High School Transition

Beyond Ancona

List of 1 items.

Ancona Grads in High School

Ancona graduates leave us as resilient, deep thinkers. They are socially conscious, emotionally intelligent, and academically prepared for the next steps in their development.

The rigor of our curriculum builds critical thinking skills essential for success in high school. Our curriculum focuses on both content and process so students know how to tackle intellectual challenges. They rely on the executive function skills they developed here at Ancona. We know our students will have more homework in high school, but we also know the best way to prepare them is to help them know themselves as learners.

Our students are known for leading class discussions. They make connections across subject areas and leverage their problem solving skills to create top notch projects and essays. The annotation, note taking, number sense, and estimation skills that are taught explicitly here become the foundation for their independent work. Our graduates go on to the top high schools in Chicago, and they do that with a toolkit full of thinking and learning strategies.

True to our mission, Ancona graduates are creative problem solvers, confident risk takers, and independent, lifelong learners.

Transition to High School

We have robust High School Programming at Ancona. Our High School Transition Coordinator, Kiesha Shaw-Nobles, provides education and support to all middle school families.

For parents:

Choices, Process, and Timeline Information Sessions (plus supporting documents and handouts) provide an overview of the high school process
High School Kickoff Session gives parents the opportunity to review checklists and timelines for the year and ask questions in a supportive environment
High School Bound Google Group provides families with a forum to share information
Alumni Panel gives both students and parents a chance to gather insight and advice from who have been through the process
Regular communications from the school with reminders about open houses, testing, test prep, and deadlines, including updates to the 7-8 Community Page on My Ancona

For students:

High School Week, where we welcome representatives from our partner schools present to our 7/8th grade students and answer their questions
Interview Skills Workshops are held in each 7/8th grade Advisory provide students with the opportunity to practice and hone their oral communication skills
Stress Management skills and techniques with the school counselor
Portfolio Creation and Presentation Practice

Admissions Director at Wolcott College Prep

"We love Ancona graduates! They bring a strong sense of self to the community. And, they celebrate diversity, be it religious, ethnic, socio/economic, or various learning needs. They appreciate that every person has something fantastic to contribute to the world. They are kind and good-hearted. And they are bright, motivated, and confident learners."