Wren High School FRESHMAN ACADEMY RISING 9TH GRADE PARENT NIGHT January 31, 2017

Freshman Academy Staff Freshman Academy Building INTRODUCTIONS Freshman Academy Staff Freshman Guidance Counselor- Mrs. Dillard Director of Freshman Academy- Mr. Young Principal- Mrs. Boseman Freshman Academy Building 2 halls (3 teams of teachers) Atrium Auxiliary gym Car Circle

What is High school all about? What is a Carnegie unit? Do elective units count? What is a GPA and how is it calculated? What is my class rank? Graduation requirements vs. college admissions 1) Passing with a 70 or better, seat time 2)elective units count as CP credit, are required to graduate, will affect your GPA; 3) SC has a uniform grading scale where each numeric grades is assigned a GPA weighting 4)completed courses only 5)

Freshman Academy Divided into three teams Each team has a math, science, social studies, and English teacher. Academic Classes: Taught 45 minutes each day English, math, science, social studies Recommendations made by teachers

FRESHMAN ACADEMY MISSION Smooth Transition from Middle School to High School Commitment to High School Graduation Rigorous Academics Preparation for 10th-12th Grades and Life after WHS

HAVE GOALS ACADEMIC SHORT TERM LONG TERM Complete all Assignments Pass the test/Make A on Test Make A’s and B’s on report card LONG TERM Pass 9th Grade Graduate from High School Go to College (Clemson, South Carolina, Tri-County, etc) Join Military/Get a JOB

CORE ACADEMICS English, Science, Social Studies, Math Prerequisites 45 minutes daily Teams Homework/Lunch Detentions Study habits, motivation, determination Teacher Expectations

Elective Classes Elective courses are taught 90 minutes every other day. Freshmen earn 8 units in the school year, and may choose 1.5 units of electives. We are on an A/B Block Schedule. A sample schedule is listed below: A Day: AE English Geog. Math Science Dig Lit 90 mins. 45 mins 45 mins. 45 mins. 45 mins. 90 mins. B Day: ROTC English Geog. Math Science Band 90 mins. 45 mins. 45 mins. 45 mins. 45 mins. 90 mins.

Academic Enhancement Required course for ALL ninth grade students. All Freshman Academy academic teachers have Academic Enhancement with their students. Students have the opportunity to be tutored and make up tests during this class period. In addition, a curriculum is incorporated into this class that includes: Organizational skills Digital Citizenship Unit on Bullying Unit on College/Career Readiness Tutorials Career and Technology Center tours Variety of speakers

PE or ROTC All students must take 1 unit of PE or ROTC in order to receive a high school diploma. Students should choose only one. ROTC is an excellent program that teaches you about naval science, government, and physical fitness. Required to wear a uniform once a week in ROTC. This is a year-long course. Opportunities for students to participate in competitions PE consists of a yearlong course. Students must dress out each class period Follows State/National standards for physical fitness

digital literacy Digital Literacy Students must complete a full unit of Computer Science in order to graduate. Digital Literacy Course is ½ credit toward Computer Science Requirement Prerequisite for Computer Applications Focuses on skills with Microsoft Word and Powerpoint Units on Google Apps for Education Project Lead the Way can fulfill Computer Science requirement

College requirements Fine Art requirement NCAA (College Athletics) Four year colleges are requiring one full unit of a fine art (Theater, Band, Strings, Chorus, Art) in order to be admitted. If you are planning to attend a four year college, you should choose .5 of the fine art unit your freshman year if possible. NCAA (College Athletics) does not accept Foundations of Algebra for eligibility.

Other Electives Remaining 1.5 electives are chosen by the student The list of elective courses that are available to freshmen are on the back of the registration form These are the ONLY courses that freshmen may choose at this time. Please read the course descriptions to find out more information on each course. Pay close attention to the unit value of each course since you can only choose 1.5 units. Please note that courses like Foods ($20) require additional fees.

Other Electives, CONT. Advanced Art Courses If you would like to apply for an advanced art course, please see Mrs. Dierks to get portfolio deadlines and requirements. These courses are usually not available to freshmen due to scheduling conflicts. Yearbook If you wish to take Yearbook, please pick up an application from Mrs. Craig. Show Chorus, Concert Chorus, and Jazz Band are not available to 9th Graders.

Other Electives, CONT. Once you have chosen your 1.5 units of electives that you would like to take, you should put a check beside the course name. These are your first choice of electives, however, they are only course requests, not your official school schedule. VERY IMPORTANT! Students MUST write in 3 alternate electives on the bottom of their registration form.

Career guide/electives Met with 8th grade students today Career Guide has been emailed to 8th grade students at Wren Middle Career Guide contains course descriptions

Upcoming dates Bring registration sheet and blue curriculum guide back for February 9th CAPS meeting. Students will be putting their requests into the computer Please go over your choices with your parents as they will have the final say at the CAPS Conference on March 24.

Any Questions: Seth Young – youngs@apps.anderson1.org Paige Dillard – dillardp@apps.anderson1.org or call 850-5900