Welcome to 9 th Grade Orientation

1. Welcome to 9th Grade Orientation

2. AGENDA 9th Grade Orientation Folder 8th Graders Busy Planning for Their Future Graduation Requirements/Diploma Program Completing the 4-year Plan The Scheduling Packet

3. I. 9th Grade Orientation Folder Left Side: • 21st Century Scholars Reminder • Homework Hotline Ruler • “Trip to College” and “Drive of Your Life” flyer • Project Lead the Way Booklet • Indiana Career Explorer - Info for Parents • Kokomo Area Career Center Brochure • Learn More Indiana Magazine • Comet College Information Right Side: • Freshman Vocabulary • Diploma Programs/Graduation Requirements • Course Offerings for 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grades (pink) • High school bell schedule • 2013/2014 EHS Course Catalog (find it online at www.eastern.k12.in.us) Separate from Folder (stapled together) • Courses already assigned to your student in Skyward • Course Request Form for 2017 graduates • 9th Grade Course Offerings & Prerequisites • Sample Four-Year Course Planner (students need to enter their plan online by signing into their Indiana Career Explorer account and entering 4-year plan into the Indiana Graduation Plan folder). • Individual “License” from Drive of Your Life online activity

4. Transition Activities 8th Graders - Busy Planning for Their Future • 7th Grade Career Unit • 7th Grade Trip to Welcome to the Real World • 8th Grade Trip to Living in the Real World • 7th & 8th Grade Indiana LearnMore Magazines • Visits to www.driveofyourlife.org and www.indianacareerexplorer.org and guidance pages on Eastern’s website • College Go! Week Activities • Registered with Indiana Career Explorer • KACC Presentation

5. Graduation Requirements/DiplomaPrograms • General (Students must go through the Core 40 Opt-Out Process for this diploma) • Core 40 • Core 40 with Academic Honors • Core 40 with Technical Honors **It is possible for a student to earn Academic Honors and Technical Honors

9. They’re Here!!!...Indiana College & Career Pathways • IDOE has finalized the Indiana College & Career Pathways • This will impact the way high school students attend the Kokomo Area Career Center if they have an interest in doing so. • Students interested in the Career Center will enter into Career Pathways. However, before they can enter a Pathway, they will need to have taken certain foundational courses. • All 9th graders at Eastern schedule for Preparing for College and Careers, and this course is a foundational course for all pathways. • Before scheduling for sophomore classes, students and parents would want to become familiar with each pathway’s required courses. • Be prepared that if you enter an Indiana Career Pathway, you will be expected to complete that Pathway. • If you would like to learn more about Indiana College & Career Pathways, you can visit www.doe.in.gov/achievement/career-education

12. Completing the Electronic 4-year Plan1. Become very familiar with the credit requirements for each diploma. Read through the green/yellow/gray diploma document.2. Look at Eastern High School Courses one-page sheet (pink).3. Read through the online course catalog to see what classes interest you! Pay attention to any prerequisites for certain courses.4. Consider “Suggested High School Courses” listed on their license from the Drive of Your Life Activity and consider College & Career Pathways.5. Students can see me if they have a specific career in mind, and I can print the IDOE suggested pathway for them to have as a guide.6. Complete the 4-year plan online using the Indiana Career Explorer. - login to your Indiana Career Explorer account - go to “plan for education” top tab - go to “make an education plan” left tab - click “create new plan” - while working on your plan, you can preview it, edit it, save it, etc. - when you are completely finished with your plan, click the “finalize & approve” button, and you will be asked to enter an e-mail to submit your plan -enter my e-mail, tricia.harrison@eastern.k12.in.us and click the mail icon to submit your plan to me

13. The Scheduling Packet • Skyward Registration Sheet: Classes listed are the recommended classes for each student. Recommendations come from departmental prerequisite grades as well as teacher recommendation. • 9th Grade Course Request Form • 9th Grade Curriculum Sheet • Completing the Course Request Form • All 9th graders need to schedule for the following courses: • English (full year) • Math (full year) • Biology (full year) • P.E. (full year – students can be flexible with P.E. as long as they take 2 credits before their senior year) • Health (one semester) • Preparing for College & Careers (one semester) • Students are scheduling for a 7-period day. • Students schedule for 7, 52-minute classes or 6 classes plus a study hall. • To complete your elective slots, look at the 9th Grade Curriculum Sheet as well as the EHS Online Course Catalog. • Students will be taken to the computer lab to enter their elective course requests into Skyward on Thursday, February 21st.

14. Special Services (students with an IEP) • Special Services students will want to schedule for one period of Study Skills. This is a time when they meet with a resource teacher as well as instructional assistants. Students receive extra help in a small group setting with their classroom assignments. Student Agenda Books are also monitored to help with organization. Study Skills is a graded class, and students receive elective credit for it. • If time permits in their schedule, Special Services students who struggle particularly with reading should consider enrolling in Basic Skills. In Basic Skills, students re-learn basic concepts to help them succeed in English and other classes that require reading comprehesion. Basic Skills is open to both Special Education students and General Education students. • If parents have questions about their child’s schedule, please contact Janet Silver, Director of Special Services.

15. How can parents help? • Review the diploma options and requirements with your student. • Work with your student to create and/or review their 4-year plan. • Discuss course choices keeping in mind requirements, interests, AND long-term educational plans. • Visit www.learnmoreindiana.org or www.indianacareerexplorer.org to see college profiles/admissions requirements. You can also complete a FREE college cost estimator to get an idea of financial aid packages at specific colleges.

16. How Can I Help You? • Encourage your student to see or contact me if there are questions. I am here to help them. • Don’t hesitate to call or e-mail if you have questions about diploma requirements, the process, or specifics about your student’s situation. • I will review all course requests for any errors or omissions, and I will follow-up with students/parents if needed. • If students have a scheduling conflict, I will talk with them personally.

17. Kokomo Area Career Center • Offers College & Career Pathway programs of study for sophomores, juniors and seniors. (www.kokomo.k12.in.us/KACC) • Hands-on training in a wide variety of areas. • Many programs offer dual credit and/or certification. • Students can still earn Academic Honors/Technical Honors if they attend KACC. • Students need to be in good standing with attendance, grades, and discipline if they expect to be accepted to KACC.

18. Online Resources Eastern Website (academics tab) www.eastern.k12.in.us Indiana Department of Education www.doe.in.gov College Search Resources www.knowhow2go.org/ --a site dedicated to outlining the steps needed to go to college. www.learnmoreindiana.org –a site developed for Indiana students that offers a wealth of information about high school, college, and careers. www.collegeboard.com-- a site dedicated to helping students prepare for college entrance exams, search for colleges, and much more. www.indianacareerexplorer.org – this is the one your child is using at school for many activities and this is the site where they’ll create their 4-year plan!!

19. Thank you and have a great evening!!