Dear St. Francis Families,
Thank you to the entire community for your support of SFHS during our WCEA/WASC Accreditation process! On March 14, the visit concluded with a presentation by the Visiting Team who shared many compliments and positive feedback to St. Francis.
This article includes information regarding:
- The fourth quarter
- New course offerings at SFHS
- Scheduling courses for 2018-2019
- AP Exams
Fourth Quarter - The end of the semester is quickly approaching. When classes resume on Tuesday, April 10, students will begin the final 29 class days of the 2017-2018 school year. The final weeks of the semester will provide students the opportunity to review what they have learned during the first three quarters of the school year and apply it to newly presented information then demonstrate their knowledge on the final papers, projects, and exams.
Please take some time toward the end of Easter Break to review with your student(s) what assignments are due in the coming weeks, whether or not they need any materials, novels, or information that can be gathered over the break, and what your goals are for their high school career and beyond. Developing the motivation to be successful can be challenging, but the motivation can be applied to so many aspects of their life and for years to come.
New Course Offerings - We pleased to announce a that St. Francis will be adding courses to the list of course options for students. Students interested in taking these courses should read the prerequisites, review their other priorities and commitments, and indicate their interest on the course scheduling forms. If they have questions about the particular course, they should speak with the Ms. Eagleson or the Department Chair.
Courses include:
- AP Computer Science Principles
- AP Physics
- PLTW - Biomedical Innovations (which includes time spent at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital)
- Spanish 4
In addition to the new course offerings, courses in the English and Theology Departments will now be offered to students at multiple grade levels and students will have the opportunity to complete the courses in a different order. Just before Easter Break, English and Theology teachers spent most of a day discussing ideas for scaffolding curriculum and ways to best design courses to ensure the content and skills goals are met for all SFHS students. Specific information will be listed on the course request forms and in the Course Catalog.
Course Scheduling for 2018-2019 - Classroom visits presented the new course offerings and possible changes to the sequencing and distributed the course request sheets to students. The Course Catalog and an instruction sheet are available on the SFHS website. Please be sure to review the course offerings and course catalog and return your course selection sheets to the front office by the Friday, April 13. Course selection sheets are to be submitted (both hardcopy and electronic).
All students are be strongly encouraged to take a full, seven period class schedule for 2018-2019. Exceptions will be made for those students taking multiple AP or Honors classes.
Following the Easter Break, information regarding the process for qualifying for AP and Honors classes will be communicated and students will have the opportunity to discuss the opportunity with their teachers and the Department Chairs.
AP Exams - Students who are taking an AP course during the 2017-2018 school year should have already submitted their reservation and payment to take the exam in May. The exams all take place during the two weeks from Monday, May 7 through Friday, May 18. If there are any questions or a delayed request to take an exam, please reach out to me so a late exam can be ordered. Also, please look ahead to ensure there are no scheduling conflicts between the exams and appointments or family commitments. The allocated time for make-up AP Exams is the same week as the SFHS final exams. Therefore, students are highly discouraged to request a make-up AP Exam.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding course offerings or any academic issues, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Easter Blessings to you and your loved ones.
Go Sharks!
Ms. Colleen Eagleson
Associate Principal