Ponderosa

MY CHILD IS HAVING DIFFICULTIES IN HIS / HER CLASSES, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

• The first step is to talk to your student.  Sometimes asking these simple, probing questions may help put the issue into perspective and identify the best intervention.  Start by asking your student what the perceived challenge is…. 
• How is attendance for the class--consistent and regular? 
• Has the student checked Aeries? 
• Is organization an issue in the class? Is there an online calendar?
• Has all homework been submitted? 
• Does your student know how to access the homework?  
• Does your student understand the material?
• What do the formative (assessments along the way) and summative (assessments at the conclusion of the unit) assessments look like? In the course syllabus provided at the beginning of the year, what are the teacher's suggested interventions if a student has questions or concerns?  Is there a teacher website to reference? 

• The next step is for the student to reach out to the instructor. In person is best--and during Nutrition Break is ideal. It is often reported that the student sending an email in anticipation of talking with the teacher helps the student formulate the concern and gives a "head's up" to the teacher that the student is concerned. This will help the meeting to be productive and allow the teacher to prepare for the conversation.

• Once the teacher and student have communicated, if the parent would like to reach out for additional information or clarification, please feel free to do so via email or phone:Faculty Directory 

• If phone and/or email communication with the teacher has not resolved the issue, requesting a parent/teacher/student conference might be necessary. To request a meeting, please write to the instructor and CC the student's designated counselor.
  PHS Counseling Staff
   

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO DROP A COURSE WITHOUT PENALTY?

• The last time to withdraw from a class without penalty is the end of the fourth week of school (20 school days). 

WHEN SHOULD I REPEAT A COURSE?

• If a student fails a graduation requirement. See the link below for more information on graduation requirements: EDUHSD Graduation Requirements
• Should a student earn a passing grade ("D-" or better) and yet would like to repeat a course, they will not earn additional credit for retaking the same course. 
• In some cases, a student must or may choose to repeat a course (and therefore become credit deficient).  Please consult your student’s counselor to learn more about repeating courses. 

CSU-UC Comparison of Minimum Freshman Admission Requirements

To meet a prerequisite for a desired, next-level class in a course sequence (example:  "C" or better needed in Spanish 1 to move onto Spanish 2).  Please reference the EDUHSD Course Directory for prerequisites: EDUHSD Course Directory

Please consult with your designated counselor to identify if repeating a course is warranted. 

COMMUNITY COLLEGE COURSES / DUAL ENROLLMENT

• All required courses for graduation must be completed at Ponderosa High School.  For more information regarding the graduation requirements, click on the link  EDUHSD Graduation Requirements.
• Students may take classes at the community college to receive high school elective credit.  Certain criteria apply.
• The student must meet with his/her school counselor to review the Dual Enrollment Process, requirements, guidelines and to have the proper forms signed and approved.  For more information about Dual Enrollment at Folsom Lake College, please click on the link below:
  FLC Dual Enrollment. 

HOW DO I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY COUNSELOR?

• Trouble with a class? Please see #1 above.
• If I need support with the following ...please make an appointment:

• • • • • 4-year planning
        • College/Career Planning
        • Class Concern
        • Personal
        • Other

WHAT DOES A "WEIGHTED GPA" MEAN?

• All of our AP (Advanced Placement) classes, with an earned grade of "C" or better, are weighted in the high school grade point average. This means an extra point is added to computing the average.
• For these "weighted" AP classes: A's earn 5 grade points, B's earn 4, and C's earn 3. D's and F's are not awarded extra grade points. 
• The UC/CSU systems limit the weighted grades taken in 9th and 10th grade that will count in the college GPA. 

CSU-UC Comparison of Minimum Freshman Admission Requirements

Click here for more information about our Advanced Placement program

I HEARD 9TH GRADE GRADES DO NOT COUNT TOWARD COLLEGE ADMISSION.  IS THIS TRUE?

