Moving up toVidalia High School

Things for families to know

VHS Guidance Office

Registration Process JR Trippe academic teachers have recommended your child’s

academic classes, which you now have. You will select electives and agree or disagree with

recommended academics and have your student return the form by Friday.

Ms. Coleman and I will help your student register on the computer next week at Trippe.

Our schedules are available at the front office over the summer, sometime in July. Schedule change is available then.

Parents can view class schedules on parent portal.

Georgia High School Terminology• Carnegie Unit (or “Credit”) - one unit is 150 hours of

instruction; equal to a year’s worth of a course

• Academic Course - a course (also known as core) chosen from English, math, science, social studies or modern language to satisfy graduation requirements. Also used to determine Honor Roll, class rank and Hope eligibility.

• Seal - an attachment placed on a high school diploma indicating successful completion of one or more programs of study. The diploma type is called “General”.

• Required Course – an academic and/or elective course that is mandatory for graduation.

• Elective - a course, beyond the core requirements, that fulfills Carnegie units for graduation.

• Carnegie Unit (or “Credit”) - one unit is 150 hours of instruction; equal to a year’s worth of a course

• Academic Course - a course (also known as core) chosen from English, math, science, social studies or modern language to satisfy graduation requirements. Also used to determine Honor Roll, class rank and Hope eligibility.

• Seal - an attachment placed on a high school diploma indicating successful completion of one or more programs of study. The diploma type is called “General”.

• Required Course – an academic and/or elective course that is mandatory for graduation.

• Elective - a course, beyond the core requirements, that fulfills Carnegie units for graduation.

Semester System

True semester system Must earn credit for each required

academic class each semester Can make up unearned course work in

summer school or credit recovery

Semester System

Any class: English, math, etc.

1st semester credit ½ Unit (or Credit)

+

2nd semester credit ½ Unit (credit)

=

ONE UNIT of earned credit

Promotion

High schools do not PLACE or RETAIN students

Students must EARN credit toward graduation

To earn credit, students must PASS classes

STUDENTS DETERMINE IF THEY WILL GRADUATE OR NOT BY PASSING

REQUIRED COURSES

Graduation Requirements

Areas of Study Credits Required

English/Language Arts 4Mathematics 4Science 4Social Studies 3Health .5Personal Fitness .5Career Tech and/or Foreign Language

and/or Fine Arts 3Other Electives, one of which must be IBT 4

TOTAL UNITS 23 Credits

English/Language ArtsEnglish/Language Arts

4 units of English/Language Arts required, including:• 9th Grade Literature and Composition

• 10th Grade World Literature and Composition

• 11th Grade American Lit./Comp. or AP Language

• 12th Grade British Lit./Comp. or AP Literature or Accel class

MathMath

4 units of Mathematics required, including:• 1 unit of Algebra, Foundations of Algebra or

Accelerated Coordinate Algebra/Analytic Geometry A

• 1 unit of Geometry or Accelerated Analytic Geometry B/Advanced Algebra

• 1 unit of Advanced Algebra or Accelerated Pre-Calculus

• 1 unit of Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, or other approved Mathematics course

ScienceScience

4 units of Science required, including:

• 1 unit of Biology

• 1 unit of Physical Science or Physics

• 1 unit of Chemistry or Environmental Science

• 1 unit of a 4th science, including any AP class, academic science, or career tech science (ex: Health Science, Food Science.)

Honors students take the required classes in the following order: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and AP.

Social StudiesSocial Studies

3 units of Social Studies required, including:• 1 unit of World History

• 1 unit of United States History

• ½ unit of American Government

• ½ unit of Economics

Honors students take their World History class in 9th grade, AP European History in 10th, and AP US History in 11th.

Health/P.E. RequirementHealth/P.E. Requirement

Requirements for Health/PE All students must complete 1 unit 1 semester of Health 1 semester of Personal Fitness

Elective RequirementsElective Requirements 7 units required, including:

• A total of 3 units required from: Career/Technology and/or Modern Language (Spanish

and German are offered) and/or Fine Arts

Notes:

1. Students planning to enter or transfer into a University System of Georgia institution must take two units of the same modern language.

2. Students are strongly encouraged to complete a Pathway!

• 4 additional elective units for all students• Intro to Business Technology is a system requirement.

Elective classes Band (Marching and Concert) Chorus/Show Choir Weight Training Advanced Physical Education Driver’s Education Art 1, 2 & 3 Spanish 1, 2, & 3 (academic elective) German 1 and 2 (academic elective) Journalism (academic elective) Comparative Religions (academic elective) U.S. History in Film (academic elective)

Student “Plans of Study”

House Bill 186 (2011), Georgia high schools were directed

by the Georgia General Assembly to align focused

programs of study with the National 16 Career Clusters,

etc., and the “…development of an individual

graduation plan by the end of 8th grade.”

http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/CTAE/Pages/Georgia-Career-Pathways-New-Rule.aspx.

