Sequoyah High School 8 th Grade Parent Information

Course Values 1 Semester Course = 0.50 units 6 courses per semester = 3 possible units 6 units can be earned in a regular school year

Current 9 th 10 th and 11 th CLASS PLACEMENT Units needed for placement are:  5 Units-10th Grade (including 1 Math, 1 English, & 1 Science)  11 Units-11th Grade (including 2 Math, 2 English, & 1 Science)  17 Units--12th Grade (including 3 Math, 3 English, 2 Science, & 1 Social Studies)  Minimum 23 Units to Graduate

Georgia Milestone Tests - EOCs EOC Courses: 9 th & 11 th Lit/ Comp GSE Algebra I & GSE Geometry Economics & U.S. History Physical Science & Biology EOC’s count 20% for each course

Graduation Requirements English4 units Math 4 units Science4 units Social Studies3 units PE/ Health OR 1 unit JROTC3 units Career Tech, Foreign Language, or Fine Arts 3 units Electives 4 units

English Requirements 4units 1 unit of 9 th Lit/ Comp 1 unit of 10 th Lit/ Comp 1 unit of American Lit/ Comp 1 unit of 12 th Lit/ Comp *Honors and AP classes may be substituted

Math Requirements 4 units 1 unit of GSE Algebra I 1 unit of GSE Geometry 1 unit of GSE Algebra II 1 unit of a 4 th Year Math MATH SUPPORT IS NOT A MATH UNIT IT IS AN ELECTIVE UNIT *Accelerated, Honor, and/ or AP courses may be substituted

Science Requirements 4 units 1 unit of Biology 1 unit of Physical Science or Physics 1 unit of Chemistry, Earth Science, Env. Sci. or AP course 1 unit of a 4 th year Science *Honors or AP courses may be substituted

Social Studies Requirements 3 units 1 unit of World History 1 unit of U.S. History.5 unit of American Government.5 unit of Economics * Honors and AP classes may be substituted

PE & Health 1 unit.5 unit of PE.5 unit of Health * 3 units of ROTC may be substituted for this unit

CTAE/Fine Arts/Foreign Language* 3 units Required Based on student’s Career plan these units may be all in one area, one in each area, or a combination. *Students planning to enter or transfer into a 4 year college/ university must take 2 years of the same foreign language

Elective Requirements 4 units If a student has taken Math support along with their Math class – support will count as an elective. Academic courses that are not a part of the core requirements will count as electives.

Hope Scholarship The Georgia Student Finance Commission is responsible for calculating the final HOPE average after graduation Information regarding HOPE Scholarship: lanning/HOPE_Program/Georgia_s_HOPE_Sch olarship_Program_Overview.aspx

HOPE Requirements HOPE Scholarship will cover a percentage of tuition (typically 80% to 90% depending upon the institution) Students must have a 3.0 GPA graduating from an eligible high school. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in college to keep HOPE. 14/FY2014%20Award%20Rate%20Charts.pdf

Zell Miller Scholarship Student must have a 3.7 GPA graduating from an eligible high school. Students must have a combined 1200 SAT score (critical reading/ math only) or a 26 Composite ACT score. These test scores must come from a single test sitting. Students must maintain a 3.3 GPA in college to keep the Zell Miller scholarship. A valedictorian and salutatorian from each high school will be eligible to receive the Zell Miller Scholarship without consideration of the GPA or ACT/SAT requirements. Zell Miller Scholarship will cover tuition at 100% for an academic year. Students who drop below the college 3.3 GPA can earn Regular HOPE if their GPA remains at 3.0 or above.

HOPE Rigor Requirement Beginning with the graduating class of 2017, students must pass 4 courses from the following types of courses: Advanced Math (Adv Algebra/ Pre Cal/ Stat Reasoning) Advanced Science (Chemistry/Physics/Any AP class) Advanced Placement (AP) in core subjects Core Subjects taken at USG Institution (dual enrolled) Advanced Foreign Language (2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th, or AP course) rse_list.pdf

Hope Grant HOPE Grant is for students seeking a technical certificate or diploma HOPE Grant pays for a percentage of tuition and fees for students. The amount is determined by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) and is subject to change yearly HOPE Grant is available to high school graduates in Georgia regardless of GPA ing/HOPE_Program/Georgia_s_HOPE_Grant_Progra m.aspx

