Welcome to Santa Fe High School 8 th grade Transition to High School
Students Entering 9 th Grade Each student selects (in writing) an endorsement area and creates a Four Year Plan with their 8 th grade counselor. Four Year Plans will be evaluated and updated yearly with the high school counselor.
Four Year Graduation Plan Example of a Public Service Endorsement Four Year Plan
Endorsement Areas 26 CREDITS Foundation High School Plan = 22 credits Endorsement = 4 credits Santa Fe High School counselors recommend graduating with a Multidisciplinary Endorsement & any additional endorsement of the students choosing.
Foundation Graduation Plan with Endorsement *In order to be eligible for automatic admission to Texas public institutions and TEXAS grant, student must graduate with the Distinguished requirements. Also, required for Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and Honor Graduate.
Typical Freshman Schedule English I Algebra I (or Geometry if Algebra I taken in 8 th grade) Biology World Geography Elective (PE recommended) Elective (Fine Art recommended) Elective (Endorsement area recommended)
Options for meeting PE requirement PE Dance Athletics (Football, Volleyball, Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Soccer) Cheerleading Drill Team Marching Band (Fall semester only) * Students may participate after school in Track, Tennis, Powerlifting, Bowling and Golf, but no credit is earned for these programs* Student can earn up to 4 PE/Equivalent credits
Options for meeting other required coursework 2 years of the same Language other than English Spanish French American Sign Language 1 year of Fine Arts Art Band Choir Dance Theatre Arts (Performing or Production) Principles & Elements of Floral Design (Grades 10-12)
When to take a Language other than English (LOTE)? If your student is not strong in English and/or Math, they may want to postpone their LOTE until sophomore year The rigor of a LOTE course is equivalent to that of a core academic course
Refer to the SFHS Educational Planning Guide/Tribal Guide for a complete list of all course offerings.
Requirements to Graduate Earn the 26 required state credits Complete at least one endorsement Pass all 5 STAAR/End of Course (EOC) Exams Algebra I English I English II Biology US History
Who should take Pre-AP and AP Classes? Yes! I can be successful! Love to independently read and research. Like writing, reading, and analyzing higher- level essays and documents. Possess good time-management skills, very organized, and always complete work on time. Great at working independently, but can provide leadership in groups and work well with others. Good attendance, and eager to learn. No! Regular is my thing. Outside reading is difficult. Prefer to read content that is on grade level. Prefer to write only in English class. Prefer class assignments rather than independent research. Sometimes need extra time to complete tasks. More interested in developing my current skills. All Pre-AP & AP courses require summer assignments. Assignments listed on high school webpage.
Things to Consider Do not overload your 9 th grade schedule! Consider all extracurricular activities when selecting classes Schedule change deadlines are non-negotiable!
A Day in the Life at High School 7:25am 2:55pm (subject to change) 7 class periods each day Classes contain students from all grade levels 5 minute passing period (1,400 students moving at the same time) Each student assigned a counselor & principal according to grade level
Sample High School Report Card Course NW1 NW2 SE1 S1 Credits Earned ADV QUAN REASON 66 71 60 67 0 US GOVT 72 89 64 N77 0 PHYSICS 75 80 53 73 0.5 PRACTICAL WRITE 84 79 EX 82 0.5 ALGEBRA II 79 68 63 71 0.5 CERAMICS II 89 83 100 89 0.5 ENGLISH IV 57 58 57 57 0 Total of 2 credits earned for this fall semester report card. This student did not earn credit in US Govt due to absences.
The Importance of Attendance Credits are based on attendance & grades Texas Education Code requires students to be in attendance 90% of the time for each class period Any student absent (excused & unexcused) more than 10% of the class days will be denied credit regardless of grades 3 tardies are equal to 1 absence If tardy past 10 minutes, student is considered absent Students not in attendance 90% of the school year will not receive their Verification of Enrollment (VOE)
High School Transcript Students cumulative scorecard! Begins in 9 th grade How colleges will evaluate students The official record of student effort & grades Pre-AP, AP & Dual Credit courses can earn higher GPA points *Please see Educational Planning Guide/Tribal Guide for more information on GPA calculations*
Sample High School Transcript
Classification Requirements for Current 9 th Graders to Become 10 th graders Minimum of 6 credits AND 2 nd year in high school.
Future Testing PSAT (preliminary SAT) 10 th grade PSAT/NMSQT 11 th grade Qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship SAT and/or ACT 11 th & 12 th grade AP Exams 9 th - 12 th grade
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Santa Fe High School Accolades 7 th Annual AP Honor Roll: 1 of only 22 districts in Texas National Merit Scholarship: Commended Student Student recipient of University of Texas $20,000 Presidential Scholarship Texas Music Educators Association All-State Choir Winner Universal Technical Institute 16-17 Top Tech Challenge 3 rd Place Winners District Softball Champions District Volleyball Champions District Bowling Champions District Baseball Champions Raised over $100,000 to Snowdrop Foundation for cancer research Among many other accomplishments BEST COUNSELORS EVER!!!!