The Quill 2-18-20
2020-21 Forecasting Edition
A Thought or Two From Mr. Nieslanik
A warm greeting to all students and families in the Classes of 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024! It still is odd to roll these numbers off my tongue, especially for someone who graduated way back in 1984! Don't do the math, but yes, when the incoming freshman graduate it will mark my 40th anniversary of graduating from Glenwood Springs High School in Western Colorado.
Last year we began this forecasting and scheduling issue of The Quill in an attempt to help support forecasting needs and questions. We received overwhelming positive responses about having this information readily available for SRHS families. If after reading through this edition of The Quill you have further questions, please contact the following individuals for more information. I give you their names with a direct link to their email.
IB Diploma Program: Celeste Colasurdo
IB Career-Related Program: Natalie Ballard-Strauhal
IB Questions in General or AVID: Chris Martin
Dual Language or ELD: Amparo Garcia de Reyes
General Questions for Students with Last Names A-G: Josie Abuan
General Questions for Students with Last Names H-N: Bijoli Biswas
General Questions for Students with Last Names O-Z: Tresci Sork
Forecasting Questions in General: Jim Weeks
I sincerely hope this information helps your student prepare and focus for the 2020-21 school year.
David
Time Line for Forecasting:
February 14: Transcripts, Forecasting Sheets and classes 0pen for students to explore
February 14-March 3: Students explore on their own their interests and classes
March 4: Students fill in course requests for the 2020-21 school year
March 6: Students lock in course selections for the 2020-21 school year
March 20: Students receive final report on course selected and changes inputted if need be
March 20-August: Master schedule is built and staffing finalized
New Courses and Highlights from the Academic Program Guide
The IB Career-Related Program is fully able to be completed with planning. For the first time sophomores can forecast to be in the IB CP during the forecasting process.
IB Lang and Lit (Standard Level) is added to the curriculum. IB Lang and Lit will be taught over two years. This class is different the established HL Lit course, as the curriculum looks at non-fiction, fiction, graphic novels, and multiple different ways people communicate and share information. This class is accessible to all students and is highly recommended if students do not want to take a higher level literature course their junior and senior years.
Sculpture I is added to the visual arts pathway. We are exploring to see if there is an interest in adding a sculpture pathway to the existing fine arts courses we offer in drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, ceramics, and film making.
Media Leadership is added as a capstone class in the Communications CTE Pathway. This class allows students to go deeper with news production and yearbook.
IB Chemistry is now a two year standard level course. STEM Chem and the first year of IB Chemistry are almost identical, thus we made the switch to where all students at SRHS have access to IB Chemistry their sophomore year. If students wish, they can continue into year two of SL Chem their junior years. This shift will require all students to take physics their freshman year. This is not a step backwards for students who traditionally have moved into chemistry their sophomore year, rather it builds depth and academic rigor over the course of four years.
IB SL Analysis I (what was once known as Pre-Calc) is now open to freshman who come to SRHS out of AGS III. This cleans up the IB and higher level math classes for the following three years.
Theatre I: Is an introductory course for the theatre pathway. This cleans up the acting, tech design, stage craft, and ensemble classes that follow in the pathway.
Accessing the Academic Planning Guide
- Go to the SRHS Website
- Click on Academics
- Click on the Academic Program Guide
Or you can simply click here!
This takes you to Graduation Requirements, Course Descriptions, Career Pathways, and information for International Baccalaureate, Dual Language, Southridge Scholar and Service Learning.
Southridge Showcase
What the heck are CTE and Career Pathways?
CTE stands for Career Technical Education. CTE classes are aligned in pathways with the purpose to better align to post-high school learning. SRHS has five CTE Pathways:
- Business and Marketing
- Computer Systems (Game Design, Robotics and Programming)
- Engineering
- Journalism
- Sports Medicine
- Auto-tech
- Health Careers
Southridge also has four in house pathways to help organize the sequencing and learning of content. The four SRHS pathways are:
- Human Relations
- Performing Arts
- Public Policy
- Visual Arts
Students do not have to complete a pathway, and if students have interests that we do not meet, they can define their own pathway!
If a student wants to complete the IB CP Program, they will need to also complete a CTE Pathway.
More information can be found here.
What is Dual Language?
Dual Language allows students to be fluent in two languages, Spanish and English. SRHS offers a full four-year Dual Language program, culminating with college credit from Portland State University.
To complete the Dual Language Program students
- Begin in either Spanish Lit/Comp I or II (based on their reading, writing and speaking ability in Spanish) and take both US History and World History in Spanish.
- Choose to take Physics, AGS I and AGS II in Spanish or English.
- Take Spanish Lit/Comp III.
- Take HL Spanish their junior and senior years.
- Complete a capstone project.
- Upon completion students receive a cord and the Oregon Seal of Biliteracy.
Information about the Dual Language Program can be found here.
I want to be a Southridge Scholar!
I have questions and I don't understand!
Below the picture roll on the SRHS webpage we have a link titled "Forecasting". This has all information about forecasting including:
- Health Careers, Auto-Tech, Terra Nova and Early College information
- Forecasting forms by grade level
- Information about pathways and academic programs
- IB overviews
- Powerpoints presented to students
- and much more!
We hope this one tab allows you to have one stop shopping for Forecasting!
You can also access this same information information here! If there is something we are missing, send Principal David Nieslanik an email and we will add it to this evolving resource.