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Rising 7th & 8th Grade

Course Registration

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2

briefly review required yearly middle school courses,
identify middle school courses available to students,
review what course requests and alternates students will select with their parent/guardian.

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English Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Physical Education
Health
Fine Arts

7th Grade

CTE Financial Literacy

8th Grade

CTE Careers

Mandatory Yearly

7th & 8th Grade Courses

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Credit for High School Courses Taken in Middle School

Per Policy 8020:

Course grades will be recorded on the high school transcript.
Course grades will not be calculated into the high school GPA.
Any middle school student enrolled in a high school level course who withdraws after the published withdrawal date will receive a “W” on their high school transcript.
A student needs to pass at least two quarters and at least one quarter in each semester or both quarters of Semester 2 of a full-year course in order to pass the course.

Student’s have an opportunity to take High School Credit Courses in Middle School.

Any high school course listed in the Middle School Course Catalog is eligible for high school credit and will be treated as an equivalent. For high school courses taught in middle school, the mid-term assessment will be included in the second quarter grade and the final assessment will be included in the fourth quarter grade.

Per Policy 8020:

Course grades will be recorded on the high school transcript.
Course grades will not be calculated into the high school GPA.
Any middle school student enrolled in a high school level course who withdraws after the published withdrawal date will receive a “W” on their high school transcript.
A student needs to pass at least two quarters and at least one quarter in each semester or both quarters of Semester 2 of a full-year course in order to pass the course.

Please review Policy 8020 for additional information.

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Credit for High School Courses Taken in Middle School

High School Courses Offered in Middle School 2024-2025:

ESOL - English Language Development 1 & 2
Mathematics - Algebra I, Algebra I GT, Geometry G/T
Technology Education - Exploring Computer Science & Foundations of Technology
World Language - Spanish I/ II, French I/II, and Chinese I/II (as available)

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Course Request Options for

Rising 7th & 8th Grade Students

You will select at least one

fine arts course and one elective course.

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Fine Arts Course Options

In HCPSS Connect, you will choose at least one full year Fine Arts Course Request.

Band
Chorus
Dance
General Music
Orchestra
Theatre Arts
Visual Arts Studio

Note that these are course requests and placement is not guaranteed.

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Band, Chorus & Orchestra

Enroll in Band, Orchestra, Chorus if you:

Play a musical instrument or enjoy singing
Like to perform in front of others
Enjoy learning how to read music

While auditions are required for the top ensembles there is a spot for EVERY student in the band, chorus and orchestra programs!

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General Music I & II

Enroll in General Music if you:

Want to learn to play the guitar, keyboard, drums
Are interested in learning how to use music technology
Enjoy learning about various music genres and styles
Want to learn how to read and write music

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Visual Arts Studio A & B

Enroll in Studio Art if you:

Are a creative person?
Like to draw, paint, or learn about different art techniques such as print making or sculpture?

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Theatre Arts A & B

Enroll in Theater Arts if you:

Like to perform in front of others?
Want to use your imagination to create skits.
Enjoy collaborating with peers to create a production.

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Dance A & B

Enroll in Dance if you:

Enjoy moving and learning various dance genres.
Like to collaborate with peers to create dance routines.
Want to perform in front of others.

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Elective Course Options

In HCPSS Connect, in addition to the one full year Fine Arts Course Request, you will choose one additional request and two Alternate Course Requests.

You will choose between:

World Language (Chinese, French, Spanish)
Exploring Computer Science
Foundations of Technology
Readers & Writer’s Workshop
Fine Arts Class

Note that these are course requests and placement is not guaranteed.

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World Languages

Enroll in World Language if you:

Want to learn another language,
Options available to request are Chinese, French and Spanish
Have an interest in learning about another culture or geography.

Consider enrolling in a World Language if you want to learn a new language and have an interest in studying about another culture or geography. HCPSS offers courses in Spanish, French and Chinese.

Completing levels 1 and 2 of the same world language fulfills one of the completer programs for high school graduation.

Students that are planning on applying to a four-year college or university may be required by those postsecondary institutions to earn two credits of a World Language in high school which is in addition to credits completed in middle school.

Students who begin World Language in grade 7 will have the opportunity to take level 2 of the same world language in grade 8 and move on to level 3 in grade 9. We encourage families to explore postsecondary pathways to determine language requirements. Reach out to your school counselor with any questions.

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Career & Technical Education (CTE):

Exploring Computer Science

Enroll in Exploring Computer Science if you:

Enjoy using data to solve problems
Want to learn about design process, designing games, apps, web development, or robotics
Creating prototypes and testing designs

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Career & Technical Education (CTE):

Foundations of Technology

Enroll in Foundations of Technology if you:

Enjoy learning about inventions, innovations, and the role of marketing and advertising in engineer design
Want to learn more about energy & power, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture
Like to troubleshoot, process data and reverse engineer technologies to create prototypes

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Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop

Enroll in Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop if you:

Enjoy reading and writing
Want to learn about writing structure
Like to collaborate and engage in thoughtful discussions about texts

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Second Fine Arts Class

You may choose between:

Band
Chorus
Dance
General Music
Orchestra
Theatre Arts
Visual Arts Studio

Note that these are course requests and placement is not guaranteed.

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Additional 7th & 8th Grade Course Options

The following courses are recommended for students who may need additional academic supports.

