8th to 9th Transition

VF Middle School

Class of 2017

Upcoming Events & Deadlines• January 31, 2013

Your parents go to CHS at night to hear presentations from Counselors and department chairpersons regarding curriculum and credit requirements. Bring your Program of Studies home! Your parents need bring your Program of Studies!!!

• February 7, 2013CHS counselors visit VFMS 8th graders in math classes and give out course selection cards. CHS counselors will go over, in detail, the Conestoga course selection process.**Students should have their Program of Studies booklet with them.

• February 12, 2013Conestoga Special Areas and Core Class Department Chairs visit VFMS and make presentations to our students regarding course offerings, credit requirements, and other curricular information.

• Special Areas:  8:00am - 8:45am (1st period)• Core: 12:10pm - 1:44pm (6th & 7th periods)

**Students should have their Program of Studies booklet with them.

• February 7-14, 2013 (Thursday to Thursday)8th grade teachers will make recommendations on students’ course selection cards.

• February 19, 2013 (Tuesday)

Completed course selection cards are due back to Mr. Sola.• ‘Green Cards’ must have teacher (for recs), parent, and student signatures on it• Late submissions will receive lower priority for electives!

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR 9-12• English 4.0• Social Studies 3.0• Science 3.0• Math 3.0

These are minimum requirements; most college-bound students will take these core courses all four years at CHS

• Core Electives 2.0– Must include at least one course in each of these three areas:

• Visual & Performing Arts• Business & Technology• Family and Consumer Sciences

• Health & Phys Ed 1.9• Electives 5.1

World Language Requirements

• World Language 2.0

– Level 1, 2 – CHS; if changing languages for 9th, must take minimum of 2.0 credits

– Level 3 - CHS; if continuing same MS language for 9th, must take minimum of 1.0 credits in same language and 1.0 elective in any other course.

* every student must finish at least one Level 2 or 3 language course at CHS

**Any student planning to attend college should take a minimum of 3 years of ONE language at CHS.

***If you plan on taking two languages your freshman year – please see Mr. Sola to plan your electives

COURSE LEVELS:

• Academic (A)– serious academic studies- pace is modified to accommodate the

individual needs and abilities of the students. College-prep level.

• Accelerated (X)– solid foundation for success in most colleges and universities. Pace is

accelerated and the workload is demanding.

• Honors (H)– taught at high school level, but like AP courses, provide greatest

challenge and best preparation for success at academically rigorous colleges.

• Advanced Placement (AP)– college-level courses taught according to syllabi prescribed by The

College Board Advanced Placement Program. Possible college credit can be awarded by the college through AP tests.

Course Levels – 9th grade Core classes

• SCIENCE– Biology

• AP, H, X, A

• ENGLISH– World Literature

• H, X, A

• SOCIAL STUDIES– World History

• AP, H, X

• MATH– Next level after 8th grade math class

• Offered: A, X, H for all freshman math classes

• LANGUAGES– French, German, Latin, Spanish– Italian, Chinese

• Offered: A, X, H for levels 1-3.

AP COURSES – 9th Grade

• offered only in Biology & World History• For students with:

– Strong reading and writing skills– Strong motivation (800-1000 pages of text +

note-taking)– College-level text books– Strong organizational and study skills– Speed matters: reading and notes– For students who have excellent attendance

HEALTH – 9th grade

• No summer Health

• Freshman Health is now called “Health & Fitness”– Semester course meeting every day (6/6 days

of cycle)• 4/6 days Health• 2/6 days Phys. Ed. (lab)

PHYS. ED. – 9th Grade

• Called “PE – 9”– Semester course

• Meets 2/6 days

• PE required in 10th through 12th …EVERY semester– After 9th grade, students can substitute Core PE with

“alternative experiences” (CHS team sports, ‘extended experience’, etc)

Periods Per Cycle• Students must schedule 36 (min.) and 42 (max.) periods per cycle

• Exceptions not counted towards the 42 class period cap:

– ESL– Resource Room– Co-Curriculars

• Writing: Spoke (newspaper), Lit. Mag., Yearbook• Science Olympiad• Music Groups: Camerata, Chanteuses, Chorale, Concert Band, Concert

Choir, Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, String Ensemble, Wind Ensemble

– Experiential Learning Opportunities: • ELO (online courses, service learning)

– Academic Seminars– Science labs

STUDENT BLOCK SCHEDULE

1st Semester 2nd Semester

  Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6   Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

Period 1          Period

1            

Period 2            Period

2           

Period 3            Period

3            

Period 4            Period

4            

Period 5            Period

5            

Period 6            Period

6            

Period 7            Period

7            

Period 8            Period

8            

9th Grade Student’ BLOCK SCHEDULE

1st Semester 2nd Semester

  Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6   Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

Period 1          Period

1            

Period 2          Period

2           

Period 3            Period

3            

Period 4            Period

4            

Period 5            Period

5            

Period 6            Period

6            

Period 7            Period

7            

Period 8            Period

8            

WORLD LITERATURE

WORLD HISTORY

MATH

BIOLOGY

WORLD LANGUAGE

HEALTH & FITNESS PE 9

STUDY HALL STUDY HALL

ELECTIVE ELECTIVE

ELECTIVE

LUNCH

• There are four 30-minute lunch periods per day (in either 5th or 6th period)

• You find out first day of school which lunch you have.

• Lunch does not count towards 42 periods per semester

ENGLISH CO-CURRICULARS

Applications due back to CHS

• Newspaper (Spoke) March 3, 2013• Yearbook March 4, 2013• Lit. Mag. March ?

See your English teachers for applications

• Multimedia Magazine an English co-curricular elective

• If you are not accepted to Yearbook, Lit. Mag., or The Spoke as freshmen, CHS strongly encourages you to take Multimedia Magazine as an elective.– In that course, students will receive journalism training that will:

• enable students to acquire the skills needed to increase the likelihood of acceptance into the publication of choice for their sophomore year

See Mr. Sola• Before school• After school• Lunch or lunch activity

• Make an appointment!

• Bring your ‘Program of Studies’ home tonight!