Expectations for your senior year

1. Communications Arts High School Expectations for your senior year

2. Mr. Guerrero: AP Economics & Government • 1 semester course for grades • 1 semester course in regards to attendance • AP Course and expectations • reading and taking notes outside of class • Summer Reading

3. Mrs. Ochoa: Spanish • Available Resources • Tutoring • CD Tutoring program • Salon de Sabios • Computer Lab

4. Mrs. Ochoa: Spanish • eClassroom • Study Suggestions sheet • Online resources, especially www.classzone.com • supplies – notebook, folder

5. Mrs. Ochoa: Spanish • Spanish IV AP and the AP Exam • Why take it? • You can get a minor without taking a course in college depending on the college you go to • Homework/Workload • Will have homework every day • Some practice or studying 30 minutes each night even if specific homework is not assigned

6. Mrs. Ochoa: Spanish • Skills for Success • Time management • Organization; Balancing school and extra-curricular • Asking for help when needed • Academic integrity • Absences/tardies

7. Mrs. McCormick: English IV Objectives of the course: • To study British and world literature and to cover the curriculum specified in TEKS. • To prepare for the AP Literature and Composition Test in May. • To complete dual credit writing requirements, including the research essay. • This course is taught as a college level English class and, as such, includes a challenging workload, especially outside reading. • Be prepared to schedule reading into your free time and to receive frequent writing assignments.

8. Mrs. McCormick: English IV • Turnitin.com

9. Summer Reading Assignment: Part One • How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster • common summer assignment for English IV AP students • reading it carefully and applying its ideas to all the works you will read during your senior year will help ease the pressure of the AP exam • easy-to-read introduction to patterns of symbolic meaning in literary texts • reading it first may help make parts of the required novel more meaningful to you • please highlight important information in the text

10. Summer Reading Assignment: Part One • Writing Assignment for How to Read Literature Like a Professor • NOTE: Write all assignments in a new Mead Composition Book (this is a supply requirement for the class) • See the handout for specific instructions

11. Summer Reading Assignment: Part Two • The Life of Pi by Yann Martel • winner of the 2002 Man Book Prize for Fiction. • The main character, Pi Patel, is a unique young man, the son of a zookeeper. He knows a great deal about animal behavior, loves stories, and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family leaves India, accompanied by a cargo of zoo animals, for a new home in North America. On the way, the ship sinks, and Pi alone survives in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Pi must use his wits to survive this treacherous situation.

12. Writing Assignment for Life of Pi • See the handout for details • Annotation • Book club meetings and discussion questions • You are also expected to bring your copy of the novel to class every day until the summer unit is complete. • Testing on the novel will follow class discussion during the first two weeks of school. • Failure to complete the above assignment will be detrimental to your first six weeks grade.

13. Acquiring the Texts • The school has a few copies of The Life of Pi but I encourage you to purchase your own copies so that you can annotate and mark in them. • In addition, having your own copy of any AP recommended/studied text allows you to review it before the AP test and remind yourself of characters, setting, etc. • Copies of How to Read Literature Like a Professor will be available at school in July. Both books can be found relatively cheaply in paperback at both regular and used books bookstores as well as online.

14. Mrs. McCormick: AP/Dual Credit • AP vs. Dual Credit • Expectations: homework outside of class • AP tests are given in May • Students can receive college credit depending on their score • Each university awards its own credit; there isn’t a standard score/grade equivalency

15. Mrs. McCormick: AP/Dual Credit • Dual credit and grades • Dropping a course • Failing & possible consequences with later financial aid • Failing and reflection on transcript and GPA

16. BENEFITS OF ENROLLING IN DUAL CREDIT COURSES: • Offers high school credit(s) toward graduation and college credit(s) toward a degree. • Classes are taught by ComArts teachers and are held at the high school. • Offers FREE tuition for two courses, 6- 8 hours of college credit each year. • Saves parents & students considerable amounts of college costs.

17. BENEFITS OF ENROLLING IN DUAL CREDIT COURSES (cont.): • Average tuition, fees & books for 6 hours (2 classes) = $1000/year • Shortens the length of time to complete a degree program. • Students are allowed access to Northwest Vista (NVC) and ACCD services, events, and facilities. • Only courses being charged tuition are courses offered at NVC: Criminal Justice, Pharmacy & Med. Terminology

18. DUAL CREDIT COURSES: (some also offered as Pre-AP & AP) • MATH: Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, Calculus AB/ BC, Statistics, College Algebra • SCIENCE: Biology, Environmental Science • English 3 and English 4 • Spanish 3 • Courses offered at the Northwest Vista campus: TUITION REQUIRED (bus transportation provided) Criminal Justice, Pharmacy, and Medical Terminology

19. FACTS ABOUT DUAL CREDIT COURSES • Courses are more academically challenging than traditional high school courses, will include different requirements for each course, and will result in a SEPARATE college grade for each course. • Grades earned in dual credit become part of the PERMANENT ACADEMIC RECORD and will be recorded on the college transcript.

20. FACTS ABOUT DUAL CREDIT COURSES (cont.) • Students must attend their Dual Credit class regularly and may be withdrawn for lack of attendance and/or lack of progress. • Students who make a D or an F in a Dual Credit class will not be allowed to continue in the Dual Credit program.

21. FACTS ABOUT DUAL CREDIT COURSES (cont.) • Students are responsible for knowing and adhering to the drop deadlines for withdrawal on the Alamo Colleges Academic calendar (should his/her grade fall below a C). • Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 and remain in good standing to continue in the Dual Credit Program.

