The First Day of School (FDOS) project was implemented for the very first time at the start of this school year. The plan set out to welcome and introduce new secondary students to the school. Applications for student volunteers that want to help out are now open – scroll down for more information.
Summary of 05.09.22
Instead of going directly to class on the first school day, this year, the new pupils were greeted by older EEB2 students. This was an important change for making sure that everyone felt properly welcomed.
We know that coming to a new school or switching from the primary to the secondary system can be hard. Being guided by older students who know the school well is therefore great for getting more comfortable with the change and ideal for integration.
FDOS was executed by student volunteers acting as coordinators and those who welcomed the new pupils. Coordinators were tasked with managing the event. They made sure that everyone was where they needed to be and that everything was going according to plan.
The ones welcoming the new students showed them around the school and answered their questions about school life and secondary.
The welcoming process started at 8.30 when all S1 and new S2 students arrived at school. They were greeted by 2 volunteers from their own language section. Until 9.50 the old student pairs took care of the newcomers and guided them around the school. Each group was given a room where drinks and snacks were offered. There, the volunteers introduced the new school system and explained how secondary would be. The second welcoming session for new S3-S6 students was from 11.00 to 12.50. For this, not as many volunteers were needed since there weren’t that many new pupils. New students were welcomed and shown around the school by someone from the same language section as them. For some groups, pupils from different sections were even grouped together for the tour since they were so few.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that this project was a success. Not only was FDOS great in theory, but it was also executed very well. This result was achieved thanks to good organization and determined volunteers working together to help newcomers.
The First Day of School initiative is something that the CDE wants to and will make standard practice at EEB2. The errors made on the first try this year would be corrected and the project would be improved year by year. No more new students entering school on the first day, lost, not knowing where to go or who to ask for help. FDOS is here to save the day!
FDOS Year 2
The CdE has enlarged the team for the FDOS organisation from 1 person to an efficient and effective team of 8. Applications for those who want to help during the day are now open. Volunteers would be tasked with the so-called “CDE Takeover” and guide classes around the school, answer students’ questions and welcome newcomers. If accepted, you would be assigned classes of your language section/languages you are fluent in. To apply, send a 150-word motivational letter to Samuel Saez Tornblom ([email protected]) stating which languages you speak and why you would be a good fit!