Back to School Prep: A Freshmen Survival Guide

       It is always good to be ready to go back to school before it even starts. You never know what could happen and planning ahead is a great idea. Make sure you understand your schedule, you have your supplies and you have all  your summer work ready.

     Here at Leonia High School, we have a changing block schedule. This means every day the periods are moved around and two periods are dropped for the day. The schedule also changes what time you have lunch. It is important to know this before the day starts. Going to the wrong period may end up getting you a cut or an absence from the class. This is troubling if you are a freshman from  Leonia Middle School where the schedules are completely different with no schedule changes and a single lunch period for your grade. I asked Angelina, a freshman and she told me the block schedule is confusing. A week into school it’s getting easier but she still has to look at her schedule every time.This may be hard for newer students but for one junior it’s like remembering the days of the week; she  has the block schedule memorized. If you are having trouble keeping track of your schedule, you can ask for handouts that will tell you each day’s periods. Your guidance counselor can assist you with anything you might need. If for some reason you can’t ask someone, you can always use your smartphone to log on to your Genesis and see what period you should be in, which will be highlighted in green.

    Another important thing to have ready at all times is supplies. Most teachers give you a list on your first day but it’s always good to buy some general stuff before hand. A lot of times, stores are full of people with lines stretching all around the store or the place will have nothing useful left to buy. Make sure you at least have some essentials for the first few days of school. Most teachers won’t kill you within the first few days, but it’s always good to keep a pen or pencil handy.