A Freshman’s Guide To…
As the 24 – 25 school year begins, many upperclassmen notice freshmen need advice. This article will briefly analyze some of the main topics that need to be addressed. Read further to see if your questions are answered!
Organization
Making the jump from middle to high school can be hard, but being organized can help with the stress of more classes. The last thing you want is to have one extra thing to worry about, such as “Where did that homework go?” Students often start the year organized and tidy, and as the year progresses, papers get thrown in bags and are misplaced. One thing to help with organization is having folders for each class, or even a small/ medium binder to keep those folders in.
Something school lists won’t tell you is you may not need one notebook for each class. For main courses such as math, English, social studies, and science, you should have one notebook each, but for other courses, you should be able to get by with the spare paper from your other notebooks unless the teacher clearly states to have a dedicated notebook to the class. Having less clutter in your backpack will help with extra space for class-specific requirements.
Graduation Requirements
High schoolers at Rock Creek have 7 educational classes and 3 “CORE” classes. As of the class of 2028, new requirements for graduation are 4 English credits, 3 Math credits, 3 Science credits, 3 Social Studies credits, 1 PE/ Health credit, 1 STEM credit, 1 Comp. Apps. credit, 1 Fine Arts credit, .5 Communications credit, .5 Financial Literacy credit, 7 Elective credits, and 2 Post Secondary credits. All seniors are required to create, form, and present an exit project, which is given and began in junior year. More details will be provided when the project is introduced, but be on the lookout for something you’re passionate about!
The Parking Lot
Rock Creek’s parking lot can get a little crazy. The lot can be harder to leave in the fall season because fewer sports are occurring, while it can be easier to leave in spring because there are more sports. If you aren’t familiar with some rules, it might be scary. One main rule is to zipper merge from the stop sign onto “Ring Road.” Zipper merging is where there are two lines of cars, and the main line allows a car from the secondary line for every other car. When lines get long, zipper merging helps the stop sign line move quickly. Another rule is to be patient. Even if you’re in a hurry, you should never speed through the parking lot or cut someone off, because this can create a dangerous environment for everyone.
Phones
The phone policy is different for every class. Some teachers such as Mrs. Miller and Mr. Miller, require your phones to be placed in a phone holder hanging from the door/ wall. Other teachers may be more lenient with policies, but the general rule is to be respectful, and not be on your phone while a teacher is speaking, or when work is assigned. Teachers are able to take your phone to the office for the day if you are not following their directions.
Communication
Communication with teachers is key to having a successful year. If you are failing a class or get a grade you aren’t happy with, it would be best to talk with your teacher as soon as you can. The longer you wait to talk with them, they may end up not wanting to help, or they may not be accepting redos. You also shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. As long as you are listening to directions, and then have a question, teachers will be happy to help. If you didn’t listen to directions (which I do not recommend), then the best thing to do would be to ask 3 peers before seeing the teacher.
If you were unable to talk with the teacher, email is a great way to communicate. There are some etiquette tips with email. First, you should always have a subject like “Chapter 6.7 Homework,” or “My English Grade.” Second, you should start with “Good morning,” or “Hello!” Third, you should treat any email to a teacher, like an email to your English teacher. There should be full sentences and correct grammar. Finally, you should end your email with “Best regards” or “Kind regards,” and then your first and last name in the following line.
Counselors
Our amazing counselors are Mrs. Grieves and Mrs. Kuhlmann, who are glad to help with anything you need. Mrs. Grieves helps students with last names beginning in A-L, while Mrs. Kuhlmann helps students with the last names M-Z. If you have any questions about classes, need someone to talk to, want to plan for college, etc. these are the people to go to!
Hopefully, some of your questions were answered, but if they weren’t, surely you learned something new!
