1. Hunterdon Central Regional High School 8 th Grade Program of Studies & Freshman Course Selection Orientation

2. Your 4-Year academic experience is a journey. Make sure you think about your destination and work backwards. Use the Program of Studies online as a guide. – http://www.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/academics/program- of-studies/index.aspx Your High School Experience!

3. “NJASK8” Take the 8th Grade “NJASK8” seriously! Placement in 9 th grade Your ultimate goal See online program of studies for High School Graduation Requirements. Minimum Requirements for Graduation

4. Take the most challenging course load that you can handle without creating too much stress. Trust your teacher’s recommendations Balance your life- academically, socially, emotionally Check “Prerequisites”, “Grade Level” and pay attention to “Recommendations” listed in course descriptions. (Shown on next slide) Refer to quick link on HCRHS website labeled “Freshman Electives”. Scheduling Guidelines

5. Example

6. An important guide for your initial course selections is the Teacher Recommendation Form. If you have concerns about the recommended placement, talk with your teacher and parents. Parents can override a recommendation but please think carefully about what is right for you. Choose wisely. – If you override, move up a level, and are struggling please note that you may not be able to move back down. Level changes depend on the number of open seats. Please note that students selecting a Math, Science, English or Social Studies honors course will be required to take a departmental placement test this spring. – Please note that summer work is a requirement for all Honors and AP courses More Scheduling Guidelines

7. Course #Course NameMid Year Recommendation (Teacher Initial) Override (Parent Initial) 011Honors English I 012English I 014Freshman Humanities If recommended for 012 you may choose 014 If choosing 014 rather than 012 initial here S019English I Teacher Recommendation Form

8. Health & Physical Education are scheduled automatically. You must select “Alternates” for each elective choice. – Electives are courses you can choose once you have fulfilled your requirements for that year. Remember, every course you take and every final grade you receive will be on your permanent record (transcript). Scheduling Guidelines

10. Course #Course Name# of creditsAlt. Course #Alternate Course Name # of credits I will participate in Marching Band for Credit Electives and Alternates (In Order of Preference)

11. At HCRHS important information can be accessed by students and their parents/guardians - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ASPEN can be used for: – online class scheduling – to view schedule – interim report/report cards (these are no longer mailed) – graduation requirements – student transcript – student progress/ grades Access to ASPEN is private and password protected - a unique log-in name and password will be assigned to each student. The password assigned is confidential; it should not be shared. ASPEN

12. Beginning on February 11th, course requests can be entered using ASPEN. For current 8 th grade students, HCRHS online course selection will be open between 8:00 a.m. February 25th and 11:59 p.m. March 1st. You must complete your course selections online within this time frame. ASPEN can be accessed at: – https://nj-hcrhs.myfollett.com/aspen/home.do To access ASPEN via Hunterdon Central's website - click on quicklinks in the top right hand corner and then click on ASPEN. Scheduling with ASPEN

14. In order to access ASPEN, you will receive an exclusive User Name and Password. KEEP IT SECURE!!!! You will be receiving ASPEN user name and instructions at the end of January. They will be mailed home. ASPEN Logins

15. It makes no difference if you select courses first or last during the 2/25 to 3/1 time frame. However, if you fail to input courses during this time frame, you will be assigned a lower scheduling priority. This will affect your ability to enroll in courses that you want. Selecting Courses

16. When selecting some courses such as… 332- Algebra 2 221- French 2 222 – Spanish 2 Remember to select the Grade 9 option! *Only schedule these more rigorous courses if you have been recommended to do so! Freshman Only!

17. At the end of the course listing, please find a list of Hunterdon Central sports identified with the prefix “XTR”. Please check off any sports that you may be interested in participating in. This information will be provided to our coaches. Athletics

18. Students have the option to take courses outside of HCRHS for high school credit. – Online course, RVCC, Other college coursework Courses must be approved prior to registering for the course. If you are considering “Outside” Course Work this summer, please read the Alternate Credit Information on the Counseling website: http://www.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/campus-life/counseling/index.aspx Applications must be received at the H.S. prior to May 15. Alternate Credit Information

19. Grade Scale

20. ENGLISH – 5 Credits PHYS ED/ HEALTH – 5 Credits US HISTORY I – 5 Credits MATHEMATICS – 5/7.5 Credits SCIENCE – 5 Credits WORLD LANGUAGE – 5 Credits ELECTIVES – 7.5/10 credits Students selecting Marching Band may have 42.5 total credits Typical Freshman Schedule (40 credits)

21. SEMESTER ONESEMESTER TWO Quarter 1 (Sept.- Nov.) Quarter 2 (Nov.- Jan.) Quarter 3 (Jan.- Apr.) Quarter 4 (Apr.- June) Block 1 Math US History I Block 2 Phys Ed World Language Block 3 English Science Block 4 Art I* Interior Design*Computer Applications* Typical Block Schedule * = Sample electives

22. Questions and comments