Getting Ready for the first half term
Below are some ideas designed to help you get ready for the first half term at Summerhill. Some might be obvious and some you will find useful. Lots of these are taken from other websites.
Buy an alarm clock. The Bell rings at 8:30 to signal the start of the day. All students must be in their form group by 8:40. So make sure you wake up with enough time to get to school. You will probably have to leave the house earlier than when you were at primary school.
Practise tying your tie. You will need to be able to do it at speed (eg. after PE). Practise putting it on and taking it off without undoing it!
Always eat some breakfast, even if you feel nervous. It is a long time until lunch!
Buy a big and strong bag. You are going to have to carry more now: PE kit, food ingredients, books, lunch etc.
Work out your route to school, whether you are walking or taking the bus. Practise it until you are confident and time yourself.
If you need a travel pass for the bus, make sure you apply for it in plenty of time.
If you can, find a friend to walk with on your first day. Things are never so bad when you go with someone.
Are you going to use a locker or will you be carrying your coat around with you all day? If you are going to carry it, do you need a lightweight one you can put into your bag?
Take any opportunity to meet new people. They may not turn out to be your new best friend, but knowing more faces is a good feeling. Remember you are all new together!
When you get your timetable, make at least three copies: one for your bag, one for your pocket and one spare for your bedroom or the front of the fridge!
Go through your timetable and pack your bag the night before – there’s never time in the morning to find your maths book.
Find out where the toilets are in school.
Don’t call it ‘playtime’ – it is ‘break’ now.
Be prepared to ‘hang out’ at break and not play games.
At lesson changeover, stick with someone who knows where they’re going. And don’t try to go against the flow of traffic. And keep left!
Try not to eat pizza and slushie every day! Try to eat a variety of the great food on offer: sandwiches, salad, jacket potatoes, curry and don’t forget fish and chips on Fridays!
Mobile phones are not allowed to be seen or heard inside the school building. If you bring a phone, make sure yours is switched onto silent, before it goes off in a lesson.
Go to the library or learning centre. It’s a great place to go if you want to do some homework.
Never be afraid to ask for help if you’re not sure where to go.
Relax and try to enjoy it – in no time at all, it will seem like you have been here forever. And this time next year, you will be showing the new intake around the school.
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