High School Planning Guide 2011-2012

Guide to Eighth Grade Planning

Class of 2016

Dear Eighth Grade Students and Parents,

We are looking forward to assisting you in making the transition to Pioneer High School.  This  is an outline of what will be occurring within the next several weeks to create a high school plan for the students of the Class of 2015.

The first step in the planning process involves teachers from the High School Occupational Education Programs as well as the Art and Music Departments visiting the 8th grade classrooms to present information on the classes that each department offers.  The BOCES programs will also visit to let students know what is available for them at the Ellicottville BOCES site for grades eleven and twelve BOCES.  Please ask your children about these presentations.

Beginning in January, individual appointments will be set up for every 8th grade student to meet with their School Counselor.  Parents are greatly encouraged to attend this appointment.  The appointment time will come home attached to a packet that outlines and describes all the courses available to 9th grade students.  Please call our office to reschedule if the appointment time given is not convenient to your schedule. The student is asked to review the packet before the meeting and hopefully have a general idea of what courses they may be interested in taking next year.  When students come to the meeting, the Counselor will review student’s academic progress, standardized test results, and assist in the selection of 9^th grade classes.  Future sequences will also be explored.  A sequence is a group of courses in a particular subject area, such as art, technology, agriculture, BOCES, music or business.  We will also answer any questions about high school graduation requirements. 

In the spring, students will also participate in Career Day to get an idea of what type of future career they may be interested in pursuing. The 8^th graders will hear about education and job requirements for the careers that they chose.  Parents and community members will represent various careers that students can get more information about. 

We are looking forward to completing this exciting process with you. Please call the counseling center at 492-9380 if you have any questions about this process. 

Sincerely,

Kim Boberg    

Lynne Roth