Courses:

English Language Development Reading Seminar

Mathematics Seminar Special Education

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2023-2024 Course Registration

2/1/2024 - 2/14/2024: Course request window

Review teacher recommendations
Add your course requests
Add your alternates
Lock course requests

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Selecting Course Requests for 7th & 8th Grade

You will be selecting course requests with your parents in HCPSS Connect:

You will choose two Course Requests. Please note that one of these courses must meet the fine arts requirements.
Next you will choose two Alternate Course Requests.

* Note that these are course requests and placement is not guaranteed.

Note that these are course requests and placement is not guaranteed.

We have explored your fine arts and elective course options, let’s review how you make course requests.

Remember you will be selecting course requests in HCPSS Connect:

With your parents or guardians, you will choose two Selected Course Requests, one of these courses must meet the fine arts requirements.
Next, choose two Selected Alternate Course Requests.

As a reminder, placement in these course requests are not guaranteed.

Now let’s watch a video on how to add course requests and alternates.

Hello, this video reviews the process for students and parents in rising 6th to 8th grades to make course requests. You will select your course requests and alternates online through HCPSS Connect. Please note the following when making your course requests, use the Catalog of Approved Middle School Courses to review selections and prerequisites. If you do not have access to a computer or need assistance or you want to make changes after the deadline, please contact the counseling office at your school. You will log into HCPSS Connect as either the parent or the student. Both have permissions to enter requests. On the homepage, click on the course request link in the left panel, a page displays showing your course request as a result of the teacher recommendations. You may also see health/PE requests as they are required for all middle school students. Please note the announcement at the top for sixth grade students, your advised to choose one, of course request and two alternate requests. For 7th and 8th grade students, your advised to select two select course requests, one of which should be a fine arts request. You will also be asked to enter two alternate requests for all grade levels. To act click the click here to change course requests, but scroll down and you will see beyond your currently selected course requests, all courses that are available to you. Select the appropriate course request again, if you're a rising sixth grader, select only one course request, it will automatically be added to the top. If you are a 7th or 8th grader, make two selected course requests. One of which should be a fine art. If you want to remove a request, simply click the remove button. Also, all students should select two alternates. Click the add alternate button to add the alternate request. Here you will see your two alternates requests. You can click and drag them in your order of preference, the top alternate should be your highest priority. When you're done, scroll back to the top, and click, click here to return to course request summary requests are automatically saved when they are added to the list. If you've completed your course requests and you're ready to lock them click here to lock, the course requests. But please note, once you lock your course request, you will not be able to edit your request. You will need to get in contact with your school counselor to make any edits. Thank you for watching this video. If you have any questions, please contact the counselor at your child's school.

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Course Request Options for 7th & 8th Grade

You must select a fine arts course as one of your course requests.

Fine Arts Courses	Elective Courses
Band Chorus Dance A/B General Music I/II Orchestra Theatre Arts A/B Visual Arts Studio A/B	Chinese I/II French I/II Spanish I/II Exploring Computer Science Foundations of Technology Reader’s & Writer’s Workshop Second Fine Arts Course

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Course Placement Review Request

Ask your teacher about the course placement.
Balance: Be sure your schedule is balanced with rigor and enjoyment.
Challenge: Identify where you want to add challenge to your schedule.
Don't forget to factor in your outside activities and how much time you have to complete homework.
Every student needs to schedule a course load that allows them to get at least 8 hours of sleep.

https://www.hcpss.org/connect/guides/

Would you like to change a level for one of your classes? Here are the ABC’s to consider requesting a course placement review:

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How do I submit a Course Placement Review request?

Hello, this video reviews the process for parents and guardians to enter a course placement review form using HCPSS Connect. Teacher recommendations are based on multiple criteria. This online form is to request a course placement that is different from the recommendation. You will need to log into HCPSS connect using your parent login. Do not log in as the student. On the home page click more options in the left panel. Click course placement review link in the middle. This page will show you the recommendations that have been made for your child. You can change the child your viewing by selecting a different name in the dropdown off the top of the page, note the recommended course and the currently selected course in the course request column for the recommended course, select the preferred course and add a comment if necessary. Note that you cannot submit a request that is the same as the currently selected course, also note for level two world language recommendations, you could decline the recommended course by selecting the course and the course request column. This option is only available for a level two world language course. And if you choose to drop a level two language course, you'll be prompted with a message indicating that students are recommended to take two years of a world language, click OK to confirm that message and to return to the course placement request page. For each grade level, there are expectations that you should read. Click the expectations button to show the expectations for that child. Click next so you can close that window to return to the course request placement page. When you're ready to submit a course placement review, you'll be presented with four statements, read each statement and select yes to indicate that you have read and understand each statement, you will not be able to click next step until you select yes for each statement. Select the next step button, and you will be prompted to enter your parent’s signature, and the date in which you’re submitting a request. Hit request, and you will receive a pop up window stating that your requests have been submitted. You can change your request by selecting a different parent request and clicking submit again. You can also click on the request history to see your history of requests. Thank you for watching this video. If you have any questions, please reach out to the counselor at your child's school.

We hope this video helps you and your parent submit a course placement review request, if you would like a different course placement from your teacher’s recommendation.

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Reach out to your school counselor!

Any questions?

Thank You!