1. Ocean Springs High School
8th Grade Course Selection Presentation

2. OSHS Administrators Dr. Vickie Tiblier, Principal Dr. Carla McCaleb,
Asst. Principal
Students A-G
Mr. Justin Sutton,
Asst. Principal
Students H-O
Mr. Jacob Dykes,
Asst. Principal
Students P-Z

3. Administration, Continued
Mrs. Tiffany Hodge
Director of Career/Technical Education
Mrs. Melissa Arnold
Testing Coordinator/504/ELL

4. School Counselors Ms. Bobbie Jones A-D Mrs. Katie Bailey E-K
Mr. Jason Diaz
L-R
Mrs. Karen Gifford
S-Z
Mrs. Julie Milanese
CTE Counselor

5. Types of Classes Offered
Regular – requires an average amount of work and has a moderate level of difficulty; all regular coursework meets college prep requirements
Honors – these courses are taught on an accelerated level; they are rigorous and will prepare students for AP and IB courses
Advanced Placement – it is the most rigorous option for an incoming 9th grader
Dual Credit- available to grades 11 and 12; college classes taught on our campus through MGCCC; both college and high school credit awarded upon successful completion of the course
IB- available to grades 11 and 12; an entire program of courses; students should be on the honors path in 9 and 10; the most rigorous program available at OSHS

6. New to OSHS in 2017 AP Capstone Program
AP Seminar (& score 3+ on AP Seminar exam)
AP Research (& score 3+ on AP Research exam) (live )
4 additional qualifying AP courses/ scores of student’s choice(score determined by state)
Total of 6 courses/ scores
Success of all the above will receive an AP Capstone Diploma

7. Block Schedule OSHS operates on a 4 x 4 block schedule
All 9th grade classes meet every day
You will have four classes (blocks) per day
Most classes will last either a semester or a nine weeks

8. Greyhound Guide
The Greyhound Guide can be found on the high school website (Counselor’s Corner)
It includes:
Course descriptions and prerequisites
Graduation requirements
Requirements to enter a four year university in Mississippi

10. Course Request Options
Next we’ll take a look at your course request options in each of the core areas and elective options.
Remember that these are requests and not your actual schedule for next year. We’ll take these requests and use them to create your schedule.
All prerequisite grades will be based on the average of the first 3 quarters for the course.

11. Course Request Options, Continued
Some classes are required in the 9th grade year (example – You must take a math)
Others may be requirements for graduation, but they can be pushed back to 10th grade if there isn’t enough room. (example – Contemporary Health is a graduation requirement, but you can push it back to 10th grade or later if there is not enough room in grade 9)
Make sure to think about your requests and choose wisely. When you list a class on your course requests, you are committing to taking that course (Schedule changes are not permitted.)

13. Grade 9 Required Courses
9th graders must sign up for Freshman Focus and STEM
Note: JROTC fulfills the requirement for Freshman Focus.
Go to the link below to request a ½ credit alternate course that you would like to substitute for Freshman Focus by 3/13 (Monday). We will do our best to substitute your request you list, but we cannot guarantee it.

14. English Options English 1 Honors English 1 Prerequisites:
A in 8th grade English
B in 8th grade Honors English

15. Math Options You must choose at least one math course.
Algebra 1 Companion S1/ Alg 1 S2 (year long Algebra 1)
Algebra 1 (semester long Algebra 1)
80% or higher in 8th grade math
Geometry
Completion of Algebra 1
Honors Geometry
80%+ in Algebra 1
Algebra 2
Honors Algebra 2
If room allows, a student can choose 2 math classes (ex: Geometry and Algebra 2)

16. Science Options You must only choose one science course.
Introduction to Biology
Biology 1
Prerequisites:
Semester Algebra I OR
90 in 8th grade science OR
Honors 8th grade science
Honors Biology
Algebra 1 in the 8th grade AND
90 in 8th grade science OR Honors 8th grade science

17. Social Studies
Problems in American Democracy (required for those with less than an 80 in 8th grade MS Studies)
World Geography (if not taken or failed in grade 8)
Mississippi Studies (if not taken or failed in grade 8)
AP Human Geography
The Social Studies Department recommends that students take World Geography prior to this course

18. 9th Grade Other
Contemporary Health is a class that is required for graduation
If health will not fit in your 9th grade course requests, you will need to take it later on.
Students taking JROTC I and II do not need to sign up for Contemporary Health, Freshman Focus, or PE
JROTC I and II will substitute for the health graduation requirement
Please note- If you do not meet the prerequisites for a course, we will adjust your requests to reflect this. Prerequisite grades will be based on quarter 3 averages.

19. Athletics, Cheer, & Dance
If you will play football, sign up for:
7532 AdvTrFootballGr9 Q1
7533 AdvTrFootballGr9 Q 2
7536 AdvTrGr9 Q3
7537 AdvTrGr9 Q4
Advanced Training Grade 9 (Q3 and Q4)
This is a conditioning class for any student athlete
If you will be a Cheerleader, sign up for only one:
7543 AdvTrCheer Q1 Non-Competition Cheer
7523 AdvTrCheer S1 For Competition Cheer
If you will be on the Dance Team, sign up for:
6122 PA Special Dance

20. Alternates
There may be a chance that one of your primary requests will not work in your schedule.
Alternates are substituted if one of your primary requests won’t work in your schedule.
Students should choose alternates that they would be happy taking.
If you choose a class as a primary request, do not list it again as an alternate.
Listing the same classes in both the primary and alternate sections does not increase your chances of getting in the class.
Do not list a class that you already passed as an alternate (example: MS Studies, Spanish I, etc.)

22. Graduation Plan Progress Screen

24. What if I need additional help?
Review course descriptions in the Greyhound Guide
Ask questions at the end of this presentation
Come to the parent meeting tonight at the OSHS auditorium at 6:00

25. OSHS Counseling Assignments
Ms. Bobbie Jones (A-D)
Mrs. Katie Bailey (E-K)
Mr. Jason Diaz (L-R)
Mrs. Karen Gifford (S-Z)
Mrs. Julie Milanese (CTE)
Counseling assignments may be adjusted in school year.

26. Stay updated by following us!
@oshscounselors