Hunterdon Central
Regional High School
2009- 2010
Program of Studies Orientation
Class of 2013
Welcome to HCRHS
Lisa Brady – Superintendent
 Chris Steffner – Principal
 Jennifer Spieker – Vice Principal
 Dr.
A good place to start for
general information…..
http://www.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/
&
http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/eighthgrade/
Guidelines!
Remember, every course you take, and every final grade
you receive, will be on your permanent record.
 Take the most challenging course load that you can handle
without creating too much stress.
 Check “Prerequisites” and “Grade Level.”
 Do you know what a Credit is?
 See Page 99 for Freshmen Electives.

A Four – Year Plan
When choosing your courses it is
helpful to “plan backwards”.
Scheduling is a four-year
journey and you need to think
about your eventual destination.
Leave options open so that you
can enroll in desired courses
your Junior and Senior years.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR
GRADUATION
Pass the Grade 11
New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) in
….
 Language Arts Literacy (Reading & Writing)
 Mathematics
 End of Course Biology & Algebra 2*
(Take the 8th Grade “NJASK8” test seriously!)
Earn a minimum of 120 credits by
successful completion of the following
courses:
(1) At least 20 credits in English
(2) At least 15 credits in Mathematics;
(3) At least 15 credits in Science;
(4) At least 10 credits of U.S. History;
(5) At least 5 credits of World History;
(6) 5 credits of Physical Education & Health
during each year of enrollment.
(7) At least 5 credits in visual & performing
arts;
(8) At least five credits in career education and
consumer, family, and life skills, or
vocational-technical education;
(9) Achieve technological literacy via
experience in our total curriculum;
10) At least 10 credits in World Languages or
student demonstration of proficiency.
Requests to prove proficiency must be made
through the World Languages Supervisor
this summer.
Proof of proficiency WILL NOT be
considered by college admissions officers in
lieu of the college’s world language admission
requirement.
NOTE!
Minimum graduation requirements do not
equate to college admissions requirements!
ACADEMIC UNITS
College Preparatory Mathematics
Computer Programming
Language Arts (English)
World Language
Art History & Music Theory
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Course Levels & Weighting
1 - Weighted:

AP (Advanced Placement courses)

HNS (Honors courses)
2 - Unweighted:
 Any course not designated AP, or HNS
Key to GPA & WGPA Numeric
Equivalents
Grading Scale
100 - 99
92 - 90
83 -82
75 -74
69 - 0
WEIGHTED
AP/HNS
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
0
UNWEIGHTED
Standard
4.50
3.50
2.50
1.50
0
Some Things to Think About …
It is better for students to experience
success in an appropriate
placement than to experience
extreme difficulty in an
inappropriate placement.
This must be weighed against the
realities of what colleges look
for……
Consider a “Core” Curriculum of at
least five academically challenging
courses each year including:




4 years of English and Math;
3 - 4 years of Laboratory Science including
Biology, Chemistry and Physics;
3 - 4 years of History or Social studies;
2 - 4 years of Foreign Language.
To leave doors open …. some
colleges….
-Require Physics.
-Want to see at least Trig and
sometimes Calculus.
-Require two, three, or four years of
foreign language in high school.
-”Selective” Colleges require a
certain number of AP courses.
Although these “Core” courses are important,
choosing electives wisely can also make a big
difference.
Electives provide an opportunity for students to
follow their passions and round out their
education.
Planning how to incorporate the various
important secondary school subjects, such as
the Practical Arts, and the Visual &
Performing Arts, can be critical.
Some post-secondary institutions place greater
value on academics, while others lean more
toward the student's portfolio or audition.
Make sound initial choices. There must be an open seat
in any new requested course and in any other courses
which may need to be changed in order to
accommodate the request.

Review the “HCRHS Freshman Course
Recommendation/Selection Form - Class of 2013”.

This form includes mid-year teacher
recommendations in core academic subjects.

The form is used to assist with your planning and
decision making.

On the form, the student will also record choices
for ten elective credits and an alternate for each
elective choice.
Students selecting …..
 U.S. History 1 Honors,
 Biology Honors,
 Algebra 2 Honors,
 Algebra 2
 English 1 Honors
…..will be contacted about taking a prerequisite
placement exam.
These exams provide an additional source of information
for parents and students to help select the appropriate
course level.
Supervisors will use placement test scores to determine
recommendations for honors courses.
You will be asked to either confirm that your student will be
placed at the recommended level or sign a waiver to keep
your student in the honors class.
Course Selection Sheet
Electives and Alternates
(In Order of Preference)
“Home Logic”
Beginning on February 6th, course
requests can be entered using an internet
based “HomeLogic” software.
 HCRHS online course selection will be
open between 8:00 AM February 6th and
8:00 AM February 11th.
 You must complete your course selections
online within this time frame.

