Dawg Days (Freshmen Orientation)

Freshmen Families!

It is s hard to believe that it is already time for Freshmen Orientation, what we here at Bearden High School call Dawg Days! I wanted to reach out tonight and send out a couple of reminders for tomorrow:

As a reminder, Dawg Days is a student-only event. Parents are not to attend with their students.

Buses will be running their regular routes tomorrow. If your student is planning on riding the bus tomorrow, I highly suggest double-checking the Bus Stop Locator feature on Knox County Schools’ website. Simply follow THIS LINK, click on the ‘Bus Stop Locator’ option, put in your address, and choose Bearden High School when you are given a list of schools. This is an easy and convienent tool for checking on what time buses will run, where exactly they will be stopping near your home, and most importantly which bus your student will ride in both the morning and afternoon. If you have any questions about buses, please do not hesitate to reach out to the West Mall Office.

Student drop-off and pick-up will also be taking place, just like any other school day. If you are unsure of our drop-off and pick-up procedures, please see the Slide Deck that was attached to my message on Monday morning.

Dawg Days will be from 8:30 am until 12:00 pm. Students will pick up their schedules at tables that are arranged alphabetically by last name in the West Mall. Large signs have been placed around each table for visibility. At 8:30, Students will meet their Freshman Seminar teacher to go over the day’s schedule, be given some basic expectations of the day,  go over their individual schedules, and answer some initial questions they may have.

After spending some time in Freshman Seminar, students will then run through an abbreviated daily schedule, giving them the opportunity to go to each of their classes, meet their teacher, and generally get a feel of the routine of a typical day.

After the schedule walkthrough, students will return to their Freshman Seminar classes and begin rotating through a series of presentations that include:

• Meeting with Upperclassmen that are Student Section Leaders who will give them an overview of what it is like to attend Bearden Athletic events while sitting in the student section
• An “Academic Q&A” with myself and the Freshman Counselor, Ms. Leslie Lee where we will talk about credits, GPA, Honors & AP Courses, as well as answer any questions they may have
• Yearbook photos
• A presentation from the Fine Arts Department on the many events, plays, concerts, etc. that they will offer this year
• A representative of the InterClub Council will speak on the variety of Club and Activity offerings at Bearden High
• Mrs. Kelley Darnell will give a brief overview of the 865 Academies and how Freshmen Students this year fit into it this year and beyond

As you can tell, we have a packed day set for tomorrow. With that in mind, please prepare for some congestion and backups during both drop-off and pick-up tomorrow and make sure that students are here in time to get their schedules and arrive ​in their Freshman Seminar classrooms by 8:30 am.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the West Mall Office, Ms. Lee, or myself. I am looking forward to meeting all of our new Bulldogs in the morning!

Sincerely,

Davis ​Bodie, Ph.D.
​Freshman Academy Principal
Bearden High ​School
davis.bodie@knoxschools.org