Academic Information
Registration Policy
Students will complete their registration form in March. Please note that school officials will be very hesitant to make changes in courses once the school year has started. Decisions on teacher assignments and staff allocation are made on the basis of student course requests in April and May. Changes in course requests lead to imbalances in class sizes, which are unfair for students and teachers. It is very important that careful selection of courses and subjects be made in April.
Students who have not attained a mark of 50% or better in a subject are not permitted to register in that subject at the next grade level. If it is a compulsory course (eg. English), students must re-register for that subject at the same level. If the course is an elective, students can re-register for that course at the same level or select another subject. It is the responsibility of the student to change a course level if required due to failure or pass of a subject in June.
Please note the following change oin the registration policy for the 2011 - 2012 school year. Students in grades ten and eleven may take a reduced course load under certain conditions.
For grade ten students, a full course load is eight (8) courses - four each semester. For grade eleven students, a full course load is a minimum of seven (7) courses provided there are no failures on the transcript. For grade twelve students, a full course load is a minimum of six (6) courses with no more than one study period per semester, provided there are no failures on the transcript. Post grads and mature students must take a full load unless given special permission to take a reduced course load by the administration.
Students choosing to take a reduced course load should be aware of the following:
- Eligibility for co/extra curricular activities will be lost if even one failure occurs. Please review the Discipline Policy for more information on academic eligibility.
- Students should investigate fully their eligibility for scholarships and bursaries.
- Especially for students in grade 12 - investigate fully how a reduced course load will affect your eligibility for entrance into programs at any post-secondary institution.
Once failing students have re-registered in June, registration will be considered final and only under special circumstances will a student be permitted to change his/her course or subject. The Guidance Office will be open in late August for new residents to the area to register and for those who must change their registration.
ONCE SCHOOL BEGINS IN SEPTEMBER, IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE COURSE CHANGES..
Guidelines For Registration
- Each student will be given a form on which to list the courses for which she/he wishes to register. The student must then obtain current teachers' signatures for each prerequisite subject. The student and parent or guardian must this form.
- All grade 10 students must register for eight (8) courses. Grade 11 students may register for as few as seven (7) provided there are no failures on the transcript. Grade 12 students may register for as few as six (6) courses, provided there are no failures on the transcript. All students must select two alternate courses that will be used in case of a conflict. Course selections number 7 and 8 should be your least desired courses and the alternates would replace these only in case of a conflict.
- Students who must change courses due to failed/passed subjects must finalize these changes before the start of the next semester.
- Class size severely limits course changing and careful selection between April and June is the best means of assuring that the student is in a course of study that suits his/her ability, interest, and vocational goals.
- A registration sheet will be given to each student planning to attend Sydney Academy. The Guidance Counsellor will help students in Grade 9 complete the form accurately. Students presently at Sydney Academy will be helped by homeroom teachers.
- Timetables will be generated by the computer. Students do not have the option of indicating which courses should be scheduled in each semester.
- As a general rule, courses beyond the grade level in which one is enrolled may not be taken. There are some exceptions such as Biology 11 & 12.
- For senior students, certain courses required for post-secondary institutions will not be completed in the first semester. However, applications to these institutions will be assessed based on your present and predicted performance at the time of application.
