Important Information for RHHS Course Selection and Graduation Requirements

1. Welcome River Hill High School Principal Kathryn McKinley

2. Important Information Guidance CounselorMike Krouse

3. Scheduling Timeline • Course selection sheets due to RHHS (February 5, 2016) • High School counselors input requests into system (February) • Master schedule is built based on student requests and staffing (March - May) • If there are conflicts (usually not many for freshmen) counselors contact students to resolve (March - May) • Students receive a copy of 7 confirmed classes at orientation (August 2016) • Student schedules are mailed home (August 2016)

4. High School Assessments Service Learning Credit Requirements Career Preparation Graduation Requirements

5. High School Assessments Students must pass each assessment to graduate.

6. Service Learning • 75 hours of service which includes planning, action, and reflection. • Most HCPSS students complete service learning in middle school.

7. Credit Requirements

8. The Next Four Years

9. Typical 9th Grade Schedule Not many choices for these classes except for ability level (Regular, Honors, GT) Students should challenge themselves in their stronger subjects!

10. AP Course Options for 9th Graders Callie Casper

11. New AP Opportunities • AP Human Geography • Serves as an elective class • Is in addition to US History Class • Enrollment will dictate class composition • Computer Science Principles AP • Serves as an elective class • Fulfills technology education credit

12. Career Academies

13. View Video from County

14. The Course Selection Process If you currently have questions about placements, please speak to the middle school teachers and counselors because they know your student best.

15. Parents Role in The Process Talk with your child about goals for the next four years. Review course recommendations with your child and make the best decision for your child. Encourage them to take the most rigorous courses possible while enjoying other aspects of high school.

16. Choose Classes Wisely • Strongly consider teacher recommendations • Extremely difficult to switch levels • First must undergo schedule change process • Grade will follow you into any transferred class • May change the students’ entire schedule • 1 class change may result in completely different teachers for other subject areas

17. What Science Class Should My 9th Grade Student Take? • It depends on their 9th grade math course Terri Bradford

18. Math expectations for students enrolled in Biology GT • It’s not that Biology uses math frequently. • It’s that the next science classes in the sequence use the math skills

19. Chemistry GT uses math skills that are taught in Algebra II GT including: • Conceptual understandings • Rearranging formulas • Canceling units for stoichiometry • Logarithmic and exponential functions • Scientific notation • Moles as a unit of counting

20. Final Grades in Chemistry GT vs Math Course (2013-2015)

21. Weighted and Unweighted GPA • Only Weighted GPA is reported on the transcript • Weighted GPA is used for extracurricular activities, honor roll, and National Honor Society

22. Weighted Grading Scale

23. Typical School Schedule Students must be in the building by 7:20 to get to class by 7:25

24. Attendance Policy • All students are expected to attend regularly in accordance with public school laws. • Any student with unlawful absences of more than 5% of the course may be considered for denial of credit.

25. Academic Eligibility • Governs participation in all voluntary extracurricular activities. • Must maintain a 2.0 grade point average and no more than 1 failing grade for the marking period prior to the start of the activity . • All incoming 9th graders are academically eligible for fall extracurricular activities.

26. Cheerleading/ Dance/ Poms School Clubs School Plays/ Musicals Class Boards Extracurricular Activities Service Clubs Athletic Teams

27. 9th Grade Team Leader Mrs. Jocelyn Martin

28. Ninth Grade Team • National trend to break High Schools down into smaller workable groups • 9th Grade Wing • Team Members: • 18 Teachers (1-3 from each discipline) • Special Education Educator • Administrator • Guidance Counselor • BSAP Liaison • Other teachers as needed

29. Rationale • Interdisciplinary planning • Create a support network for all 9th graders to enhance achievement • Provide stronger communication among 9th grade teachers • Smooth and positive transition from middle to high school

30. Transition is a process….. …..NOT an Event!

31. RHHS Orientations • January Staff visit middle schools • June Middle school students visit • August 9th Grade Orientation Day • September Back-To-School Night

32. Tips for Successful Transitions • As parents…stay involved in the scheduling process • Encourage involvement in extra- curricular activities • Be prepared for the schedule • Help them create a system for managing the workload (bookmark canvas) • Attend their events

33. What Students Want You to Know • High school is harder than middle school • Will make mistakes (bad grades) • Will forget homework occasionally • Give them more freedom, but establish fair boundaries • Don’t compare them to others – especially in scheduling courses • Ask about their day, but don’t expect answers

34. Have Specific Questions? • Core Content Classes • (Math, Science, History, English) Cafeteria • Fine Arts and Health & PE Electives Front Lobby • Career Technology Education • World Languages • Independent Research Media Center • Guidance and Career Academies In front of Guidance