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1. Remind students that planning out the work they have to complete will help them be more successful at accomplishing all that they need to do.
2. Refer students to page 4 of the Student Orientation Guide. Focus on the first activity, which involves having students understand how to prioritize. Assist them with prioritizing their assignments if they are having trouble.
3. Move to the next topic, which focuses on long-range planning and backward mapping. The emphasis here is on getting students to plan out larger assignments and assessments so that they are not completing things at the last minute. Review the steps listed in the guide and share the visual below, which provides an example of a backward mapping calendar.
4. If time permits, have students try backward mapping projects or assessments that they have coming up.

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This session will be an opportunity for students to meet their teachers and classmates in their advisory groups.

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This session will be a continuation of the 8/30 session with more emphasis placed on why students have chosen Eastern Tech and what advantages they have because they were accepted to the school.

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This session will provide an opportunity for students to identify what went well last year and what did not.

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This session will include the creation of 3 or more short-range and 3 or more long-range goals.

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This session will focus on helping students better understand how to tackle setbacks and obstacles rather than just giving up when things are difficult.

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This session is planning and time management. Students will learn about prioritizing and long-range planning, as well as tips for using the online Schoology planner and planning daily activities.

Orientation Guide: pages 2-5

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This session will provide students with an understanding of the Special Permission Transfer requirements that allow them to attend Eastern Tech.

Orientation Guide: pages 6-9

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During this session, students will have time to plan out a typical school day and differentiate between activities that are time-users and time-wasters.

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This session will be an opportunity for teachers and students to discuss what academic integrity means, what constitutes cheating, and how it is different from legitimate collaboration.

Orientation Guide: pages 10-11

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This session will focus on helping students understand the supports available to them at Eastern Tech.

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This session will focus on helping students understand how to make the most of MAV Time and how to prioritize the sessions that they attend.

Orientation Guide: pages 17-18

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This session will involve self-reflection related to the first few weeks of school.

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1. Discuss with students that Eastern Tech offers lots of supports to help students navigate academic, personal, and social/emotional issues.
2. Share with students the two support wheels available below - academic and school counseling - as well as the documents titled Sharing Student Ideas and Concerns and Parent Questions and Concerns.
3. Using the resources provided, help students work through the questions provided in the Student Orientation Guide on page 15. An answer key is provided at the bottom of this column.

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Answer Key for Student Reorientation Guide

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Answer Key for Student Reorientation Guide

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1. The first person students should go to is the teacher. If the issue it not resolved, then they should go to the department chair.
2. Students can see their teacher at MAV Time or after school. They can also attend tutoring sessions provided by various school organizations.
3. Students can explore MAV Time options and visit different organizations to see what interests them. They can reach out to class advisors and class officers to see how they can get more involved in their classes. They can see Mr. Deutsch (ddeutsch@bcps.org) for athletics. They can see Ms. McCullagh (rmeiller@bcps.org) for art-based activities or to participate in morning announcements.
4. To get transcripts, students should see their school counselor.
5. If students are experiencing social/emotional issues, they should see their school counselor.
6. If a student is being bullied or witnesses bullying, they should see the first available assistant principal.
7. For technology issues, students should see Mr. Michocki (tmichocki@bcps.org) or Ms. Annis (ehitchcock@bcps.org).
8. Teachers, counselors, clubs sponsors, coaches - Students should give all recommendation writers 2-3 weeks notice.
9. To obtain a locker, students should see one of the secretaries in the main office.
10. If a student has an injury during school, they should tell the classroom teacher right away, who will direct them on next steps. If a student has an injury outside of school, they should have their parents notify the school nurse in case any accommodations are needed, such as elevator access, etc.
11. If a student has problems with their bus or bus stop, they should see Mr. Powell (bpowell6@bcps.org), the assistant principal in charge of transportation.

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1. Review the annual salary and unemployment chart on page 2 of the Student Orientation Guide.

2. Briefly discuss the difference between average salaries (w/ college degree and without).

3. Review criteria chart for universities and colleges and talk about how it relates to long-range goal setting. Encourage students to think of three long-range goals they hope to achieve in life.

