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

2. Welcome

3. 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

4. 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)

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

6. Graduation Requirements and Academic Information

7. 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

8. 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)

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. Hope Scholarship
If you would like more information about the Hope Scholarship, please visit the website at

14. 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)

15. 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)

16. Registration and Scheduling Information

17. 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 school year (PDF of course requests ed to schools)

18. 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

19. Disagreement with Core Course Placement Recommendations

20. 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 school year

21. Schedule Change Requests - April 27th deadline

22. Closing

23. Final Considerations
Course offerings for the 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

24. Private and Home Schooled Students

25. 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 or see Enrollment Procedures on the counseling blog for more information:

26. Thank you for attending this evening’s program