Navigating High School

Welcome to Rutland High School!

Important People to Know

• Principal: Dr. Wendy Pooler

• Assistant Principals: Travis Spell and Valeka Franklin

• Counselor: Lara Norris 11th/12th grade counselor (9th / 10th grade counselor to be named.)

• Head Custodian: Beverly Harris

• Attendance Clerk: Donna Myrick

• Receptionist: Mrs. Taylor

• Registrar: Mrs. Griffin

Graduation Requirements:

A minimum of 24 Carnegie units

are required to receive a diploma

Graduation Requirements:

• 4 years to graduate “on time.”

• 24 Carnegie unit credits are required to graduate and receive a diploma.

• Each unit is divided into part A, which students take 1st semester, and part B, which students take 2nd semester. Each part is worth 0.5 credits. These grades are NOT averaged together!

• To earn a credit, students must make a 70 or higher and not have more than 5unexcused absences in that class.

• Grade levels are determined by how many credits students have earned.

Grades and attendance are important!!

To promote to the next grade, students must accumulate:

10th~ 5 credits (3 must be core academic classes, not

electives)

11th~ 11 credits (6 must be core academic classes)

12th~ 17 credits (9 must be core academic classes)

Promotion Requirements

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:

Credits you need are:

• ENGLISH (4) –

• 1 credit: 9th Lit. (9th grade)

• 1 credit: World Lit. (10th grade)

• 1 credit: American Lit. (11th grade)

• 1 credit: English Lit. (12th grade) (other

options: AP/IB, or Dual Enrollment

course)

• MATH (4) –

• I credit : Algebra I (9th grade)

• 1 credit: Geometry (10th grade)

• 1 credit: Adv. Algebra/Alg. II (11th

grade)

• 1 credit: (12th grade) Options include:

(Foundations of Alg., Pre-Calculus, AP

Calculus, IB Math, College Readiness

Math or Dual Enrollment course)

Graduation Requirements: Its different from

Middle School!

• Science (4)

• 1 credit: Biology (AP/IB or DE)

• 1 credit: Physical Science or Physics

• 1 credit Environmental Science,

Chemistry, or AP/IB or DE course.

• 1 credit: Science of choice (Forensic

Science, Anatomy & Physiology, DE

course)

• Social Studies (4)

• 1 credit: World History

• 1 credit: US History

• 1 credit Economics

• 1 credit American Gov’t OR

½ credit American Gov’t and ½

credit Geography

Graduation Requirements: It’s different from

Middle School!

• Health & Physical Education

• ½ credit: Health

• ½ credit: Personal Fitness

(3 credits of JROTC may substitute for

the Health/PE Requirement)

• Electives

• 3 credits: Completed Pathway

• 5 credits: Additional electives (PE,

Fine arts, CTAE, Foreign Language)

Being absent and not making up work, tests, and quizzes

Not completing homework and projects

Not studying

Not seeking additional help

Poor time management

Zeroes

ROADBLOCKS AND DETOURS TO EARNING THE CREDITS

What if a student failed a class?

Making Up Failed Courses

• In schedule

• Credit Repair / Recovery

• Summer School

• Edgenuity – Online program

Assessments• Star360: 3 times a year; used to help teachers monitor student growth and progress

• Milestones End Of Course tests (20% of final grade)

• December OR April/May:

• Economics

• April/May:

• 9th grade Literature

• American Literature

• Algebra I

• Geometry

• Biology

• Physical Science

• US History

• Economics

Final exams

• Count 20% of final grade

• Are given at the end of each semester (December and May)

• Can be exempted with good grades, behavior and attendance!

Your transcript:

GPA, rank, and credits received

• In order to determine class rank, the GPA will be computed for all seniors at the end of the first semester (December) of their senior year.

• This rank calculation will be used to determine the Valedictorian, the Salutatorian, and the Honor Graduates for the graduating class.

• Honor Graduates: A numerical GPA of 90 or higher.

• HOPE GPA: only the core classes and foreign language. This is not on your transcript and is calculated by Georgia Student Finance Commission by June of your graduating year.

What do you want to be when you grow

up? It all starts counting NOW!

• Work Force

• Military

• Community Colleges

• Trade Schools, Technical Training, Certificate Programs

• Four Year College or University

Why go to college?

HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships

Eligible students receive financial assistance covering tuition and HOPE-approved mandatory fees.

Qualifications: Be a U.S. citizen and legal resident of Georgia

Be a graduate of an eligible high school

HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships

• GPAs are calculated by the GA Student Finance Commission

• Final calculations are done after the student graduates from high school

• ALL academic classes are used for the calculation (English, math, science, social studies, and world language)

• Conversion:

• Remove all honors points

• Convert to 4.0 scale

• 90 – 100 = 4.0

• 80 – 89 = 3.0

• 70 – 79 = 2.0

• 0 – 69 = 0.0 (failing grades are included in calculation)

• Add 0.5 to only AP courses (up to 4.0)

• Divide by the total number of grades

HOPE/Zell Miller Rigor Requirements

• Students in the graduating class of 2018 & beyond must pass at least 4 courses from the following list:• Advanced Math (ex. Advanced Algebra/Algebra 2 or higher)

• Advanced Science (ex. Chemistry, Physics, or higher)

• Advanced Foreign Language (ex. level 2 and above)

• International Baccalaureate (IB) Courses

• Advanced Placement (AP) in core subjects

• Core subjects taken at a University System of Georgia (USG) Institution

* Full list of courses listed in Graduation Handbook

HOPE Scholarship

• Must earn a 3.0 cumulative academic GPA

• 2.9999 does not round up!

