Welcome Parents of the Class of 2024

Curriculum Overview

School Counseling OfficeThe school counseling office has seven experienced and knowledgeable counselors who are available to assist all students in their pursuit of a successful high school experience.

The school counselors monitor academic progress and graduation requirements. They also provide college counseling, social and emotional counseling, and opportunities for career exploration.

All ninth grade students are assigned a counselor who will remain with that student until he or she graduates from high school.

The School Counseling Office - First Floor - (845) 624-3413

Where is the best place to go to get information about courses and academic programs available at Clarkstown South?

https://www.ccsd.edu/cms/lib/NY01913832/Centricity/Domain/1011/CCSD%20HS%20SOUTH%20Course%20Catalog%202020-2021.pdf

A.P. Classes Art History U.S. History Chemistry

Music Theory World History Environmental Science

Studio Art Calculus AB Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

English Language and Comp. Calculus BC Physics C: Mechanics

English Literature and Comp. Biology Japanese Lang. and Culture

European History Statistics Spanish Lang. and Culture

Microeconomics Computer Science Principles

U.S. Government and Politics Computer Science A

International Baccalaureate (IB)IB starts in eleventh grade, but please remember that eleventh grade is closer than it seems.

Upperclassmen who might want an extra accolade called the IB Diploma would meet to discuss this with an IB Coordinator during tenth grade. The IB program gives students the experience of the liberal arts transdisciplinary approach of a college’s freshman year. When our young people arrive in college, freshman academic coursework in all areas seem much more manageable.

We know this is true because this is what students who have gone through the full IB Diploma program experience have reported to us when they come back and chat with us after graduating from South.

SOME SAMPLE COURSES

Music SL &HL (2yr.)

Theatre Arts SL & HL (2yr.)

Mathematics Applications & Interpretation SL & HL

Spanish B SL & HL (2yr.)

French B SL & HL (2yr.)

Japanese B SL & HL (2yr.)

Environmental Systems & Societies SL

Sports, exercise, and health science SL

Visual Arts SL & HL (2yr.)

History of the Americas HL (2yr.)

Physics SL & HLEnglish Literature A HL (2yr.)

Italian B SL & HL (2yr.)

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6

Latin SL

French ab initio SL (2yr)

I.B. Courses at South

College CoursesBeginning in 11th grade students have the opportunity to take courses through SUNY Albany, Syracuse University and St. Thomas Aquinas College and receive both high school and college credit. These courses include:

Marine Science Astronomy U.S. History/Government

Sociology Economics Government/Public Policy

Calculus Italian Spanish

French Studio TV Digital TV

Advanced Art 4

*There are college courses available through South’s Business courses. They are shared on the Career and Technical Education slide.

Social Studies The past, it is said, is prologue to the present. Social Studies courses are a cross-cultural study of many different societies and their histories.

Students will take Four (4) years of history. Courses are offered at Regular, Honors, and Advanced Placement levels. We offer up to 5 different AP courses.

Student entering 9th grade will be enrolled in Global History R, Advanced 9H, or AP World History.

Student are required to take two (2) Regents exams, Global History & Geography which is a 10th grade only exam and U.S. History and Government after the completion of 11th grade.

Social StudiesWe offer Syracuse University courses which allow students to earn college credits from Syracuse. This option begins junior year.

We offer numerous elective courses such as Social Psychology, Human Psychology, Facing History and Ourselves, Personal Pathways and Origins, and college level Sociology.

The department hosts many extracurricular clubs such as JSA (Junior Statesmen of America), Model U.N., National History Day, Current Events club, U.S.O. club, and our award winning Mock Trial team.

ScienceScience is the attempt to explain the natural world. Students should be filled with a sense of awe and wonder about the universe around them.

Freshman will be taking a Biology course, which ends with the Living Environment Regents Exam. South offers Regents and Honors level courses

Each student must complete the required amount of laboratory work to be eligible for the Regents Exam.

Career and Technical EducationGet your FINE ARTs credit right here in CTE!!! FINE ARTS CREDIT!

Take Fashion Design—one semester And take Interior Design—one semester (Take both Fashion and Interior Design to satisfy Art requirement)

FINE ARTS CREDIT! Take Drawing and Design for Production,(DDP)—full year (Take DDP to satisfy Art requirement.)

Career and Technical EducationBusiness and Marketing Family and Consumer ScienceIntroduction to Business and Marketing Fashion DesignAccounting Interior DesignSports Marketing Hyman PsychologyCareer Development (CDOS) Gourmet CookingStyle and Entertainment Marketing Infant and Toddler Development

Television and Radio Production TechnologyStudio Video and Film Production Drawing and Design for Production Digital Television Production Make It and Market It

Small EnginesBuild ItModern TechnologyCad 1

Career and Technical Education Twenty-one college credits are available through Business and Marketing courses!

Introduction to College Business Administration Honors—3 creditsCollege Honors Accounting—3 creditsCollege Honors Business Law—up to 6 creditsCollege Honors Marketing—3 creditsCollege Honors Small Business Marketing—3 creditsCollege Honors Finance and Investing—3 credits

Art FINE ARTS CREDIT

Freshmen have the option of taking two art classes to satisfy their fine arts credit:

● Studio Art● Studio in Media Arts

Freshmen who have taken Studio Art at Felix Festa have the option of taking an elective course.

