Phone Issues

For today's first order of business, I thought I should inform you all that I looked into to downloading the Blogger app, but it didn't show up in the App Store. Maybe it was because I'm connected to school WiFi at the moment, but I honestly have no idea. I'll try and redownload it when I get home tonight, but no promises. 

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO TELL YOU THIS BUT MY SCHOOL'S BAND IS GOING TO DISNEY WORLD DURING SPRING BREAK NEXT YEAR!!!!! IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF MONEY BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED AND I KNOW I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO RAISE THE MONEY AND BASICALLY I'M JUST SO EXCITED BECAUSE I'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE AND I'M GOING TO GET TO GO TO HARRY POTTER WORLD AND I MIGHT CRY.

Going into theatre, I knew it was going to take a lot of time, but I wasn't prepared for how tired it would make me?? We don't even do (intense) physical activity but I have rehearsal for 3 hours, a couple of times a week (it's arranged by scene and I only have to go when my scene is being rehearsed,) and I don't get home until 6, and then I get home and have to do homework and practice my flute. With the pre-IB classes I'm taking, I have a lot more homework than regular classes, so my schedule is pretty filled. My parents enforce a 9:00 pm "bedtime" for my sister and I, and I know it's kind of inconvenient at times, like nights when I have rehearsal, then homework, and then I should practice my flute for Solo Fest, but can't because I have to go to bed. I practice during my study hall a lot though, so that helps. Wow that was kind of a side story. Basically what I'm trying to get at is theatre is taking up a lot of my time, and it'll only take up more as the performance dates get closer, but I think it's going to be worth it. My time management skills are going to get a lot better, that's for sure. 

Report cards are going to be sent out on Monday, because April 1 is the end of 3rd quarter. I can't believe this year is almost over, it's gone by so fast. I've actually really enjoyed my first year of high school; I've met amazing people and had amazing experiences. I have to go we're putting the computers away, I'll try and do another post when I can!

-Eliza 

Wow I'm Not Good At Blogging

So I realized how bad I actually am at blogging, and I'd like to apologize. I think I'm going to download the Blogger app on my phone, and hopefully that means I'll be more active. I have a lot to tell you guys though, so hopefully that makes up for it!

C3 is still going really well, I'm actually typing this as I'm in that class. I got my work done early, and realized it had been forever since I had posted. Concert band season is underway, and that's pretty fun. Solo and Ensemble Festival is April 16, and I've been working really hard to prepare a solo for that. It's in 12/8 time, and its got a few parts that make it tricky but it sounds really nice; I can't wait to perform it.

Do you remember me saying I wanted to get involved with theater, but I wasn't sure if I was or not? Well, I decided to go for it! I auditioned for the spring play, and I have three roles actually. None of them are major roles though, and I realized I'm okay with that. It's easier to balance everything I have going on now, and it gives the director a chance to know me as a person and actress before giving me a major role, something I realized makes a lot of sense. He wouldn't want to cast someone he barely knows as the lead and then have them fall on their face, and I don't think I have the guts for a lead part anyways. I'm perfectly content with just dipping my toes in. Rehearsals started March 21, and the performances will be May 12-14. Combining the cast we have and the script (jokes, wordplay, etc.,) I think it's going to be a really great production. It's a comedic play, so it's funny anyways, but then some of the people we have cast are PERFECT for their roles, so it's going to be fantastic.

I think I'm going to apply to get involved with this volunteer organization where I live, but I'm not sure yet. All of the meetings for the organization are on Sunday, which works out really well with band and other extracurricular activities. I think I'm going to talk about one of the students already involved with it to find out more, and I can do that at rehearsal, because a bunch of the other students involved are in theater too. I want to make sure I'm not overextending myself though, because I've had problems doing that in the past, and it hasn't worked out well. I think I'll be able to manage though, so we'll just have to see how it goes! I'll be sure to keep you guys updated.

Again, I'm so sorry for being so bad at blogging I swear I'll try and get better. Thanks for reading, and as always, leave any questions in the comments below!

-Eliza

I AM SO SORRY

GUYS IT'S BEEN LIKE FIVE MONTHS SINCE I STARTED SCHOOL I'M SO SORRY BUT I SWEAR I CAN EXPLAIN. The computer I had been using to run this blog got a virus or something, and now my parents said we can't use it for anything else but school work, and I don't have enough space on my phone to download the app. I have so much to tell you guys about though, it's going to be fun.

Okay, I know second semester is already under way, but it just gives me that much more to talk about. Starting high school wasn't as hard as I thought. I had orientation 3 days before school started, or somewhere around there, and then I started 9th grade. I didn't walk through my schedule after the end of orientation, which we could have done, because my friends wanted to go home. I was kind of stressing about finding my classes because of that, but it was no big deal. I'm taking pre-IB classes, to prepare for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) so there was quite a large increase in homework. I went from occassionally having half an hour-ish in middle school, sometimes a little bit more, to having a couple hours a night. I've always started my homework as soon as I get home from school, or very soon after, so that wasn't a problem. Marching band was great, I had so much fun. I really miss it because I made so many great memories, but pep band started in December, which is a blast too. I love the atmosphere, and some of the songs we play have singing parts, and the whole band gets really into it.

