Planning for the 2014-2015 school year

1. Planning for the 2014-2015 school year GARNER MIDDLE SCHOOL

2. Garner Administration David Crowe Principal dcrowe@neisd.net Alicia Million Academic Dean amilli@neisd.net Arlene Northway Asst. Principal A-L anorth@neisd.net Jon Sellers Asst. Principal M-Z jselle1@neisd.net Tiffany Johnson Counselor A-L tjohns29@neisd.net Clarisa Allen Counselor M-Z callen2@neisd.net Holly Murphy Special Edu. Coordinator hmurph1@neisd.net Martha Diaz Family Specialist mdiaz8@neisd.net As questions arise regarding the selection of courses for next year, please contact the Garner Counselors. Students who do not complete the registration process will have a schedule created for them by their assigned counselor. Please call (210-356-3800) or e-mail any of us, we will be glad to assist you in making these important decisions.

3. College & Career Readiness NEISD has an initiative to ensure that after high school, all students are prepared to enter • A four-year college or university • A junior or community college • A trade or technical school • The military • The workforce Taking rigorous courses in middle school prepares students for college and career course work in high school.

4. Success In High School Requires Planning Preparation for high school success and rigor requires students to • Take rigorous middle school courses • Develop meaningful goals • Learn and utilize strong study habits • Plan for the future

5. Important Updates • Current 6th grade students are required to take one year of a fine arts class throughout middle school. The fine arts classes are Choir, Art , Theatre Arts, Band, or Orchestra. • Technology applications WILL be offered to 6th grade students. • 4 semesters of P.E. is required throughout middle school with, at least, one semester per school year

6. 6TH GRADE SCHEDULE Garner has an 8 period day with each class period being 45 minutes long with a 4 minute transition time and a 30 minute lunch. Every 6th grade student will take the following classes: 1. English or Pre-AP English or GT English 2. Reading or Advanced Contemporary Literacy 3. Math or Pre-AP Math or GT Math 4. Science 5. History 6. P.E. (1 semester)/Health (1 semester) 7. Elective 8. Elective

7. Courses by Grade and Subject

8. Pre-AP COURSES • Pre-Advanced Placement courses in middle school are available to any students willing to take on the academic challenges. Pre-AP English, Advanced Contemporary Literature (A.C.L), and Pre-AP Math are offered to all 6th grade students. • Students wishing to rank in the top 10% of their high school class are encouraged to pursue rigorous academic courses. ** A parent/guardian and student signature is required on the Advanced Program Expectation and Course Agreement form (on the back of the choice sheet). If the Advanced Program Expectation and Course Agreement form is not signed by both a parent/guardian and student, the student will not be placed in a Pre-AP class.

9. PRE-AP ENGLISH Pre-AP English is a challenging course that requires a parent and student signature on the Advanced Program Expectation and Course Agreement form Pre-AP English must be taken with Advanced Contemporary Literacy (ACL)

10. Advanced Contemporary Literacy (A.C.L.) Any student may enroll in this class, but it is strongly advised that you scored well in the subject area. A parent signature is required on the Advanced Program Expectation and Course Agreement form. ACL must be taken with Pre-AP English.

11. PRE-AP MATH In 6th grade, Pre-AP Math is 6th & 7th grade Math In 7th grade, Pre-AP Math is Pre-Algebra In 8th grade, Pre-AP Math is Algebra I** A parent signature is required on the Advanced Program Expectation and Course Agreement form **Students who successfully complete Algebra I will receive one unit of credit on their high school transcripts.

12. Electives

13. ART I Art I is offered as a full year course Art is designed for the student to learn the fundamentals of art

14. AVID • AVID is only offered as a year long elective • It is an in-school academic support program that prepares students for college eligibility and success • Students must take Pre-AP Math in order to enroll in this class • Our AVID teacher is Mrs. Jackson • Application is required for this course

15. BAND AND ORCHESTRA • Band and Orchestra are only offered as year long electives • Students must be willing to commit to outside of school practice sessions/performances and to remain in the program for the entire year

16. CHOIR Choir is offered as a year long course Students must be willing to commit to outside of school practice sessions/performances

17. PHYSICAL EDUCATION/HEALTH • 6th grade students take a semester of P.E. and a semester of Health • 7th grade students take a full year of either P.E. or Athletics • 8th grade students may take either a semester of P.E or a full year of P.E. or a full year of Athletics. 8th grade students will have the opportunity to take a semester of high school Health. **4 semesters of PE is required throughout middle school with, at least, one semester per school year

18. EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY Exploring Technology is only offered as a year long course Students complete projects involving word processing, databases, spreadsheets, multimedia, desktop publishing, graphics, and telecommunications

19. THEATRE ARTS I Theatre Arts I is for students who want to learn the fundamentals of theatre arts This course is offered as a year long elective

20. Choose your electives wisely… Students and parents will have opportunities to carefully examine course offerings and course descriptions On your choice sheet, choose 3 electives and rate them 1-3 (1 will be your first choice, 2 second choice, etc.) Not turning in your choice slip on time may hinder your chances of getting the electives of your choice The deadline to submit your choice slip is Friday, February 7.

21. Questions If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Garner Counselor by email or phone. Mrs. Johnson (A-L) tjohns@neisd.net Mrs. Allen (M-Z) callen2@neisd.net Please refer to the Garner MS course catalog for course descriptions on the Garner MS website at www.neisd.net/Garner.