SOPHOMORE PARENT NIGHT Why this is this the year it all comes together!

VENI, VIDI, VICI  The sophomore motto really should be: I came, I saw, I conquered.  Having experienced a year of growing pains as Freshmen they know how hard high school can be and this is their year to conquer those difficult classes, earn their credits, raise grades and get back on track if they aren’t exactly where they need to be.

WHAT ARE MY KIDS REALLY DOING THIS YEAR?  We’ve had several changes including moving to one platform for our online classroom, all teachers are migrating to Canvas. Your kids can login and find all of their assignments in one place.  They are also finishing up fulfilling requirements such as World History, Health, and PE.  Some may be repeating freshman classes due to failures from last year. If this is the case, it is likely I’ve already contacted if you, if not please reach out to me so we can set up a meeting.

WHAT SHOULD THEY BE DOING?  Sophomore year often feels like being put on hold. You can’t attend Walker Career Center, Cadet teach or in most cases get a job.  So what would be a worthwhile use of a sophomore’s time outside of school?  Community Service!  volunteermatch.org is one tool you can use to find opportunities in Greenfield and Indianapolis, be sure to sort by distance.

WHY COMMUNITY SERVICE  In the world we live in today community service is a requirement for most scholarships. Some are solely dependent upon community service or most heavily weighted like the Lilly Scholarship. The sophomore year is the ideal time to begin getting heavily involved in community service. Honor organizations such as National Honor Society also require community service. We also know that those involved in any type of activity are more likely to achieve higher grades in school.

PREPARING FOR THE SAT/ACT  Take the SAT prep course offered here in the spring  Go to a used bookstore and purchase a study guide  Download apps for SAT prep: SAT UP, play2prep, SAT Vobab, IntelliVocab (lite version)  Make sure your student signs up to take the SAT/ACT twice during their junior year. Mark this down now, our junior parent meeting will happen after your student should have signed up!

DRIVER’S EDUCATION  Driver’s Education is not offered directly through the school but is offered through community education, our contact is Mr. Collier. His is  Speaking of driving – our drop off lane in the morning is located along side the building closest to the pool. Dropping your kids off there will ensure their safety!

CREDITS &DIPLOMAS  Sophomores should start the year with 12 credits.  Students with 11 credits or less are considered “at-risk” and will likely need summer school to make up classes not passed during the Freshman year.  To stay on track for graduation, students must earn 22 credits by the end of the sophomore year.

TYPES OF DIPLOMAS  Core 40 – requires 45 credits, tells colleges you are “college and career ready”, standard NPHS diploma  Core 40 with Academic Honors – 47 credits, must add 3 years of foreign language, 2 fine arts credits, 2 AP or DC credits, earn no grade lower than a “C” and maintain a 3.0 GPA. Take four years of math, and take advanced English courses. Any student working toward this diploma who has questions should come see me!

CREDITS AND DIPLOMAS  Core 40 with Technical Honors – 47 credits, no grade below a “C”, maintain a 3.0 GPA, earn a certification from Walker Career center. Students must meet with me this year to complete the requirements for this diploma.

WEIGHTED CLASSES & GPA

WEIGHTED GRADES

GRADES  We use a flat GPA calculation, then add any honors points earned from weighted classes.  A student who takes 7 classes and earns all “A”s will earn a 4.0 if they do not take any weight courses.  A student who takes 7 classes and earns all “A”s and is in Honors Geometry will earn a GPA.

DUAL CREDIT  Dual Credit classes are college level courses that are taken for high school and college credit.  The curriculum is determined by the college but taught by our staff.  There is an additional cost for these courses.  The grade for these courses does impact the COLLEGE GPA.  Pre-requisites for these courses are determined by the college and include GPA minimums, PSAT score minimums and accuplacer minimums. The high school has no control of the pre-requisites for these courses.  Students should be prepared to work at a college level.

AP COURSES  Course curriculum is determined by the College Board, courses are taught by our staff.  College credit may by given by scoring well on the exam at the end of the course. Earning a 3,4 or 5 increases the chance the college your student attends will choose to give credit for the course. Colleges are not required to give credit the exam. Each college is different.

AP COURSES  The cost of the AP Exam varies by subject, some in the past have been paid for by the state. The cost in the past has been $91.  If a student is pursuing the Academic Honors Diploma and is using the AP course for to the AP/DC requirement they must take the exam.  AP Courses are college level courses, students should be prepared to work at a college level.

WALKER CAREER  This begins in the junior year.  They have something for everyone, including advanced Engineering classes for those who complete the courses we offer here.  Think beyond traditional Voc Ed!  Students who are interested in going need to earn every credit, those who are at-risk or who need to make up credits should plan to see me ASAP!

WHAT IF?  My student is behind on credits? Summer school!!!! Call me, let’s meet! Implement homework time at home Pick a place at home that is just theirs to do work, NOT IN THEIR ROOM Have them stay after school from 2:20-3 on M, T, and Thursday, teachers are available on these days during that time specifically to help tutor your students! Have them log into Canvas for your daily to show them you work, then check to see it’s done teachers and ask for help We are all in this together!

WRITE IT DOWN  Keep track of what your student is involved in: Sports, Band, Choir, Guard Youth Group Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts 4-H Volunteer Work Clubs Any other organization they are involved in  This will benefit them down the road when they apply to college and for scholarships!

WHAT’S NEXT?  Sophomore Year Scheduling Testing: ECA English, ISTEP English 10, ISTEP Math 10, ISTEP Science and (retake Algebra ECA if necessary)  Junior Year PSAT (again!) Accuplacer (if needed) College Days, 1 each semester (taken by Dec 1 and May 1) SAT & ACT Walker Career, AP Classes, DC Classes?

THANK YOU! Tonight’s presentation is brought to you by the letters: N, P, H & S Kristen Gauly School Counselor ext. 120