• The HOPE award will pay a percentage amount of the standard tuition charges from the previous year. Recently, it has been about 87%.

• Mandatory fees are covered, but institutional fees must be paid by the student/parent.

*HOPE Scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout college

Zell Miller Scholarship

(1) Graduate as the Valedictorian or Salutatorian OR

(2) Earn a 3.7 GPA in high school, AND either

• Earn a 1200 combined score of Reading and Math on a single administration of the

SAT, or

• Earn a composite score of 26 on a single administration of the ACT by your

graduation date.

*Zell Miller Scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.3 GPA throughout college.

*If a student’s GPA falls below a 3.3, they remain eligible for the HOPE Scholarship if their

GPA is above a 3.0.

Hutchings College & Career Charter Academy

Pathways

• Audio/Video Broadcasting

• Banking/Customer Service

• Construction

• Culinary Arts **

• Graphic Communications **

• Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism

• Personal Care Service-

Cosmetology/Barbering **

• Teaching as A Profession

• Therapeutic Service-Patient Care

(Nursing) ** Dual Enrollment with Central GA Tech

Why should I take the PSAT?• The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are to:

• Receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study

so you can focus your preparation on the areas that could most benefit from additional

study or practice.

• See how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others

applying to college.

• Help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and

directions you will see on the SAT.

• Receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service

• Enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship

Corporation (NMSC) *This applies for Grade 11 only.

• Students can link their PSAT results to the Khan Academy to create a free, personalized

SAT prep program based on his/her results.

Freshman/Sophomore Year

• Establish goals for each school year

• Join clubs and volunteer for activities related to interests

• Research career and post-secondary options related to your interests and your strengths

• Take the PSAT to practice for the SAT and review scores for areas of improvement

• Keep grades up and take challenging, yet appropriate courses

• Start/update your resume highlighting your academic achievements, awards, volunteer work, extracurricular activities, special skills, and talents

• Explore summer activities related to career goals

• Remember to stay balanced

Counseling Services

How can your counselor help?

Academic: Learning to Learn

• Reviewing grades with students

• Parent/Teacher conferences

• Developing course requests and

programming schedules

• Setting goals and academic planning

• Organizational, study, and test-taking

skills

Career: Learning to Work

• Career planning

• Post-secondary planning and

application process

• Career awareness and world of work

More ways counselors can help…

Personal/Social: Learning to Live

• Group Counseling

• Individual Counseling

• Crisis Intervention

• Coping strategies

• Peer relationships and effective social skills

• Substance abuse education

• Conflict resolution

Community Involvement:

Learning to contribute

• Connecting parents to outside

resources to help meet the needs of

the students

• Connecting students with volunteer

opportunities and job shadowing

experiences

How do I meet with my counselor????

• Fill out a "Counselor Request Form" in the Counseling Office (during passing period, lunch or with a note from your teacher).

• Your counselor will call you out of class. During busy weeks, this could take a few days.

• If you have an emergency, please notify the main office receptionist.

• The counseling office is open Monday-Friday from 7:30a.m.-2:30p.m.

• Counselors are available to answer questions and make appointments with students during all 3 lunches on Wednesdays.

Parent / Counselor Meeting

• In delivering a comprehensive school counseling program, school counselors

perform different roles including participating in professional learning

community meetings, district level meetings, and classroom presentations

which require the counselors to be out of the office. To better serve our

families, parent appointment times can be made by contacting your student's

counselor by email or phone. In case of emergencies or crisis, counselors will

meet as necessary.

Parent / Teacher Conferences

• Parent/Teacher conferences can be scheduled with one or all teachers

through the counseling department.

• When conferences are scheduled with all teachers, they will be held after

school. If meeting with only one teacher, it will be held during their planning

period during the school day.

• Before scheduling a conference please make every effort to reach out to the

teacher(s) through email.

Grades, Attendance, and Discipline… Oh my!

…. Monitor grades and attendance on Parent Portal

• Step 1: Fill out Access Request form and bring to any one of your students’ school office. Bring a photo ID!

• Step 2: The school will contact you when your activation key is ready.

• Step 3: Go to www.bcsdk12.net and click on Parent Portal under

“Quick Links.”

• Step 4: Use your activation key to set

up your username and password.

• Step 5: Get the app for immediate notifications! Infinite Campus

Mobile Portal app available on iTunes or

GooglePlay!

Homework Requests

• If your student is going to be or has been out for 3 or more days please call

the front office to request homework. Please allow 24 hours for the work to

be gathered by teachers. Homework can be picked up @ 2:30pm on the

2nd day after the request is made.

Our students must always be

Respectful and Responsible

to receive R Cards for rewards.

Dress Code

• Before shopping for school clothes, please be sure to check the

district’s dress code for students:

• https://www.bcsdk12.net/parents/dress_codes

Stay Connected!

• Like us on Facebook: Rutland High School Storm Tracker

• https://rutlandhs.bcsdk12.net/

• Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (RHS Canes)!

• Microsoft Teams: On your ClassLink page!

• Keep your Infinite Campus contact information

up-to-date for call-outs!