1. Boerne Middle School South 2015-2016 6 th Grade Parent Night Pre-Registration Information For incoming 7 th Grade

2. REGISTRATION DATES  Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary – February 23 rd  Kendall Elementary – February 13 th  Cibolo Creek Elementary – February 20 th  Curington Elementary- February 24 th Counselors will visit with students for pre-registration. Students will bring their course card home. Please highlight requested courses  Deadline to return course cards to counselor:  FORES- March 2 nd  KES - Feb 20 th  CCES – February 27 th  CES- March 2 nd Sign the back if they are enrolling in Pre-AP courses.

3.  Parents/students will receive a confirmation letter of course requests through the mail in Mid-April  Corrections to choices must be returned to the elementary school no later than April 30th. Only return them to school if changes need to be made.  No elective changes after June 4, 2015  After school starts: Level changes (Pre-AP to regular) will ONLY be considered on an academic need basis between the 4 th and 6 th week of school and at the end of the 1st semester.  ABSOLUTELY NO Regular to Pre-AP moves after the first day of school. IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION

4. REQUIRED COURSES 6 TH GRADE7 th GRADE8 th GRADE Language Arts – English Language Arts - English Language Arts – Reading Language Arts - Reading Math - 6 Math - 7Math- 8 Science – 6 Science – 7Science - 8 Social Studies (Contemporary World Cultures) Social Studies (Texas History) Social Studies (U.S. History) Physical Education (full year) Physical Education or Athletics Physical Education or Athletics (½ year) Technology Applications 1 (½ year) Technology Applications 2 Grade 7 or 8 (½ year) A Fine Arts course is required; students generally satisfy this requirement as a 6 th grade elective Elective courses to fill 8 periods Elective courses to fill 8 periods Elective courses to fill 8 periods REQUIRED COURSES PER GRADE LEVEL

5. ELECTIVE CHOICES  String Orchestra  Band * New policy- 7 th & 8 th graders can register for band 1 and orchestra 1  Choir  G/T Independent Study  Creative Writing  Tech Apps 1  Art 1  Theater Arts 1  Technical Theatre  Student Leadership  Keyboarding  Personal Focus  Consumer Focus  Exploring Careers  STEM I  Robotics  Newspaper  Spanish Language Appreciation SEMESTERFULL YEAR

6. THINGS TO CONSIDER:  BISD provides middle school students a well- balanced, rigorous curriculum that meets and exceeds the requirements set forth by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).  Courses are designated in various ways to meet the skills and interests of students and are offered as Academic and Pre-AP  A course of study may be a combination of courses with different designations.  The student, parent, and school will work together to determine the best combination of each learner.

7. PRE-AP COURSES  Designed to challenge motivated students and prepare them for success in future advanced-level coursework.  Incorporate the subject-specific activities a student will see later in a related high school Advanced Placement course.  Move at a faster pace, are more academically challenging, and require more independent learning and homework.

8. PERSONAL & ACADEMIC CHARACTERISTICS  Personal characteristics:  Reads on or above grade level  Strong study skills and self-motivation  Proficient oral and written communication skills  Self-discipline to plan, organize, and carry out tasks to completion  Interest and self-directedness in a particular subject  Academic characteristics:  Successful completion of prerequisite coursework  Grade of 90 or higher in the previous content-related course  Grade of 80 or higher in the previous Pre-AP content- related course.  Level II scores on most recent course-related STAAR Assessment

9. PLEASE CONSIDER BEFORE ENROLLING IN PRE-AP  A substantial amount of work outside class is required for successfully completing a Pre- AP course;  The total number of challenging classes being considered;  The interest and self-discipline of the student;  Grades earned in Pre-AP classes may be lower than grades made in previous general courses of the same subject.  The amount of time required for the extra curricular activities in which your child is involved

10. LANGUAGE ARTS: ENGLISH & READING  English Language Arts Grade 7 :  English 7 students master previously learned skills. Along with developing research and language skills, students select and use different forms of writing. Students vary sentence structure and appropriately use verb tenses such as present, past, future, and progressive. Students edit their writing based on their knowledge of grammar and usage, spelling, and punctuation to produce final, error-free pieces of written composition. One major work will be read each quarter.

