Decatur High School Presentation to Parents and Students of the Class of 2016 March 5, 2012

Decatur High School Contacts Jason Cochran, Principal Sheila McCollum, Asst. Principal Students A-G Steven Valkenaar, Asst. Principal Students H-N Cindy Bauter, Asst. Principal Students O-Z Neal Hall, Counselor Students A-L Paige Liggett, Counselor Students M-Z Rene’ Fuller, College & Career Readiness Specialist

High School Bell Schedule ThursdayTutorials—7:30 2 nd 8:00-9:30 4 th 9:35-11:10 Lunch 11:10-12:00 6 th 12:00-1:30 8 th 1:35-3:05 FridayTutorials—7:30 1 st 8:00-9:30 3 rd 9:35-11:10 Lunch 11:10-12:00 5 th 12:00-1:30 7 th 1:35-3:05 Students will be able to earn 8 credits each year. Mon/Tues/WedTutorials—7:30 1 st 8:00-8:48 2 nd 8:52-9:40 3 rd 9:44-10:32 4 th 10:36-11:27 5 th 11:31-12:19 Lunch 12:19-1:03 6 th 1:03-1:52 7 th 1:56-2:44 8 th 2:48-3:35

Scheduling Procedures 8 th graders will complete 4-year plan with guidance from counselors on April 2 nd and 3 rd. Course requests for freshman and sophomore year will be entered by counselors based on 4-year plan, so PLEASE TAKE THIS DOCUMENT SERIOUSLY. The master schedule is generated from these requests, so changes to your schedule after requests have been processed are seldom approved. IN OTHER WORDS, THE COURSES YOU WRITE ON YOUR 4-YEAR PLAN ARE THE COURSES YOU WILL BE TAKING YOUR FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORE YEARS. Students/parents will be invited to meet with counselor during sophomore year to make adjustments to course requests for junior and senior year.

When scheduling has been completed, you will be able to view your schedule on Skyward Family Access. All requests to change your schedule must be made before the first day of school. Only LEGITIMATE requests will be considered. (Requests from students and/or parents for a specific teacher will NOT be considered.) Administrative changes to schedules may occur up until the first day of school, so all students will receive an official schedule before class that morning. All changes are subject to review/approval by principals and are dependent upon class size and other factors.

Advanced Courses Honors and Pre-AP courses are extremely rigorous and require additional work both in and out of class. Do not sign up for these courses unless you are highly committed and motivated to complete the additional work at an advanced level. If you are not passing at the first 3-week progress report and at each report card, you will be placed in a regular class if available.

Athletics The following sports currently have an athletic period during the school day: FootballVolleyballBasketball Cross Country All other sports are offered outside the school day.

Graduation Requirements Subject Minimum Plan Recommended Plan Distinguished Plan English444 Math344 Science344 Social Studies444 Foreign Language023 Health½½½ PE111 Fine Arts111 Communication Applications½½½ Total Core Courses Electives954 TOTAL CREDITS FOR GRADUATION 26

For More Information on Graduation Requirements Please visit the TEA website at

Weighted GPA System SCALEAP with BonusAP, Dual, Honors & PAP Regular A A A B B B C C C *0-69 F0.00

Designation of Courses for Class Ranking Advanced Placement with Bonus: Students must score > 2 on the AP pretest (or > 2 on the actual AP Exam – for Juniors only) in order to receive 6 point GPA scale. Students who fail to meet this standard will remain on the 5 point GPA scale. Students will begin the AP class on the 5 point GPA scale, but will be moved to the 6 point GPA scale after the 4 th grading term if they meet the pretest score requirement. AP, Dual, Honors, and Pre-AP Courses (5 point classes) Regular (4 point classes) More detailed information can be accessed from the Course Description Handbook posted on the DHS website under “Campus Information” and “Counseling Center.”

Valedictorian & Salutatorian The Valedictorian and Salutatorian will be selected from the students who have COMPLETED the Distinguished Achievement Plan PRIOR TO graduation. Students must provide the counselor’s office with documentation of all advanced measures in order to be considered for Valedictorian or Salutatorian.

Fish Camp Will be held in August just prior to beginning of the school year. Detailed information will be mailed to parents in July.

Accessing Information Skyward Family Access Announcements are updated daily on the Decatur High School website (accessed via drop down menu from the DISD main website).

Contact Information A-L: M-Z: College/Career: Main campus number:

All information can be accessed on our website: Select a School: Decatur High School Campus Information Counseling Center All information can be accessed on our website: Select a School: Decatur High School Campus Information