Freshmen Orientation at High School

[Anonymous]

Would you send your DC alone or go with DC to the orientation that is from 8:00AM-12:30PM and introduces them to clubs, activities, meet student leaders, attend their first pep rally, special program opportunities, and tour the building. They do offer a parents only session from 12:00-12:30pm and state that parents don't need to come to orientation. Being new to the school, as a parent I would like to go but I don't want to be a burden. What is customary?

[Anonymous]

OMG, don't go!!!!!! Have you told your kid you plan on going? They would be mortified!!!!! This is not for you!!!

[Anonymous]

No, you don't attend freshman orientation with your child!!!

[Anonymous]

It is customary that if you go with your child, your child will be identified for the next four years as "That kid whose mommy went to orientation."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is customary that if you go with your child, your child will be identified for the next four years as "That kid whose mommy went to orientation."

Lol.

There was a poor kid who attended my kid's freshman orientation whose parents (mom & dad) PLUS 2 younger siblings (young elementary and older elementary) attended as well.

Dad asked a lot of questions. Mom beamed and tried talking to other 9th graders to find kids who lived close and might have shared interests. Older elementary sibling was chatty and tried to act cute and impress the teenagers. Little sibling was cute, but still.

The poor kid (according to my kid) looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.

My kid ended up moving through several classes with the family, so mom kept trying to strike up conversations with him. "Hey look Junior, here is Larlo again. Let's sit here. Larlo, what activities are you doing? Hey Junior, Larlo has your same history class. Larlo, why don't you exchange numbers so you two can hang out before school starts."

The poor poor kid! He was the only kid in all of freshman orientation with a parent there. My son said the teachers kept trying to encourage his parents to leave but they just were not picking up what was going on.

He had no noticeable special needs, and according to my son never showed any signs of being special needs, aspergers or social difficulties the entire year. He was just a little shy and quiet, but otherwise just a regular, nice kid. However, 3 years later he is still known as the kid who brought his parents and siblings to freshman orientation.


Don't be that parent OP.

Let your kid navigate freshman orientation on his own. It will be better for him, and also let the teachers do what they prepared to do (which is not interacting with parents)

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for all the information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for all the information.

[Anonymous]

FCPS? Really? You all dropped your kids off to turn forms in, get schedules, lockers, buy PE uniforms, etc? Just give them money? For open house day?

[Anonymous]

OP asked about freshman orientation, not open house day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS? Really? You all dropped your kids off to turn forms in, get schedules, lockers, buy PE uniforms, etc? Just give them money? For open house day?

Not that day.

Freshman Orientation, where the kids go through a shortened day of 20 minute or so classes, meet their teachers then have some sort of whole class pep rally/orientation/welcome to the school session.

[Anonymous]

helicopter parents

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is customary that if you go with your child, your child will be identified for the next four years as "That kid whose mommy went to orientation."

Lol.

There was a poor kid who attended my kid's freshman orientation whose parents (mom & dad) PLUS 2 younger siblings (young elementary and older elementary) attended as well.

Dad asked a lot of questions. Mom beamed and tried talking to other 9th graders to find kids who lived close and might have shared interests. Older elementary sibling was chatty and tried to act cute and impress the teenagers. Little sibling was cute, but still.

The poor kid (according to my kid) looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.

My kid ended up moving through several classes with the family, so mom kept trying to strike up conversations with him. "Hey look Junior, here is Larlo again. Let's sit here. Larlo, what activities are you doing? Hey Junior, Larlo has your same history class. Larlo, why don't you exchange numbers so you two can hang out before school starts."

The poor poor kid! He was the only kid in all of freshman orientation with a parent there. My son said the teachers kept trying to encourage his parents to leave but they just were not picking up what was going on.

He had no noticeable special needs, and according to my son never showed any signs of being special needs, aspergers or social difficulties the entire year. He was just a little shy and quiet, but otherwise just a regular, nice kid. However, 3 years later he is still known as the kid who brought his parents and siblings to freshman orientation.


Don't be that parent OP.

Let your kid navigate freshman orientation on his own. It will be better for him, and also let the teachers do what they prepared to do (which is not interacting with parents)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS? Really? You all dropped your kids off to turn forms in, get schedules, lockers, buy PE uniforms, etc? Just give them money? For open house day?

That day is different.
On the day they get their schedules, freshman often have parents with them, but older kids don’t. I would say...
Freshman: parents come
Sophomore: parents drop off or wait in car
Junior & Senior: they drive themselves or go with a friend

Orientation is just for freshman. No parents.

[Anonymous]

BTW- don’t get too excited about the lockers. I have a rising senior. We found her locker freshman year, and she literally never had time to go to it. In subsequent years, she has never even bothered to find it. No one uses their lockers. Ever. There just isn’t time to go to your locker between classes. Everyone just carries their backpack around all day.

[Anonymous]

Makes sense...definitely wasn’t going to orientation

[Anonymous]

FCPS? Really? You all dropped your kids off to turn forms in, get schedules, lockers, buy PE uniforms, etc? Just give them money? For open house day?

My DC's FCPS high school had this on the same day as orientation. I went separately around to the tables and paid for what needed to be paid for, then went home. I saw my DC from a distance, but didn't meet up with her until I got home.