I did join the debate team, which was kind of fun. It was a very intellectual activity- you had to know a lot about the subect or else you'd fall on your face. I did end up quitting though, because it was taking time away from band, homework, my friends, and my family, all of which come first. I liked debate, don't get me wrong, but I didn't like it enough compared to how much time it took. It's kind of hard to explain, but basically, what I'm trying to say is, I didn't want to spend as much time as I was on activity I didn't have a passion for.

I recently finished my first semester of high school, and everybody knows what that means- finals. I had winter break from December 23- January 3, and over that week-ish, I studied probably around 12 hours. I actually ended up getting my backpack taken away for studying so much, if that tells you anything about my personality. In between January 4, when classes started, and January 14/15, when finals were, I studied for another 7 hours, somewhere around there. All that hard work paid off though- I'm really pleased with my scores. They were all somewhere in the 90% range, but that's all I remember.

I think, in a previous post, I said something about getting involved in theater, which I didn't do this semster. I wanted to focus on getting my feet on the ground and making sure I could focus on band and school. I'm actually considering auditioning for the spring play though, now that I know I can handle high school. I'm not sure of anything yet, but I'll be sure to keep you posted. I promise to start posting more often, it's just a matter of finding a computer I can use. It shouldn't be a big deal though.

My school has this class that all freshmen have to take, called C3 Foundations. I heard from some of my friends that had it first semster that it was basically another study hall, but so far I disagree. The 3 C's are college, career, and I can't remember the third one for the life of me. I'm in the ELP C3, so the work is going to be a bit faster-paced. I have to write a paper on my learning philosophy, which is basically just me talking about how I learn best, why I learn, what I do with my learning, and what I learn. It sounds pretty easy but it was actually a little bit harder than I thought. I actually need to get that typed this weekend, but I'm at my friend's house right now and I don't have my backpack with me. I stayed the night at her house, and I've been up by myself for two hours and probably will be for four more. Anyways, that's off topic. I also have to write 3 participation papers. For those, I have to participate in 3 school related activities, and describe what I did at said activity, and reflect on the experience- would I do it again? The first one is due March 1, the second one is due April 1, and the third and final one is due May 2. I have the first one done already, that one was about pep band, and I want to try and get the second one written today, about my school's hockey game last night. The third one will be about my band concert February 22, and then I'll have all three done- before the first one is even due. Yes, yes, I'm a nerd, I know. My friends never let me forget and I also accept my fate as such.

Wow this is kind of a long post. I owe it to you guys though, to make up for not posting in 5 months. Now I'm going to walk you guys through my schedule, and tell you about each class. I'll start off with first semster, and then discuss some of the changes made to my schedule for second semester. Before I start, I want to clarify that I took all my 9th grade classes in 8th grade, so this year I'm taking advanced 10th grade classes. I'm one credit away from technically being considered a sophomore, but that's a technicality. These classes, with the exception of seminar, driver's ed, C3, and band, are all pre-IB, but I don't feel like addinf that in every time.
Period 1: Seminar. This is basically a study hall.
Period 2: Adv. Bio. This class has a lot of homework but I like how the material is presented, and I'm really interested in what I'm learning.
Period 3: Adv. English 10. Personally, I don't really like this class, which is a shame. English was my favorite class all through middle school. My teacher is just very monotonous and bland.
Period 4: Spanish 2. I took Spanish 1 before school my eighth grade year, so I'm in Spanish 2 now. I love this class so much- I love what I'm learning and the people I'm learning it with.
Period 5: Lunch/Driver's Ed. First I went to lunch, which lasted about half an hour, and then I went to driver's ed. I honestly hated that class, it was so boring but I needed to take it so I can get my liscense next year.
Period 6: Geometry. This class took me a while to adjust to, because the teacher doesn't teach math how I learn math. It's a very self-taught class, with lots of exploration and group work. This semester will go better, I'm determined to make it so.
Period 7: Adv. World History. I don't really like history in general, but my teacher is crazy, which makes it a little more interesting.
Period 8: Band. I love band a lot too, as anybody who knows me (and maybe some who don't know me) can tell you. For my concert next month, I'm going to play the piccolo for one song, which'll be great. For those of you who don't know, I play flute normally- I'm not sure if I've said that before or not. I probably have, but better safe than sorry. Anyways, that's my schedule. For second semester, I have C3 Foundations first period, and then seminar fifth. C3 and driver's ed are only semester long classes, so it all works out great!

As always, leave any questions you have down below in the comments, and I'll be sure to answer them. Again, I'm so sorry for not posting, I've been so busy with school and stuff, and I can't use the computer I usually have access to. That shouldn't be a problem anymore though, so I have high hopes for the future of this blog.

-Eliza

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