HPKCHC Hogwarts Orientation

Hello, prospective students! Today is the day you'll all be finding out which House you'll be sorted to and tomorrow is the day the class assignments will be revealed, all of which has many of you quite literally buzzing with excitement! Well, to take a bit of the edge off of the waiting, here's a guided tour of your new home.

INTRODUCTION

Founded in the summer of 2008 by PRINCESS ONICA, the current Headmistress, HPKCHC's Hogwarts is now on its third "year" (years are defined in three month intervals -- May, June and July will be the Spring 2009 year -- separated by one month breaks).


Year 1 Classes offered were... Astronomy, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transfiguration


Year 2 Classes offered were... Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic and OWLs were introduced


Year 3 Classes offered are... Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Muggle Studies, two rotating classes (wherein a different subject will be offered each month -- Rotation 1 will be Ancient Runes, Divination and Potions; Rotation 2 will be Arithmancy, Transfiguration and Astronomy) and OWLs


Each year (and during the breaks in between) there are extracurricular activities offered to students and staff alike -- Quidditch, knit/crochet-alongs, design contests, etc. Some are just for fun, but keep your eye out for some of these as opportunities to earn extra points for your House or prizes for yourself!

HPKCHC HOGWARTS FLOOR PLAN

On the school grounds there are several rooms for students to get lost in. Hopefully this map will make things a bit less murky.

GRYFFINDOR/HUFFLEPUFF/RAVENCLAW/SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOMS: These four rooms are where all the teams call "home base". Students can retreat to their common room to study with one another, to share ideas about homework assignments, to seek advice from upperclassmen, to plot House strategy, etc. Generally these rooms are reserved for members of each respective house. There are no restrictions on entering another House's common room, and no punishment will be doled out, but there is another space created specifically for inter-House activities...

THE GREAT HALL: Here is where any member of any House can come to relax, chat with friends, plan trips outside the school grounds, have a bit of breakfast, anything their heart desires! Students should not feel compelled to read every post in the Great Hall (insanity may ensue if they try), but should feel free to jump in at any point in any conversation or to start a new conversation. The same can be said of the House Common Rooms and Hogsmeade.

THE STAFF LOUNGE: This is a room where professors, assistants, the Quidditch coach, Caretaker, Groundskeeper and Headmistress gather to discuss staff matters. While the staff dearly loves the students and their input, this should remain a student-free room.

DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY (DA): This is where students can come together to help one another with particularly difficult tasks. If a student needs help reading a chart or learning a technique, or with any crafting problem they might be encountering, they can come to the DA and seek guidance from their peers.

DETENTION: All projects turned in for class assignments must be created after the assignment is posted. However, almost every student has at least one WIP (work in progress) sitting around their dorm room (or might have one after the class if they do not finish their homework in time). Detention is where students go to receive encouragement and support to finish those WIPs once and for all.

HOGSMEADE: Hogsmeade is an off-campus location where former students, students on hiatus or students-to-be (called NQFYs -- Not Quite First Years -- around HPKCHC) can gather for relaxation and merriment while not taking classes. No work, all play!

A MONTH IN THE LIFE...

A typical month for an HPKCHC Hogwarts student goes something like this.

On the first day, class assignments are posted. Eager students sign up immediately if they feel it is an assignment they will enjoy and can complete before the last day of the month (which is when all assignments are due). It is not mandatory to sign up for a class on the first day. Or the second. Or the fifteenth. Some students prefer to complete the assignment before they announce that they will be signing up for the class and then simply sign up and turn in their work on the same day. Students may sign up/turn in work up to the very last day of the month.

Students turn in assignments by posting a photograph of their work in the classroom. For those students who have not yet learned the photograph posting spell, they can look here, at the tutorial. If a student cannot complete the full assignment by the last day of the month, they can still earn points for their House by posting a photograph of the incomplete work in the classroom. Students are strongly encouraged to do this as every point counts!

Typically, 5 points are given for a photograph of incomplete projects, 15 base points are given for a photograph of a completed project and bonus points may be assigned to completed projects at the professor's discretion. Each professor has different criteria for how they assign bonus points, so it is best to pay close attention to the instructions and commentary given by professors along with the class assignment at the beginning of the month.

Students generally are allowed broad or unique interpretations of assignments. However, if there is any question at all as to whether a project meets the assignment description, students should contact the professor of the class for clarification.

After all the assignments have been turned in and the month ends, professors will post the assignment for the following month. Meanwhile, professors and their assistants will be busily assigning points for each project and turning them in to the Headmistress to be made official. Students are strongly discouraged from pestering the professors, assistants and Headmistress about the points during this time! Sometimes it seems an eternity to wait, but patience is a virtue. If a student sees what they feel is a discrepancy regarding the points, they may point it out politely and the staff will ensure everything is properly sorted out.

GOOD LUCK!

The staff is thrilled to welcome over 350 students to this third year of classes at HPKCHC Hogwarts and hopes that each and every one of them finds new friends, new skills and tremendous amounts of fun!