ART CLASSES TO BE TAKEN AS ELECTIVES:

● Design and Illustration 2● Painting and Drawing● Animation and Gaming Design● College/Advanced Art 4H● AP Studio Art● IB Visual Art

MusicFINE ARTS CREDIT

Freshmen have the option of taking the following classes to satisfy their fine arts credit:

● Chorus● Guitar● Band● Orchestra

EnglishEnglish class is both an opportunity for students to think critically about what they read and view as well as a challenge for them to defend those thoughts through written and oral expression.

Students are required to take 4 years of English (either Regents or Honors) with a Regents exam held in 11th grade.

Several extracurricular opportunities exist as well:

Eidolon (yearbook) Arcadia (literary magazine)Viking Voice (school paper) Centerstage (theatre program)

EnglishWISE (English/Business Class) - Offered ONLY to seniors. The class is an opportunity for students to explore career interests before venturing to college or the workforce. The class culminates in an internship program where students leave school at the end of the day and shadow a professional in their field of choice.

Elective Classes - For interested English student:

Public Speaking Media Studies Film and Writing

Creative Writing Mythic Journeys Struggles of Humanity

Special Education Clarkstown South offers a full continuum of special education and academic intervention services.

The school is committed to providing high quality instruction for all students in an inclusive learning environment. Students who have been identified with a disability are provided an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which is designed to provide specially designed instruction (SDI) and special education supports and services. Goals are developed to support meaningful access, participation and progress in the general curriculum.

Services include integrated co-teaching, resource room services, consultant teacher services, special class services and the related services of speech, physical therapy, occupational therapy and counseling.

Special Education Office: Third floor- Room 310

Telephone: 845-624-3478

Department Chairperson: Ms. Jacqueline Hurley (jhurley@ccsd.edu)

Achievement CenterAchievement Center is an Academic Intervention Service which is provided to students identified as in need of academic support. In the Achievement Center, students are assigned to work in small groups with a teaching assistant who is available to assist with organizational skills, test preparation, homework completion and content support. The maximum number of students assigned to a teaching assistant in a given period is six.

In addition, many of our students participate in the Castle Learning program which is an online instructional tool specifically used to prepare our students for Regents exams and to provide instructional support in targeted content areas.

Teacher Coordinator: Danielle Sweeney (dsweeney@ccsd.edu)

MATHEMATICS

WELCOME CLASS OF 2022 To MATHEMATICS AT CLARKSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL SOUTHMATH COURSES FOR ENTERING NINTH GRADE STUDENTS: If you are now in enroll next year inMath 8 → Alg 1R * Algebra 1R → Geometry R or Geometry H * Will take the Algebra I Regents Examination in June of Grade 9 to satisfy the Math Graduation Requirement for a Regents Diploma

Grade Nine Mathematics ElectivesNinth Grade Electives: Computer Programming Honors Students will create games and object-oriented tasks while applying each computer programming structure. Using C++ and Visual Basic students will explore high level programming concepts such as arrays, objects, and passing parameters by value and by reference. Students will create small projects and tasks to apply each programming concept. This class is the first course in a two- year sequence leading to the Computer Science AP. ( Optional college credit is available through SUNY at Albany) Prerequisite: Algebra

AP Computer Science PrinciplesThis course introduces students to the central ideas of computer science and computational thinking. This rigorous course promotes deep learning of computational content while inviting students to be creative and imaginative. The course focuses on using technology and programming as a means to solve computational problems and create personally relevant artifacts such as a

spreadsheet, a presentation or a program. Prerequisite: Algebra

Mathematics Activities•New York State Math League (monthly contests)

•American Scholastic Math Association (monthly contests)

• International Mathematical Modeling Contest

•AMC10/12 (American Mathematics Contests)

•“Pi Day” Contests

•NY State Math Teachers Association Poster Contest

•American Statistical Association Contest

•Greater NY Metropolitan Math Fair

•Mu Alpha Theta (National Math Honor Society)

•Mu Alpha Theta Tutoring Program

•Math Department Magazine (“Eureka”)

•Mu Alpha Theta Newsletter (“Mad About Mu”)

•Moody’s Math Challenge Contest

•New Jersey Institute of Technology Web Design Contest

•American Computer Science Contest

•Advanced Placement Credit Program - available in

Calculus, Computer Science and Statistics

•SUNY at Albany college credit -available in Calculus and Computer Science

World Languages Offered at SouthAmerican Sign Language

French

Italian

Japanese

Latin

Spanish

World Language Activities at SouthWorld Language Honor Society

Culture Night

ASL Club

Culture Club

Italian Club

Latin Club

French Club

World Language Courses ● Spanish and Italian - most students will be enrolled in 2R during their freshman year. Upper level courses

include IB, AP and College Credit through SUNY Albany.

● Latin - 1R can be taken as an elective freshman year. Upper level courses include IB Latin.

● Japanese - most students will be enrolled in 2R during their freshman year.Upper level courses include IB, AP and Advanced Japanese.

