Pope High School 8th Grade Parent Night Information about course registration and high school academic opportunities

Welcome

Our Purpose To provide parents and students with an overview of the course requirements, academic expectations and elective course opportunities available to make informed decisions during the course registration process at our feeder middle schools

Introductions Department chairs and School Counselors Following the presentation, counselors, department chairs and content representatives will be available to assist and to answer questions in the cafeteria (main building)

Pope Counselors A – C: Kathryn Sax D – Hi: Patricia Hays, Department Chair Ho – Mc: Leslie Shearstone Me – Sc: Laura Potts Se – Z: Jamie Hamrick

Graduation Requirements and Academic Information

Graduation Requirements 4 Credits in English 4 Credits in Math 4 Credits in Science 3 Credits in Social Studies . 5 Credit in Health . 5 Credit in Personal Fitness 4 Electives Pathway options World Languages Fine Arts CTAE

Academic Information Pope follows the traditional 7 period academic schedule (one period is lunch) Students take 6 classes each semester that meet daily Completed courses (student earned a passing grade) = .5 credit earned per semester It is possible for a student to earn 6 credits per year (3 credits per semester) Minimum of 23 credits required to be eligible for graduation Minimum passing grade for course credit is 70% (D average)

NJROTC Pathway Beginning with the Class of 2021, students who complete the Navy JROTC pathway can meet the graduation requirements in Health and in Personal Fitness if a minimum of 3 courses (levels I-III) are successfully completed

Core Subject Offerings What academic courses do 9th graders take?

9th Grade Core Courses Math GSE Foundations of Algebra and GSE Algebra I GSE Algebra I GSE Geometry GSE Honors Geometry GSE Accelerated Algebra I/Geometry GSE Accelerated Geometry/Alg II Social Studies World Geography Honors World Geography AP Human Geography Science Biology Honors Biology Environmental Science English 9th Literature/Composition Honors 9th Literature/Composition

Why Enroll in Honors and AP Courses? More academically enriching for students challenging and rigorous (more is expected of students) Student considerations passion for subject area personal work ethic extracurricular commitments Academic course balance is important (can begin in on-level courses and progress into more rigorous courses) Colleges and universities desire students who have pursued challenging and demanding coursework in high school

Hope Scholarship If you would like more information about the Hope Scholarship, please visit the website at http://www.GAfutures.org

Middle School Credits High school credits earned in middle school will be put on the student’s transcript beginning in the 9th grade Please note: these credits are reflected with a numeric grade but will have no effect on the student’s high school grade point average (GPA) MS/HS courses offered include but are not limited to: Accelerated Algebra I/Geometry A, Honors Algebra I, Algebra I, Physical Science, Spanish I, French I, and Visual Art Composition (VA Comp Art)

To Be Promoted to the 10th Grade Students must pass the following courses for grade promotion: 9th Literature/Composition Math course Science: Biology or Environmental Science Plus 2 additional credits (minimum 5 credits earned out of 6 credits for the year)

Registration and Scheduling Information

Registration Information 9th grade students will register for 3-4 core classes per semester based on teacher placement recommendation and PHS pre-requisite requirements feeder middle schools completing core registration the week of February 5th Students will select 5 elective courses by ranking them 1-5 on their registration worksheets and will report to computer labs at their respective schools in mid- March to complete elective registration electronically using Synergy Hightower Trail will complete elective registration on Monday, March 19th Dodgen will complete elective registration on Thursday, March 22nd Please note: If you plan to play a sport at Pope, you are recommended to select weight training as one of your top elective choices April 19th – 27th: feeder middle school students will review and sign-off on course requests for 2018-2019 school year (PDF of course requests emailed to schools)

Please Keep In Mind Student course selections should be taken seriously Schedule changes will not be honored if a student is enrolled in a class he or she “does not like” or “does not want to take” Applies to academic and elective courses Students may find themselves in their 4th and 5th elective course selections Students are expected to make informed decisions and to honor their course selections Balance in a student’s schedule is very important Summer assignments are given in multiple core subjects – students need to check the Pope website to obtain updated information

Disagreement with Core Course Placement Recommendations

What if I disagree with a placement recommendation? Please speak with the middle school teacher to discuss the reasons for the recommended placement example: middle school ELA teacher recommends non-honors 9th Lit/Composition and you would like Honors 9th Lit/Composition or vice versa If there is no agreement between you and the classroom teacher, a waiver can be completed it is an acknowledgment the student’s course placement is against the teacher’s recommendation and there will be no schedule changes made mid-year regarding course levels waivers must be received by April 27th for the 2018-2019 school year

Schedule Change Requests - April 27th deadline

Closing

Final Considerations Course offerings for the 2018-2019 school year are based on core and elective registration requests made in February and March Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to acknowledge all requests for schedule changes, especially those made June-August When selecting core and elective courses, it is imperative informed decisions are made to ensure the appropriate placement for students Points to consider . . . A student does not have to take all honors classes during the 9th grade year If a student enrolls in honors and/or AP courses as a 9th grader, these should be in content areas of academic strength and personal interest Extracurricular commitments, both school and non-school related, and the impact on time If in doubt, please ask . . . we all want what is best for your child

Private and Home Schooled Students

Private & Home Schooled Students The counseling office will make registration appointments for enrolling rising 9th graders from private schools and home study beginning the week of April 9th. Registration packets are available from the counselors after this meeting. Eligible students are those who reside in our attendance zone, approved employee transfer children, siblings of HB 251 School Choice students already at Pope, and students with an IEP placement at Pope. We do not anticipate having additional space for new choice transfer students. Contact the Counseling Office at 770-578-7903 or see Enrollment Procedures on the counseling blog for more information: http://popehs.typepad.com/guidancedepartment/enrollment-packet.html

Thank you for attending this evening’s program