Welcome to

Santa Fe

High School

8th grade Transition to High School

Students Entering 9th Grade

–Each student selects (in writing)

an endorsement area and creates

a Four Year Plan with their 8th

grade counselor.

–Four Year Plans will be evaluated

and updated yearly with the high

school counselor.

Four Year Graduation Plan

Example of a Public Service Endorsement Four Year Plan

Endorsement Areas26 CREDITS

–Foundation High School Plan = 22 credits

–Endorsement = 4 credits

Santa Fe High School counselors recommend graduating with a

Multidisciplinary Endorsement & any additional endorsement of

the students choosing.

Foundation Graduation Plan with

Endorsement

*In order to be eligible for automatic admission to Texas public institutions and TEXAS

grant, student must graduate with the Distinguished requirements. Also, required for

Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and Honor Graduate.

Typical Freshman Schedule

– English I

– Algebra I (or Geometry if Algebra I taken in 8th

grade)

– Biology

– World Geography

– Elective (PE recommended)

– Elective (Fine Art recommended)

– Elective (Endorsement area recommended)

Options for meeting PE

requirement

– PE

– Dance

– Athletics (Football, Volleyball, Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Soccer)

– Cheerleading

– Drill Team

– Marching Band (Fall semester only)

* Students may participate after school in Track, Tennis,

Powerlifting, Bowling and Golf, but no credit is earned for these

programs*

Student can earn up to 4 PE/Equivalent credits

Options for meeting other

required coursework

2 years of the same Language other than English

–Spanish

–French

–American Sign Language

1 year of Fine Arts

– Art

– Band

– Choir

– Dance

– Theatre Arts (Performing or Production)

– Principles & Elements of Floral Design (Grades 10-12)

When to take a Language other than

English (LOTE)?

– If your student is not strong in English and/or

Math, they may want to postpone their LOTE until

sophomore year

– The rigor of a LOTE course is equivalent to that of a

core academic course

Refer to the SFHS Educational

Planning Guide/Tribal Guide

for a complete list of all course

offerings.

Requirements to Graduate

– Earn the 26 required state credits

– Complete at least one endorsement

– Pass all 5 STAAR/End of Course (EOC) Exams

– Algebra I

– English I

– English II

– Biology

– US History

Who should take Pre-AP

and AP Classes?

Yes! I can be successful!

– Love to independently read and

research.

– Like writing, reading, and analyzing

higher- level essays and documents.

– Possess good time-management skills,

very organized, and always complete

work on time.

– Great at working independently, but can

provide leadership in groups and work

well with others.

– Good attendance, and eager to learn.

No! Regular is my thing.

– Outside reading is difficult.

– Prefer to read content that is on

grade level.

– Prefer to write only in English

class.

– Prefer class assignments rather

than independent research.

– Sometimes need extra time to

complete tasks.

– More interested in developing my

current skills.

All Pre-AP & AP courses require summer assignments. Assignments listed on

high school webpage.

– Do not overload your 9th grade schedule!

– Consider all extracurricular activities when

selecting classes

– Schedule change deadlines are non-negotiable!

Things to Consider

A Day in the Life at High

School

– 7:25am – 2:55pm (subject to change)

– 7 class periods each day

– Classes contain students from all grade levels

– 5 minute passing period (1,400 students moving at the same time)

– Each student assigned a counselor & principal

according to grade level

Sample High School Report Card

Course NW1 NW2 SE1 S1

Credits

Earned

ADV QUAN REASON 66 71 60 67 0

US GOVT 72 89 64 N77 0

PHYSICS 75 80 53 73 0.5

PRACTICAL WRITE 84 79 EX 82 0.5

ALGEBRA II 79 68 63 71 0.5

CERAMICS II 89 83 100 89 0.5

ENGLISH IV 57 58 57 57 0

Total of 2 credits earned for this fall semester report card.

This student did not earn credit in US Govt due to absences.

The Importance of Attendance

– Credits are based on attendance & grades

– Texas Education Code requires students to be in attendance 90% of the time for each class period

– Any student absent (excused & unexcused) more than 10% of the class days will be denied credit regardless of grades

– 3 tardies are equal to 1 absence

– If tardy past 10 minutes, student is considered absent

– Students not in attendance 90% of the school year will not receive their Verification of Enrollment (VOE)

High School Transcript

– Students cumulative scorecard!

– Begins in 9th grade

– How colleges will evaluate students

– The official record of student effort & grades

– Pre-AP, AP & Dual Credit courses can earn higher GPA points

*Please see Educational Planning Guide/Tribal Guide for more information on GPA calculations*

Sample High School Transcript

Classification Requirements for Current 9th

Graders to Become 10th graders

Minimum of 6 credits

AND

2nd year in high school.

Future Testing

– PSAT (preliminary SAT) – 10th grade

– PSAT/NMSQT – 11th grade

– Qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship

– SAT and/or ACT – 11th & 12th grade

– AP Exams – 9th - 12th grade

Stay informed, sign up for

the Class of 2021 Remind

Notifications.

7th Annual AP Honor Roll: 1 of only 22 districts in Texas

National Merit Scholarship: Commended Student

Student recipient of University of Texas $20,000 Presidential Scholarship

Texas Music Educators Association All-State Choir Winner

Universal Technical Institute 16-17 Top Tech Challenge – 3rd Place Winners

District Softball Champions

District Volleyball Champions

District Bowling Champions

District Baseball Champions

Raised over $100,000 to Snowdrop Foundation for cancer research

Among many other accomplishments

BEST COUNSELORS EVER!!!!

Santa Fe High School Accolades