1. Class of 2019 FRESHMAN ORIENTATION

2. WHO’S WHO PRINCIPAL: Daniel Barton ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: Denise Johnson COUNSELOR: Amy Hollie Students with last name A-L COUNSELOR: Renee Padgett Students with last name M-Z Emailing staff members: firstinitiallastname@tarkington.isd.esc4.net

3. TYPICAL FRESHMAN SCHEDULE 1 – MATH 2 – SCIENCE 3 – ELECTIVE 4 – PE 5 – ENGLISH 6 - ELECTIVE 7 - ELECTIVE 8 – S STUDIES

4. 4 YEAR PLAN 28 CREDITS English (4) Math (4) Science (4) Social Studies (4) Languages Other Than English (2) PE (1) Technology (1) Fine Arts (1) Electives (7)

5. STUDENT CLASSIFICATIONS Years on campus do not determine your classification. CREDITSCLASSIFICATION 0 – 5.5Freshman 6 – 11.5Sophomore 12 – 17.5Junior 18 - 28Senior Classification determines MANY things! Your class meetings, your voting rights, your assemblies, and most likely your standardized testing dates.

6. CREDITS 28 STATE credits are required for graduation. Most courses earn ½ of a credit per semester. Each year a student can earn 8 credits due to our 8 period day. Losing more than 2 credits requires summer school to stay on track. LOCAL credits such as remediation classes, office aide, and Senior early release do not count toward graduation.

7. 4 credits in ENGLISH English I, II, III, and one Advanced English 4 credits in MATH Algebra I, Geometry, and 2 authorized math courses 4 credits in SCIENCE IPC, Biology, and two authorized science courses 4 credits in SOCIAL STUDIES Geography, US History, and US Govt with Economics 2 credits in LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH Spanish 1 credit in PE1 credit in FINE ARTS1 credit in TECHNOLOGY 7 credits in ELECTIVES 4 credits need to be in the same endorsement group TOTAL = 28 CREDITS 4 credits in ENGLISH English I, II, III, and one Advanced English 4 credits in MATH Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and 1 authorized math courses 4 credits in SCIENCE IPC, Biology, and two authorized science courses 4 credits in SOCIAL STUDIES Geography, US History, and US Govt with Economics 2 credits in LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH Spanish 1 credit in PE1 credit in FINE ARTS1 credit in TECHNOLOGY 7 credits in ELECTIVES 4 credits need to be in the same endorsement group TOTAL = 28 CREDITS

8. Freshman students are required to choose an Endorsement and changes can be made at anytime. A description of each course that is offered at THS can be found in the Course Guide online at the THS website.

9. COURSE NAMECERTIFICATE OFFERED Intro To Culinary ArtsServeSAFE Medical Billing & Coding National Certification for Insurance and Coding Specialist Vet TechCertified Veterinary Assistant Ag Power SystemsNCCER for Welding Business Information Management Microsoft Specialist Pharmacy TechnicianSterile Products Certification Pharmacy TechnicianCertified Pharmacy Technician AnimationFlash Graphic Design & Illustration Adobe Certified Associated Photoshop Certification Web TechnologiesAdobe Certified Associated Dreamweaver Certification

10. SCHEDULE CHANGES Schedule changes are not made due to personality difference and or preferences between teacher and student. I want to change my schedule this summer…  Email your counselor, Mrs. Padgett or Mrs. Hollie.  Attend freshman orientation  Pickup your schedule and textbooks in August and complete a schedule change request form then. I want to change my schedule after school starts… A students has 5 days from the beginning of any semester to request a change. Changes will be considered for the following reasons: 1) Error in scheduling 2) Student not meeting a pre-requisite 3) Change in Athletics or Band commitment 4) Level changes as recommended by teachers with parental knowledge and administrative approval (from advanced to regular)

11. COLLEGE BOUND GPA SAT / ACT TESTS DUAL CREDIT CLASSES AP COURSES

12. GPA – Grade Point Average Students will receive a GPA and class rank when they are a junior during the second semester. Seniors will receive updates twice a year. The GPA is calculated by using grades from 9 th grade and up. High school credits earned in 8 th grade will not be figured into the GPA. Students who are ranked in the top 8% are eligible for automatic admission in to 4 year public universities and colleges in Texas and may be eligible for additional scholarships under the Texas Grant Program.

13. SAT / ACT TESTS Students planning to attend a 4 year University directly after high school must take the SAT or ACT. The recommendation is that they start the spring of their junior year. We offer preparatory classes and the PSAT is given in October of every year. The PSAT is for students in grades 9-11. The following websites are very useful: www.collegeboard.org www.actstudent.org

14. DUAL CREDIT Dual Credit classes are offered most economically through LoneStar Kingwood for students who are in the 11 th or 12 th grade. The eligibility for dual credit is based on the scores from the EOC tests in 10 th grade, the PSAT test, or the TSIA. ADVANCED PLACEMENT We offer some classes are Pre-AP and AP meaning “Pre- Advanced Placement” or “Advanced Placement. These classes require considerably more homework and independent reading assignments. Some courses require summer work to completed and submitted via the internet. If you’ve selected this type of course, you will receive more information in late May.

15. What if…? I need to eliminate something…  I wouldn’t recommend eliminating PE; no 17 year old wants to change clothes with a bunch of 14 year old freshmen.  I wouldn’t eliminate Spanish if you want to graduate on Distinguished Achievement Plan. Many DAP students take Spanish all 4 years. I want to be in BAND & ATHLETICS…  NO PROBLEM! I want to graduate early…  You will need to make an appointment with your counselor at the beginning of your 10 th grade year.

16. What if…? I receive special education services…  You can choose electives, but your core classes may be determined by an ARD committee, in which case, a counselor will be working individually with you and your counselor.  Your paperwork will be transferred to this campus, as all other students are, and your services will continue here at the high school. I want to take classes not offered at THS…  At this time there are very few options for students to gain credits for high school outside of THS. Make an appointment with your counselor to learn more about this. Options are costly, usually $300 a piece.

17. SPORTS & ORGANIZATIONS Athletic Sports Baseball Basketball Cheerleading Cross Country Football Golf Softball Power Lifting Tennis Track Volleyball Organizations BETA Club Drama & Thespian Society Fellowship of Christian Athletes FFA HOSA: Health Occupation Student Organization Motor Sports Club SkillsUSA Student Council Student Trainers Organization UIL * Please note: Some organizations and ALL athletics have academic requirements.

18. AREA OF INTERESTCONTACT ATHLETICSB Carpenter ARTR Mills BANDJ Parma DRAMAR Lakavage ENGLISHC Williams MATHT Blackmon SCIENCEK Hewitt SOCIAL STUDIESD LaBar SPECIAL EDUCATIOND Angerstein

19. Questions? Important Dates To Remember March 6, 2015 ALL schedule request forms need to be turned in!