having sigâ€" nificantly more homework. Students reported that teachers in high school, however, were less strict than in Grade 8," said the report. The students seem to jump the hurâ€" dle with many of their fears unfounded however. (1 block west of Dorval, off Speers) Oakville Marlene Bayko â€" Manager "(The study) shows students adjust to secondary school very quickly. Almost all students indicated reasonable comfort levels after one year in secâ€" ondary school The many varied activiâ€" ties to ease transition have proven worthwhile. Student self perceptions were not only unaffected by the transiâ€" tion, the improved," said Fink. On the down side, the study showed s MANZ a significant number of students are ‘"at x risk." Special effort is necessary to S ensure their needs are met. The study E demonstrated a need for further curricuâ€" g lum alignment between elementary and s secondary schools; greater consistency r<r:1 in expectations for student workload, 2 homework, and assessment and evaluaâ€" tion practices. Kepuy ught to you resy of the