2016-2017 WINDSOR CHARTER ACADEMY MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSE CATALOG

Windsor Charter Academy Middle School 810 Automation Drive, Windsor, CO 80550

IMPORTANT CONTACT NUMBERS

GENERAL

Main Office: 970.833.5190 Fax: 970.833.5188 Attendance: 970.833.5191 Address: 810 Automation Dr., Windsor, CO 80550 Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADMINISTRATION

Rebecca Teeples, Executive Director [email protected] Jeremy Schriner, Secondary Education Director [email protected] Hannah Mancina, Secondary Assistant Principal [email protected]

ACADEMIC ADVISORS

Erica Koehler, WCA Academic Advisor [email protected]

GENERAL INFORMATION

Windsor Charter Academy’s vision is to ensure that our schools are a place “where students are educated, empowered, and equipped to reach their highest potential.”

This guide is designed to help you and your parents plan your coursework at Windsor Charter Middle School School. It is important to seek the help of parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators in planning an educational program to fit your needs. Each student should strive to get the best preparation out of his or her time in middle school in order to be successful in our early college high school.

WEIGHTED & UNWEIGHTED GRADES A cumulative GPA is calculated for all middle school level courses based on the number of credits received utilizing a 4.0 (unweighted) and 5.0 (weighted) scale. Weighted grades represent the higher-level work that occurs with college courses.

• Middle school level courses are calculated on the 4.0 scale.

• Honors courses are calculated on a weighted 4.5 scale.

• College courses are calculated on the weighted 5.0 scale.

HONOR ROLL Students at Windsor Charter Academy will receive academic recognition each quarter based on the following criteria:

Honor Roll High Honor Roll Deans List 3.60—3.79 3.80—3.94 3.95—4.00

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

To graduate from Windsor Charter Academy Middle School, a student enrolled must earn a minimum of 20 credits that include the following:

A minimum number of credits are required to move from one grade to another within middle school:

• In 6th grade, students must pass English, math, and an additional 4 credits, totaling 6 credits. • In 7th grade, students must pass English, math and an additional 5 credits, totaling 7 credits. • In 8th grade, students must pass English, math and an additional 5 credits, totaling 7 credits.

CREDIT RECOVERY

Students that fail core middle school subjects of English, math, science, and history will be required to complete a correspondence course with the Keystone School or Study Island. Each unit covers 35-40 hours worth of content. The cost will be the responsibility of the family. The cost for a correspondence course averages $150. Summer school options may be available at an additional cost.

Academic Area Credit Recovery Program per Grade Level English 6th—8th Grade: Keystone

Mathematics 6th—8th Grade: Keystone

Science 6th Grade: Study Island 7th—8th Grade: Keystone History 6th Grade: Study Island 7th—8th Grade: Keystone

WINDSOR CHARTER ACADEMY MULTI-YEAR PLAN

Grade Language Mathematics Social Science PE / Spanish Art/ Music Arts Studies 6th ENG 6 ENG 6 Pre-Algebra Foundations HIS 6 SCI 6 PE 6 ART 6 HONORS SPA 6 MUS 6 7th ENG 7 ENG 7 Algebra I Pre-Algebra HIS 7 SCI 7 PE 7 ART 7 HONORS SPA 7 MUS 7 8th ENG 8 ENG 8 Geometry Algebra I HIS 8 SCI 8 PE 8 ART 8 HONORS MA121 SPA 8 MUS 8

WINDSOR CHARTER ACADEMY BLOCK SCHEDULE

Monday Schedule for All Classes Periods 1 through 8

Monday Morning Classes Monday Afternoon Classes

Period 1 8:00 to 8:47 a.m. Period 5A 11:53 to 12:40 p.m.

Period 2 8:50 to 9:37 a.m. Period 5B 11:20 to 12:07 a.m.

Period 3 9:40 to 10:27 a.m. Period 6 12:43 to 1:30 p.m.

Period 4 10:30 to 11:17 a.m. Period 7 1:33 to 2:20 p.m.

Lunch: 5A 11:20 to 11:50 Period 8 2:23 to 3:10 p.m. Lunch: 5B 12:10 to 12:40 p.m.

Tuesday through Friday Schedule for Classes Periods 1 through 8

Time Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

8:00 to 9:30 Period 1 Period 2 Period 1 Period 2

9:33 to 11:03 Period 3 Period 4 Period 3 Period 4

11:06 to 1:09 Period 5 & Lunch Period 6 & Lunch Period 5 & Lunch Period 6 & Lunch 1:12 to 2:42 Period 7 Period 8 Period 7 Period 8

2:45 to 3:10 Advisory Advisory Advisory Advisory

Tuesday through Friday Schedule for Periods 5 & 6 / Lunch

Group Period 5 & 6 Lunch / Break

A 11:39 to 1:09 p.m. 11:06 to 11:36 a.m.

