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Middle-school Bridge program returns; average daily attendance 106 of 215 seventh-graders
Summary
John Taylor said the Bridge program returned in 2026 after construction hiatus; 158 students signed up, 146 attended at least one day, and average daily attendance was 106, with free meals provided and curriculum focused on transition supports.
John Taylor, assistant principal at Ralston Middle School, presented the return of the Bridge program designed to help elementary students transition to middle school. He said the program ran 12 days this summer, from 8 a.m. to noon, provided breakfast and lunch, and averaged 106 students per day.
“We had a 146 students attend 1 day or more,” Taylor said, adding that 158 had signed up. He described a mix of staff—including an EL newcomer teacher, school psychologist, counselor and special-education staff—and a curriculum that emphasized collaborative, high-interest learning and advisement activities to reduce transition stress.
Taylor said staff tracked attendance on Google Sheets and intend to cross-reference that with grades, behavior referrals and connectedness surveys during the school year to measure program impact. Board members suggested a brief qualitative survey at students’ first-week-of-school check-in to evaluate Bridge effectiveness and reduce student stress following the program.
The board thanked staff for bringing back the program after a multi-year pause for construction and encouraged continued data collection to inform future iterations.
