Welcome to High School

Becoming a Freshman! What you need to know to master the art of high school.

Laying the Foundation MISD Guiding Statements and Values

How do you KNOW that you are ready for life, college or career? Moving upward from the success of Vision 2020! As Mansfield ISD continues to provide excellence to ALL students, we have tackled the ultimate question continually asked after high school graduation…. How do you KNOW that you are ready for life, college or career?

Taking Flight! Two Trailblazer campuses piloted Vision 2025 with their freshman students in 2018-2019. In the fall of 2019, freshman at each high school will begin a path toward completion of a 2025 Student Scorecard. There are specific tasks in the Life, College, and Career categories, students will accomplish and manage through their own Scorecard.

Checking In Progress meetings with your counselor In the spring semester of each year of high school the student will visit with their school counselor about their Vision 2025 progress through the past year… Every task is solid evidence of preparedness for life after high school allowing students to speak with clarity and to provide evidence of their individual readiness.

Graduation Requirements Diploma Ready! 26 credits CREDITS/CLASSIFICATIONS 0 – 5 ½ Freshman 6 – 11 ½ Sophomore 12 – 18 ½ Junior 19 + Senior Rank/GPA provided at the end of the 9th grade year.

Distinguished Level of Achievement (DLA) Diploma Ready! All MISD students begin on the DLA Graduation plan. ~Provides most opportunity for post secondary options ~Eligibility for “Top 10% Automatic Admission” to colleges and universities

BUILDING A TRANSCRIPT “CREDIT BREAKDOWN”

Roll the Credits… Students have the opportunity to earn 8 credits per year. 8 credits x 4 years = 32 credits Only 26 are needed for graduation from MISD

FOR STUDENTS GRADUATING IN 2022 AND BEYOND Class Rank FOR STUDENTS GRADUATING IN 2022 AND BEYOND GPA RANK All HS semester grades earned will be calculated into your overall GPA. Another way of saying that is = The GPA is a calculation of all grades earned in your credits. The evolving calculation will appear on your transcript. Pre AP, AP and Dual Credit classes will earn an extra 10 points in that calculation. Class rank (used for awarding graduation honors) will be calculated by averaging all high school credit courses in the following five areas: English Mathematics Science Social Studies LOTE

Graduation Honors Graduation Honors will now be calculated at the end of the 5th Six weeks of the senior year. FINISH STRONG! As you review your four year plan, it is important to finish your high school career with strength. .

School Year Structure Home Campus 04/15/08 School Year Structure Home Campus 18 week classes = 1 semester = ½ credit Example: Health, PE, Keyboarding (These courses are identified on the Course Selection sheet with an asterisk.) 36 week classes = 2 semesters = 1 credit Example: English 1, Algebra 1, World Geography, Biology, Art 1, Theater Arts 1

School Year Structure Ben Barber Innovation Academy Career and Technology courses at Ben Barber may be 1 credit-2 credits. One credit courses at Ben Barber are 18 weeks long. Students who wish to take a Career and Technology course at Ben Barber will need to plan a 1 credit course for the fall and a 1 credit course for the spring. This will fill two blocks of your schedule on either an A or B day.

Typical School Day Home Campus Classes start at 7:25 A.M. 04/15/08 Typical School Day Home Campus Classes start at 7:25 A.M. Classes end at 2:55 P.M. Ben Barber Session I begins at 7:00 Session II begins at 11:30

Sample Freshman Schedule : Home Campus 04/15/08 Sample Freshman Schedule : Home Campus A Day B Day 1st Block - English 5th Block - Health (Fall), Pro Com (Spring) 2nd Block – Algebra I (Advisory is included in this block.) 6th Block – Spanish I 3rd Block – Biology (Lunch is included in this block.) 7th Block – PE 4th Block – World Geography 8th Block - Theater

Sample Freshman Schedule at BBIA 04/15/08 Sample Freshman Schedule at BBIA A Day B Day 1st Block - English 5th Block - Biology 2nd Block – Algebra I (Advisory is included in this block.) (**PM session BBIA students will begin lunch and travel during Advisory.) 6th Block – Spanish I 3rd Block – Prin of Architecture-fall/ Prin of Construction -spring 7th Block – World Geography (Lunch is included in this block.) 4th Block – Prin of Architecture-fall/ (Travel back to home campus included.) 8th Block - PE

Sample Freshman Schedule: BBIA w/ Athletics 04/15/08 Sample Freshman Schedule: BBIA w/ Athletics A Day B Day 1st Block - English 5th Block - Biology 2nd Block – Athletics (Advisory is included in this block.) (**PM session BBIA students will begin lunch and travel during Advisory.) 6th Block – Athletics 3rd Block – Prin of Architecture/ Prin of Construction-spring 7th Block – World Geography (Lunch is included in this block.) 4th Block – Prin of Architecture-fall/ (Travel back to home campus included.) 8th Block –Algebra I

Choosing Classes 04/15/08 Started with: 8th grade Career Pathways course and a Four- Year Plan. Review the 9th grade courses in Skyward with your student. Classes are formally selected by completing the course selection sheet provided by the high school Counselors. Choose alternates – first choices may not be available during scheduling.