B 11:06 to 12:36 p.m. 12:39 to 1:09 p.m.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ELECTIVE OPTIONS

Course Offerings at Windsor Charter Academy that Fulfill Electives Requirements Course # Course Name Quarter or Credit Semester ELE 01 Creative Writing Q 0.25 ELE 02 Digital Communication Q 0.25 ELE 03 Literacy Lab Q 0.25* ELE 10 Math Lab Q 0.25* ELE 30 Exploring Agriculture Q 0.25 ELE 31 LEGO Robotics S 0.50 ELE 32 Minecraft Q 0.25 ELE 33 Mythbusters Q 0.25 ELE 34 Exploring Web Tools Q 0.25 ELE 35 Yearbook S 0.50 ELE 40 Band S 0.50 ELE 41 Choir S 0.50 ELE 42 Theater S 0.50 ELE 50 DYI & Crafts Q 0.25 ELE 51 Intro to Drawing & Painting Q 0.25 ELE 52 Props & Scenery S 0.50 ELE 60 Intro to Team Sports Q 0.25 ELE 61 Ultimate Frisbee Q 0.25 ELE 62 Yoga Q 0.25 ELE 70 Leadership S 0.50 ELE 71 Problem Solving & Games Q 0.25 ELE 72 Study Hall Q 0.00 *This course is a pass/fail course that is not calculated into the GPA.

ATHLETICS

Sports are also an integral part of Windsor Charter Academy. There are a variety of sports available. Students must maintain a C- or higher to compete in games during sports seasons.

FALL WINTER SPRING GIRLS BOYS GIRLS BOYS GIRLS BOYS Volleyball Soccer Basketball Basketball Track & Field Track & Field

Cross Cross Soccer Country Country

WINDSOR CHARTER ACADEMY STUDENT LIFE

It is an important focus at WCA to encourage students to have strong leadership skills. Research shows that leadership is second only to classroom instruction in its positive effects on student learning. We offer various school sponsored academic and activity clubs that extend learning beyond the classroom.

School Sponsored Academic Clubs & Activities Junior National Honor Society Leadership Drama Club Robotics Yearbook Chess Club Film Club Book Club

ELECTIVES COURSES

ENGLISH ELECTIVES

CREATIVE WRITING C Course # ELE 01 This course is a one-quarter course for students that love to MS Credit 0.25 write. Through frequent writing exercises, students will develop such writing resources as voice, imagery, characterization, dialogue, and narration.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION C Course # ELE 02 This course is a one-quarter course for students to learn about MS Credit 0.25 various tools for communication. Do you want a place to share your ideas? Are you a sports fan who follows the game but have no place to express your opinions? Ever want to have your own blog, but don't know where to start? Digital Journalism is a course designed to help students discover their passions in writing provide and an ideal place for publishing this work. Digital journalism also combines journalism with film design. In this course, students will also brainstorm, develop, write, film, and edit a short program based on middle school news. Students will be taught appropriate interviewing and news writing skills, film recording and editing techniques, and the process of a news broadcast, from start to finish.

LITERACY LAB C Course # ELE 03 This course is a one-quarter course for students that need MS Credit 0.25 additional support in reading and writing. Students in this elective will have the opportunity to work with a language arts teacher, offering extra support in language arts. Students may also be placed in the class based on teacher recommendation.

MATH ELECTIVES

MATH LAB C Course # ELE 10 This course is a one-quarter course for students that need MS Credit 0.25 additional support in math. Students in this elective will have the opportunity to work with a math teacher, offering extra support in math. Students may also be placed in the class based on teacher recommendation.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ELECTIVES

EXPLORING AGRICULTURE C Course # ELE 30 This course is a one-quarter course, where students analyze the MS Credit 0.25 different aspects of the agricultural industry. This course is designed to give students a general understanding of the importance of the agricultural industry. Upon completion of this course students will be able to analyze different aspects of the agricultural industry and how it affects their daily lives. Students will gain a working knowledge of American agricultural history, Colorado agriculture, and the significance of the agricultural education program. Students will learn of the various career opportunities in the agriculture industry.

EXPLORING WEB TOOLS C Course # ELE 31 This course is a one-quarter course where students will use a MS Credit 0.25 variety of websites that incorporate the newer read/write/create web technology. Applications that students will explore include: photo editing, website creation, blogging, multimedia creation, and social networking. All sites will be safe for the students and have an educational connection.

LEGO ROBOTICS C Course # ELE 32 This course is a one-semester course where students learn MS Credit 0.50 robotics concepts, building robots with the LEGO hardware and programming. Students will build and program robots that will need to accomplish specific tasks based on the LEGO Robotics competition theme.

