Course Selections for 9th Grade

Parent Informational Night - March 2025

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Welcome to Valhalla High School Class of 2029!

Valhalla Counseling Department

SCHOOL COUNSELORS:

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If your last name starts with....

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A-Bam: Ms. Alnas

Ban-F: Mrs. Watt

G-Kh: Mrs. Ruiz

Ki-N: Mrs. Berg

O-Sh: Ms. Ziegenbein

Si-Z: Ms. Holechek

SEL: Ms. Somo

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GIS/Academic Advisors:

Ms. Hoff

Mrs. Krantz

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CREDITS

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students will be required to earn 220 credits for graduation.

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Each semester class is worth 5 credits, 10 for the year.

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Subject Requirements:

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• Social Science: 3.5 years
• English: 4 years
• Math: 3 years
• Science: 3 years (Biology required)
• Art OR Language: 1 year
• PE: 2 years
• Electives: 55 credits (11 semesters)

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*Students must earn a D or better in all courses. If students fail requirements, they will need to repeat them. Keep in mind all grades remain as a record on the transcript.

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“A-G” REQUIREMENTS

(Required for admission to a CA 4-year university, but encouraged for all)

Subject Requirements

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• Social Science: 2 years
• English: 4 years
• Math: 3 years (4 Recommended)
• Lab Science: 2 years (3 Rec)
• Foreign Language: 2 years (3 Rec)
• Visual/Performing Art: 1 year
• CP Elective: 1 year

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*Students must earn a C or better in all courses.

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* A-G is also required for Honor Grad Status, along with a 3.5 GPA. Honor grads earn a cord at graduation and have the privilege of sitting in the front rows.

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College Prep Elective

1 year required

Course Information

Course Levels

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• GPA Example: Earning an A in an honors course will be worth 5 points in your GPA versus a college prep course that will be worth 4 points.
• Current As and Bs are recommended to select honors courses.
• Consider total workload

College Prep Courses

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• Standard Level
• Fulfill grad and “a-g” requirements
• Courses will prepare students for college, but do not include additional rigor.
• Unweighted in GPA

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Honors Courses

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• Advanced Level
• Fulfill grad and “a-g” requirements
• Greater workload, move at faster pace, higher expectations..
• Student should have established work habits and individual responsibility.
• Cs or better are weighted in GPA

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9th Grade Courses

English/Social Science

English Courses

• English 1C/2C
• Honors English 1H/2H

Social Science Courses

• Geography/Global Studies 1C/2C
• Honors Geo/Global Studies 1H/2H

*Both levels of Geography will likely be paired with a semester of Ethnic Studies.

Honors Level English/Social Science Courses:

• Students should have current As and Bs to select honors courses.
• For English courses, we will consider teacher recommendations.
• Students should expect more reading, writing, and note taking in the honors courses, along with more difficult assessments.
• Click here for more information about 9th Grade Honors English

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Math/Science

Math Courses

• Integrated Math 1C
• Integrated Math 1H
• Integrated Math 2H*

*Must have taken Integrated Math 1 or Algebra 1 (Accelerated Math 8/Alg 1)

Science Courses

• Conceptual Physics
• Honors Biology*

*Should have As in current science class to enroll

Honors Level Math and Science Courses:

• You can mix and match college prep and honors courses.
• For Math courses, we will consider teacher recommendations.
• Taking Honors Biology sets you on a more advanced science path.
• Students can start in college prep and jump into honors later in high school.

Valhalla Science Sequencing

Course Selection Process

COURSE SELECTION FORM

Please complete & submit the Course Selection Google Form

by Friday, March 28th

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https://tinyurl.com/vhscourse2029

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Course Selection Form Electives

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS: https://tinyurl.com/vhscoursedescriptions

Choose your top 3 choices in order of preference. Please do NOT repeat options!

Freshman Electives 2025-2026

• AVID (Application Req’d)
• Art
• 3D Design
• Digital Arts
• Photography
• TV, Film, and Media (2-year CTE Pathway)
• Spanish

• Choir
• Dance
• Orchestra
• Band
• Color Guard
• Percussion Ensemble
• Theater
• Tech Theater

Students wishing to audition into higher levels of our performing arts classes can reach out to those teachers directly. Contact information is embedded into the Google Form.

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Students with a background in Spanish will also have the opportunity to let us know on the form, so we can place them in a higher level.

Please Note:

All courses are YEAR LONG! Students cannot change at the semester.

We cannot promise period or teacher preferences. Courses are subject to cancellation if requests are low.

Level changes from AP/Honors to College Prep is subject to approval & availability. Please choose classes wisely!

Valhalla Bell Schedule

Freshmen will be starting Period 2

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The library will be open for early drop offs.

Online Registration

• Click here to get started

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• Click here for further instructions

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• Click here for parent portal instructions
• ALL parents/guardians should have access
• Use to track grades/attendance

Resources and Opportunities

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VHS COUNSELING WEBSITE- Click here!

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Follow us on Instagram @valhalla_counseling

Class of 2029 Enrollment Page- Valhalla Website

Questions?

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Want to speak with a counselor one-on-one?

Come to Valhalla on either March 26th or 27th, from 5:00-7:00 PM.

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Arabic and Spanish Translation will be available.

We recommend bringing a report card for the best advising.

@valhalla_counseling

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