Presented in Career Pathways Class 04/15/08 Sample Choice Sheet Presented in Career Pathways Class

04/15/08 Requesting Changes If you change your mind about the courses requested, you will have the opportunity to make changes until April 18th. Instructions will be emailed to you around April 1st indicating information about your course requests. A link to the Change Form will be included in the email.

04/15/08 Requesting Changes You will be required to submit your changes in writing. Course requests drive course offerings and the amount of sections we offer. Having accurate numbers helps with overcrowding and course offerings. The deadline is enforced so that MISD can complete personnel adjustment and Master Scheduling in a timely manner.

Clubs & Extra-Curricular Activities 04/15/08 Clubs & Extra-Curricular Activities

04/15/08 Clubs High School will provide an opportunity for involvement in many clubs and organizations. We highly encourage participation in extracurricular activities. Studies show that students who are involved in extra- curricular activities make better grades and are better prepared for life during and after high school.

Extra-Curricular Activities 04/15/08 Extra-Curricular Activities Athletics – Volleyball, Football & Basketball. If you are interested in other sports, please contact the high school coach of that sport. Cheerleading and Drill Team – determined by try-outs in the spring. Other activities include class officers, club officers, One Act Play, UIL Band and Choir contests, Academic UIL, ROTC, Student Council, theater production/stage crew, Key Club, NHS, FCA, HOSA, etc…

TCC Southeast MISD Early College High School @ Timberview HS If you are interested in Mansfield Early College High School, applications are available to all students entering as freshman. Students must meet the application requirements and deadlines prior to consideration. Please contact your 8th grade counselor or ECHS@misdmail.org for additional information.

Additional High School Advanced Academics Opportunities MISD has a robust Advanced Placement program. There are many subjects to consider. Please speak with your counselor and review the course book to learn about courses of interest. In addition, MISD has multiple dual credit programs. Please speak with your counselor, review the course book and attend any dual credit informational meetings of interest.

April 18th. Remember: You will need a total of 8 credits. 04/15/08 Remember: You will need a total of 8 credits. At least 3 of those credits will be your core classes. It is recommended that you take history all four years. It is EXTREMELY important that you have at least 4 alternate classes in case your class doesn’t schedule. Get the appropriate signatures prior to the date that you meet with the high school counselor. No changes to your request may be made after April 18th.

04/15/08 Attendance It COUNTS! Students are allowed 4 absences per class per semester. 5 or more absences in the same class will result in an absence failure. Students are responsible for clearing excessive absences with their assistant principal. Students will have to attend afternoon or Saturday School sessions in order to regain credit according to the campus schedule.

Communication with Parents 04/15/08 Communication with Parents Report Cards Progress Reports every 3 weeks Teacher Conferences by appointment Counselor Conferences by appointment Email Skyward MISD District Website

Parent Communication Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s teachers at any time with regard to grades, progress, behavior, and any other concerns. Teachers can be contacted via email (which can be accessed on Skyward) or telephone.

Meeting Student Needs Academic Guidance Scholarship Opportunities Highly Qualified School Counselors Academic Guidance Scholarship Opportunities College/Career Guidance Parent Communication Social/Emotional Intervention

Academic Guidance Review of individual transcripts Review of graduation requirements Credit Recovery Course Options (AP, Dual Credit, Virtual Courses) Spring Registration

Scholarships http://bit.ly/misdmoney MISD has a general scholarship website for the entire district: http://bit.ly/misdmoney

College/Career Guidance Career Cruising Campus Go Center College Representative Visits College Night Career Tech Program College/Career Guidance

Personal Graduation Plan This is a road map for your high school career. Each student will meet with their counselor prior to the end of their 9th grade year to review progress on their four year plan. Counselors meet with students each year during the registration process to help keep them on track.

Congratulations on your success!

THANK YOU @misd_counseling Guidance and Counseling Department 817-299-6365 misdcounseling@misdmail.org THANK YOU @misd_counseling