Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal
This week, D’Evelyn students participated in Course Selection presentations with members of our counseling team. These presentations were designed to address course options and planning for students specific to their respective grades. I am grateful to our counselors for designing informative course selection presentations for our students. The deadline for student submissions of their schedule requests for 2021-2022 is February 25, 2021. Course selection is an important process for students each year. The process is important to our individual students, and it is important to our overall school master schedule planning. We are increasingly optimistic that the 2021-2022 school year will be much closer to a typical school year than the current 2020-2021 school year. Nonetheless, students should make thoughtful, informed choices in their course selection process. It is important for students to collaborate with their parents and families, as well as with their current teachers as needed, in order to make good choices in the course selection process. I encourage students to seek balance in their respective course requests, and to align their requests with their specific goals at D’Evelyn and beyond. As a small school, with students in grades 6 - 12, our master schedule is thoughtfully constructed, but does have some inherent limitations. In our administrative planning process, it is crucial that student course selections are accurate and reflective of each student’s true interests. We encourage students to be particularly thoughtful about their elective choices and back-up classes, as we frequently need to consider student’s alternative electives in the development of individual schedules. The information submitted by students is crucial to our success in planning for the 2021-2022 school year. We particularly emphasize the importance of thoughtfully selecting courses in the spring as the master schedule is increasingly difficult to modify in the fall. Students and families are not guaranteed the ability to change schedules and/or classes at the beginning of next school year. As students and families prepare to determine course selections, I offer the following recommendations to support thoughtful decision-making in the process. I encourage students to choose classes in their areas of interest Given the limited opportunities for electives within the D’Evelyn program, it is particularly important for all students to pursue their passions and interests in available elective courses. Whether the elective falls in one of the traditional academic areas, foreign language, or art, music, PE, or computers, please encourage your child(ren) to pursue their interests with their electives. This is particularly important when selecting AP classes, as students tend to find more success and satisfaction in advanced level courses that align with their interests. For those students that have begun college and career planning, it is also wise to align their courses with those goals. I encourage students to seek balance The D’Evelyn Program was designed to be rigorous and challenge students with high expectations for all students. This design was established prior to the inclusion of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the D’Evelyn curriculum. AP coursework has many benefits for students, including the opportunity to enhance their college resume and earn college credit. However, it is important for students to request these advanced courses thoughtfully. The workload in an AP course is notably higher than in D’Evelyn standard courses, and the expectations and intensity of the AP courses are generally heightened. Students should seek to find balance in their academic course load in a manner that allows them to thrive in all areas of their lives for the next school year. I encourage students to partner with their counselors for additional support in the selection process The D’Evelyn counseling team is knowledgeable about the courses offered at D’Evelyn. They offered students thoughtful, informative presentations in a whole-group setting this week, but are also available to meet with students to brainstorm individually. Students that would like to discuss their course selection process can set up an appointment with their counselor to gain additional insight and support in the process. I encourage all D’Evelyn families to work with their child(ren) to ensure a thoughtful, logical course request process While elective offerings and elective sections are limited due to the nature and structure of the D’Evelyn program, the individual choices for those elective classes carry great significance. On a basic level, it is essential that D’Evelyn students consider the junior high and senior high course requirements needed for either continuation or graduation. However, I encourage all students in collaboration with their families to thoughtfully consider additional elements throughout the course selection process. An important resource during the course selection process is the 2021-2022 D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School Course Planning Guide. This document provides course overviews, prerequisites, course numbers, and additional relevant course-dependent information that should support students in their selection of courses for next school year. The D’Evelyn academic program is well-designed to prepare students for a successful life. With thoughtful consideration given to course selection, students have the ability to adjust their academic experience to better suit their personal needs, interests, and passions. An additional consideration - as a small school, we generally do not have a lot of wiggle room in the schedule once it is built. From a school-level perspective, it is important that students submit a schedule request with thoughtful choices for next year as we prepare to build the master schedule. I hope that families will have an opportunity to work with their children in the process of developing a good plan for course selection for the 2020-2021 school year. Comments are closed.
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