Course Selection 2010

2010-2011 Course Offerings

To see the 2010-2011 course offerings, click HERE.

General Information

Course Required

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Grading

Report cards are issued four times a year in November, January, April and June. The final grade in a subject is recorded as the permanent record grade. For a one credit course, the final grade is the average of the first and second semester grades. Half credit courses are averaged by two quarters and the examination grade. Letter grades are used.

Honors

The Bernadette Chapter of Our Lady of Lourdes Academy is an official segment of the National Honor Society. Membership is restricted to students of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades.

Scholarship is determined by the maintaining of a B+ average. Further requirements of character, leadership and service are determined by faculty vote.

Honor Roll

The Honor Roll is determined at the end of each quarter.

First Honors

This special recognition will be given to students who have earned all "A's" and "A+'s" or maintained a quarter G.P.A of 4.67 or higher with no grade lower than a "B+."

Second Honors

This special recognition will be given to students who have earned all "A's" and "B+'s" or maintained a quarter G.P.A of at least a 4.33 with no grade lower than a "B."

*A student with a failure in a semester or final examination will forfeit the honor roll for the marking period.

Quality Point System

Quality points will be awarded to each subject according to the grading system of Alpha grades in levels 2, 3, 4 and 5. A student's rank in class is determined by the total number of quality points divided by the number of courses completed.

Course Selection Guidelines

(1) In a number of subject areas, courses with varying levels of difficulty or intensity are offered. Study the individual course descriptions. Notice prerequisites for certain courses; (2) Half credit courses meet for one semester (0.5); (3) Courses with too few applicants will be cancelled. Students involved will have to select another course.

Graduation Requirements

A student must earn at least 28 units in Grades 9 through 12. At present, every student must be scheduled for at least seven units of credit in Grades 9 through 12. The following units of credit are required for graduation:

* Students must take 4 units of credit in Science or Social Studies for graduation. According to the State of Florida Regulations, students must have a minimum 2.0 unweighted cumulative GPA in order to graduate. Students at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy must also complete 100 hours of school-approved and documented service hours.

Recommended Course Selections

If your college major will be in one of the fields listed below, consider the following courses when choosing your electives.

Architecture: Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Physics, Psychology, AP Art History

Art: Studio Art, Humanities, AP Art Studio

Business: Accounting, Advanced Accounting, Computer Programming, Personal Financial Management, Introduction to Marketing, Introduction to Business, Public Speaking, Psychology

Communications/Public Relations: Studio Art, Creative Writing, Public Speaking, Psychology, Foreign Languages, Journalism, Introduction to Marketing, Digital Imaging, Visual Communication

Education: AP English, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Psychology, Chemistry

Engineering: Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Programming

Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine: Chemistry, Anatomy/Physiology, Physics, Psychology, Foreign Languages

Pre-Law: English, Psychology, Law Studies, AP Government, Constitutional Studies

Pre-Medicine/Pre-Dentistry: Pre-Calculus, Psychology, Chemistry, Anatomy/Physiology, Physics, Calculus

Information from Guidance

Planning for college should be a most important consideration at the time of course selection. As admission requirements vary, the student should become familiar with the requirements for the colleges and universities in which she is interested.

Due to all the variables involved in the college admissions process, neither the Studies Office nor Guidance can advise a student on a course of study with a particular college in mind. It becomes the responsibility of the student and her parents to learn of college requirements appropriate to the student's plans after high school graduation.

Colleges evaluate students on the following criteria: number of credits (total and academic), grade point average, course level (AP, Honors, etc.), SAT and/or ACT scores, letters of recommendation, leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities. Obviously, the more competitive universities have higher expectations and requirements.

At the Guidance Office, students have access to catalogs and guides on college admissions standards and requirements. In addition, a student may contact the universities of her choice by mail or visit Web sites to obtain the latest information. Career and scholarship information is also available in Guidance.

While colleges and universities are not uniform in what they accept as academic credit, the traditional core academic subjects are English, social studies, mathematics, science and foreign language. Some colleges may accept other subjects as academic or as electives. Again, it is the responsibility of the student and parents to learn of the requirements for colleges and universities of the student's choice.

College Tips

1. Plan for college early.

2. Familiarize yourself with the entrance requirements for the schools of your choice. Colleges and universities have different entrance requirements, and they are not uniform in what they accept as academic credit.

3. Colleges evaluate the following: grade point average, difficulty of subjects taken, SAT or ACT scores, letters of recommendation, leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities.

4. The State of Florida University System will recalculate GPA for admission to a state university. In addition to the core required credits, state universities will only consider "core electives" (electives directly from "core requirements" - math, English, social studies, science, foreign language) toward recalculation of GPA's. Non-academic electives will not be used toward GPA calculations.

5. Florida Bright Futures is one of the most important finance sources for Florida students. Refer to pages 4-5 for eligibility requirements.

6. Keep these requirements in mind when selecting courses at Lourdes.

To view the Florida Bright Futures eligibility requirements, click HERE.

Bobcat 4-Year Planner

To download the Bobcat 4-Year Planner, click HERE.