9th Grade Registration

Class of 2028: Welcome to the Upper School!

We cannot wait for you to join our dynamic community, and we are eager to share our academic program with you. The Upper School offers a wide array of courses, research opportunities, and community and student organizations. With this in mind, we have developed a process specifically designed for our Ninth Graders to guide and support your entrance to our community. Over the next few months, you will have a range of opportunities to:

Build Connections: The Upper School will host a number of events for rising 9th Grade students in the spring and fall. In August, you will also meet your academic advisor, who will support you throughout your first year in the Upper School.
Learn About the Academic Program: Our 2024-2025 Academic Guide will introduce you to all of our courses and programs for the upcoming school year. In addition, on April 15, we will host an on-campus academic information night tailored specifically for Ninth Graders and their families. You will meet your teaching team, your Grade-Level Student Life Dean, and the academic program directors for next year, and we will provide plenty of time for questions and introductions.
Get Ready: In addition to course registration, the summer will bring access to our bookstore and summer reading and math programs, as well as information for Pre-Season Athletics and New Student Orientation.

As you review the academic registration information below, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. All of us on the Upper School Faculty look forward to an exciting year ahead!

Dr. Andrew Ruoss

Asst Head of Upper School for Academic Programs

e: andrew.ruoss@gcds.net

p: 203-542-0033

Important Resource Links

Grade 9 Registration Planner 9th Grade Elective Guide 8th Course Application Form

KEY CONTACTS

Advisor: Each student’s academic advisor serves as their primary guide through the registration process. The advisor is usually the first stop for questions, and advisors will schedule sessions with each advisee to shepherd their course registration.

*For new 10th-12th graders, as well as for all incoming 9th Graders, the Academic Dean serves as the academic advisor until a faculty advisor is assigned in August.

Faculty: Should students have questions about their placement (Math and World Language) or Honors/Advanced Applied course offerings, they should consult with their current teachers our contact the Academic Office.

Academic Office: General questions about registration or course offerings or policies? Contact the Academic Office.

Registrar: Questions about Registration logistics? Need to change or correct information? Contact Evan Kanouse, the GCDS Registrar.

Grade 9 Registration Checklist

COURSE PERIODS

During the week of April 22nd, rising Ninth Graders will register for all of their courses for the 2024-2025 School Year (Fall and Spring Semesters). Each student has 8 course periods in their schedule. A student must be registered for 7 courses in order to be considered a fully registered student in good standing. Most students register for 7 courses, along with a study hall (proctored in 9th and 10th grades). Only in rare cases do we support a Ninth Grader's enrollment in 8 courses. Please contact the Academic Dean with any questions.

CORE COURSES & ELECTIVES

Ninth Grade students enroll in a core sequence of courses, outlined below. We encourage Ninth Grade students to use their seventh course opening to explore Arts and Creative Applied Technologies (CAT) courses. These departments provide important early exposure to our expansive arts, design, engineering, and computer science programs. Both departments also offer courses that provide Arts credits -- 2 semesters are required for graduation, and we strongly recommend meeting that requirement in the first 2 years of study in the Upper School. In addition, students may also register for for 9th and 10th Grade Elective Courses in Sustainability, Economics, and Scientific Research. Please use the Registration Planner linked above to organize your registration preferences. Current Eighth Graders will use this form to register with their Middle School advisor, and Ninth Graders new to GCDS should bring this completed form to their Math and World Languages placement on April 20th (information below).

A summary of elective opportunities for 9th Graders can be found here.

APRIL 15: NINTH GRADE ACADEMIC INFORMATION NIGHT

On April 15 at 6:30pm, The Upper School faculty will host an on-campus Academic Evening program for all rising Ninth Grade students and their families in order to offer information for next year’s courses, to provide the opportunity to meet the Ninth Grade teaching team, and to host Q&A forums for our signature programs.

MATH & WORLD LANGUAGES PLACEMENT

In order to best support the learning of our incoming students, our Upper School Math and World Languages faculties have developed a process for course placement.

Current 8th Grade students will work with their current Middle School teachers to establish placement for Ninth Grade Math and World Langauges courses. Eighth Graders seeking to register for an Honors Math section (e.g. Honors Geometry) will sit for a placement assessment in the Middle School on Friday, April 12th at 1pm. Following that assessment, placement recommendations will be shared with families, and we will discuss placement further at the April 15th Academic Information Night. Should students have any accommodations for testing or specific questions about Math placement, please contact Taylor Jones, Middle School Math Department Chair.

9th Grade students new to GCDS will sit for Math and World Languages placement assessments on Saturday, April 20th from 9am to 12:30pm on our Upper School Campus (257 Stanwich Road). The process will include both a written assessment, as well as a conversation with Math and World Languages faculty. Please bring 2 pencils and a calculator for the Math assessment. We will supply these resources for any students who do not have them. Questions about new student Math or World Languages placement? Please contact:

Coleman Hall, Upper School Math Program Lead

Diana Merchán, Upper School World Languages Program Lead

HONORS

In addition to discrete Honors courses in Math and Accelerated courses in World Languages, the 9th Grade Faculty will also provide students with Honors placements in their Biology, History 9, and English 9 classes. The Upper School faculty believes strongly that 9th Graders need time to get to know the Upper School program and community, and so Honors placement for these courses takes place after the Semester I Interim (November). These three courses are offered in heterogenous sections (with Honors and Core students in the same course section), so Honors designation will not necessitate a change in course schedule. For more details related to our 9th Grade Honors Program, please reference the course descriptions provided on the department pages of this guide.

