Freshmen Open House Planned for Next Week

School doesn't open until after Labor Day, but Millburn High School freshmen will have a chance to get into school early for orientation.

An open house for ninth graders will be held on Sept. 2 at 1-3 p.m. at the high school. The event is planned to give freshman an opportunity to get acquainted with the high school before the first day of school on Sept. 7. RSVP for the open house by e-mailing message.board@millburn.org.

Ninth grade parents also can attend a short meeting and question-and-answer session from 1-1:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Principal Bill Miron will review first-day-of-school procedures and answer related questions. He also will talk about how to read a schedule and use Edline and PowerSchool.

Freshmen will have the chance to meet their homeroom teachers and receive their schedules. They'll go on a tour with senior ambassadors, who will help them find their classrooms and lockers. They'll also help freshmen troubleshoot locker combinations and answer questions to help ease the transition to high school.

More than 100 rising seniors volunteered to be part of the new senior ambassador program last spring. School officials unveiled the program as part of their response to last fall's hazing issues.

It's one of the "new traditions" that came out of the School and Community Task Force formed last fall in response to the hazing incidents at the high school. At the high school the ambassador program was introduced in February, and the junior class brainstormed on ways to make the climate and opening day run more smoothly.

During the summer, school administrators have met with all fall teams to remind athletes of their leadership roles, behavioral expectations and consequences for violations of the school's code of conduct. All senior athletes will attend a leadership workshop on Tuesday.

On opening day, freshmen will report to homerooms at 7:45 a.m. Homeroom teachers will accompany their students to the auditorium for a meeting for freshmen. They will remain with their homeroom until their first class begins at 9:33 a.m.

Seniors, who will arrive at school at 8:15 a.m., will take their class picture and participate in other supervised activities that will celebrate the beginning of their senior year. At 9 a.m., they will attend a class meeting with administrators in the gym to review expectations for senior year.

Sophomores and juniors should report to homeroom at 9:15 a.m. to receive their schedules and begin the 2010-11 school year.