4. Discuss how long-range goals will dictate the three short-range goals they create. (Basically, that these are steps they can take to reaching their long-range goals.) Give students time to create three short-range goals for this school year. Suggest that their goals may relate to areas they identified as needing improvement during their reflections on last year. Consider having students share goals with the group.

5. Individually or as a whole group, brainstorm obstacles that students might encounter in their pursuit of these goals. If time permits, discuss how they can overcome them or prevent them. (Discussion of obstacles will continue in the next session on 9/3.)

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1. Give students time to answer the questions provided for this session on page 20 of the Student Reorientation Guide.
2. You may want to debrief as a class or in groups.
3. Provide time to answer ''what will I do next?" based on student reflections so far.

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1. Idea: Do an ice breaker activity or some kind of get-to-know-each other activity.
2. Before ending the session, ask students to think of one positive word that comes to mind when they think of ETHS. They can write this word somewhere, i.e. whiteboard, big post it, etc. Save this information for the session on 8/31.
3. Please share the 3-minute video on Food Composting for our Green School initiative. It is important that students know about this on the first day. The video is approximately 3-minutes long.

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1. Refer students to page 3 in the Student Reorientation Guide. Have them begin by reflecting on their grades and on the content and skills they acquired last year. Discuss as a group how students feel the year went in general.
2. Have students self-assess by completing the chart located under Self-Reflection. Take a few minutes and discuss in general how students felt about these topics. Idea: Group kids according to strengths to debrief.  For example, students who joined clubs, etc. could be in one group and give advice to those who did not.
3. Lastly, have students revisit the areas they identified as needing improvement and brainstorm reasons why they had difficulty in those areas. Responses to this item will help with the goal-setting activity on 9/2. If time permits, have students share some of the obstacles they encountered.

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1. Explain to students that it is important for them to recognize that we all face setbacks and obstacles and that we cannot allow those to keep us from being successful. Acknowledge that sometimes students find themselves in situations they don't want to be in. Stress that rather than giving up, students need to focus on finding ways to overcome setbacks and obstacles using the resources available to them.
2. As a class or small group, have the students discuss solutions to the What if? scenarios on page 5 of the Student Reorientation Guide. Teachers should encourage collaboration among the class or in small groups. Try to think of various ways in which students can approach each situation provided.

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Refer students to page 2 in the Student Reorientation Guide.
1. Place a graphic organizer on the board and have students respond to the question: Why do parents and students apply to ET?
(You may want to have students refer back to the list of terms that they identified at the end of the 8/30 session.)
2. Place another graphic organizer on the board and have students respond to the question: What is a quality you possess that makes you a valuable member of the ET community?
Consideration - Teachers may decide to model the assignment by sharing their responses to the questions.
3. Discuss students' responses to these questions and emphasize that they have a unique opportunity because they were accepted to fill a seat that other students wanted. To wrap up this discussion, have students respond to the question, Why is Eastern Tech the right place for you and how can you take advantage of the opportunity you have been given?

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Icebreakers For Teens

Icebreakers are facilitation techniques which can help people get to know each other in a short period of time. When used correctly, icebreakers help participants relax and learn more about each other while having some fun!

Icebreakers can also help create an environment conducive for learning or cooperation. This article will share a few fantastic icebreakers for groups of teens.

Time Bomb (Introductory icebreaker)

A very simple game that can help people learn each other's name while having fun. Ask the group to stand in a circle and have each person to say their name. Now, throw a tennis ball to someone in the group. They have 2-seconds to call the name of someone and throw the ball to them. If they cannot remember a name, the tennis ball "bomb" explodes and that person is out of the game.

The round ends when the only people left know everyone in the group. You can make the game more fun by having a prize for people who don't get "blown up" by the tennis ball after a few rounds.

Pass the Candy (Getting-to-know-you icebreaker)

This is a fun icebreaker for people with a sweet tooth! It involves giving participants a small amount of colored candy (usually skittles or M&Ms). Questions or challenges are assigned to each candy color. The questions can be silly, funny or more serious, depending on the type of group event. For example:

Red candy might be "Sing the chorus of your favorite song"

Green candy could be "Tell the group a story or joke"

Blue can be "What is your favorite TV show and why?"

