Rising 9th Grade Parent Night

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Welcome!

• Rising 9th Grade Parent Night
• Class of 2013

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PCHS Student Services Staff

• Ryan Cummings, Dean of Student Services
• Felicia Moore, Counselor (A-E)
• Justin Kearns, Counselor (F-L)
• A.C. Stone, Counselor (M-P)
• Janelle Sharp, Counselor (Q-Z)
• Susan Taylor, Intervention Coordinator
• Glenn Bass, Career Development Coordinator
• Nartarshia Sharpe, SAP Counselor

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Student Assistance Program (SAP) Counselor

• The SAP Counselor works with students whose
  school success is impacted by social/emotional
  issues. This could include peer conflicts,
  relationship difficulties, experiencing a crisis,
  unstable housing, mental health issues, recent
  losses or other traumatic events, substance
  abuse, attendance, drop-out prevention etc. Servic
  es include individual and group counseling,
  parent contacts, parent workshops and referrals
  to outside agencies.

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Goals of Parent Night

• To learn about the new Future Ready Core high
  school graduation requirements
• To understand courses your student must take to
  meet the new graduation requirements
• To better understand the rigor of high school
• To lessen the stress and anxiety of high school
  transition time
• To learn about the North Carolina Graduation
  Project.
• Meet with teachers to ask subject specific
  questions.

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Future Ready Core!

• "The Future-Ready Core will help ensure that
  students graduate with the academic foundation
  they need for success in the global economy"

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Math 4 Credits

• Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II
• 4th Math Course to be aligned with the student's
  post high school plans
• In the rare instance a student is unable to
  complete the math requirements, upon principal
  approval they may be exempt.

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Example Math Sequences
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English 4 Credits

• English I, II, III, IV

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Science 3 Credits

• Biology
• Earth/Environmental Science
• Physical Science (Chemistry, Physics, etc.)

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Social Studies 3 Credits

• World History
• Civics and Economics
• U.S. History

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Health and Physical Education 1 Credit

• Not required, but highly recommended to take
  freshman year!

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Electives 6 Credits

• 2 elective credits of any combination from either
  Career and Technical Education, Arts Education,
  Second Languages. Four elective credits strongly
  recommended from one of the following Career and
  Technical Education, Arts Education, and any
  other subject area (Math, Science, Social
  Studies, English.)

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Second Language

• Not required for graduation, but required for
  admission to the UNC system.

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Computer Skills

• No requirement, although students must score
  proficient on the Computer Skills test.

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TOTAL 26 CREDITS to graduate from Panther Creek
High School(other counties/magnet options may be
different)
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Career and Technical Education

• Students are encouraged to use four elective
  credits to concentrate in an area of special
  interest.
• To qualify as a CTE Concentrator for graduation,
  students must earn four credits within one of the
  career clusters.

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Career Clusters at PCHS

• Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
• Architecture and Construction
• Arts, Audio/Video Technology and Communications
• Business Management and Administration
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Information Technology
• Marketing
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

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End Of Course Tests

• EOC tests are required for
• Algebra 1
• Biology - Denotes the Big Five
• Civics and Economics that students must score
• English 1 at least a level 3 on in
• U.S. History order to graduate.
• Geometry
• Algebra II
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Physical Science
• Students MUST PASS the Computer Skills test (Test
  is initially taken in 8th grade, retests are
  scheduled during high school if needed.)
• EOCs count as 25 of the final course grade!

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Sample Course Selections for 9th Graders

• English 1
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Healthful Living
• Additional Course (Elective)
• Additional Course (Elective)
• Additional Course (Elective)
• Electives are courses you choose to take.
  You can take a core course as an elective.

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GPA Quality Points
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Second Language

• A Second Language is generally not recommended
  for 9th graders unless taking Honors English
• You can pick-up a second foreign languageone in
  9th and 10th, second in 11th and 12th , or show 5
  to 6 years in the same language
• Spanish, French, and Latin are offered at PCHS

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Attendance

• Wake County policy dictates that a student absent
  for more than 10 days in a semester class or 20
  days in a yearlong class can be assigned a grade
  of FF indicating failure due to excessive
  absences. This includes both excused and
  unexcused absences.
• 2 absences in a block scheduled class is like
  missing 4 days of learning.

