Frequently Asked Questions about High School

What will the homework load be like for freshman? For most students taking college preparatory classes, the homework expectation will
be around 30 minutes per class per night. For most students taking honors classes, the homework expectation will be around 30-60 minutes per
class per night. It is important to have a family discussion about extracurricular commitments, study habits, and what seems to be the best fit
for the student.

Will academic classes be offered during 7th period? Yes, due to the complexity of the master schedule we offer academic classes
throughout the day. The scheduler randomly assigns students to sections so any of your courses could be 7th period. Extracurricular involvement
does not qualify for a schedule change. Our teachers are prepared to work with students with extra curricular conflicts.

How do we know which electives are offered? There are several ways: High school counselors/career development coordinators visit each
middle school during the registration period (February/ March) to go over the registration process and course selections. The High School Course
Book is online on the District website that includes all the courses offered in our high schools. Information is also shared during parent nights at
the high schools and middle schools. A typical 9th grade schedule will include an English, math , science, social studies, and PE/Health with two
electives.

Can students be exempt from Healthful Living (PE/Health) if they participate in team sports? State and local policy: students may
not be exempt from Healthful Living. The Healthful Living (PE/Health) course is a graduation requirement.

Can 9th graders take a NC Virtual Public School class? Rising 9th graders can only take an NCVPS class if it is not offered in the
district's curriculum, or if it is at another high school or if there is a scheduling conflict during the year.

Will 9th graders take classes with upper classmen? Generally, English I, World History, and Healthful Living are for Freshmen only.
Other classes may be mixed such as World Language, Math, Biology etc.

Where can I find information for Drivers Education? The district website has information for Driver's Education at the following web
address. www2.chccs.k12.nc.us/drivered. Check the school website for sign up forms and class dates.

Do my rising 9th grade childs high school level classes and grades from middle school show up on their transcript? Yes. High
school level World Language and High School level Math classes show up on their high school transcript with a grade but are not averaged into
their GPA. Credits from these courses count toward graduation.

May my student re-take a level of a foreign language if they do not feel ready for the next level? Yes.
How many service hours are required for graduation and when may a student begin documenting their hours? Twenty-five
documented service hours are required for graduation. Rising ninth grade students may start earning service learning hours after June 12, 2015.
For more information, please contact Peggy Haythorn, our Service Learning Coordinator at phaythorn@chccs.k12.nc.us. The school website has
forms & information for students and parents. Many agencies are listed that our students have worked with in the past.

Who do I contact regarding online summer classes? Please contact your childs middle school counselor and check the school website for
information regarding online summer class options.

Should my child sign up for Health online? No, since the board has changed the requirements for PE and Health, 9th grade students will
only need to take Healthful Living for their freshman year. This class includes Health and PE and will fulfill the graduation requirement.

Should my child concentrate on school and not sign up for extracurriculars? We find that extracurricular activities usually help
engage a student and help the student become more organized and, therefore, more successful in school. These activities provide students the
opportunity to develop new friends, leadership skills, and enhance the high school experience. That being said, students and parents should always
evaluate the students schedule and make certain that they are not taking on too much.

How does my child learn more about clubs in high school? Each high school has a club day around the third week of September where
all of the clubs will give out information regarding their activities and allow students to sign up. Becoming part of a club or team is one of the best
ways to feel part of your high school and ease adjustment.

How important are standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT? While many colleges use these tests to help them compare students
from different districts and states, it is only one piece of a students application. Test preparation can help students significantly and some students
can score better on one test than the other. The most important determining factor for colleges is a students transcript.

Is it better to take an AP or honors class and earn a lower grade or to take a college preparatory or honors class and earn an A
or B? Typically speaking, it is better to take the class where you are challenged but can still be successful. If a student earns a D, it will still show
up as a D on their transcript even if you have honors (+.5) or AP (+1) weighting. Course selection is an important family discussion. Students
should be successfully challenged without a load that overwhelms them.

Schedules: Carrboro, Chapel Hill High and East students will receive information about what day they may pick up their schedules prior to
the beginning of the new school year.

What does a high school day look like? Students have seven courses/periods each day with five minutes between. The first bell rings at 8:40
and students must be in their seats ready to go at 8:45. Students have four courses before lunch break. Lunch generally starts between 12:10
12:20 at the high schools and lasts approximately 50 minutes. After lunch there are three courses with the last bell ringing at 3:50pm.

What is lunch like? About half of our students bring a bag lunch from home and the rest purchase lunch from the school lunch / ala carte line.
Parents may set up a lunch account online for their students to pay with their ID card. Clubs and activities are run during lunch, as well as
intramurals. Many teachers offer make up sessions and tutorials at lunch. Talking with your student about lunch and how they plan to spend that
time is very important. The first few weeks, lunch can be very confusing and students may feel lost. High school offers many activities so
everyone should find something they enjoy at this time.

How can parents be involved on the high school level? We love parent volunteers! Please look on the district website to access the
volunteer coordination office / forms. Please continue to contact your students teachers with questions or concerns. Your students teachers do not
have a common planning period so email is often the fastest way to contact faculty. If you need a conference with a teacher email him/her to
arrange a time. Counselors can facilitate a conference with all of the students teachers if needed.

What about the grading scale change? Beginning in 2015-2016, the grading scale for all high school students will be as follows: A = 90-100
B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F = 0-59

Weighted credit in Honors and AP/IB classes for Rising 9th graders: Effective with the freshman class of 2015-16, the weighting for
Honors courses shall be one-half (.5) of a quality point and the weight for AP/IB courses shall be one (1) quality point. PLTW Engineering
courses will be changed to +1 from +2.

How do I contact my child's counselor?

Betty Wooten (A-Gon)

Jessica Wallace (A-C)

Montez Thomas (D-He)

Carrboro High School

bwooten@chccs.k12.nc.us
Steve Turner (Goo-Par)
Bari Sholomon (Pas-Z) bsholomon@chccs.k12.nc.us

Chapel Hill High School

jwallace@chccs.k12.nc.us
Lar Meachum (Hi - L, AVID)
gmthomas@chccs.k12.nc.us
Ryan McGraw (M-R)
Frances Williams (S-Z) fcwilliams@chccs.k12.nc.us

sturner@chccs.k12.nc.us

lmeachum@chccs.k12.nc.us
rmcgraw@chccs.k12.nc.us

East Chapel Hill High School

Kristen Heimstra (A-Da)

Kelly Germino (De-Ja)

kheimstra@chccs.k12.nc.us
Tiffany Robinson (Je-Mo)
kgermino@chccs.k12.nc.us
Katy Lipkus (Mu-Sh)
Jessica Harris (Si-Z)
jbharris@chccs.k12.nc.us

tbond@chccs.k12.nc.us
klipkus@chcccs.k12.nc.us