Go to http://homelogic.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/hlxe/
In order to access the software, students/parents use
their exclusive, assigned User Name and Password.
Navigating the
HomeLogic System
Course Request Process
To enter the Course Requests area of HomeLogic,
click on the Course Requests menu item on the left
side of the screen.
You will also see a “Course Units” counter in the
upper left. Course Units are blocks of time in a
student's schedule. There are four blocks in a day,
and four marking periods in the year. This means
that there are 16 blocks of time, or "Course Units",
to fill with courses.
 Marching Band takes place after the school day,
and uses no course units, but it is worth 2.5 credits
towards graduation.
 Sign up for, but do not exceed 16 course units.
 Health/PE is already entered as a course request for
students entering grades 9 and 10. This is a
required course and should not be deleted from
course requests.

Course Requests Mouse Over
Course Descriptions
If you select a course for which you do not
meet the pre-requisite, and/or, do not meet
the grade recommendation, the following
warning pop-up box will appear
Look for Courses labeled “Grade 9”
You may “override” a grade recommendation by
selecting “Yes”.
 You may not “override” a pre-requisite
UNLESS you are planning on taking the prerequisite course first semester and the requisite
course second semester. In this scenario you
may also select “yes”.
 When making this decision, please understand
that once a student has been waived into a
higher level course, the ability to make a
subsequent level change is dependent upon seat
availability in the requested course.

It makes no difference if you select
courses first or last during the 2/6 to
2/11 time frame.
 However, if you fail to input courses
during this time frame you will be
assigned a lower scheduling priority.
 A list of sports will appear with a prefix
of “XTR”. Students should check off any
that they may be interested in. This
information will be provided to
2009/2010 coaches.

Assigning Alternates
It is recommended that you enter an "alternate" choice for elective courses chosen. In the
event a first choice elective course is unavailable, or if a scheduling conflict, i.e. two
courses offered at the same time, prevents the first choice elective course from
being scheduled, the software will substitute the requested alternate option.
Clicking in the Alternate field to the immediate right of any of
the Primary Requests will bring up an Alternate Request
Selection window.
Congratulations!
After entering all requests and hitting “Next” …
you should see a pop-up window indicating that
you have successfully submitted your course
requests!
Verifying Your Requests
Clicking on the Verifying your Requests link at the top of the window will
bring you to a summary page that outlines your entire list of Primary and
Alternate Requests. Your total Credit tally will also be shown.
Non - Traditional
“Credit Attainment Pathways”

If you are considering Outside HS Course
Work for Additional HS Credit this summer…
 You must apply and that application must be
reviewed and approved by the Principal’s
Credit Committee. You may call HCRHS
Counseling Services for an application or go to
the HCRHS website.
 Requests must be received by May 15.
STANDARD FRESHMAN PROGRAM

ENGLISH
 PHYSICAL EDUCATION/ HEALTH
 US HISTORY 1
 MATHEMATICS
 SCIENCE
 WORLD LANGUAGE
 ELECTIVES
 LUNCH
SEMESTER ONE
SEMESTER TWO
Quarter 1
(Sept.- Nov.)
Quarter 2
(Nov.- Jan.)
Quarter 3
(Jan.- Apr.)
Quarter 4
(Apr.- June)
Block 1
Math
Math
US History I
US History I
Block 2
Phys Ed
Phys Ed
Spanish II
Spanish II
Block 3
English
English
Science
Science
Block 4
Art I*
Art I*
Interior
Design**
Computer
Applications**





From Feb. 6th to Feb. 11th you
will enter your course selections
on-line
You will 1st receive a scheduling
request verification in the mail
The master schedule will then be
built
Conflicts will then be resolved
Actual student schedules will be
mailed prior to the close of the
school year
Student
Schedules
Physical Education, Health &
Driver’s Education

One year of Physical
Education and Health &
Safety for each year of
public high school
enrollment in New Jersey
is required!
 H & PE 9 is scheduled
automatically.
 There are “Sport
Specific” options for
grades 11 & 12.
The Practical Arts and
Visual & Performing Arts
SPECIAL EDUCATION
This program is designed for students with special
needs as outlined in their Individualized Education
Program (IEP). Depending upon the IEP SE students
have access to…
 Programs which are individualized for each student
using a diagnostic/prescriptive method.
 Programs which are designed to follow the
mainstream curriculum with accommodations and
modifications.
 Programs which are adapted to the student’s learning
needs.
 Programs which emphasize study skills and
preparation for tests and written assignments in
mainstream classes.
English
Mr. Brendan McIsaac
Freshman English 1 (#012)

