As we enter the third week of the school year, getting lost in the whirlwind of assignments and deadlines may be easy. By the time most students have accustomed themselves to the rigor of the new school year, they may have already missed countless time-sensitive opportunities. The following are 9 tips to reduce the time spent scrambling at the beginning of the school year and prepare for upcoming events.

Start of the year

1. Find clubs you want to join. It is easier to join a few clubs at the start of the year and drop the ones that are too time-consuming than trying to find a club in the middle of the year.
2. Think about the classes you want to take throughout high school. There may be a prerequisite class you need to take this semester if you want to take a class in the future. The first two weeks of the school year are your last chance to make any changes before you regret it for the rest of high school.
3. Give your attention to easy assignments like syllabus checks or summer quizzes. In some classes, these assignments may be the highest grade you can expect for a long time. It is best to start off the year strong rather than find yourself stressed about how many points you may need on your text test to move up a letter grade.

Events

1. Applications for the Governor’s Honors Program typically open near the end of August. To improve your chances during the interview and submission process, start considering what topic you want to apply for.
2. The AMC 10 and the AMC 12 are math/logic competitions on November 6th and November 12th, respectively. They are great ways to test yourself and show your math prowess on applications.
3. I-block grade pulls typically start in the last week of August. For those new to KMHS, i-block occurs weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If a student has a grade below 80 in a class, they will be assigned a mandatory i-Block session at 8:20 a.m. for those days to help them review the subject. All other students can attend the study hall or arrive at 9:05 a.m. If students want to avoid getting i-block, they should try to keep their grades well above 80 before the end of the month.

General Tips

1. Read the bulletin boards. There are many exciting events and flyers on them that are never mentioned in the announcements.
2. Find a designated place in the school where you can focus. Whether it is the library, common areas, or a teacher’s classroom, having a set place where your brain can enter focus mode is beneficial. Try to avoid loud areas or places where your friends hang around, as they might cause you to get distracted.
3. Find out when your teachers are most accessible to ask questions. There are a lot of reasons why teachers are unavailable. For example, they arrive late in the morning, have conflicting lunch schedules with you, or rarely check their emails. It is best to learn how to contact them rather than stress about an unanswered email the night before a test.