All staff members are present for a regularly scheduled school day (except for an extended Crew). Freshman will receive schedules at the beginning of the day and go to their first period class. Teachers will help familiarize students with their content, begin establishing routines/expectations, and start building a strong, warm learning environment. Teachers at other grade levels will be: helping student intake, supervising and supporting students in the hallways and at lunch, making calls to parents for the Freshmen Strong Start retreat, or pulling students from classes to do IRI reading testing.
The retreat is designed to give students their first exposure to college, provide students with intentional time to build relationships with staff (particularly Crew teachers) and peers, and foster challenging individual and collaborative experiences that will enhance their character. When students arrive, they go to Crew until departure time. At 9:30am, students load buses and head to the University of Notre Dame to eat lunch and complete a scavenger hunt. Afterward, all buses head to camp where each Crew follows a schedule of activities over the course of two days.