• All classes and grades count in high school. All grades are computed into the student's cumulative grade point average (GPA). The 9-12, overall GPA is used in qualifying for scholarships and by many private universities.
• Most UC and CSU universities begin calculating a college GPA in 10th grade, which has led to confusion on this topic.
• It is important to note that even if a college chooses to begin the college GPA in the 10th-grade year, they still look carefully at the 9th-grade year to ensure that students receive a minimum of a "C" grade in any college prep courses taken in that year. 
• An insufficient grade in a college prep course in the 9th-grade year (that is not re-taken and passed with a "C" or better) may disqualify a student from attaining admission to a four-year university.

WHAT DOES UC/CSU APPROVED COURSES MEAN?

• The California public university system has designated which of our classes they will accept as satisfying their "subject requirements" for admission. These subject requirements demonstrate that the student is prepared for the rigors of college work at the UC/CSU campuses.

CSU-UC Comparison of Minimum Freshman Admission Requirements

Ponderosa High School UC/CSU Approved Courses

WHAT IS THE BEST SCIENCE CLASS TO TAKE IN 9TH GRADE?

• It depends on your interests, abilities, and your goals. The district requirement states that students must pass one year of physical science and one year of biological science by the end of the 12th-grade year to graduate.
• The science course is dependent on the math placement. 
• Algebra Foundations: Strong recommendation to postpone science until the student is taking Algebra I.
• Algebra I: E/S Science
• Geometry:  E/S Science or Biology.

HOW DO I REQUEST A TRANSCRIPT FROM PHS?

• Please refer to the Transcript Request webpage for detailed instructions and to print a Transcript Request Form. 

WHAT IS THE SALUTATORIAN AND VALEDICTORIAN QUALIFYING AND SELECTION PROCESS?

• The valedictorian of the graduating class will be the student with the highest cumulative weighted GPA at the end of the Fall semester. A total of 195 credits will be used in the GPA determination as follows: Six courses from the freshman year, six courses from the sophomore year, five courses from the junior year, and five courses from the first semester of the senior year.  If the student took fewer courses in any given semester than the minimum noted above, a course from another semester will be used in which the student took more than the minimum, and provides the student with the highest number of grade points. If the student took more than the minimum number of courses noted above, the course grades that contribute the most grade points in each semester will be used to calculate the GPA.
• The salutatorian of the graduating class will be the student with the second-highest cumulative weighted GPA, as noted above.
• In the event that two or more students have the same total weighted GPA as calculated above, all students with the highest GPA will be named valedictorians, and all students with the second highest GPA will be named salutatorians.
• Courses taken at a community college, university, or other post-secondary institution or supplementary program will not be used for valedictorian and salutatorian determinations. 
• Appeals or disputes should be submitted to the Director of Guidance and will be reviewed by the Director of Guidance and Principal.

TEACHER REQUEST AND SCHEDULE CHANGE POLICIES

TEACHER REQUEST POLICY:

• Requests to have (or not have) specific teachers will not be taken or considered.

• The teacher should be contacted directly by the student and/or parent, the concerns should be discussed, and a mutually agreed upon resolution should be attempted.
• If a resolution cannot be reached or the problem continues, the student's Counselor should be contacted.
• If the Counselor is unable to facilitate a resolution, the issue will be referred to the Administration.
• A student has personally had that teacher previously (or a sibling) and is requesting not to have that teacher again.
• Please remember this is a request, and requests must be made no later than the first week of school. Any adjustment to the schedule depends on seat availability and our ability to maintain a balanced Master Schedule.

REQUEST SCHEDULE CHANGE:

• Schedule changes will only be made for students who are in an incorrect class.  This may be an elective class change, a change in the level of an academic class, or if a student is missing a required class or has a class duplicated.  Such schedule adjustments should be made in the first 2 weeks of the semester. 
• Level adjustments (Ex. Adv. English to English 1) may be made within 4 weeks of the semester upon submitting a Course Change Request Form which will be available in the Counseling Office.  Changes will not be approved on the basis of requesting a change of teachers or class periods (see Teacher Request Policy Above).