Prep School Transition to Academics
Happy Sunday Families!
By now most of you have received that long phone call you have been waiting for. The WebTeam is enjoying a much needed day off. Today and tomorrow are transition days for the Preppies. (Doesn't that sound so much better than Basics?) I thought I would let you know what is going on the next couple of days before classes start on Tuesday and hopefully answer some questions.
First off, here is the phone policy for Phase 1. During the week the CCs may use their phones after dinner (about 1830) until academic call to quarters (ACQ) starts at 1900 and again from 2130-2200. They can have their phones at night - emergency use and alarm clock, but shouldn't be texting/talking. It's only 45 minutes a day, but their mission and focus is earning their appointments to USAFA - academics and time management. Weekend use is unlimited. That being said, please remember that phone use is a privledge not an entitlement, so help them obey the rules and keep that privledge. :-)
Some of you have asked about the Football game on the 22 August. Here is what I know at the moment. You are welcome to attend, however no special arrangements are being made for base access for non-DoD ID cardholders. I don't have any information beyond that. The prep school is aware that some of you plan to attend. For more clarification, I would contact the prep school directly.
Next, here is what is happening today and tomorrow. No pictures today. This morning they got up at a more normal time of 0615. I'm sure that felt like they slept all morning compared to the 0445 of BMT. After breakfast it is church or free time in the dorms until lunch at 1200. This afternoon it's textbook issue (they got their laptops yesterday), dinner, and then academic preparations until lights out at 2200.
Monday morning is a Commander's call with Col Szybist (yes, there will be a few photos), followed by the Dean's briefing and staff introductions in the theater. They will also meet with their academic advisors. In the afternoon they will be getting their ID cards issued, the IC teams will start practice, non-ICs will get a gym orientation, then after dinner at 1900 is ACQ with lights out at 2200.
Class officially begin on Tuesday. The normal weekly schedule breaks down roughly like this. Mornings are all academics. Math, Science, & English. After lunch, there is military training, afternoon practices for sports teams and gym time/intramurals for non-IC athletes. After dinner is a bit of personal time, then ACQ at 1900. That schedule has variations of course, but the main focus for the next 9.5 months is academic preparation.
Lastly... What to expect from WebGuy. Obviously, the summer training is our most in depth coverage. We have taken 18,760 photos since the Priors arrived on 12 July. That averages out to about 80 photos per CC so far. During the academic year we will have something for you to see every week, but not necessarily every day. We try to balance our coverage between Academics, Military Training, & Sports. We will cover some of the home games in all the sports (but not every one). We will also cover the monthly birthday dinners. If there is a major event, we will be there. Our goal is to provide a window into the prep year, but not necessarily a window into the lives of each individual CC. They deserve their privacy as they focus on the task at hand. That being said, you should have lots of pictures for your scrap books when we're finished in May.
Ok. That's it for now. Thanks for all the kind words in your Facebook comments. We read everyone. We will continue to use FB to communicate during the year. Now, I am back to my day off. See you all soon. Parents Weekend will be here before you know it.