9th Grade Parent Glossary

Activities Directory – online directory of all RHS activities (www.ridleysd.k12.pa.us)

Advisory Period – 2:30 – 3:00 pm most days of the week when students can see their teachers for extra help

AP courses – Advanced Placement – course beyond Honors level designed for the potential for students to earn college credit

AP Permission Form – permission form which must be signed by parents of students registering for AP courses

ASVAB – Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery – a test to measure aptitude to be trained in specific jobs; administered at RHS every November to juniors and seniors

Back to School Night– an opportunity for parents to meet teachers and learn what their children are doing in each class

Block Scheduling – RHS uses block scheduling which means that students will attend 5 classes each semester for a total of 10 classes each year; each block is 73 minutes long

CATE – Career and Technical Education (formerly Vo-Tech) – a program designed for juniors and seniors interested in technical education; students must apply for this program during the registration period beginning each January

Class Dues – every student is required to pay $10 per year for class dues which helps to defray the costs of events such as dances and Class Night during senior year

Course Levels – AP (Advanced Placement); H (Honors); CP (College Prep); CCP (Career College Prep); GA (General Academic)

Course Registration – the period of time in January/February when all students meet with their guidance counselor to select courses for the following school year

Course Registration Guide – description of all courses offered to students; can be found online at www.ridleysd.k12.pa.us

Diversified Occupations/Occupational Seminar - Work Study; a program for 11th and 12th grade students interested in having a part-time job during the school year; students attend school part time and work part time and they must apply with their guidance counselor

Dual Enrollment – an opportunity for seniors to take college courses at Clarion, DCCC or Widener while attending RHS; interested students should speak with their counselor during the course registration period

EA/EMAC – Emerald Academy; a smaller learning community of honors students

Extended Absence form – a form that is required when a student will be absent for a long period of time; this form can be located in the main office and should be returned to the main office upon completion but prior to the absence

Grade Promotion – in order to be promoted to the next grade, students must earn a minimum number of credits (9th to 10th = 8 credits; 10th to 11th = 16 credits; 11th to 12th = 22 credits)

Graduation Requirements – 32 credits including 4 English, 3 or 4 Social Studies (depending on level), 3 Math, 3 Science, 2 Arts/Humanities, 1 Health, 1 PE, 11 additional credits and additional Citizenship Units.

Guidance Announcements – information generated in the guidance office about important information for students including scholarship information, open houses, job postings, etc.; they can be found in each classroom, online and in the guidance office Latex Policy – RHS is a latex safe environment; no latex products (gloves, balloons, etc.) are permitted

Morning Announcements – televised announcements providing information to students about important activities throughout the school

Naviance – an online career exploration program that will be available to all students through the guidance department

NHS – National Honor Society

Non-weighted GPA – grade point average of all courses taken at RHS

Parent Conferences – parents are invited and encouraged to schedule meetings with their child’s counselor and/or teacher(s)

Parent Forum - meetings held several times a year when the parents set the agenda to be discussed with that evening’s participating administrators

Parent Portal – parent access to Powerschool (online grades)

PIN Number – each student has an account in the cafeteria for lunches and the pin number provides access to any funds that have been previously deposited

PowerSchool – online grading system; all parents have access to grades and teacher email through Powerschool

RHS Publications – Archive (yearbook); Green Raider (newspaper); Windscript (literary magazine)

SAP – Student Assistance Program – a program designed to help at-risk (academic, behavioral, familial, etc.) students; for more information about SAP, you can see your child’s counselor

Student ID Number – unique identification number given to each student; this number is required to log into any school computer

Student Portal – student access to Powerschool

Transcript – a comprehensive listing of courses taken and grades earned; all grades in high school will be included on the transcript

User Agreement – a form allowing students to use school computers; students and parents must sign the form indicating that the student will abide by the school’s acceptable use policy

Weighted GPA – grade point average of only leveled courses taken

Welcome Walk – a period of time in the summer when high school teachers and administrators visit the home of each incoming 9th grader to welcome them to RHS