Dear Freshwoman, Sophomore and Junior Parents,

The course selection process for the 2017 - 2018 school year is fast approaching. We know that choosing classes for the next school year can be both an exciting and sometimes anxious experience. In an effort to support students and help them make appropriate decisions, we have organized a detailed process for selecting courses. We believe that making wise course selections, in conjunction with teacher, parent and counselor input, is key to a successful high school and post-secondary experience.

   

Each student in current grades 9-11 will attend an all-class presentation that explains the course selection/registration process. These all-class meetings about course registration will take place during Adviser Group time from 10:42-11:02am in Mercy's Auditorium.       

In addition to the information presented at this meeting, students will be given a registration packet which consists of the following: step-by-step directions that students need to follow in order to complete the registration process correctly; a Course Registration Form that needs to completed by the student and reviewed/signed by a parent/guardian; directions for selecting courses online in Powerschool; important information about Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses; as well as notification of your daughter's individual appointment time with her counselor to discuss her curriculum plan.

   

Your daughter will be assigned an appointment time to meet with her counselor sometime March 6th and March 31st. At this meeting, the counselor will discuss the student's initial course selections with her and make adjustments as needed, ensure that alternate course choices were selected where required, and review your daughter's graduation progress. It is expected that your daughter be prepared for this appointment. Prior to her assigned meeting time, your daughter needs to have completed the following: (1) Review course offerings and complete the Course Registration Form, including parent signature. (2) Complete the online course selection process in Powerschool.
 

As you think about having a conversation with your daughter about her course selections, here are some things to consider to help guide the conversation:    

We want to highlight the importance of choosing the right courses. We understand that students are making decisions now for a curriculum that they will follow next school year. It is important for students to thoughtfully consider their options and make decisions wisely. The master schedule is built from student requests. We determine staffing and the number of sections offered for a course based upon these student selections. Therefore, requests to change a course will not be allowed after Friday, May 12, 2017. After this date, the number of sections needed to accommodate student requests are determined and the scheduling process will begin. Please be advised that there will not be schedule adjustments to accommodate teacher preferences, class preferences, or after-school commitments. Schedule adjustments after May 12th will only be made for the following reasons:

Our goal is to provide both parents and students as much information as possible in order for students to make informed choices regarding their curriculum. Please direct any questions you may have about the registration process to your daughter's counselor. We ask you to please keep in mind that counselors will be meeting with students throughout the day during this 3-week registration period and, as a result, to allow for a longer response time to phone calls and emails.

Thank you,

Colleen Rozman, AP of Academic Affairs

Mercy Office of Counseling and Post-secondary Planning