1. 8th Grade Parent Orientation First Flight High School
April 14, 2015

2. What Makes 9th Graders Successful?
Motivation
Attitude
Organization
Parent Support
Sense of direction/purpose
Attendance

3. Hybrid Schedule
A combination of 55 min. year-long classes and 90-min. semester classes
Better transition for entering 9th graders
More time to learn concepts and practice
Less of a gap between sequenced courses
Coincides with NC graduation requirements
Students can still accelerate as necessary

4. Sample Schedule First Semester 1st Period English I
2nd Period HWorld History
3rd Period HPE
4th Period Art I
5th Period H Earth Science
Second Semester
1st Period English I
2nd Period Marketing
3rd Period Math I
4th Period Art I
5th Period H Earth Science

5. Frequently Asked Questions
What determines 55/90 min. classes?
Teacher recommendations and course selections – we will determine #s of sections and schedule students to best meet their needs
How many credits will I need to graduate?
24 credits out of a maximum potential of 28

6. FAQs continued
How do we decide which and how many honors classes to take?
Go with the students’ strengths
Look at teacher recommendations and be honest about the work ethic
Consider extra curricular activities and go for a balance

7. Course Placement Guidelines
Grades and End-of-Grade scores are considered in placement decisions as well as guidelines for core areas in the slides that follow

8. English and Social Studies
Critical thinking/problem solving skills
Work ethic/work habits
Reading level/comprehension
Writing skills
Ability to apply what they are learning
Attendance
Attitude towards academics

9. Science Ability to form a hypothesis Natural curiosity
Ability to work in groups
Performance in lab work
Emphasis on higher order thinking skills

10. Math Consider factors for English and Social Studies +
Ability to show work – a must for higher levels of math

11. Graduating Future-Ready
Freshmen entering high school in now affected by the state’s Future-Ready Core
Students have options to select the best path to meet life goals
Strong academic foundation is provided
2 kinds of requirements: course requirements and NC Graduation Project

12. Course Requirements English – 4 credits
Science – 3 credits (Earth, Biology and a physical science)
Social Studies – 4 credits (World History, Civics and Economics, 2- US History courses or AP US History + one additional SS)
Health and PE – 1 credit

13. Future-Ready Core continued
Math – 4 credits (Math I, Math II, Math III and a 4th math aligned with student’s post high school plans)
A student in rare instances may be able to take an alternative math course sequence – in place of Algebra II and 4th math
Second Language – not required for graduation but required for admission to UNC system

14. Future-Ready Core continued
8 elective credits – 2 of any combination from either CTE, Arts, Second Language; 4 strongly recommended from one of the following: CTE, Arts, any other subject area (e.g. math, science, social studies, English)

15. Secondary Attendance Policy Highlights
Bring a note within 3 days of being absent
Be present for at least 2/3 of a class period
High school attendance is by period
Any student missing more than 5 days has exceeded the attendance requirements

16. Athletic & Driving Eligibility
Based on NC High School Athletic Association policy, an athlete must have passed a minimum of three full credit courses that semester in order to be eligible for sports; DCS will be providing attendance policy information
State law requires a student to be passing 70% of courses attempted in order to receive a driving eligibility certificate or keep their driving permit or license

17. NC Scholars Requirements
4 Levels of English
4 Maths (Math I, II, III and one beyond III)
3 Sciences (Earth, Biology, and Chemistry or Physics)
4 Social Studies (World History, Civics, U.S History)
2 Levels of Foreign Language
Healthful Living (HPE)
1 Career/Technical Education Course
1 Arts Ed. Course
5 Electives to include at least 2 second level or advanced courses
3.5 Grade Point Average Unweighted

18. Minimum Admission Requirements of the UNC System
To enroll in one of the 16 public universities making up the UNC System, students must meet the following minimum requirements; however, some have higher requirements:
High School Diploma or Equivalent
4 levels of English
4 units in Math (Math I, II, III + one beyond Math III
3 units in Social Studies, including U.S. History
2 units of one Foreign Language
3 units in Science, including at least 1 life/biological, one physical, and one additional lab course
* in addition, it is recommended that one world language and one math unit be taken in the 12th grade

19. New for Freshmen Entering High School – 2015-16
Grading Scale will be 10-point rather than 7-point
Honors courses will be weighted an additional .5 quality point rather than 1 quality point
AP courses will be weighted 1 additional quality point rather than 2 quality points
COA (available in 11th/12th grades) courses will be weighted the same as AP courses

20. Choosing Courses Make course selections carefully
First choices will be honored if possible
Alternate course selections are as important as first choices
Courses will be offered based on demand and teaching staff availability
Conflicts arise in the master schedule

21. Making Good Choices
Direct questions about teacher recommendations to the 8th grade subject teacher
9th graders have five classes they must take – decisions on whether a student should take an honors or regular class are best made from the input of the student, parent and teacher

22. Schedule Changes
Teaching staff is employed and assigned based on course registration
Schedule changes will be made only under certain conditions:
*student is scheduled for a course for which he/she did not register or which was not selected as an alternate
*student does not meet the prerequisite
*student is academically misplaced or there is a computer error

23. Freshman Core Courses English I or I Honors Math I
Math II – regular/honors
Earth Science or Honors Earth Science
Honors World History

24. Freshman Core Electives
H Math III
General Chemistry

25. Freshman Electives Career Management Microsoft IT Academy
Intro to Computer Science
Personal Finance
Marketing
Core Sustainable Construction
Health Team Relations
Parent and Child Development
Health and PE*
Intro to Publications
Creative Writing
Speech Communications
Life Skills & Sports**
Strength Training**
*HPE required
**must have HPE first

26. Freshman Electives cont.
Glee Chorus
Concert Choir – teacher recommendation
Band
Jazz Band
String Orchestra (7-8 a.m.)
Theatre Arts I
Visual Arts I

27. Registration Schedule
April 21 – FFHS counselors go to FFMS classes
May 6-7 – FFHS counselors meet individually with 8th graders
May 14 – signed registration forms due to science teachers

28. Scheduling Process Tally of students signed up for courses
Tally of teacher recommendations
Sections determined by number of sign ups and staff availability
Develop master schedule
Schedule individual students

29. Questions?