College and Career PathwaysBusiness Management & Administration

 

Therapeutic Services/Patient Care

 

Sport & Entertainment Marketing

 

Food & Nutrition

 

Automobile Maintenance & Light Repair

  

Audio-Video Technology Film

Personal Care Services-Cosmetology

Engineering 

JROTC- Army

English

Mathematics 

Science

Social Studies

Spanish

Fine Arts-Visual Arts

Fine Arts-Band

Advanced Placement (AP) Enables students to pursue college-level

studies while still in high school. Seven courses and exams are offered. Based on their performance on rigorous AP

Exams, students can earn credit, advanced placement, or both, for college.

Grade AP Course

9th

10th European History

11th U.S. History, English Language

12th Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, English Literature

Honors ProgramHonors Program• Rigorous program of study designed for the most academically capable students. The level of instruction is more stringent and requires higher level critical and analytical thinking skills; i.e., it’s HARDER.

• ALL STUDENTS RECEIVE THE SAME DIPLOMA TYPE

• Offered in English, math, science, and social studies. (We recommend students take math with science.)

• Five points are added to the final grade each semester of each class.

• GSFC REMOVES the five points in factoring eligibility for the Hope scholarship.

• Without earning the required grades, students can be placed on probation or removed from Honors classes.

* BEFORE ENROLLING YOUR STUDENT, MAKE SURE THEY ARE WILLING TO DO HONORS-LEVEL WORK!

Difference between Honors and Regular classes

Accelerated math classes move at a much faster pace than the standard Math classes. They are designed to cover one year and a half of content in the school year.

Honors/AP classes move at a faster pace with greater demands. They require more homework, projects, and out of class reading assignments.

The VHS daily schedule

7-period day Two lunch periods, 11am and 12pm Each class period is 50 minutes long 4 minutes between classes Students may visit locker, use their phones

between any class Students assigned to an “Advisement”

teacher which they go to about 10 times per year.

Grading information

4 written report cards go home each semester: 4 ½ week progress, 9-week, 4 ½ week progress, Semester report card.

Only semester grades are permanent. Your access to Parent Portal rolls over to

our website. Parent Portal login is available to parents

only for first 4 ½ weeks of school year, after that released to students on request.

http://vidalia.ga.vch.schoolinsites.com/

Odds and Ends… Homework not done results in “Indian Café”

(after school homework session.) Students with a 75 average and who have

missed no more than 5 days in a semester can exempt up to 3 final exams.

Math and science tutoring is available after school.

When your child misses school, send them back with a note.

Teachers may be emailed or you can call to set up a Parent/Teacher conference.

HOPE for college The Georgia Student Finance Commission

administers the HOPE program. Students determine their eligibility for the Hope

Scholarship for college with their grade point average in high school academic core classes.

This fall your student’s grades will start counting toward determining Hope eligibility for college.

A 3.0 average in core subjects determines Hope eligibility (a 3.7 and 1200 SAT will earn the Zell Miller Scholarship, 100% Hope). For more info, visit www.GAcollege411.org

HOPE Scholarship Rigor Requirements

New academic requirements are included in

the HOPE legislation. These changes will

impact students graduating from high school

on or after May 1, 2015. In order to qualify for

the HOPE Scholarship, students must meet

the “rigor” requirements.

For the Class of 2019, 4 Rigorous Courses for the HOPE Scholarship Advanced math such as Advanced Algebra (regular

ed. class), Pre-Calculus (regular ed), AP Calculus; Advanced science such as Physics, Human Anatomy

and Chemistry (regular ed), Honors Physics, AP Physics, AP Chemistry;

Advanced placement courses in English (AP Language, AP Literature) and/or Social Studies (AP US History, AP European History);

Courses taken at a unit of the University System of Georgia in core subjects where such courses are not remedial and developmental courses (Accel);

Advanced foreign language courses: Spanish II, III, and IV, and German II.

Students can meet this criteria by taking traditional “college prep” coursework for their academics.

Eligibility under Georgia High School Association (all Sports, Literary, and Debate)

Students must be on track for graduation (on grade level)

Students have to pass 5 of 7 classes in the semester prior to the sport/activity

If either one of the two above are not met at any given time, a student is not eligible to participate.

4 “B’s to Success

1. Have your student BE HERE

2. Have your student BE PREPARED

3. Have your student BEHAVE

4. Have your student BE INVOLVED

INVOLVEMENT Studies show involved students have

less discipline issues, have better attendance, and are more successful.

Our coaches check on grades and behavior—they will help you.

Being involved, your student will make more friends, be more willing to come to school, have less trouble, and overall, have a better high school experience.

Activities Clubs: Beta, NHS, Robotics, DECA, FCA, FBLA,

FCCLA, GCSA, Science, USA, VOCA, Technology, Writers, Inc.

Teams: One-Act Play, Literary, Math, Model UN, Quiz Bowl

Athletics: Baseball, Basketball, Softball, Cheerleading, Track, Cross Country, Football, Soccer, Golf, Wrestling, Tennis, Swimming

Band: Marching, Concert

4 years of high school…

9th Grade14 years oldDependant

12th Grade18 years old

More independent

Help them make it memorable, help them mature into adults, and help them make good choices!

See you at Open House onTuesday, August 4th at

3:00pm !