Orientation Post!!!

Yesterday I told you I had freshman orientation, and I told you I would blog about it when I had a chance. Well here you go, here's an idea of what to expect. 

I got there at about 7:58 a.m, which was about ten minutes later than I would have liked to arrive. I have a thing about punctuality, but at least I was still on time. We filed into the gym, where the Link Crew (upperclassmen that help the underclassmen get their footing) had two lines of either side of us, and were cheering. There was music BLARING, and to be completely honest, I was really stressed at that point. I was almost late, there were so many people packed in one hallway, and there was too much noise. However, that's not the point of this post, so let's continue. 

We did so many team building activities, it was ridiculous. It started at 8, and tours of the school didn't start until 11:15. For the first hour and a half, we were doing group activities that included all of the freshmen- about 200 people, maybe. I'm really bad at estimating some of that stuff though, so don't quote me on that. At about 9:30, we split up into 50 or so groups, with 5-9 kids in each group, and went to a different classroom. There, we did smaller group activities, until it was time for the tour. I got my schedule for the first semester (which has one minor error), which was pretty cool. I already have it memorized, but not room numbers or anything. I'm really excited for the first day, I'll keep a running list throughout the day of what I need to tell you guys about. 

Thank so much,

-Eliza

Freshman Orientation

Good evening all, and welcome to another post by me.

Tomorrow, at 8 a.m., I have freshmen orientation at the high school I'll be going to. Obviously, since it hasn't happened yet, I can't talk much about it, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. However, there is one thing I can talk about for a little bit.

I've downloaded some apps in preparation for the coming school year, and I'd like to tell you about them. I have the Merriam-Webster Dictionary app, which has a few adds, but not so many it's distracting, Quizlet, which you can use to make your own flashcards, (I really recommend that one), Khan Academy, which you can use to look up videos pertaining to a certain subject, ACT Prep (for obvious reasons, and yes, I know I'm a nerd but better late than never), ACT Up (same deal as the previous app), and last but not least, a tuning app. Now that I look at it, I realize it's called PIANO Tuner. That's kind of a big deal because I, a flute player, was surprised to see that my flute, that I thought was in tune, was registering flat. Now, I'm not saying that's impossible, because I can't hear a difference between sharp, in tune, or flat, but I had my head joint out the same distance I had been told to have it out since sixth grade. That might not mean much to other people, but flute players will know what I'm talking about.

I'll be sure to do another post tomorrow about freshman orientation, and school starts August 31. I'll be busy that week (my first marching band performance is Sept. 4), so I don't know when I'll be able to get it done, but I'll try my best, pinkie promise.

-Eliza

Update

Today I labeled my notebooks and folders by subject, and organized my writing utensils. I have a magnetic pencil holder (scroll down for a picture), my pencil case (again, scroll down for a picture), and a small pocket in my backpack. I'm really excited that, at my high school, you can carry your backpack around with you. Here's my schedule, but only the subjects, obviously. 

1st Period- Band

2nd Period- Pre-IB Advanced Biology

3rd Period- Pre-IB Advanced English 10

4th Period- Pre-IB Spanish 2

5th Period- Drivers Ed (if I qualify, which I'm not totally sure I do, but I'm not positive)

5th Period- Seminar (I have driver's ed Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and seminar Tuesday and Thursday)

6th Period- Pre-IB Geometry

7th Period- Pre-IB Advanced World History

8th Period- Seminar

That's for first quarter, and then second quarter, band and seminar switch. I have band first hour because of marching band season. Otherwise, everything is the same for first and second quarter, aka first semester. 

Then, second semester, only the following classes change. 

1st Period- C3 Foundations (not really sure what that is)

5th Period- Fundamentals of Art and Design

I'm going to try and get a seminar instead of FAD, because I think that would be a better way to use my time. I would also like to get it switched because I don't have a seminar second semester, which could be a problem. 

I have a friend coming over, so I'll do another post when I can. 

-Eliza

School Supplies!

I finally went school supply shopping! Here's a run down of what I, specifically got. (My loot is a bit different than my twin sister's.) 

I got one "fun" notebook, and then I have two red, two yellow, etc. 

I have more folders that I haven't used from previous years, so I'll use some of those too. 

Inside my pencil case I have 12 Ticonderoga pencils, a sharpie highlighter, and a Paper Mate Clearpoint mechanical pencil. 

Fun colored pens, a fine tipped sharpie, and pencil top erasers in the bottom of my pencil case. 

Extra supplies to hang up in my locker- I also have a container of pencil lead, and two spare erasers, but you can't tell in the picture.

Backup pencils because I'm a nerd like that. I also have 48 more in my room haha. 

Sorry that some of the pictures were upside-down, I'm not really sure why that happened. I'm really excited for this upcoming school year, and I hope you all are too. As always, thanks for viewing and tell your friends! 

-Eliza

Band Camp

So I started band camp the fifth, and it is, simultaneously, the best and worst thing to happen to me. I love marching band so much- I've learned so much in three days, my section leaders are so nice (I play flute btw), and the music, although difficult at first, and still has some difficult parts, sounds spectacular. I love how all the parts fit together, and even though my heels hurt really bad, it's worth it. I got my band shoes yesterday, and I really love them because the heels are curved, so it'll be easier to roll my steps. Anyways, that's all I really need to say, but I should go school supply shopping sometime soon. I'll be sure to do a post on that.

-Eliza