Throughout the fall semester, the 9th Grade faculty will communicate with students and families about the standards and placement process for Honors in Biology, History 9, and English 9.

ATHLETICS & TEAM PROGRAMS

In addition to their academic courses for the 2024-2025 School Year, students will also register for the athletic programs (fall, winter, and spring seasons), and team programs (eg. Dance, Math Team) in which they would like to participate. The Athletics Department facilitates this process. For any questions related to athletic or team programs, please contact Tim Helstein, Athletic Director.

Additional Registration Policies

Course Changes: Students have until the course change deadline (Semester I: Sept 13, 2024; Semester II: January 31, 2025) to make changes to add or drop a course. This, however, is not a course ‘shopping’ period. Students should be advised that most courses are fully enrolled upon the start of the semester, and space to move between courses is usually very limited. Students are encouraged to work closely with their advisor, teachers, and relevant diploma and program directors during the registration process to determine the best courses for their registration. If a student changes their registration following the course change deadline, then they will receive a Withdraw ‘W’ on their transcript. In order to make a change to their registration, a student must complete and submit a Course Change Request Form prior to the Course Change Deadline.

Intersession: Students will register for Intersession 2025 during the fall semester.
Seminar: Students will be automatically registered for the Seminar course required for their grade level.
Abroad Programs: Should a student wish to consider a Semester Abroad, please contact the Academic Dean as soon as possible during Semester I of the academic year prior to proposed travel. The Academic and College Counseling Offices will need to approve any external program for credit.

Grade 9 Academic Registration

Social Sciences 9: Global History*

9th Grade Global History is team-taught with our English 9 course to synthesize the foundational skills of a global humanities

curriculum.

Honors Placement at Semester I Interim

English 9: Identity & Society *

Honors Placement at Semester I Interim

Biology *

Honors Placement at Semester I Interim

Math *

Placement by Math Faculty

World Language *

Placement by World Languages Faculty

Seminar 9: Design Thinking *

Seminar is a required annual course within the Upper School's program, and it takes on a different role for each grade. In Ninth Grade, Seminar focuses on the core skills of project design and collaborative problem-solving, and it supports the grade-level theme of identity.

Elective/Arts

We encourage 9th grade students to explore electives in the Arts, as well as in Computer Science, Engineering, and Sustainability.

Study Hall/Elective

While most 9th graders will include a Study Hall in their schedule, students should discuss the potential of an eighth course with their

Advisor and with the Academic Dean.

* Required 9th Grade Course

Please click here to download a PDF version of this schedule.

The Role of the Advisor

Our advising program provides each student with a mentor from the Upper School faculty who is available to the individual student and their family throughout the student's four years at GCDS. The advisor supports the advisee’s social, emotional, and academic growth. Advisors serve as an advocate and mediator of student and faculty relationships, course selection, the college process, and the judicial process.

Rising Ninth Graders will meet their advisor in August, and each advisor will schedule an introductory zoom call with Ninth Grade advisees' families prior to the start of the school year.

Additionally, the advisor is the primary connection between school and home. Parents are encouraged to keep in close contact with their student’s advisor throughout the school year, as well as during regularly scheduled events such as Student-Led Conferences and Presentations of Learning.

*The Upper School Academic Dean serves as the Advisor for all incoming 9th Grade students until they are matched with their faculty advisors in August.

Graduation Requirements

Our Graduation Requirements are designed to ensure maximum flexibility for our students, encouraging their greatest ambition in the pursuit of their learning. These requirements serve as broad guardrails, and do not represent the total academic experience of any of our students. For example, more than 90% of our students pursue 4 years of one or more world languages. All students must be enrolled in at least 7 courses each semester.

Humanities (English, History/Social Science): 7 credits (Required 4 years of English and at least 3 years of Social Science)

STEM (Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Math): 6 credits with a minimal completion of Algebra II in Math (Recommended at least 3 years of Math and Science, including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics)

Seminar: 4 credits

World Language: 2 credits (years), achieving at least Level III in a language sequence

Arts (visual, performing and design): 1 credit

Team & Fitness: 2 seasons team and 2 seasons fitness per year***

Intersession Experience: 4 years (passing grade)

Junior Thesis: (passing grade)

Presentation of Learning: 4 years (passing grade)

*A full-year course earns one credit, a semester course earns ½ credit.

**In the case of a cross-listed course, a student may count the course only once toward their graduation requirements.

***Every student is required to participate in two (2) team activities and two (2) fitness activities annually. Participation on a sports team, whether interscholastic or club, will count for one team activity and one fitness activity. Other examples of team activities can be co-curricular clubs (robotics team, Model UN, debate club, etc) and performing arts options (fall musical, jazz band, acapella groups, etc). Obtaining a fitness requirement, other than participating in interscholastic and intramural teams, could include partaking in a school offered fitness program (strength and conditioning, spin class, yoga, etc ) for 90 minutes a week through the fall or spring term.

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