11. LANGUAGE ARTS: ENGLISH 7 CONT’D  Pre-AP English Language Arts 7: PreAP English 7 is an intensive study of grammar, writing, and vocabulary. Students learn to identify and use the complex grammatical structures necessary in developing their writing and literary analysis skills. Writing emphasis is placed on developing well-elaborated, multi- paragraph expository compositions. Vocabulary acquisition is stressed to build the language assessment skills needed for effective textual analysis and well-written, concise compositions. One major work will be read each quarter that supports elements of the AP English Language and AP English Literature exams. Students should be self-motivated and have the time and ability to complete out-of-class assignments.

12. READING 7  Reading 7 students refine and master previously learned skills by reading from a variety of texts. Emphasis is on deepening comprehension, understanding vocabulary and making connections across texts. Students will continue to study fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama in an interactive environment.

13. PRE-AP READING 7  PreAP Reading 7 students become skilled in reading a variety of literary forms and responding to the literature in various forms. Students develop analysis skills to interpret different styles of fiction and nonfiction writing. Through the use of vocabulary study and the study of literary elements, students gain insight into the social and historical significance of reading selections. The pace of this PreAP course is accelerated and requires student to perform more independently in a rigorous academic environment.

14. BISD MATH PATHWAYS

15. BLOCK SCHEDULE: A/B DAY ROTATION A/B day schedule 1st /5th period 8:45-10:14  2nd/6th 10:18-11:47  Study hall 11:51-12:21  7th lunch 12:24-12:54  3rd/7th 12:58-2:27  4th/8th 2:31-4:00

16. STUDENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS  Study hall  Before lunch every day  Same teacher and same students through Fall semester  Character lessons  Time to get organized (check agenda)  Time to get homework done  If absent may possibly use to make-up missing lab, quiz, test, etc.  Enrichment and Intervention time

17. ADDITIONAL STUDENT SUPPORT  Tutoring In the Library  Monday-Thursday  8:05 am to 8:35 am  Teacher from Math, Science, Social Studies, English and Reading available.

18. HOW CAN I SUPPORT MY CHILD?  Create a Parent Portal Account  The Parent Portal ID stays the same.  Get your Parent Portal ID from your Elementary School.  Set Grade and Attendance Alerts on the Parent Portal

19. WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY CHILD’S GRADES?  The classroom teacher is the BEST SOURCE of information regarding your child’s performance in that class.  You will communicate with 8 different teachers.  Through email and/or parent portal  Most teachers communicate through Remind 101 and/or teacher websites.

20. TEACH INDEPENDENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY  Use the Agenda  It is a communication tool between the teacher and parent.  Write down assignments for every class  Check your child’s agenda every night  Study hall teacher will check agenda every day.

22. Pre AP agreement – parent signature required

23. SUMMER SCHOOL  Technology Applications 1  Fabra Elementary School  June 9-12, 15-19, 22-26, 29-July 2  8:00-11:00 a.m. Monday-Friday  $110/student and minimum of 20 students  Replace with another elective  Registration forms available in April  Due Friday, May 8

24. CREDIT BY EXAM  Technology Applications 1 (May 2, June 9-10)  Reading 7 (June 9-10)  Must score at least an 80 to receive credit.  Replace with another 7 th Grade elective  Still responsible to take and pass the 7 th Grade Reading STAAR.

25. CREDIT BY EXAM

26. Boerne Middle School South CHARGER CAMP Thursday, April 28th 2015 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Incoming 7 th graders & your parents Join us as we unravel the mysteries of Middle School! Boerne Middle School South CHARGER CAMP Thursday, April 28th 2015 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Incoming 7 th graders & your parents Join us as we unravel the mysteries of Middle School!

27. CONTACT INFORMATION Celia Collard (A-K), Counselor 357-3307 Kim Berny (L-Z), Counselor 357-3308 Holly Taylor, Registrar (A-Z) 357-3302 Email – celia.collard@boerne-isd.netcelia.collard@boerne-isd.net kimberly.berny@boerne-isd.net holly.taylor@boerne-isd.net