Attendance Policy All classes will receive any earned credit at the end of the semester, so attendance is determined each semester. When a student is absent 7 days in a semester, excused or unexcused, no credit for the course is given unless an attendance waiver is granted. Attendance waivers are only granted if all absences are validated by the School Attendance Committee as excused, all make-up work has been completed, and a passing grade has been earned for the course. Consequently, it is imperative that students bring an excuse for every school day missed, whether for sickness or for doctor’s appointment. The policy for excuses is that they accept either parent notes or doctor’s notes for sickness. Parents may excuses to the attendance office at

Attendance Policy Excuses must be presented to the attendance office within 5 days of the absence, and this includes both parent and doctor’s notes. No excuses will be accepted after 5 days. All medical appointments must be validated with a physician’s note to be considered excused. In other words, if the student says he or she is checking out for a doctor’s appointment, it remains unexcused until we get the physician’s note back. If a student has excessive absences for health reasons, the school may require a physician’s excuse in order to consider the absence as excused. After 5 parent notes for either full days absent or tardy, we may request medical documentation.

Parent Information Website One of the best ways parents can stay informed about their student’s attendance and grades is to check this website at least once a week. If you have not registered for this informational service, please do so with Dean Rusk by the end of the year, and you will automatically have access at Sequoyah next year. For parents who do not yet have an account, you may request access to the Family Portal by contacting the school and submitting a valid address. When the is entered into the student information system and the security features are activated, you will then receive instructions on how to access the portal. You will be able to track your student’s grades and attendance in each class. Please let us know as soon as possible if you see discrepancies with your student’s attendance.

EXAMS We have exams the last four days of each semester. No student will be allowed to make-up an exam without a medical excuse. Please be aware that family vacations, athletic competitions, are not considered excused. Missing an exam for anything other than a medical emergency will result in a zero for the exam.

Things you need to know: Cell Phone, etc. Sequoyah does participate in the BYLD. However, students are not allowed to have their cell phone out in any classroom unless they are under the supervision of a teacher in the classroom. Additionally, we do not allow ipods or any other electronic devices to be used during classes unless during the teachers requests their usage. PE Lockers It is extremely important that students lock up all valuables during their PE class. We are working very hard to prevent thefts, but open purses, wallets and cell phones left out during PE are highly likely to be taken. Students may bring a lock from home to use.

Other things you need to know: Picking Up Students After School Parents are not allowed to park in the teacher or student parking lot while waiting to pick up students in the afternoon. Please pick your son or daughter up before 3:00 if you are trying to get to an afternoon appointment. Lockers and Book Bags Every student is assigned a locker. We allow students to bring their backpack in and leave it in the locker for the day. Our building is small enough that most students get to their lockers several times a day. Our classrooms are small, and there is no room for every student to carry a book bag. USE YOUR LOCKER! Agendas and Student Responsibility We expect students old enough to be in high school to show responsibility. That means that they need to write down and be responsible for all their assignments daily. NO WORK EQUALS NO GRADE. We do not give minimum grades in high school. You get what you earn. Also, the agenda is your hall pass. You cannot leave the classroom without it.

Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors Classes We consistently strive to offer students a challenging curriculum, including the opportunity to take advanced classes. Honors classes are taken in preparation for the eventuality of taking AP classes and receiving college credit. However, before signing up to take any advanced classes, both the student and the parent need to take into account the student’s outside school activities and the amount of time the student has to devote to the extra studying required for these courses. Once we do the scheduling, and the student is committed to the class, we cannot make schedule changes. Tutoring Sequoyah High School offers tutoring before and after school and during lunch in all academic areas. If your student is experiencing difficulty in any subject, please check the tutoring schedule on the school website. In addition to our school-based tutoring, Cherokee County BOE publishes a list of educators who do after hours tutoring. Please contact Student Services or your student’s teacher for a list of school-wide tutors.

9 th Literature & Composition  This class is a combination of Literature and Writing  Expectations:  Students should expect homework on a weekly basis consisting of reading, short term written assignments, and vocabulary work; as well as long term written assignments such as essays and research papers.  No late work is accepted by English teachers so it is imperative that students keep up with nightly homework and long term essays and assignments. Utilizing the teacher websites and checking grades weekly is HIGHLY recommended.  Students are encouraged to utilize the school agenda to keep up with all assignments.  Students should expect to read a minimum of two novels per semester in addition to other curriculum requirements.  Students need to be prepared for class each day according to the requirements of each individual teacher.  Students will take a Georgia Milestones End of Course test in 9 th Literature & Composition during Spring semester.

