Lawrence High hosts freshman orientation for parents and students

Freshman orientation is not just for the incoming ninth-graders, but for parents too.

Lawrence High School held a freshman orientation for all incoming freshmen parents, in the Little Theatre on Aug. 28.

Principal Jennifer Lagnado-Papp led the workshop long with Assistant Principals — Andrew Schiavo (ninth grade), Ryan Armstrong, (10th grade), Kathleen Stanley (11th), and William Moss (12th).

“This is a fantastic place to be, we have wonderful students and it’s a pleasure always getting new ninth graders every year,” Lagnado-Papp said. “We are so fortunate to have so many resources available to us.”

She promoted the importance of academic excellence, and how the staff is always creating a plan for the students’ post-high school life. For the college bound, the aim is to get them to their dream school.

“The idea is to start the students ‘goal setting’ and coming up with a plan, with what they want to do for their future,” Lagnado-Papp said. 

The students will be constantly thinking about what they want to study, where they want to attend school, and what interests them starting from freshman year.

The course offerings and qualifications needed to graduate were addressed frequently, as well as how to build a good transcript for college, and what colleges look for in applicants.

“Colleges like to see students not only that have good grades and take rigorous courses of study, but they also want to work up to leadership positions here at Lawrence High School,” Lagnado-Papp said.

She  noted that the high school went digital with schedules, and how the parents and students can access the information via the portal on the school’s website. The students can also check their grades and attendance online.

“We want to teach them in high school to start monitoring their own grades and attendance because when they go onto college, that’s what they’re going to have to do,” Lagnado-Papp said.

Important dates for the fall — freshman assembly, back to school night, interim reports, and parent-teacher conferences — were highlighted.

Schiavo explained how drop-off and pick up will work, and where the busses meet everyday.

Parents need to pick up an early pick-up form before coming to school to pick up their child, if they are taking them out of school early. The form can be found on the school’s website.

“Attendance is very important here at Lawrence High School, your child is considered to be on-time when they are in their seat ready to learn when the bell rings,” Schiavo said. “Your child will be marked late if they arrive to class up to 15 minutes, if they come into class after 15 minutes they are considered absent for the day.”

He said that students, who are late more than three times per semester, will be given an Alternative Restorative Center and will have to speak with a guidance counselor or assistant principal.

Schiavo stressed that even by missing one day every two weeks, a student will miss two full weeks in a semester and a month overall.

“Did you know that a student who misses 10 days or more in a school year is less likely to graduate from high school?,” Schiavo said.

He asked for all parents to submit current contact info to be updated with how the student is doing and to report absences/lateness.

“Here at Lawrence High School, we do have a very rigorous program, and the parents care about their young people’s education,” Moss said.