Orange is "What is your ideal career path?"

Participants can eat all of the candy they like except for one piece. They get to choose the question or challenge that they perform. It's a simple icebreaker and sharing food brings people together.

Making Appointments (Getting-to-know-you icebreaker)

Appointment cards are handed out within the group. Each card has space for 3 or 4 names on one side and some introductory questions on the other. The group mingles and people set up appointments with each other.

Once everyone has filled in their cards, announce that it is time for the first appointment. Give them 5 minutes to ask each other their questions and have a chat, Then, move onto the next appointment.

Pictionary People (Getting-to-know-you icebreaker)

Participants are divided into two groups. Everyone gets a card upon which they write their name and the names of three things they like to do. For example, activities like "eating ice cream", "playing computer games " or "swimming".

The two groups swap cards. A drawer takes a card from the pile, memorizes the objects listed on the card, puts the card back into the deck and shuffles it. He or she begins to draw one of the objects while the rest of the team looks at the cards to see if they can link the activity with a person. The first team to successfully match activities to names wins!

Three Things in Common (Getting-to-know-you icebreaker)

The participants are divided into groups of 3 or 4. Each group must find three things that they have in common with each other. The weirder those things are - the better. After 10 minutes each group announces the three things they have in common. Everyone votes to decide which group has the "weirdest" three things in common.

Destination Charades (Fun icebreaker)

Everyone thinks of a city or country that they have been to or want to visit. They then choose three clues to describe the place and act those clues out using charades. The person to guess the city or country gets a prize!

Little known fact... (Fun icebreaker)

Participants stand in a circle and simply share an unusual or funny fact about themselves. It is a very simple activity that helps the group share a few laughs and learn more about each other. A twist on this game is to have people tell the group three fun facts about themselves, but one of the facts is a lie. The group has to vote on which fun fact is the lie.

Sit down if... (Fun icebreaker)

The group stands in a circle. The group facilitator then asks a range of silly questions and people sit down if the if they answered yes to the question. Questions can be as strange or random as you like, for example: "did you eat cheese today?". The last person standing wins a prize.

People Bingo (Getting-to-know-you icebreaker)

You can create bingo cards where each square has a question like "Have you been to Disneyland?". Participants need to find someone in the group who answers "yes" to that question before they can mark the box off. It encourages people to mingle with each other and learn more about each other. The first person to tick off 5 squares wins!

Team engineers (Team-building icebreaker)

Participants are split into teams of 4. Each team is given a collection of objects and asked to build something. The objects should include items like sticky tape, glue and paddle pop sticks. You could also include a challenge, where teams need to accomplish a specific task with their creation!

Defuse the bomb! (Team-building icebreaker)

This activity is best performed in a large room or outdoors. Put a container holding some candy in the middle of the space. Create a taped off "quarantine" area surrounding it. The team must find a way to retrieve the container without touching the ground inside the taped-off area. Provide a variety of materials including timber, bricks, sticks, ropes and wheels to help them achieve their task. When they get the container back without touching the ground they get the candy! It is a great team-building exercise.

Fireman's relay (Team-building icebreaker)

The participants are split into groups of 5. Each group has to transfer as much water as possible from a barrel into another barrel, 50 yards away. The teams have access to buckets, ropes and hoses. They must devise a plan and put it into action. The team who transfers the most water in 10 minutes wins.

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Icebreakers For Teens Icebreakers are facilitation techniques which can help people get to know each other in a short period of time. When used correctly, icebreakers help participants relax and learn more about each other while having some fun! Icebreakers can also help create an environment conducive for learning or cooperation.

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This session will focus on helping students differentiate between activities that are time-users and time-wasters.

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During this session, provide students with information about digital etiquette and BCPS-approved technology tools and how to use them.

Orientation Guide: pages 12-16

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1. Refer students to page 2 of the Student Orientation Guide. Start by discussing the importance of planning out the activities you have to complete in a given day and allotting time for completing those activities. (Basically, affirming the idea that students will be more likely to complete things if they have written them out in a schedule rather than filling their time at random.)

2. After completing Part I, have students move on to complete Part II. Assist them with the following as they complete this activity:

Students should identify a wake-up time and a healthy bedtime in order to figure out how much time they actually have to accomplish their tasks.

