In anticipation of sixth grade students entering seventh grade at the high school for the 2021-2022 school year, the administration and high school faculty are preparing for a "bump up" day on the day before the Easter break, Wednesday, March 31st. Below, information can be found about the activities for the day. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Puskar, CKHS Principal at spuskar@cksdbulldogs.com or 814-239-5141

• The sixth grade students and their teachers will be transported to the high school after they arrive at the elementary school and finish their morning routines.

• Before they leave for the high school, their teacher will give them each a mock schedule. This schedule will have eight periods, and the students will be able to "attend" all eight periods to learn about the various classes they will take as a seventh grade student.

• It is important to know that this mock schedule is different from the schedule they will have next year.

• When the students arrive at the high school, they will enter the auditorium where Mr. Puskar and others will welcome them.

• At the conclusion of the welcome session, the students will break up into small groups as determined by the schedule they receive and a member of the HS FBLA will escort them throughout the day.

• Students will follow their schedule and they will meet the teachers they will have next year; learning a bit about what to expect in the various classes.

• After the last period of the day, the students will board the buses for a return to the elementary school.

• Students will arrive back at the elementary school in time to have their lunch.

9:00 AM: Depart Elementary

9:15 AM: arrive at HS Auditorium Entrance

9:15-9:30: Welcome-Auditorium

• Period one: 9:30-9:40

• Period two: 9:44-9:54

• Period three: 9:58-10:08

• Period four: 10:12-10:22

• Period five: 10:26-10:36

• Period six: 10:40-10:50

• Period seven: 10:54-11:04

• Period eight: 11:08-11:18

11:18 Return to Auditorium Lobby to board buses

11:30: return to elementary

One of the biggest differences between elementary school and high school is switching classes and teachers. Students in the high school have eight different class periods. In seventh grade, the students will take up to 15 courses by the end of the school year. In order to be able to receive information about all 15 courses, some of them have been grouped together. On this bump up day, all of the trachers from the grouped courses will meet with the students at the same time so they can provide their information. Below is a listing of the courses and teachers:

Band/Chorus/Music: Mr. Stombaugh and Ms. Lightner

Art/STEM: Ms. Kruise and Ms. Gates**

Life Skills/Computer7/TE 7: Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Walter and Ms. Brown

Health/PE: Ms. Benton and Mr. Marko

ELA: Ms. Bennett

Math Course II/Transition Math: Ms. Ritchey**

Life Science: Room 120 Ms. Gresko

World History 7: Mr. Rodgers

**Regrettably, Ms. Gates and Ms. RItchey will not be able to meet with the students on this day, but there will be a teacher present to provide information.

How will the students get to the high school?

After the students arrive at the elementary school and complete their beginning of day routines (attendance, breakfast, etc.) the students will ride a bus to the high school. There will be one bus for each sixth grade classroom.

How will the students know where to go when they get to the high school?

The sixth grade teachers will ride with the students in the bus, and when the bus arrives at the high school, the teachers will walk their students into the school and into the auditorium.

What will be the order of my child's classes?

To accomodate all of the students in a socially distanced manner, schedules were made for each of the students. This means that the students will not all follow the same order of classes. The students will be given a schedule that has their order of classes on it.

How will my child know where to go (where each class is)?

Members of the high school's FBLA have graciously volunteered to serve as tour guides for the morning, and will stay with their assigned group throughout the morning.

How will my child return to the elementary school?

The buses that transported the students to the high school will also return them to the elementary school.

My child sees the school nurse at a specific time every day. How will he see the nurse?

We have checked the schedule, and all students who see the nurse will still be able to do so at the elementary school, so no changes are needed. There is, however, a nurse at the high school so any student who feels ill can request to see the nurse, just like he/she can at the elementary school.

I am not sure my son/daughter is ready to interact with the "big kids" at the high school. How can you help with this?

The students at the high school will be on a virtual day, so the good news is the sixth grade students will have the high school all to themselves. All the high school teachers, for every grade level, will be in the high school though so there will be plenty of helpful people around should your child need assistance.

Where will my child eat lunch?

All sixth grade students will eat lunch at the elementary school when they return from the high school.

Wednesday is a half day and the elementary school dismissal is at 12:45 PM. How will my child make it home on time?

The bump up day at the high school ends at 11:18 AM and the students will leave the high school at 11:30 AM to return to the elementary school. There will be plenty of time left before the end of the school day.

I think it is great that the students are getting an opportunity to tour the high school and meet their teachers, but as a parent, I would also like to tour the high school. Can I come to the school too?

Unfortunately, because it is a school day, and because we are limiting people in the buildings because of the Covid-19 pandemic, this is not possible on this day. The GOOD NEWS is that there will be an orientation session in August for all new seventh grade students and their parents/guardians. Parents and guardians should watch the mail this summer and also keep an eye out for one of Mr. McLaurin's weekly Smore newsletters in late July/early August for more information on the orientation.

You mentioned that the schedule my child will use on the bump up day will not be the one they will have next year. When does my child select his/her classes and when will they receive their schedule?

For the most part, students in seventh grade do not select their classes. Actually, the only classes they select are if they want to be in band or chorus. All other classes are required. Keep in mind that placement in their English and math class may depend on their PSSA score from sixth grade, so please help us by encouraging your child to do well on the PSSA in April. Mr. Bilchak and Ms. Hinkledire, the school counselors, are busy creating all student schedules. Late in the summer, a couple weeks before the new school year, the student schedules will be available on the IC gradebook portal. If you do not have an IC parent account, please contact the tech department to create one.

I have a few questions that do not appear above. How can I ask them?

Please feel free to contact the high school principal, Mr. Puskar with your questions. If he can't answer your specific question, he will tell you who can.