A Patriot Parent’s Guide To High School Registration

Key Dates:

December 20 - High school counselors will meet with their students to distribute the Program Planning Guide, give an overview of the registration process and answer questions.

January 7 - Students will receive course recommendation sheets to take home and review with parents.  8^th grade teachers will initial courses that they deem appropriate based upon the students’ performance in their classes.

January 10 – Orientation meeting for parents at Naperville North High School @ 6:45.

January 17 -  High school counselors will meet with individual students at Jefferson to finalize the course selection process.  Students must have their course selection sheets, signed by a parent, in order to register for classes.

Naperville North High School has a wealth of information available to you online.  You can access it through their website at: http://www.ncusd203.org/north/

From that site you may wish to access the Parent Links located at the bottom left of the page.  Some helpful links include:

·        Parent Survival Guide (contains FAQ section)

·        Program Planning Guide (this is last year’s)

·        College Planning Guide (it’s never too early)

You may also access the link to Pupil Personnel Services where you can then follow additional links to:

·        Deans

·        Counselors

·        Graduation requirements

·        Program Planning Guide

·        Grading System

·        Honors Courses

Or any other link that interests you.  Some of the information may change for next year but most of it remains the same and eventually they will update the Program Planning Guide to be the one that will come home to you on December 20.

In your reading you will see that the high school operates on an 8 period day.  Since lunch and mandatory Physical Education take 2 of those periods, students must fill the other 6 periods.  Band, chorus or orchestra may take an additional one or two and if a student has begun a foreign language, it will be recommended that they continue if they pass the end of year competency test.  Band and orchestra students may audition for placement above the ‘concert’ level.

The core freshman program includes:

·        1 Science (typically; Dynamic Earth Systems)

·        1 Math         (typically; Algebra I)

·        1 Communication Arts (typically; Patterns of Communication)

·        1 Social Science (World Cultures or Anc./Med. History)

Performance Music -  Band, Choir, Orchestra will be scheduled for 1 period each day.

Study Hall - I often advise taking a study hall for at least the first semester because it is a period that will not produce additional homework demands as a student transitions to the rigor of high school.  This can be particularly helpful if you know your son or daughter is planning to participate in a fall sport that will require several hours of practice daily.  If you then determine that a study hall is not necessary, a semester elective could be picked up for second semester.

Foreign Language – Students that have already begun a foreign language program should continue at the high school.  If you have questions about whether your freshman should begin a foreign language, there are many factors that should be considered, please call.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, you can still talk to the Jefferson teachers and counselors.  We have a lot of time invested in our students and our greatest desire is to see them enrolled in classes that will both enrich and challenge them at the next level.