Rising 9^th Grade

Registration & Parent Information Session

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Agenda

• Transition Adjustments
• Graduation Requirements
• Promotion Requirements
• Course Levels
• GPA/Class Rank
• Athletic Eligibility
• Attendance

Transition Adjustments

• Start time is 7:15
• End time is 2:15
• Tutoring is available
• Core courses move at a quicker pace
• Most core courses are a semester class, not year long
• 90 minute courses, 4 blocks (4x4 schedule)
• A/B-day courses (year-long courses, meet every other day)
• Balance school and outside activities
• Utilize time management skills

Prepare for High School

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• Ask for help when struggling in current courses!
• Make arrangements for tutoring with teachers
• Arrange for Parent-Teacher Conference
• Discuss class recommendations with current teachers Meet with counselor to
• discuss concerns
• We are here to support you!
• Teachers, administration, counselors, social workers, BMT’s, etc.
• Tutoring is available
• Communities in Schools
• Get Involved
• Join a club
• Start an extracurricular activity

Graduation Requirements: 24 total credits

Promotion Requirements

• High school credits earned in middle school do NOT count towards promotion
• Students should only be promoted at the end of the semester, upon completing required courses & credits to be reclassified to the next level

Course Levels

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• Students should take courses that challenge them.

• Students should strive to take higher-level courses in subjects that interest them, and that they have a good skill-set for.

• Be sure to balance academic workload with other activities (sports, job, clubs, etc.)

Standard Curriculum

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• Basic, required curriculum

• May be taken in conjunction with foundations classes

Honors

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• More reading & writing

• Moves at a faster pace

• For motivated students with good reading comprehension

• Required to work independently in/out of class

Advanced Placement (AP)

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• Taught on college level

• For motivated, self-disciplined students

• Require MORE effort & time than honors level

• Students should exercise critical thinking, problem-solving, & fluent writing skills

GPA/Quality Points

• PLTW courses are weighted at either Honors or Advanced, depending on course.
• Most colleges will look at unweighted GPA when considering admissions.

Athletic Eligibility

All Freshmen are initially eligible for all sports. However, beginning with 2^nd semester of their freshman year, students must meet the following:

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• Pass 3 out of 4 classes in previous semester
• Must be promoted at the end of the school year
• Must earn a 2.0 SEMESTER GPA in previous semester
• Must attend minimum of ½ school day to participate that day
• Cannot be convicted of a felony
• Current NCSHAA physical form dated within 365 days

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Sports Start Date: (Dates are approximate)

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• Fall Sports: Aug 1
• Winter Sports: Oct 30
• Spring Sports: Feb 12

Registration Process

• Schedule Requests
• Course Offerings
• Timeline

Course Registration

• Registration is only a request; it does not mean that these will be the classes assigned.
• Choosing alternate courses are important because you may receive them as a primary course. Do not choose the same courses for primary and alternate.
• Teacher recommendations should be followed with few exceptions. Students opting to choose higher-level courses will be required to sign a waiver.
• Pay attention to prerequisites and requirements associated with courses. Some courses have fees, time commitments, be year long, etc.

Course Qualifiers

• Courses for specific grade levels
• Courses with prerequisites
• CMS High School Planning Guide
• Chambers High School Course Registration Website
• Teacher Recommendations

9^th Grade Core Classes

• Course levels are determined by middle school teacher recommendations
• Students do not necessarily need foundations classes; this will be determined based on individual student needs, some students may fall across 2 categories, depending on their individual strengths/weaknesses.

Health & Physical Education

• All freshman are enrolled in Health and PE
• This is the only Health & PE course required for graduation
• This course is a prerequisite to other PE courses

World Languages

• Only 2nd level World Language classes are offered to freshmen who have completed the 1st level in middle school.
• 1st level will be available 10th grade year
• World Language courses are not required for high school graduation
• Two consecutive levels of a world language are required for entrance into a four-year university
• Most colleges/universities like to see rigor in world language senior year

Career & Technical Education �(CTE) Electives

• Students are expected to continue within a pathway throughout their high school career, allowing them to earn industry certifications for post-high school career plans.
• Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses receive either Honors or AP quality points; many courses allow students to earn college credit.