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Driver Eligibility

• Students must pass 70 of courses (3 out of 4 on
  a block schedule) to be able to obtain or
  maintain their drivers license!

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Athletic Eligibility

• All incoming freshmen are eligible for athletics
  fall semester of their freshman year.
• After first semester of their freshman year,
  students are eligible if they pass three of their
  four classes during the semester previous to the
  sport they wish to play.

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Thoughts to Ponder

• Recommendations by current teachers for 9th grade
• The block schedule pace is fast. Each block is
  425 minutes per week.
• Think carefully about high school activities and
  how much time they will take (band, athletics,
  drama, etc.)
• Ask yourselfwould I have time to do all of this?
• Students do not get to select which courses they
  get each semester.
• Students could get 3 honors classes in the same
  semester.

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Sample Schedule

• Semester 1
• English I Honors
• World History Honors
• Visual Arts I
• Healthful Living

• Semester 2
• Algebra I
• Computer Apps I
• Earth Science
• Interior Design

We do try to balance a students schedule.
However, sometimes it is not possible.
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ORYou take all Honors Courses and begin a Second
Language

• Semester 1
• English I Honors
• W History Honors
• Computer Apps I
• Spanish I

• Semester 2
• Healthful Living
• Biology Honors
• Geometry Honors
• Spanish II

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PCHS Schedule Change Policy

• Schedules will only be changed for the following
  reasons
• Student has already received credit for the
  course.
• Student has not met the prerequisite for the
  scheduled course.
• Student has an incomplete schedule.
• Student previously failed the course with the
  same teacher.
• Student needs specific course to meet graduation
  requirements (priority is given to seniors and
  students with non-elective graduation requirement
  issues).
• Student wants to increase rigor.
• Students schedule must be changed for
  administrative reasons (class size, etc).

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Your student will most likely have homework most
nights

• Be sure to check your childs SPAN account
  regularly.
• All teachers at PCHS are required to maintain a
  Blackboard website. This is where they will post
  the class schedule (tests, projects, assignments,
  homework, etc), provide resources for extra help,
  and communicate in other ways.

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College Planning? In 9th Grade?

• College Admission Offices pay careful attention
  to the following
• Grade Point Average (GPA)
• Difficulty of course load
• SAT/ACT scores
• Class rank
• High school and community activities
• Recommendations
• ITS VERY IMPORTANT TO START PLANNING IN 9TH
  GRADE IF YOU HAVENT ALREADY!!!
• Please visit cfnc.org or collegeboard.com for
  high school planning timelines.

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Registering on SPAN

• Student/Parent Access Network is designed to give
  WCPSS high school students and parents access to
  their records, including schedules, attendance,
  and grades.
• Students will select 8 primary (1st choice)
  credit courses AND 3 alternate elective (2nd
  choice) credit courses.
• Choose CAREFULLY because many 9th graders will
  have alternates in their final schedule.

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CFNC The College Foundation of North Carolina

• Numerous resources for high school/college
  planning.
• Access CFNC, check out the high school planner
  tab for more information
• www.cfnc.org

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What is the Graduation Project?

• North Carolina Graduation Project is a high
  school exit requirement that allows students to
  demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have
  accumulated throughout their school career.
• Students in the graduating class of 2010 and
  every class thereafter are required to pass the
  Graduation Project in order to receive a diploma.

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What is the Graduation Project?

• The project provides an opportunity for a student
  to choose an area of interest, conduct in-depth
  research, and articulate independent learning
  skills.
• The project consists of four components a
  research paper, a product, a portfolio, and an
  oral presentation

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What is the timeline for Graduation Project?

• Freshmen year- Transition to high school course
  work will include GP skills (research, writing,
  inquiry, etc.)
• Sophomore year- Assigned a GP advisor during the
  second semester submit topic proposal
• Junior year- Complete research paper complete
  product prior to the start of senior year
• Senior year- Present to community panel and
  submit portfolio

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Mark Your Calendars

• Freshman Orientation August 12, 2009
• ½ day of orientation for incoming freshmen
• Check PCHS website for registration information
  (www.panthercreekhs.wcpss.net)

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THANK YOU!