New students gathered in Froelicher Theatre to start an exciting Orientation Day on Monday of this week. All 110 Freshmen, plus five new Sophomores and Juniors listened to Dr. Davis, Ms. Hill, Mrs. Skipwith, Ms. Chesley, and me, and then went off with their advisors for a day of activities. Twenty-three eager Seniors, members of the Community Leadership Team (CLT), greeted the new Ninth Graders with banners and posters and spent a good portion of the day helping those students get acclimated to life n the Upper School. Those same Seniors will be working with the Freshmen in advisory groups all year. (I will write more about this signature program in next week’s blog.)

 

Orientation Day is certainly a crucial component to getting the year off right. Our incoming Ninth Graders have a chance to meet their advisors and their fellow advisees, work with leaders in the senior class, discuss everything from “where is my locker?” to “how do I read my schedule?” to how to stay organized, make sure their iPads are ready to go, and engage in some fun activities.  Along the way, students get to meet and interact with some old friends and many more soon-to-be friends.  Overall, the main goal is to “demystify” the beginning of high school, and at the very least help allay some of the specific worries about logistics and knowing what to expect on Day One. 

 

When it came time for me to address the new students, I emphasized three keys to Upper School success:

 

1. Work with your teachers. Be present and alert in classes, participating as much you can. See them at help time as needed. Respond to their e-mails! Be proactive in your communication with them if you need to miss class for some reason. Know that they want to help you succeed and will help you gain confidence and independence. Ninth Graders in particular should know that the teachers we have leading those classes really enjoy working with younger students and want to help them grow into mature young adults.

 

2. Understand yourself as a learner. The sooner you really know what makes you tick as a student, the better you can do. Ask yourself some important questions: Am I naturally inclined towards organization? Am I a visual learner? How should I organize all the things on my iPad? What kind of calendar suits me best? This self-reflection also means embracing your weaknesses as much as your strengths and knowing how to offset those weaknesses the best you can. We expect students to become good self-advocates, which entails knowing oneself as a student.

 

Learning how to learn is a surprisingly under-discussed educational topic, even if it is the basis for good critical thinking, one of Colorado Academy’s 6 C’s, and a driving goal for many educational best practices. We need to do more with meta-cognition to help students become better, more effective learners. Typically, good outcomes will take care of themselves when students focus on the learning instead of just the end product.

 

3. Get involved! There is no reason to hold back because you are new. There are so many ways to get involved at CA—sports, arts, clubs, Mock Trial, service, the list goes on. Clubs especially need members, and they encourage participation from all grades. We want a dynamic student body that is willing to jump into things.

 

In short, I encourage all students new to CA's Upper School to embrace the opportunity to work hard and to seek out positive challenges. Great things await them in the months and years ahead!

 

On a related note, one of the main ways we emphasize process over outcomes is through our Pass/Fail trimester, which encompasses the three core courses for all Freshmen: Biology, Global Perspectives, and Coming of Age in the World (English). I have attached an explanation of this innovative practice here: