School...

Having started seventh grade just a few miles away from where you're doing the same, Winnie, I have a few useful tips for you...

1. Congratulations, you'll never have a desk you can leave all your stuff in again, and it's in your best interests not to adapt your locker to this purpose. In fact, if you have all your stuff in one binder, you'll be astonished at how much more organized you are all of a sudden. Which is why I recommend doing that, regardless of what your teachers WILL tell you.

2. That said, keeping your locker in good shape is smart too. After all, that's where you'll put the binders and textbooks you aren't using during the daytime, though my favored method involves taking everything home with you at the end of the day. Just make sure you have the combination and locker number written down where you can check it whenever you need to, and you'll be all set.

3. Middle school is a confusing, crowded, and noisy place. Making your way through the hallways might be hard for a while, since you're used to the orderly progression so strictly enforced in elementary school and which goes out the window the moment you don't have watchful teachers shepherding you between classes anymore. Just remember that the way people move in hallways is almost exactly like the way cars move on streets, and pretty soon you'll be able to figure out how the traffic patterns will get you from place to place.

4. Relax, the school isn't really out to get you. After a few scary days of culture shock, you'll figure it out and settle into the flow of things. You'll even figure out where your classes are located by the time the teachers stop being lenient about tardy arrivals. Just do your best, and remember, every other sevvie in the place is in precisely the same boat you are. You'll all figure it out together.