AHS TRANSITION SMS Class of 2017 AHS Transition and Registration

Important Dates Teachers make recommendations for next year’s core classes: December 12 - January 6 AHS Curriculum Expo: January 4th, 2017 @ 6:00 PM Parent Portal open for parent / student requests from January 9th – January 20th. CATEC trip: January 13th, 2017 Parent meetings: January 25th – mid March. MESA, Health and Medical Science Academy, AVID, ESA and Leadership applications due January 27th . Summer Health and PE due in March. SMS trip to AHS: March 28th @ 9:30 AM Denial of Credit Letters due by June 23rd.

All dates can be found on the ACADEMY DATES ESA Open House - December 7th 2016 from 5:30 - 7:00 PM HMSA Open House - December 7th 2016 from 6:00 - 7:00 PM MESA Open House – December 8th @ AHS. 5:00 – 7:00 PM All dates can be found on the SMS Counseling site

Credits and Verified Credits A credit is awarded for a course taken and passed (a final grade of D- or better). A credit becomes verified by passing the course’s SOL test with a score of 400 or better. This is known as a verified credit. For an ADVANCED DIPLOMA, students must get 9 verified credits. For a STANDARD DIPLOMA, students must get 6 verified credits.

STANDARD DIPLOMA Discipline Area Credits Required Verified Credits Required English 4 2 Math 3 1 Science History Health/PE --- Fine Arts / CTE / World Language Economics or Personal Finance Electives 4 (2 credits must be sequential) Student Selected Test TOTAL: 22 6

Verified Credits Required Advanced Diploma Discipline Area Credits Required Verified Credits Required English 4 2 Math Science History World Language 3 or 4 --- Health/PE Fine Arts / CTE 1 Economics or Personal Finance Electives 3 ---- Student Selected Test TOTAL: 26 9

AHS SCHEDULE 4 BLOCKS of class each day. Classes are approximately 88 minutes. All core classes are year-long on a Red Day/Blue Day schedule. Year I Foreign Languages are year-long. Year II and III could be semester-based or year-long. Students can opt for a study hall.

AHS SCHEDULE Single - Block classes: Classes that are taught all year, every other day. The majority of classes for Freshmen are single-blocked. Double - Blocked classes: Classes that are taught all year and meet every day. Standard Language Arts Algebra I World Language II/III in the same year (ex. Spanish II semester one and Spanish III semester two)

RED DAY BLUE DAY MESA English 9 World History I Spanish II / Spanish III PE/Health Band (1 elective) RED DAY BLUE DAY English 9 Advanced Geometry World History I Earth Science Spanish II Elective # 1 PE/Health Elective # 2 RED DAY BLUE DAY Algebra I Elective # 1 World History I English 9 Earth Science Health/PE

Arts and Letters Pathway AHS now offers students a new “Arts and Letters Pathway.” This pathway will permit students to choose among eight areas of concentration and, in addition to course study, students will participate in internships, community service, and a capstone project in their senior year. The seven areas of concentration that will comprise the Pathway will include art, ceramics, photography, band, orchestra, choral, creative writing, STEM, and theater. Students wanting to complete a Pathway will be able to enter the program during their freshman or sophomore years. Students, however, do not have to be completing a pathway to enroll in a Fine Arts course.

AHS LUNCH 4 Lunch Shifts – 25 mins. Lunch periods are 2nd Block. Mixed student population from every grade level (9-12). Lunch shift assignments are made by classroom and when you eat depends on where you are located during the lunch period. AHS also does “Long Lunch” on certain days. The building is open during this time for tutoring, extra help, etc.

9th Grade Electives Look at the Career Pathways information in your AHS Program of Studies for elective ideas. The Program of Studies is found online. Complete your tentative 4-year plan through Naviance. Select electives thoughtfully – there are now 50 electives open to 9th graders. This will all be done on PowerSchool starting January 20th.

Student Attendance You must attend classes daily. 3 tardies count as one full period absence. 3 early dismissals count as one full absence. 5 absences in a class = NO CREDIT, regardless of your grade. Even if you miss for “excused” reasons.

HOMEWORK HOMEWORK COUNTS!!! If you want to pass a class you MUST complete all of your homework. DEADLINES matter and many teachers will not take late work for full credit. GET ORGANIZED: plan and prioritize your work. Use your time effectively.

Athletics All freshman are eligible to participate in fall sports. To participate in the spring semester and beyond, you must be taking at least 5 credits and must have passed 5 classes the previous year. Pick up your physical form in the spring. A doctor must sign off on your physical.

HMSA: E-1 MESA: E-3/E-4 Team 21: A-1 AVID: A-11 Gifted Services: A-10 From 6:30 – 7:00 PM, the following programs will be here to answer questions: HMSA: E-1 MESA: E-3/E-4 Team 21: A-1 AVID: A-11 Gifted Services: A-10 AHS Counselors: A-3