Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshmen
Month: August/September
Core Topics
Establishing
Norms
Issues
What should the norms for
homeroom be?
Resources/Activities
What roles should be shared
with students to foster
ownership?
Community
Building
Active and fun at beginning of
year
Learning names
Learning something about each
other
Long Term Initiatives (i.e. Time
Capsule)
Identity Item (Show and Tell)
Tell stories related to question
prompts
Picture Share
Food (candy bin, bring in treats)
Birthday Buddies
Freshmen Buddies
Picture Taking (identify a HR
photographer)
Read letters from last year’s
freshmen (2007)
Community Building Games:
http://www.eggplant.org/ideas/combuild/combuild.html
http://usscouts.org/games/game_t.html
http://www.teambuildingusa.com/
Storytelling:
http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/eest.htm
Conversations Pointers:
http://www.boystownpediatrics.org/ParentTips/conversation.asp
1
Months-at-a-Glance
Information
Information as provided in
announcements – use these
topics as a springboard for
discussion
(See sample discussion topics
below.)
Discussions
School Culture
 School Myths
 Hazing
 Navigating Schedule
 Free Period Use Options
 Cafeteria & Hallway
Expectations
 Cafeteria Buddy
 Assignment Notebook
 Discussions with scenarios –
What would you to if?
 Student questions – find a
way to have kids generate
and then address
 Appreciation of the various
groups in the school and
those who are involved
School activities
can be a
springboard for
discussion
topics.
Identify Myths
Myth Busters
School Calendars and Schedules:
http://dhs2kweb/deerfield.asp?page=1
Student Planner & Cafeteria and Hallway Expectations:
http://dhs2kweb/info/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf
Conversation Starters:
http://www.intlcenter.org/archives.htm
http://www.letstalkamerica.org/how-to.htm
Parent Night Schedules
Kick-Off Dance
 What is it?
 Safety Issues
 Norms
2
Months-at-a-Glance




What type of dancing
Adult Expectations
Peer Expectations
Debrief
Joining Sports and Activities –
As identified in announcements
 Making sure some of the
new events and topics are
understood (e.g. peer
tutoring, Good Karma Café,
etc.)
 Use announcements to
guide the discussions in this
month
Fall Play
 What is it?
 How to get involved
 Appreciation of the work
done and people involved
Student Activities Webpage:
http://dhs2kweb/Activities/index.htm
Athletics Webpage:
http://dhs2kweb/Depts/Athletics/index.htm
Good Karma Café
 Audience expectations
 Getting involved
 Appreciation of the arts and
those involved
 Connect interested kids in
homeroom
Stunts –
 What is it?
3
Months-at-a-Glance


How do you audition?
Musical Theatre Troupe is
open to all freshmen who
audition and can attend
required dates and times.
Blue Slips and Dean’s Slips
 Forms, Procedures
 What do they mean?
4
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: October
Core Topics
Community Building
Issues
Carry over some of the community
building ideas from September into this
month – e. g. “Show and Tell,” “Gotcha”
Resources/Activities
Expand or revisit student ownership
roles
Information
Homecoming
End of Quarter 1
Tumblers
Red Ribbon Week
Late-Start Days
Discussion
Signing up for an activity and/or sport
 Check links on the school activities
homepage
Learn about winter sports in October so they can
try out in November.
Homecoming Dance
Planning for door decorating
Lock-In – What is it?
Snowball –
 What is it?
Video on IIS
5
Months-at-a-Glance
Late-Start Days –
 What are they?
 When do I come in?
 How do the science labs work?
 What are the teachers doing?
Fine Arts Assembly
 What you’re going to see/hear
 Audience Etiquette
End of 1st Quarter
 Reminders to get in missing work
 Bringing up grade
 Checking in on how it went
 Setting goals
 Working on advocacy skills
Halloween
 Appropriate Costumes
6
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: November
Core Topics
Community Building
Issues
Celebrating Traditions
Resources/Activities
Ethnic pot luck – enough for yourself and sample
if choose.