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• CTE class sizes are often limited in size due to the number of computers/equipment per class.
• Classes within each pathway must be taken in sequence
• Students may take classes in more than one pathway

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Career & Technical Education �

Game Art Design

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• Game Art Design
• Digital Design & Animation
• 3D Modeling
• Unity 3D Programming

Other Academic Electives

• AVID I (yearlong)
• Band (yearlong)
• Chorus (yearlong)
• Creative Writing
• Music Theory (yearlong)
• Orchestra (yearlong)
• ROTC 1
• Technical Theatre
• Theatre Arts
• Yearbook

AVID:

Advancement Via Individual Determination

• Is a college readiness system to increase the number of students who enroll and persist in 4-year colleges and universities
• Students will learn organizational and study skills
• Work on critical thinking and asking probing questions
• Participate in enrichment and motivational activities

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Eligibility Requirements:

• Demonstrate potential, desire, and determination to attend college
• Application requirement may be set forth by AVID teacher

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Teacher Course Recommendations

• Core teachers will make student course recommendations. If the student/parent disagrees with the recommendation & wish to take a higher-level course, the student/parent will be asked to sign an academic waiver acknowledging the teacher/counselor’s academic concerns.

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• Student schedules will reflect teacher recommendations until the academic waiver is returned.

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Schedule Changes

• The registration process is one of the most important functions that a student performs each year. It determines the courses the school will offer, development of student schedule, and how the school allocates staff.
• Schedule changes will only be used for scheduling errors, such as:
• Student already received credit for course
• Course needing a prerequisite/out of order
• Graduation requirement missing
• Courses cannot be dropped after the first 10 days of school.
• Schedule changes are not approved for teacher or period preference.

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International

Cambridge Program

Julius L. Chambers

Why Cambridge?

As a part of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, the Cambridge International Program is the largest assessment and curriculum provider in the world. It is used in 160 countries, 0ver 10,000 schools, and over 40 different countries work with Cambridge to develop their educational systems. It’s credits are recognized around the globe as proof of educational accomplishment.

What is Cambridge?

Who Qualifies

• Students that have a C average or above
• Students that score a level 3 or above on End-of-Grade Assessments
• Students that are ready to write and critically think
• Students that are willing to take ownership of their learning

What are Cambridge classes?

Cambridge IGCSE:

Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education

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Cambridge AICE (AS/A levels):

Cambridge Advanced International Certification of Education

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9th Grade Courses

These are the Cambridge Courses that a 9th grader on the diploma track may take:

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• IGCSE English I*
• IGCSE English II
• IGCSE Math 2* or
• IGCSE Math 3*
• IGCSE Biology*
• IGCSE Chemistry

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IGCSE courses are “Honors” classes that students take to prepare them for advanced Cambridge courses.

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*2 years of a foreign language is required for admissions to a university or 4-year college. We recommend 3 or more years of a foreign language to remain competitive in the admissions process.

What are the Benefits of AICE?

• Prepares students with up to 30 hours of college credit.
• Allows students more flexibility to pick and choose what courses they want than other programs.
• Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level exams count for one credit and Advanced (A) Level exams count for two credits towards the Cambridge International Diploma.
• AS courses usually earn 3 credit hours for a non lab course and 4 credits for a lab course, while A courses usually earn 6 credit hours for a non lab course and 8 for lab courses.

In Summary

• IGCSE and Honors Courses are recommended for 9th graders

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• Courses taken during the 9th grade year are designed to help families decide whether the diploma track is a good fit

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• IGCSE and Honors Courses help prepare students for the rigors of the AS/A level courses

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• Only AS/A level courses count towards the diploma and cannot be taken until 10th grade

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For More Information Contact

Stephanie Kelso: Cambridge Coordinator- stephanie.kelso@cms.k12.nc.us

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Sabrina Barnes Chambers’ Cambridge Coordinator

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Dellicia Carthens: Assistant Principal- delliciaa.carthens@cms.k12.nc.us

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SigN-UP Here

Registration Process

Next Steps

• Students received course information from middle school counselors
• March 18-22: Students meet with counselors to request courses
• Students who are absent have requests assigned by a counselor
• August: Students will be given their schedule
• Questions about student placement should be directed to your assigned counselor
• Visit Chambers Registration website for more information about specific courses & programs!
• Open House TBD in August

Selecting Primary Courses & Alternates

Select 8 Primary Courses

• Include core courses & electives
• 1 English
• 1 Social Studies
• 1 Science
• 1 Math
• Health/PE
• 3 Electives

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Select 4 Alternate Courses

• Alternates cannot include primary selections
• Students should only select alternates that interest them. They may receive their alternate choices!

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Tips and Considerations

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• Select courses based on strengths/weaknesses & interests
• Core courses may be adjusted based on EOG/final grade performance

***All students should request a full schedule

***If students choose to take a primary yearlong course, they must also choose a second yearlong course AND 2 year long alternates

Course Requests Example

Not sure of what to choose?

• Think about goals for after graduation (career interests)
• Reference the High School Planning Handbook
• Reference the Counselor Corner Website, Registration Website
• Research your intended career/college program
• Your counselor will help you, fill out your Registration Card to the best of your ability and come with questions to ask!

Thank you!

JC Mini Course RegistraTion Guide

JC Mini Course Guide

Graduation Checklist