@all Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions so far!
@JLeslie Yes, she started middle school last year. Her school is the “lower” middle school, with only 5th and 6th grades. The school does an admirable job of helping students settle in at the start of the 5th grade year. They also stagger the class times so the 5th and 6th graders are not moving from room to room at the same time. It is certainly possible that other aspects of school are causing stress, but she is usually very open about things like problems with teachers or kids that tease her. She handles those kinds of things very well, I think, and has a good perspective on them.
She has not had a migraine once since school let out for the summer.
The school does not have an orientation day for 6th graders, and they don’t get their class schedules until the first day of school. We know her homeroom and which “team” she is on. Each team has the same four core classes together. I will see if one day after the start of school I can meet her after school to go through her routine and maybe help her come up with a good plan for having time to visit her locker between classes so she isn’t overwhelmed.
We don’t place a big emphasis on grades or perfection.
I don’t think she is very worried, and it’s not something I am starting to panic over either. It’s enough of a concern though that I do want to talk to the school about it. I’ve been very impressed with her teachers so far and don’t doubt they will help where they can.
I’d like to offer her advice from my own middle school years, but my school was very small. My entire class from 6th to 8th grade fit into one classroom. We all went from math to English to science together. The classrooms and lockers all fit into one hallway, so being late was almost impossible. Her school is so completely different, I was floored the first time we toured it. It makes my high school look like something from the Dark Ages!
@MaryW Each of the students is given a day planner on the first day of school. She uses hers to write down assignments. The teachers also make good use of email and the school’s website to keep parents updated on lesson plants and long-term projects.
When she talks about being stressed, she says it is from “rushing from class to class” and “hurrying all day.” She has a study hall period, which last year was at the end of the day. She chose to take an extra class during that time for most of the year, and when I suggested she keep the study hall in order to not have another thing to rush to, she said the extra class was the best part of her day. Cracks me up.