Discuss how they can decide how much time to allot to certain activities.

Remind students that time dedicated to fun and ''brain breaks'' is ok and necessary, as long as they prioritize accordingly.

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Refer students to page 3 of the Student Orientation Guide. After initial discussion, have students move on to Part I of the activity. Help students determine whether the activities they listed are time-wasters or time-users. Time-wasters = Things that keep us from accomplishing the things we must do or allow us to avoid accomplishing the things we need to do.

Time-users = Things that we need to get done out of necessity or requirement.

If time permits, direct students to review pages 4-5 of the Student Orientation Guide to review further suggestions for using a planner and a digital planner option available in Schoology.

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1. Have students review the information about academic integrity and types of work on page 10 of the Student Orientation Guide.

2. Use the scenarios provided on page 11 of the Student Orientation Guide to elicit discussion among students.  Teacher can lead or students can discuss in groups and then debrief as a class.

3. Discuss why academic integrity is important and how it relates to your character.

4. Talk about how an infraction could affect your ability to run for a class or club officer position, how it could inhibit your acceptance into an honor society, and/or how it could make soliciting teacher recommendations difficult.

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Refer student to pages 12-16 in the Student Orientation Guide for information on BCPS-approved technology tools.

1. Begin by briefly reviewing the tools available to students and what they should do if they need tech support.

2. Refer to page 13 in the Student Orientation Guide to review information about digital etiquette and the appropriate method for emailing teachers and staff.

3. After reviewing the material, ask students to access their BCPS email account and send you an email as practice.

4. Next, show students how to create file folders on their Chromebook so that they can easily store items by class. Use the video linked below for a quick tutorial on how to do this.

5. Refer students to pages 14-16 in the Student Orientation Guide to introduce (or review with) them to the two main platforms used by BCPS - Google and Microsoft. Encourage students to begin setting up folders in the cloud for the new school year as directed in the guide.

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1. Introduce students to the concept of MAV Time and the freedom that is associated with it. Explain what it will be like once students have the opportunity to self-select activities and plan out their sessions each day.

2. Explain that students need to sign up for their sessions using the MAV Time app.

3. Emphasize to students that MAV Time is a special opportunity that requires planning so that students can make the most of the time available to them.

4. Review the contents of page 19 in the Student Reorientation Guide to help students understand what they should consider when planning out their week of MAV Time sessions.

5. Have students then visit the MAV Time app and plan out their first week of self-selected MAV Time sessions (Sept. 08-11). Provide support, as needed.

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1. Please review the expectations surrounding the SPT and attendance on pages 6-7 of the Student Orientation Guide.

2. Refer to page 8 of the Student Orientation Guide and discuss how major and minor grades are weighted differently, including how this will vary depending on the level of class.

3. Talk about how ETHS does not utilize the LS (lowest score) that students might be used to from middle school. They should understand that teachers will give zeroes for missing assignments and possibly for work turned in that is not worthy of credit.

4. Discuss the importance of not relying on re-do's but still knowing individual teacher's policies regarding work that can be improved upon for a higher grade.

5. Direct students to page 9 in the Student Orientation Guide and have them complete the activities provided there. See answers for these activities below.

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Answers for Reorientation Guide Activity

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Answers for Reorientation Guide Activity

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Answers to Questions:
1. minor summatives are weighted higher, but major summatives tend to be work more points
2. 5 school days
3. No
4. No, the teacher determines which assignments are redoable
Grade Calculation Scenario Activity:
Total current points = 135
Student has earned = 80
Average Overall % = 59%

If the missing assignment were removed altogether, the student would have an 80% with just the other four assignments.

If the student had submitted the missing assignment and only earned 20/35, their grade would be 74%.

If the student had submitted the missing assignment and only earned 25/35, their grade would be 78%.

If the student had submitted the missing assignment and only earned 30/35, their grade would be 81%.

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Use this video to show students how to create folders on their Chromebook to store files for each of their classes.

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ADMIN 26-27 Grade 9 Student Orientation Guide FINAL

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Check out this US Letter designed by Rebecca Talbott.