A Day in Your Life as a KIPP DC: KEY Academy Sixth Grader

6:30 a.m. Wake up at home.

Your alarm goes off and you pull yourself from bed, ready to tackle another day at KIPP DC: KEY Academy. Pulling on your blue uniform shirt, you're happy to have graduated from fifth graders' green shirts and looking forward to seventh graders' black ones next year. You tuck your shirt into your khaki pants, double-checking to make sure the shirt tail is tucked in. You don't want to lose hard-earned "KEY cash" for messiness!

7:45 a.m. Arrive at school.
In front of the school, you get in line with the safety officer and your classmates to wait for the school doors to open. Your friends arrive at school by bus (the 90, 92, V7, V9, N22, and P6 busses all stop within one block of the school), by metro to Eastern Market or Navy Yard, and in parent-organized neighborhood carpools.

8:00-8:30 a.m. Breakfast at school.
Entering school, you go to the cafeteria to eat breakfast while completing silent morning work. Over toast and eggs, you write a letter to a sports hero of your choosing describing KIPP DC: KEY Academy's recent Field Day. When you're through, you catch up with your science teacher, Mr. Franz, for clarification on an extra credit problem.

8:30 - 11:45 a.m. Morning Academics.
Your academic day starts with an hour and a half each of Math and Reading. Your teachers judge your progress based on your homework, group work, class participation, portfolio projects, and tests and quizzes.

11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Lunch.
Whether you take hot lunch at the school or bring your own from home, lunch period is a welcome half hour to socialize with your classmates and spend some of your paycheck balance to purchase supplies, toys, treats and uniform shirts from the school store.

12:15 – 3:30 p.m. Afternoon Academics.
Your afternoon starts with History class on even days and Science on odd days. Today in Science you and your lab partner conduct an experiment about freezing points while making ice cream. Who knew class could be so delicious? You share your notes from the week before with a classmate who was out sick with the flu, and your teacher notices your good deed and rewards you with ganas . You are excited that your paycheck balance is increasing to enable you to attend the end-of-year class trip. Last year the sixth graders participated in a ropes course and white water rafting trip in North Carolina. Sounds like fun!

After Science, you look forward to blowing off some steam in Physical Education. Following a spirited game of dodge ball (your team won!), you head down the hall to Orchestra class. You're practicing for a winter concert and still trying to perfect several songs. It's hard to believe that when you came to KIPP DC: KEY Academy as a fifth grader, you couldn't read music and now you're playing Beethoven on the violin!

3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Learning Teams.
In the final hour of the school day, you and your classmates split up for a variety of enrichment classes and activities. Whether taking study skills and critical thinking, attending a student council meeting or helping lay out the yearbook, one of the great things about your school is that teachers are always available to help you be the best student possible.

4:30 – 5:00 p.m. Homeroom.

Before going home for the day, you return to your homeroom. After checking your assignment notebook to make sure you have everything you need, you take a few minutes to get started on your work. Less to do at home tonight!

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Homework Time.
With two hours of homework per night, you and your KIPP DC: KEY Academy classmates work hard! You complete your spelling lists and history essay but are stuck on the math word problems. Luckily, you have all your teachers' Verizon mobile phone numbers, and five minutes on the phone with your math teacher clears up your confusion. You bring your work to your mom to show her how much you're learning. She signs your assignment notebook to show she's checked your work.

9:00 – 9:30 p.m. Pleasure Reading.
You finally have time to read another chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ! You're required to read for pleasure half and hour each day, and time flies while you learn what happens to Harry and his friends.

10:00 p.m. Bedtime.
Lights out! You need to get plenty of rest to make sure you're alert and on task for your next day at KIPP DC: KEY Academy. After a day of work and fun, you're one step closer to college...