Freshman

Dear Freshman,

So, your’re finally in high school.  Congratulations!  High school can be scary at first, but remember that you can do whatever you set your mind to.  The best way to be successful is to study hard, stay informed, and never be afraid to ask for help and advice.  Some good ways to make sure that your academic career is successful are:  try not to get behind on your school work, study a little bit everyday so that you aren’t forced to cram, use flashcards to learn vocabulary, read everything that you can get your hands on,  don’t put things off until the last minute, and always complete your homework fully and on time.  Remember your work is yours alone.  It is like a prized possession.  Don’t allow others to take advantage of your hard work.  Also, it is important that you remember that when you miss work for extra curricular activities or because of illness, it is your responsibility to get those assignments and complete them.  Your school work comes first, and nothing else should get in the way.  After all, if your school work is poor, you may not be allowed to participate in the extra curricular activities that you enjoy.  Check out the “to do” list that follows to find out what you need to be doing now in order to be prepared for  your future.

To Do:

1.  Take interest and skills assessments to help you explore careers that interest you and match your skills and abilities.

2.  Talk with your guidance counselor about career options and the education required for those careers.

3.  Look for an adult that you know who is successful at the careers which you are interest in and talk to them about how they arrived at their level of success.

4.  Talk with your parents about saving money for college and about paying for it.

5.  Talk with friends, teachers, counselors, and your parents about college.

6.  Be ready to take the PLAN test in the tenth grade to prepare for the ACT, and to identify areas where you need improvement.

7.  Participate in extracurricular activities.

8.  Review your high school class plan.  Take the most difficult classes you can handle.  Stay focused on your school work.

9.  Explore internships and apprenticeships.

10.  Enroll in a summer enrichment program.

11.  Visit a university or technical school to see what their campus is like.

Suggested Course Schedule

The following list is a suggested list of courses that freshmen should take in order to be prepared for higher education.  Remember, when there is an AP course available and your teacher or counselor believes that you can handle such a course it is wise to subsititute the AP or Honors version of the course.  For example if 9th grade Honors English I is availabe take that one instead of English I.  Before signing up for honors or AP discuss this option with your parents and your counselor.

English I

Algebra I

Earth Science

Foreign Language

PE/Health (must take one half unit of health at some point)

Civics/Free Enterprise

Band, Fine Arts, Theater, Choir, or some form of the arts