Standard college preparation course
 Genre study – classic and contemporary
literature, drama, poetry & non-fiction
 Nightly reading & writing assignments
 Research
 SAT & HSPA preparation
 Can move up to honors in sophomore
year
Freshman Humanities 1
(#014)

Year-long 10 credit course
 English & Social Studies
 Two-teacher interdisciplinary approach
 Nightly reading & writing assignments
 Research
 SAT & HSPA preparation
 Can move up to honors in sophomore year
 Learning Style
Freshman Honors English 1
(#011)

More rigorous pace & workload
 Multi-textual reading and writing
 Recommended Advanced Proficiency on
NJASK8– 250
 Placement Test in April
 Recommendation letters sent in June
 Summer assignment required
Freshman English 1 Basic
Skills

Utilizes same readings as other freshman
courses
 Slower pace and assignments progress
through more gradual steps
 Recommended for Limited Proficient
NJASK8 – less than 200
 Recommendation from sending district
Creative Writing (#061)
&
Media Literacy (#050):

Electives open to all grades
 Workshop environment & peer critiquing
 Learn to deconstruct and create media
texts
 Read cultural theory and examine how
media impacts culture
Social Studies
Dr. William Fernekes
There are 3 course options for
incoming 9th graders
1. U. S. History 1 (#101)


5.0 credits
1 semester
2. Honors U.S. History 1 (#100)



5.0 credits
2nd semester only
Application process (The following 3 elements comprise the
placement process. If the student surpasses the threshold set by
the social studies department, he/she is recommended to enter
Honors U.S. History 1. )
A. Placement test required (Given in late March or early April)
B. Grade in 8th grade social studies class as of mid-March
C. Skill assessment completed by 8th grade teacher


Students who successfully complete Honors U.S.
History 1 can register for A.P.U.S. History for
sophomore year
Summer assignment required for Honors U.S.
History 1
3.
Humanities 1 (#014)


10.0 credits
Interdisciplinary course co-taught by one
English and one Social Studies teacher
Not an honors course
Benefits students that enjoy a thematicinterdisciplinary approach to history
Summer assignment required



Course Selection Sheet
#
Course Name
011
Honors English I
012
English I
014
Humanities 1
S019
English I
Mid Year
Override
Recommendation (Parent Initial)
(Teacher Initial)
If recommended for
012 you may
choose 014
If choosing 014
rather than 012
initial here
Other Required Courses:
Placements by HS in Summer
U.S. History 1, Basic Skills (#109), U.S. History 1I
ESL Foundations (#101-ESL) and U.S. History 1
ESL (#101-ESL2)
Students are placed in these courses based upon
review of (1) their 8th grade performance in
language arts, (2) teacher recommendations, and
(3) (if available) scores on the NJ-ASK
standardized assessments.
Elective Courses in Social Studies
9th Grade

World Geography (#111)
- This course is strongly recommended if a
student plans to take A.P. Human
Geography as a sophomore.
World Languages
Mrs. Lynn Luster
Preparing Communicators
for a Global Society
Graduation Requirement
 Students
must complete ten
credits in the same language in
advancing courses.
– Level 2 and Level 3
– Level 1 and Level 2
COURSE SELECTIONS






CHINESE
FRENCH
GERMAN
LATIN
SPANISH
LATIN & GREEK
ROOTS
Chinese Offerings

Chinese 1
 Chinese 2
 Chinese 3
 Chinese 4
 Chinese 5
 AP Chinese
 Advanced levels of
Chinese are usually
taught in combined
classes.
Latin Offerings








Introduction to Latin
Latin and Greek
Roots
Latin 1
Latin 2
Latin 3
Latin 4
Latin 5
Advanced Studies
French Offerings

French 1
 French 2
 French 3
 French 4
 French 5
 French – Advanced
Placement
German Offerings

German 1
 German 2
 German 3
 German 4
 German Conversation
 German –Advanced
Placement
Spanish Offerings










Spanish for Communicators
Spanish 1
Spanish 2
Spanish 3
Spanish 4
Spanish 5
Spanish Conversation
Spanish Composition
Spanish Cinema
Spanish - Advanced Placement
World Language Ninth
Grade Offerings

