Understanding your Schedule

Background:

The schedule at USM is drastically changing in the 2014-2015 school year. The reason the schedule is being changed is because the USM administration wanted to decrease the homework load for the students without decreasing how much we learn. After we completed a survey at the beginning of the year, the administration has been working hard to improve the academic and social lives of their students. 

How to Read Your Schedule:

1. Currently (2013-2014), we have a six day cycle with eight classes a day. Next year, we are going to have an eight day cycle with a maximum of five classes everyday.
2. Classes do not meet at the same time everyday. For example, your first period class on A-day (highlighted in yellow) will not meet at first period on B-day, but rather it meets after lunch.
3. We will have “Flex/conference” periods (first white box on schedule above). These periods are where all students and teachers are free. Therefore, you have the opportunity to go in and talk to a teacher, hang out with friends, or do your homework.
4. The schedule reads as A-H days or 1-8 days of the cycle.

- Lexie

Interacting with Teachers

Getting help from teachers is one of the best academic advantages USM has to offer. Teachers always arrive at school early in the day, which is a great time to seek help if you need it. Their offices are directly across from their classrooms, so they are never hard to find. Outside of their offices are teachers’ schedules throughout the cycle. Many students use this to their advantage. For example, if I need help during the school day and don’t have time before or after school, I can simply see when a teacher isn’t teaching and I can seek help whenever our schedules match up so that we are both free. 

Teachers at University School are always willing to help. I see kids going in and out of teachers’ offices before, during, and after school constantly. They typically have as much free time as a normal student does during the school day. Receiving academic advice throughout my years at USM have helped me improve my grades, understand lessons, and saved me on tests, quizzes, and big papers.

A few tips as to how to approach a teacher about something:

1. Email is always the most encouraged. Teachers always check their emails 24/7 and never miss any one of them. You can find their email on our school website.
2. After class - Students have five minutes in between each class, which is always a great time to ask a teacher a quick question.
3. Office Hours - Visiting teachers’ offices before or after school is usually less hectic. You can simply knock on their door and ask for help and if the teacher is not very busy, they are always willing to help for as long as needed.

Seeking help also develops a relationship between you and a teacher. You get to know each other better in the classroom and you grow to be comfortable with asking for their assistance again. Teachers want to help kids. They want you to come ask them for a helping hand because as I’ve heard teachers say many times “There are no stupid questions."

- Chris

Have a question?
If you have any questions, please ask them in the comment section below. Our ambassadors are more than happy to answer your specific questions!

Getting to Know the Upperclassmen

Becoming a high school student can be a daunting transition, but in reality, it really shouldn’t be. The halls are filled with familiar faces, and everyone is willing to help underclassmen navigate life in the Upper School. Nevertheless, upperclassmen may seem intimidating. Sure we’re older, but we’re not as scary as some people may think! When I was a freshman, I had to face my fear of upperclassmen, and I’m so glad I did.

My freshman year, I was lucky enough to be cast in the fall play. I was extremely excited to be a part of the production, and was honored to perform in a cast of only eight people(!) However, I was equally nervous, because I was the only freshman. Not only that, but out of the other seven cast members, three were juniors and four were seniors. It wouldn’t be honest of me to say that I instantly became friends with my seven cast mates. In fact, I spent the first half—if not more—of this several month endeavor buried behind my computer screen in the last row of the theater. It wasn’t because of a divide that anyone had created, but I was just so nervous to enter a group of older kids. One day, however, I decided to join my cast mates, and I found that they were not nearly as intimidating as I had thought; they were extremely welcoming and were eager to get to know me. For the rest of our time together, we really bonded – we even traveled to Whitewater as a group for a statewide one-act competition. Even though I am the lone remaining cast member of The Liar, I will never forget the time I went out of my comfort zone and befriended a couple of upperclassmen. 

As you find yourself moving through the busy halls of the Upper School during your freshman year, don’t be afraid of us upperclassmen! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by some of the friendships you make.

- Adam

The Upper School: Tips and Advice

If coming to the Upper School is making you nervous, then have no fear. Our Ambassadors have put together a series of blogs that will provide tips, advice, and information about navigating the Upper School. This series will include subjects such as understanding the uniform, interacting with teachers, reading your schedule, and much more!

This blog series will be for both students new to USM as well as students coming from our 8th grade.

Enjoy!

Fall Sports@USM

We had a great fall sports season! The field hockey team, with our nine seniors, was undefeated conference champions and made it to state! Unfortunately, after a well fought out game and two overtimes, we lost in strokes. Tennis also had a great season! They got second in team state, and our first doubles team won individual state! The boy’s cross country team made it to sectionals and one of our girl runners qualified for state! Football had an impressive season and even made it to the playoffs! It was really fun going to their games. Lastly, boys soccer, with their sixteen seniors, won the division four state championship game! We had an amazing time supporting our boys throughout their spectacular season and playoff games! It has been so much fun dressing in theme and cheering on our classmates at each game!

- Harriette '14


Today we had our fall sports assembly to start the day, and it started out with a great video of pictures from the fall season for every sport. It was a great opportunity to see the great experiences that each team had, along with a lot of funny pictures! After the video, each team and specific players were recognized with awards and new captain were announced. When you think of high school sports, most people think of an individual sport and how it can be a great experience, but USM has an amazing athletic department. From the state soccer championship in the pouring rain to the homecoming themed football game, its so much fun to dress up and support USM. As for individual sports teams, I loved playing volleyball for University School and it was definitely the highlight of my first semester. 


- Margaret '15

Operation Dream

Becoming mentors. Learning professional skills. Meeting Aaron Rodgers. These are just a few of the things that students from Operation DREAM have been up to. You may have heard of Operation DREAM on this season’s first itsAaron.com commercial, where Aaron surprises two of its members. Operation DREAM is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing mentoring and support to Milwaukee’s at-risk youth, and every Sunday, about 20 students in the program come to University School, where USM students provide tutoring. I have been very fortunate to participate in this amazing program, and I have enjoyed both meeting and learning from the students. Whether we bonded over our shared interest in the Packers or the pizza brought as a snack, students from both sides have had a lot of fun!

- Ben'14

Soccer Wins State!

I didn't really pay attention to the soccer team early in the season, but they started to catch my attention later on as they continue to have success on the field. When playoffs came, I became a huge fan and started going to all their games. These guys have more skill than I thought they would. I got really into their games and started to do what I do best...show my spirit!

They had themed games like "pink out" and blue and gold and our dedicated and growing student section got more into it every game. The soccer boys had some close wins in overtime that ended with the student section going crazy. At state, our number of fans was bigger than it had ever been for soccer games. Losing our voices for the boys was totally worth it for our Boys Soccer State Champs.

From the Goalie (Jack):

I wasn't ready for my high school soccer career to be over. But since it had to come to an end, we made sure we came out on top. The energy in the USM community following our birth to the state tournament was palpable and it was only heightened during our two state games. It was an incredible experience to play in front of the school community and it is something I will never forget. It was an incredible honor to bring home the state title for the team and for the school!

Chris '15 and Jack '14