● American Sign Language - 1R can be taken as an elective freshman year. Upper level courses include ASL 3.

● French - most students will be enrolled in 2R during their freshman year.Upper level courses include IB French and College Credit through SUNY Albany.

Physical Education Attire and Grades● No Specific Uniform; Students should wear

t-shirts, athletic shorts or sweatpants and footwear intended for athletic use.

● In the fall and spring, classes may go outside. It is recommended that students wear athletic warm-up tops and /or bottoms when weather calls for it.

● Students receive a grade for physical education. The grade is based on the following criteria: Preparation and Attendance (30%), Participation (30%), Knowledge of Material (20%) and Knowledge of Skill (20%).

Clarkstown South AthleticsNote: All fall sports begin on August 24, 2020. Sport Sign Ups are located on the main page under “District Bulletins” and will be active one month before the sport begins.

Fall Athletics

● Boys and Girls Soccer● Boys and Girls

Volleyball● Field Hockey● Football● Dance● Girls Swimming and

Diving● Girls Tennis● Boys and Girls Cross

Country

Spring Athletics

● Baseball● Softball● Boys and Girls

Lacrosse● Crew● Boys and Girls Golf● Boys and Girls Track● Boys Tennis

Winter Athletics

● Boys and Girls Basketball

● Boys and Girls Bowling● Boys Swimming and

Diving● Boys and Girls Skiing● Dance● Cheerleading● Boys and Girls Fencing● Gymnastics● Ice Hockey● Boys and Girls Track● Wrestling

More Information

High School Counseling Timeline August / September

Counselors:

● Meet new transfer students and families, create schedules, give tours of the buildings. ● Attend 9th grade orientation and meet with incoming 9th graders to adjust schedules as needed. ● Meet with existing students in all grade levels to process schedule change requests. ● Meet with students as needed to address academic progress and social emotional adjustment. ● Meet with parents as needed and/or requested.● Meet with seniors in multiple extended homerooms to discuss the college application process. ● Host a financial aid night for junior and senior parents. ● Review senior transcripts and prepare final transcripts for college submission.

High School Counseling Timeline October/November

Counselors:

● Meet with students in 9th and 10th grade group level meetings to discuss: academic achievement, social involvement, academic support and the importance of making good decisions. ● Meet with students as needed to discuss 1st quarter progress reports and report cards.● Progress monitoring continues and schedules are adjusted as needed. ● Request and attend Instructional Support Team (IST) meetings. ● Administer the PreAct to 10th graders and the PSAT to 11th graders. ● Meet with the 11th graders in a group meeting to discuss the college search process.● Meet with seniors to assist with the college application process. ● Host a senior parent meeting to discuss the college application process. ● Process transcripts, write letters of recommendation, and submit documentation to colleges. ● Host college representatives individually and at mini on-site college fairs.

High School Counseling Timeline December / January

Counselors:

● Meet with 9th, 10th and 11th graders in group meetings to discuss the scheduling process for the following year. ● Review progress reports and 2nd quarter report cards. ● Adjust schedules as needed, request and attend IST meetings and attend IEP meetings.● Return PSAT results to juniors and discuss the process for registering for the SAT and ACT. ● Return PreACT results to students/parents. ● Push into the 11th grade classrooms and educate the students on Naviance Student.● Host a Junior parent meeting to present information on the college process. ● Process senior transcripts, write letters of recommendation, and submit documentation to colleges. ● Meet with seniors to discuss Early Decision notifications.

High School Counseling TimelineFebruary/ March

Counselors:

● Conduct individual scheduling meetings with every student in grades 9 to 11. ● Review 3rd quarter progress reports. ● Organize and provide a bus trip to BOCES to explore CTEC.● Remind juniors to register and take the SAT and ACT. ● Conduct individual college planning meetings with all 11th graders (these run through early May). ● Attend CSE meetings. ● Host a RCC free application day for seniors. ● Host individual visits from colleges. ● Send midyear reports for all seniors to all of the colleges to which they have applied.

High School Counseling Timeline

April / May

Counselors:

• Work with seniors on final decisions for college. • Review senior transcripts, grades and diploma types for graduation. • Continue individual college planning meetings for all 11th graders. • Host an admissions representative panel discussion for 11th grade students and parents.• Host a spring college fair.• Review 3rd quarter report cards. • Collect final college decisions from seniors and update Naviance with student decisions. • Resolve scheduling conflicts for all students in grades 9 through 12 for the following year.

High School Counseling Timeline

June / July

Counselors:

• Review all senior records.• Finalize the transcripts. • Prepare the diplomas. • Submit final transcripts to colleges. • Meet with students who failed a course. • Proctor final exams. • Complete summer school registrations. • Modify student schedules based on failures. • Meet new students and parents.

I disagree with the teacher’s recommendation for a class. What should I do?

Ask the school counselor for a “waiver form” or you can find one online at:

https://www.ccsd.edu/Page/2317

Code of ConductWhere can I find a copy of the code of conduct and other important information?

SOUTH’S AGENDA - Students are given a copy of the agenda during the first week of school.