Looking for a homeroom tradition
Thanks… for, to,
(Send a thank you note to someone)
Information
Food Drive
Sign up for a winter sport
Audition for Musical
Discussion
Plan for Food Drive
 Set goals
 Determine a plan
Now that 1st Quarter is over… (reflection)
 Set goals
Veteran’s Day
School Chest
 What it is
 What to expect
Talk about the sports that are available
7
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: December
Core Topics
Community Building
Information
Issues
Giving
 What that feels like
 Who gives to you
 How do you give to others
 Important gifts
Resources/Activities
Traditions – Holidays
School Chest
Mr. DHS
Preparing for end of the semester
Discussion
School Chest
 What is it?
 What can we do?
 Supporting other groups
Organizing for end of the semester
 Locating materials
 Determining missing assignments
 Talking to your teacher about missing
work, current grade, work over break,
etc.
 Backwards planning for projects
8
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: January
Core Topics
Community Building
Issues
Exercise and/or movement activities
New Year’s Resolutions
Information
Sign up for a spring sport
Discussion
Final Exams (as needed will get in
advisory)
 Test taking strategies
 Bus schedule
 Talking to teachers
 Exam conflicts
Stress Management & Personal Wellness
 Strategies (speakers available)
 Rest
 Nutrition
Program of Studies – Classes for Next
Year
After Exams Reflection –
 What do you wish you would have
known about freshman year?
 Knowing what you know now, what
would you change about your
freshman year?
(These will be shared next year with
Freshman Homerooms.)
9
Resources/Activities
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: February
Core Topics
Community Building
Issues
Random Acts of Kindness
 When it was shown to you
 How it felt
Resources/Activities
Valentine’s Day
Expand or revisit student ownership
Information
Spring Dance
Snowball
PTA All-School Assembly
Summer School
Discussion
Spring Dance
 Asking and Being Asked to the
Dance
 Going in a group
 Group planning
(Bring in some sophomores or upper
classmen to talk about this.)
All School Assembly
 Pre-discussions
 Post-discussions
Spring Sports
10
Months-at-a-Glance
 Which sports?
 Encourage participation
Women in Sports Day
Snowball
 What is it?
Video will be shown on IIS
11
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: March
Core Topics
Community Building
Issues
Resources/Activities
Secret Talents
Team Initiative Activities
Nutritional Snacks Celebration before
Spring Break
Information
Musical
Ethnocenter
 What is it?
End of 3rd Quarter
Discussion
Preparing for the end of 3rd Quarter
Establishing norms for communication in
difficult conversations
What have we discovered about First
Class?
Application: Spring Break
12
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: April
Core Topics
Community Building
Issues
Celebration of Differences
Information
PTO Fine Arts Assembly
Discussion
Appreciating differences – Having difficult
conversations
 Active listening skills
 “I” statements
 Asking Questions
Applying the norms
developed in March
Resources/Activities
AWARE Jam for Justice
(Not always in April)
 What is it?
 What is the cause this year?
Fine Arts Assembly
 Audience Behavior
 Follow-up: What did you think?
13
Months-at-a-Glance
Grade Level:
Freshman
Month: May
Core Topics
Community Building
Issues
Scrapbook Page – Each student creates a
page that captures his/her freshman year
Close long term projects (i.e. Time
Capsule)
Information
Peer Helping
Book Buy Back
Grade Pick Up – Last Day of School
Discussion
Peer Helping
 What is it?
Book Buy Back
 How the process works
Memorial Day
 Who do you want to remember?
Write Letters to Incoming Freshmen
Reflection –
 What do you wish you would have
known about freshman year?
 Knowing what you know now, what
would you change about your
freshman year?
(These will be shared with next year’s
Freshman Homerooms.)
14
Resources/Activities
Months-at-a-Glance
Learning from Others’ Reflections –
 Senior discussions with freshmen
(Begin the year next year with
sophomore reflections.)
End of Semester
 Finishing assignments
 Preparing for final exams
Homeroom Feedback
15