MINECRAFT C Course # ELE 33 This course is a one-quarter course. Minecraft is a popular MS Credit 0.25 online simulation software program. This student-driven elective will teach students how to use and play Minecraft. Using this software tool, students will also explore concepts such as online collaboration, problem solving, programming, and web server setup and control. Students are the primary instructors for this elective with teacher supervision to assist with class management and organization.

MYTHBUSTERS C Course # ELE 34 This course is a one-quarter course for students that love MS Credit 0.25 science. Ever wondered if yawning is contagious? Can you make a glow stick out of Mountain Dew, vinegar, and baking soda as claimed on the internet? Separating truth from fiction can be tough! In this elective, students will endeavor to find the truth as they investigate claims using research and the scientific method. Students will also watch episodes of MythBusters as inspiration and to analyze and critique the investigative methods demonstrated on the show.

YEARBOOK C Course # ELE 35 This course is a one-semester course for students that want to be MS Credit 0.5 involved in helping to design and put together the middle school MS Credit 0.50 WCA 2016-2017 elementary yearbook. Students will help create the design of the yearbook.

MUSIC & PERFORMING ART ELECTIVES

BAND C Course # ELE 40 This course is a one-semester course for students that are MS Credit 0.50 interested or currently play an instrument. Students explore a variety of song styles. Students may be beginners or experienced players.

CHOIR C Course # ELE 41 This course is a one-semester course for students that are MS Credit 0.50 interested in music. Students will enjoy singing a variety of music from standards to show stopping numbers.

THEATER C Course # ELE 42 This course is a one-semester course for students that are MS Credit 0.50 interested in performing arts. This class will discover foundational concepts of acting, stagecraft, technical theater, and production. Students will enjoy improvisation, character development, performance, and set building, along with stage production.

ART ELECTIVES

DYI & CRAFTS C Course # ELE 50 This course is a one-quarter course for students that love to create. Students will use Pinterest boards to research, problem- MS Credit 0.25 solve and create trendy and fun crafts in this "Do it Yourself" elective. DIY artists will create using mixed media such as duck tape, collage, fibers, paint, Sharpies, magnets, Mason jars and more. Let your creativity flow in DIY Creative Crafts!

INTRO TO DRAWING & PAINTING C Course # ELE 51 This course is a one-quarter course for students that want to MS Credit 0.25 learn about drawing and painting. The Course offers students a variety of experiences built on the elements and principles of art.

PROPS & SCENERY C Course # ELE 52 This course is a one-semester course for students that love the MS Credit 0.50 arts. In this elective students will use their drawing, painting, sculpting and creative skills to design and create the stage set and props for the musical.

PE ELECTIVES

INTRODUCTION TO SPORTS C Course # ELE 60 This course is a one-quarter course for students that love MS Credit 0.25 learning something new. Students will learn basic yoga principles as well as gain strength, flexibility, and balance.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE C Course # ELE 61 This course is a one-quarter course for students that love sports. MS Credit 0.25 Similar to football, Ultimate Frisbee combines the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football. Two teams play the game of Ultimate Frisbee on a field with end zones. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent’s end zone. In this student led elective, you will learn Frisbee skills that will prepare you to play Ultimate. Along with skill work, we will also explore and play other Frisbee games throughout the quarter.

YOGA C Course # ELE 62 This course is a one-quarter course for students that love MS Credit 0.25 learning something new. Students will learn basic yoga principles as well as gain strength, flexibility, and balance.

ADDITIONAL ELECTIVES

LEADERSHIP C Course # ELE 70 This course is a one-semester course that develops student MS Credit 0.50 leadership skills, public speaking, life skills, and service through instruction and school-wide and community activities and involvement. As an academic class, students will be required demonstrate a working knowledge of class topics and skills. Students will participate in business and financial planning, scheduling, marketing, advertising and event planning that focuses on community service and school unity, in addition to parliamentary procedure, democratic voting, and aspects of student government.

PROBLEM SOLVING & GAMES C Course # ELE 71 This course is a one-quarter course designed to provide MS Credit 0.25 students an opportunity to play a variety of board (not computer) games that will be fun! It's also an opportunity to work with peers who they might otherwise not work with. Stratego, Upwords, Mastermind, Settlers of Catan, and Pandemic are just some of the games that will be available for this elective. We can also discuss and add some other games based on student interest. Let’s have an old-fashioned, non- electronic blast playing some games!

STUDY HALL C Course # ELE 72 This course is a one-quarter course designed to provide MS Credit 0.25 students with the opportunity to explore study and organization strategies that will help them now and in the future. As individual learners, students will work with a middle school faculty member to uncover study and organizational methods that will work best for their own learning styles.