By Patrick Baron

BLOOMINGTON – To help incoming Bloomington Junior High students adjust to a new environment, District 87 is assigning the first day of the 2018-2019 school year as a transition day.

Sixth graders will attend the first day in order to get acclimated to their new school. Superintendent Barry Reilly said the district wants to make sure new students know the layout of the school and what kind of activities are available.

“It’s going to be a great thing for the kids and the families,” Reilly explained. “It will really help that transition to the next day when everyone is there to go much more smoothly, especially for those sixth grade students.”

Parents of incoming sixth graders will be welcome to go to the first day with their children. Reilly explained having first-time BJHS parents get accustomed to the school and how they can get involved will make them feel more comfortable.

“Having the parents there for a couple of hours, learning a little bit about what’s going on in the building, different activities that either they or their kids can get involved in, will go a long way in putting them at ease,” said Reilly.

Reilly says the first day will be similar to how incoming freshmen at Bloomington High have a day to get acclimated to a new environment. The first day of the 2018-2019 school year for sixth graders will be August 20, with seventh and eighth graders starting up the next day.

Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].