Semester Courses 5 credits


Chinese 1
Chinese 2
French 1
French 2
French 3
German 1
German 2

Quarter Courses 2.5 credits

Introduction to Latin #200
Vocabulary Through Latin and Greek Roots # 206






# 215
# 225
# 211
# 221
# 231
# 213
# 223
Latin 1 # 210
Latin 2 # 220
Spanish 1 # 212
Spanish 2 # 222
Spanish 3 # 232
Spanish for Communicators
Level 1
# 202
Spanish for Communicators
Level 2 # 203
SCIENCE
Dr. Ken Micai
General Information
Freshmen have three options, either
Environmental & Earth Science,
Fundamentals of Environmental and
Earth Science or Honors Biology. CP
Biology is not an option for freshmen.
401 Environmental and Earth Science
This is a lab-based course that is designed to
cover environmental science topics included within
the End-of-Course Exam required to be taken by
all students after the completion of their biology
course. The course also addresses the New
Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for
Science that require an understanding of systems,
problem solving, critical thinking, use of
technology and the integration of math skills in
science. Concepts emphasized include
environmental systems, human impact on the
environment, earth materials, meteorology, and
astronomy.
403 Fundamentals of
Environmental and Earth Science
This is a lab-based course that is designed to
cover environmental science topics included
within the End-of-Course Exam required to be
taken by all students after the completion of
their biology course. The course also addresses
the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content
Standards for Science that require an
understanding of systems, problem solving,
critical thinking, use of technology and the
integration of math skills in science. Concepts
emphasized include environmental systems, human
impact on the environment, earth materials,
meteorology, and astronomy.
425 or 426 Honors Biology
This is a weighted laboratory oriented course
designed for students who are considering a
science related career and who have shown a high
aptitude in science and a proficiency in math. The
underlying theme of the course is the origin of
living cells and their development into more
complex organisms, culminating in the study of
human beings in a biological setting. It addresses
the New Jersey State Standards. This course
uses the dissection of a fetal pig in its treatment
of human systems. Students must complete this
course for the grade to be weighted.
General Information
If a student is recommended for
Algebra 1 #312 or #313 he/she
should select Environmental & Earth
Science #401.
General Information
If a student is recommended for
Fundamentals of Math #314 he/she
should select Fundamentals of
Environmental & Earth Science #403.
General Information
If a student is currently taking
Algebra 1 or Algebra 2 in eighth
grade and is being recommended for
Algebra 2, #332, Honors Geometry
#321, Geometry #322, or Honors
Algebra 2 #311 he/she should select
Honors Biology #425 or #426, either
non-dissection or regular.
General Information
Students who are NOT in Algebra in
eighth grade MAY NOT select honors
biology as their ONLY science course.
They may select it as an elective
after completing Algebra 1 #312 and
Environmental and Earth Science
#401.
General Information
There is a placement test for honors
biology which will take place on
Saturday May 9th from 8:45 – 11:15
AM. This is only open to those
students currently taking Algebra I in
eighth grade. This test includes
proficiencies from our Earth and
Environmental Science course. It is
NOT a test on biology concepts.
General Information
The new end of course biology exam has
replaced the current HSPA as a
graduation requirement. Approximately
25% of this exam is environmental science
which is covered in our Environmental and
Earth Science course. Since students who
opt for honors biology will be skipping this
class it is imperative that we measure
their proficiency in this area.
End of Course Biology Exam
In May 2008 the first end of course
biology exam was administered.
 This test will tentatively become a
graduation requirement starting in May
2011.
 All students enrolled in a biology course
will be required to take the exam in the
year in which they take the course.
 The test includes questions on
biology(75%) and environmental science
(25%).

End of Course Biology Exam

Environmental Science is not part of
the biology standards and therefore
is not included in our current biology
courses but rather in our new ninth
grade classes Environmental and
Earth Science #401 and
Fundamentals of Environmental and
Earth Science #403.
Science Questions…
…..Please feel free to call me at
284-7134
or contact me by e-mail
kmicai@hcrhs.k12.nj.us
Mr. Ed Brandt
If your student struggles in
math…
Algebra 1 C/C
(313)
Scores
below
proficient on
NJASK7 and/or
NJASK8
(less than 200)
Fundamentals
of Academic
Math (314)
Recommended by
8th grade teacher
Edward Brandt : 284-7190
Fundamentals
of Academic
Geometry (324)
If your student has Pre-Algebra…



Scores on low end of proficiency in NJ
ASK 7 and/or NJASK8 (low 200s)
Tends to need more time to master
concepts
Has difficulty with time management
and study skills
Scores mid- to upper- 200s
Succeeds in Pre-Algebra
Has strong study skills and
tends to pick up math concepts
quickly
Edward Brandt : 284-7190
Algebra 1 C/C (313)
Algebra 1 (312)
If your student has Algebra 1…

Recommended to one of
the following based
upon:
 8th Grade Teacher
recommendation
 Algebra 1 Placement
test
 Performance in 8th
Grade
 Study Skills
Honors Algebra 2 (311)
Algebra 2 (332)
Algebra 1 (312)
Edward Brandt : 284-7190
Q&A