Welcome Cascade High School 8 th Grade Parent Night & Informational Meeting May 7 th, 2015

2019 will be here before you know it! Will you be ready?

It's now our responsibility to set students up for success… 3 Given our progress, the changing world, and the opportunity of Tennessee Promise, we must reorganize around a new vision: Progress Changing World TN Promise SUCCESS AFTER GRADUATION Grades K-12 Grades Tennessee Promise TNReady

What does the state say…… According to the State Board of Education Policy, Rule : “Students who enter 9 th grade in and thereafter shall be required to achieve, by the time they graduate, at least 22 units of credit and have a satisfactory record of attendance and conduct.”

What is a unit of credit? A unit of credit, or more simply a credit, is what is earned after the coursework for a class is completed and passed. Most courses last for an entire year, so 1 credit is awarded for that class. Some courses only last for ½ of the year, or 1 semester, so ½ credit is awarded for that class.

Now that is over with……. Your folder contains the following pieces, and you might want to get them out……. Explore Results Planning your dreams instruction sheet Blank copies of 4-year planning materials Official registration form

The required core curriculum is: English 4 credits Math4 credits Social Studies3 credits Science3 credits Foreign Language2 credits* Physical Ed. & Wellness1.5 credits Fine Arts1 credit** Elective Focus3 credits Personal Finance.5 credits TOTAL credits required22 credits ** = a students’ parents may choose to opt their student out of those classes

What exactly is an “elective focus?” An elective focus is a set of three courses that each student will select from the following focus areas:  Math / Science  Humanities  Fine Arts  Career & Technical Education (Veterinary and Animal Science, Therapeutic Clinical Services, Social Health Sciences, Dietetics & Nutrition, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math or S.T.E.M. for short.)  Wellness & Personal Fitness – Strength & Conditioning, etc.

Opting out…..what does it mean? By now, you or your student may have heard of the phrase “opting out.” This is a signed statement by you the parent, that says your student is not planning on going directly into a four-year college or university and, therefore, does not have to take the two years of a foreign language and the one year of fine arts. They will, however, still have to get to 22 credits for graduation.

VERY IMPORTANT…… If a student chooses to opt out of the Foreign Language and Fine Arts courses, they can still attend a college or university AFTER ATTENDING A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE.

Now back to the focus areas…let’s take a closer look…… Math / Science Focus: Required CoursesElective Courses Algebra IPre-Calculus GeometryCalculus Algebra IIAdvanced Algebra Additional Higher MathPhysics Physical Science / Veterinary ScienceAnatomy Biology I Chemistry I

Humanities Focus Required CoursesElective Courses English I, II, III, IVSpanish III Spanish I, IIAncient History World GeographyJournalism U.S. HistorySociology Government / EconomicsPsychology Personal FinanceLifespan Development

Fine Arts Focus Required CoursesElective Courses Art, Music or DramaMusic Theory I (1 credit of your choice) Music Theory II Theater Arts I

Fine Arts…..Continued Art, Instrumental Band & Theatre may receive up to 4 credits in any of these classes. Example – A student may take and receive credit for band all four years.

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science 2) Therapeutic Clinical Services

Are you interested in being in the Healthcare field? If you said YES! This focus area is for you! Classes include: ▫Health Science Education – Freshman Year ▫Medical Therapeutics – Sophomore Year ▫Nutrition Science and Diet Therapy – Junior Year ▫Anatomy and Physiology - Senior Year ▫Electives: Health Information Technology

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science 2) Therapeutic Clinical Services

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science 2) Therapeutic Clinical Services 3) Social Health Sciences

Social Health Services Courses 1. Introduction to Human Studies - Richardson 2. Lifespan Development- Richardson 3. Family Studies-Richardson 4. Human Services Practicum or Sociology or Psychology –Cooksey & Spresser

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science 2) Therapeutic Clinical Services 3) Social Health Sciences

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science 2) Therapeutic Clinical Services 3) Social Health Sciences 4) Dietetics & Nutrition

Dietetics and Nutrition Introduction to Human Studies-Richardson Nutrition across the Lifespan- Richardson Nutrition Science and Diet Therapy- Smithson Human Services Practicum or Sociology or Psychology –Cooksey & Spresser

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science 2) Therapeutic Clinical Services 3) Social Health Sciences 4) Dietetics & Nutrition

Career & Technical Education Focus This focus continues to grow at Cascade and now can offer the following: 1) Veterinary & Animal Science 2) Therapeutic Clinical Services 3) Social Health Sciences 4) Dietetics & Nutrition 5) Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM for short)

STEM STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in one class STEM takes science and math concepts and makes them into hands on applications STEM teaches how to be creative and think outside of the box STEM trains students to be engineers, scientists, doctors, computer scientists, and mathematicians STEM will focus on the engineering process and the scientific method equally

Freshman Choices…. Freshman do not have a lot of choices as it relates to their schedule because of the requirements they must have their 9 th grade year. Inside your packets are their pre-registration form to look over and ask us if you have ANY questions. Study hall has not been on the schedule in a few years for the freshman to select but it is back on there now….

From EOC to TN Ready… The End of Course tests are what your students are used to, however as we transition to TNReady, there will be many changes…

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.. You and your student now must finalize a focus area that they may want to have in high school. They must also pre-register tonight if at all possible. Then parents, sign them for us and turn them into me tonight.

WE NEED YOU! Talk over your scheduling options please……while students change their minds, and we want them to have flexibility, we are limited in our schedule offerings. We need them to be as committed as possible about their schedules as they can when you sign them and turn them into Coach Pope tonight before you leave.

Is there any WIGGLE ROOM? YES, there is some wiggle room in the schedule because simple math tells us that we have 28 slots to plug in 22 mandatory classes…….BUT that only leaves room for 6 slots of “electives.”

CONFUSED YET…..?????? No worries, I am here to help transition the freshman into the rest of their high school days. Call me, ext or me at

Q & A with Mr. Harwell…… THANK YOU FOR COMING!