English Courses 9 th Grade: 9 th Lit & Comp OR 9 th Honors Lit & Comp 10 th Grade: 10 th Lit & Comp, 10 th Honors Lit & Comp OR AP Language 11 th Grade: American Lit & Comp, Honors American Lit & Comp, OR AP Language 12 th Grade: British Lit, Honors Advanced Composition, OR AP Literature

English Electives 10 th, 11 th and 12 th grade students may select: Oral & Written Communication Students will study modes of communication, deliver speeches, and participate in class debates. Literature in Film Students will study the techniques of film and create original films (semester class which pairs with Oral & Written). Journalism/Literary Magazine Students will study creative writing and the completion of a student magazine. Journalism/Newspaper Students will write articles and editorials, be responsible for photography, and design of the newspaper. Journalism/Yearbook Students will write copy for the yearbook, be responsible for photography, and design of the yearbook.

Extra-Curricular Activities  Students are encouraged to participate in the clubs and sports offered at Sequoyah High School.  Some of our offered activities are: Band, Chorus, Drama, Math Team, Photography Club, Robotics Club, Science Olympiad, Speech and Debate, Writing Club, Book Club, and ROTC.  Sports: Baseball, Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Dance Team, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Volleyball, and Wrestling Joining an extra-curricular activity will make the high school experience so much more meaningful!

Choices for 9 th graders GSE Algebra Honors GSE Geometry Accelerated Honors GSE Algebra I/Geometry A Accelerated Honors GSE Geometry B/Algebra II ** A student must qualify for the Honors and Accelerated classes. If interested mark Math on the honors letter and turn it in**

Mathematics Students will be placed into their 9 th grade course based on the following criteria: Standardized test scores Previous math courses

Mathematics Homework will be assigned DAILY. It WILL be checked. Late work will not be accepted. Tutoring is available  every morning from 7:45 – 8:15  first 30 minutes of every lunch

RESPONSIBILITY & ORGANIZATION Teacher Websites Writing in Agenda Making up work from an absence Taking notes and keeping up with your assignments

Science  You must have 4 units of science to graduate  1 must be Biology  1 must be Physical Science or Physics  Colleges like to see “The Big 3” on your transcript.  Biology, Chemistry, Physics  Science class placement will be determined by data from test scores and 8 th grade science class grades.  You MUST do your homework and you MUST study!  Teachers DO NOT take late work.  Science teachers DO offer tutoring and help Morning, Noon and Night. Take advantage of the help if you need it.  You can expect homework most nights.

Other Science Classes

Social Studies for 9 th Graders Only electives that count toward HOPE GPA other than foreign language Prepare students for other high school required courses. A Great option for students who plan to take Honors or AP World History in the 10 th grade Honors and regular levels are available

Paths for 9 th Graders World Geography and Current Issues for anyone! Honors US World Affairs *PRE AP program to develop skills necessary for AP courses. Invites based on pre-established criteria in language, reading, and social studies *Not just the current SS grade. *If you get one please consider taking the course. AP Human Geography- Invites based on pre-established criteria in language, reading, and social studies *Not just the current SS grade. *If you get one please consider taking the course.

Courses for 10 th, 11 th & 12 th

WORLD LANGUAGE World Language classes count for HOPE GPA Most 4 year colleges and universities require at least 2 years of the same language in high school. 2 year colleges and technical colleges do not require world language.

WORLD LANGUAGE FOR 9 TH GRADE Languages offered: Spanish 1, French 1, Latin 1 Language classes are rigorous and require strong organizational, study and time management skills. If your child has struggled academically in middle school he SHOULD NOT TAKE WORLD LANGUAGE AS A 9 TH GRADER. Students must have strong performance in 8 th grade Reading, Language Arts, Math and Standardized Tests in order to be considered to take a Foreign Language in the 9 th grade. Students who are not strong in math are often not successful in world language.

WORLD LANGUAGE FOR 9 TH GRADERS WHO ARE IN LEVEL 1 Spanish 2 Honors, and Latin 2 Honors is offered to students who have completed the prerequisite Level 1 of the same language in 8 th grade. Teacher recommendation is required. Regular placement for any Language Level 2 is also offered. Prerequisite Level 1

WORLD LANGUAGE Other World Language Levels Offered: Spanish 3 Regular and Honors Spanish 3 Honors Pre- AP Spanish 4 Honors AP Spanish Language French 3, 4 and 5. Regular and Honors placement. Latin 3 and 4. Regular and Honors placement. Teacher recommendation is required for Honors and AP classes

Special Services Special Education – Special Education Department Chair – Christy Flynn 504 Plans – 504 Chair – Tonya Carnes RTI – RTI Chair – Carey Blalock