Taking summer classes to accelerate
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Anonymous
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If you take summer classes in the summer between 8th and 9th grade, are you a middle schooler or a high schooler?
What kind of classes are you allowed to take in the summers while in high school? |
Anonymous
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Between 7th and 8th - Geometry Honors
Between 8th and 9th - Online HPE 9 and prep for any classes that might be challenging. Start volunteer work for Hugh school and plan out clubs. Start fall sport Between 9th and 10th - Chemistry Honors or HPE10. Job, internship and coursework prep. Continue volunteer work and prep for science fair. |
Anonymous
How do you prepare for a science fair? |
Anonymous
Come up with a project idea, gather the necessary materials, build the necessary whatevers. If it involves growing plants or a similar slow process, you'd need to start it well in advance. Or just retool your older sibling's project from several years ago, LOL. Seen plenty go that route. |
Anonymous
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Our DC's math teacher strongly recommended the kids not take Geometry between 7th and 8th. She said it was a lot of material for the summer without the time to fully absorb.
Having said that, if your kid is already at a point of taking Geometry by the summer between 7th and 8th, what's the math plan for HS. They would be taking calculus in sophomore year. Assuming they are math-minded and may want to do more in college... To note tone, I'm genuinely asking and not trying to sound snotty. Do you split Calc AB in sophomore year, BC in junior and stats in senior? No concerns with them being away from calc for a year before actually entering college? |
Anonymous
HPE? Sorry what is that? |
Anonymous
Health and PE, I think. It is a pretty common class for kids to take during the summer because it opens an elective space during the school year. |
Anonymous
Depending on the level of stats, they may use calculus in stats. The problem is that FX county doesn’t let you advance in a meaningful way. They place too many hurdles that work n tandem to stop you. Math is so useful and opens so many doors knowledge wise. People are crazy over TJ bc there are many fewer opportunities at the base schools. If there was an option to really accelerate at the regular HS, TJ wouldn’t be so hot anymore. |
Anonymous
NP. Calculus is useful - but it isn't needed before the end of high school. There's no value to taking it sophomore year of high school - whether in FX county or anywhere. And no real value in taking both AB and BC aside from scheduling reasons. |
Anonymous
Sorry, I don't think this answered the question. If you are in AAP and taking Algebra 1 in 7th grade, you would be taking calc BC by senior year. Beyond, BC and AP stats, what classes are they taking at TJ that are beyond that in math. Again, asking sincerely. What is the plan if they take Geometry over the summer? Is it to open another academically oriented elective for them? My oldest is in 7th so I am trying to understand the increased push and what the end-goal would be. DC is in 7th with Algebra 1 and planning Geometry and Spanish in 8th. That would be 3 HS classes before starting HS. Not sure we plan to pursue more than that, but... I see PE in the summer. I would have thought that was one class that was a stress relief during the year, but do people just add other electives? Still learning this process. |
Anonymous
You can see the TJ math course offerings below; there is a wide variety of college level 'post AP' courses that one could take at TJ, many of which are not offered at base schools. The same is true for computer science and the physical sciences. This means that kids who are ahead and truly understand the material, effectively take college classes with a very strong (and likely small) class size/peer group. It would be a pretty big win to take many of these classes during the last two years of high school, but it's not easy to get to that point. https://insys.fcps.edu/CourseCatOnline/reportPanel/503/10/0/0/0/1;title=reportPanelSideNav |
Anonymous
What is the advantage of taking summer 'Geometery Honors' course? how does it help? Is this done for tJ admission?Thanks! |
Anonymous
It is not for TJ Admissions now because all that matters is that kids have Algebra 1 Honors by 8th grade and a 3.5 GPA. There is no good reason to take Geometry over the summer. Cramming a year long math class into one month for the sake of accelerating is unnecessary. Kids taking Algebra 1 H in 7th grade are on track for at least one college level class while in HS, most will end up with two. But I am sure some folks will post about how their child loves math so much that they want to cram a years worth of math into a one month period so they can take Linear Algebra as a senior in high school or something along those lines. |
Anonymous
The only thing I suggested to my child was taking PE over the summer to free up and elective so he could take band and be declined and is quitting band in HS  He likes PE as a break during the day.
He did say in the future he would likely take the personal finance class over the summer. He is in 8th grade AAP and taking geometry this year. Next year he will take all honors classes which he did pick on his own and own his own wants to get the advanced diploma. I feel very strongly that now that he’s in 9th grade he has to make his own schedule and I can only offer suggestions. For success long term I think he (and the rest of them) need to learn independence generally. |
Anonymous
| ^^ sorry for a billion typos. I hope you can figure out what I meant. |