22. FACTS ABOUT DUAL CREDIT COURSES (cont.) • If a student plagiarizes a paper or colludes or cheats in any dual credit class, the student will be subject to the discipline policies and procedures of the college; severe cases may result in failure of the course and suspension from the dual credit program. • Courses are generally transferable, but it is not the responsibility of the college to ensure that the dual credit course is transferable to the college/university the student plans to attend.

23. Mrs. Malik: Independent Study Mentorship (ISM) • Independent Study Mentorship with the key word being independent • Major goal is to promote independent learning and being responsible for themselves.

24. Mrs. Malik: Independent Study Mentorship (ISM) • Responsible for finding mentor • Mrs. Malik can provide possible names • Responsible for own transportation • Must be professional and courteous as you are representing the school and the program

25. Mrs. Malik: Independent Study Mentorship (ISM) • Select a topic that you are truly interested in. You will be researching it in depth for a full year. • Topic must require post secondary education. • Blocking with English once the 2nd six weeks starts • Speeches every six weeks • Research paper on topic

26. Mrs. Malik: Independent Study Mentorship (ISM) • Meetings and attendance • Go during ISM period ON ISM days • Mrs. Malik cannot excuse an absence or tardy for another class due to a meeting • Meetings are due the 3rd and 5th Monday of each six weeks (2 per six weeks). • Students may have additional meetings.

27. Mrs. Malik: College Prep • 1st Six Weeks: college prep: resumes, applications, reading a degree plan • Apply Texas • We will begin in class so that teacher can help • REMEMBER passwords and social security #

28. Mrs. Malik: College Prep • FAFSA • we will do the PIN in December; they can begin in January • Entrance Exams • ACT vs. SAT

29. Mrs. Malik: College Prep • Letters of Recommendation • Give teachers at least a week to write them • Provide recipient information and a copy of your resume that we will write in ISM class

30. Mrs. Malik: College Prep • Deadlines/Admissions • Deadlines are very important • “Received by” vs. “Postmarked by” • Deadlines includes ALL components • E.g., for a college application, it will include all of the required components such as the actual application, essay, transcript and letters of recommendation (if required)

31. Mrs. Malik: College Admissions • Early Decision: • is binding if you are accepted • Early Action: • student turns in all parts early and the university sends the admissions decision early; these deadlines are usually in November

32. Mrs. Malik: College Admissions • Regular Decision: • application due dates are much later and most acceptance letters are sent out around March 1st • Rolling Admissions: • applications are reviewed as they are received and letters are sent out once a decision has been made • If you have questions about an application or your status, CALL the university. Check your status regularly.

33. Mrs. Malik: College Prep • Transcripts • At Taft • May order and pick up before school, after school and at lunch only • Can take up to a week • May want to order a couple to have on hand • Forms can be found in Mrs. Malik’s room or front office • Parent Consent form only one time (if under 18); forms can be found in Mrs. Malik’s room or front office

34. Mrs. Malik: College Prep • NW Vista • Mrs. Malik will show the students how to log into ACES and how to order a transcript online

35. Mrs. Malik: College Prep • Final documentation for College • In May, we will put together a folder/portfolio to take to college orientation • Students will be given an order form for their final CAHS transcript and will be shown how to order the Vista transcript for the college they will be attending

36. Mrs. Whitus: Electives • AP Art History • Yearbook • Advanced Video • Digital Graphics & Animation

37. Mrs. Whitus: Nonacademic Items • Yearbook • $70, price will increase to $75 in the Spring • Senior ads • Order in the Spring • Prices range from $70-$250 (quarter page-full page)

38. Mrs. Whitus: Nonacademic Items • Senior pictures • Must take by December 1 for inclusion in yearbook • No cost for yearbook senior picture • Yearbook senior picture must be taken by Prestige, but you DO NOT have to buy any pictures from them • two dates here at school in the Fall: • Saturday, September 22 • Retakes Saturday, October 27 • or set up appointment at their studio: 690-1476 • Picture packages from Prestige: $100-$600

39. Mrs. Whitus: Nonacademic Items • Class ring • Order from Josten’s in the Fall • Range of prices from $100-$1000 • Prom • $50-$65; price of ticket increases as it gets closer • tux rentals: $100-$250 • dresses: $200-$400 • Senior Banquet • Free for students, $25 for each guest

40. Mrs. Whitus: Nonacademic Items • Graduation Expenses • Cap and gown • $25 • Graduation Announcements • Order from Josten’s in the Fall • Packages vary from $75-$200 • Parking at Alamodome: $10 • Project Graduation • $55-$70 • Ticket price goes up as year goes on

41. Summary of Optional,Nonacademic Expenses(based on 2011-12 costs) • Yearbook: $70-$75 • Senior pictures: $0 - $600 • Senior ad in yearbook: $70 - $250 • Class ring: $100-1000 • Graduation invitations: $75-200 • Cap & gown: $25 • Prom tickets: $50-$65 • Senior Banquet: free for students, $25 per guest • Project Graduation: $55-70

42. Resources • Eclassroom • Each teacher offers tutoring—talk to your teachers! • Salon de Sabios • After school from 4:20-6:20 on Tuesdays and Thursdays • A place to study, use the computer lab, make up a test or quiz • in the past, a Spanish teacher has been available every Thursday to help students • Lunch Lab and Lunch Study Hall • Students are expected to print homework assignments at home, not in the labs

43. Resources • Go Center • See Mrs. Crowson for scholarship information before school or at lunch • She will also help to contact schools if there are questions that we cannot answer • She schedules college reps to speak throughout the year during lunch. Take advantage of this • Counselor • Planners

44. QUESTIONS?