Academics
Hello Spartans!
Below you will find important academic information to help you be successful in your studies both inside and outside the building this semester. As we begin the new school year, be sure to check PowerSchool and your email often for more specific updates and instructions from Homestead staff.
Spring Honor Roll
Every semester, students are praised for excellence in their courses through Honor Roll. To be apart of the honor roll, students must have a minimum of 5 credits per semester and all grades to be higher or equal to a B-. Students earning a spot on the Distinguished Honor Roll require all grades to be no lower than an A-. On September 28, students that made these requirements in the Spring 2023 semester were rewarded with an Honor Roll certificate and a cookie during the lunch period. A total of 728 Homestead students made the Honor Roll last semester. Click the link below to see a full list of students who made the Honor Roll and Distinguished Honor Roll (listed in bold) lists.
Dual Credit Classes in high school
Homestead High School offers many Dual Credit courses allowing students to challenge themselves across all disciplines. Dual Credit means that students have the opportunity to earn college credits in addition to high school credit, if students register and certain prerequisites are met. Dual Credit is a great opportunity for students to experience the rigor of college while in the supportive environment of high school. Students who have registered with the partnering college are reminded that grades are recorded on an official transcript of the partnering college. Although deadlines have passed to drop courses, students who are academically struggling in dual credit courses should be aware of the college’s drop deadlines and policies. Students who drop their college enrollment will remain in the class and can still earn high school credit.
Ivy Tech Deadlines:
Drop= Oct 2
Withdraw= Nov 17
PFW Deadlines:
Withdraw= Oct 27
IU Deadline:
Withdraw= Oct. 20
PSAT day
On Friday Oct 6, Homestead will prepare for PSAT day by adding advisory to the schedule. To find your advisory class, the teacher and room number are listed as the very last class in Powerschool. All students will still attend school, but classes will be shortened to make time for advisory. Students will go to first period for the desginated time, and then go to advisory instead of second period. After advisory, the scheduled will continue as normal with slightly different times.
On Wednesday Oct 11, Homestead will have its fall PSAT day. For those unfamiliar, all sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT assessment at Homestead as a way to prepare them for education past high school.
The PSAT provides a measurement of base knowledge that can be used when signing up for dual credit courses. For Ivy Tech Dual Credit courses, students have to prove that they understand certain concepts in math and reading to apply for the dual credit. Normally, students have to reach minimum score on at least 1 Knowledge Assessment (KA) to apply for the dual credit, but this can be skipped if a student reaches the minimum score on the PSAT. Each course has different requirements. For example, engineering and technology courses require a KASTEM math, meanwhile an English course requires a KAReadWrite. The minimum PSAT scores to apply for Ivy Tech dual credits are 26 in reading and 25 in writing (or a 430 total Evidence Based Reading Writing score). The minimum math score for non-math or chemistry courses is 24.5. The minimum math score for MATH-123 & CHEM-101 is 25, while the minimum score for MATH-135, MATH-136, & MATH-137 is 27. Homestead's Course Description Guide is a great resource that shows the minimum scores required for application into each of the dual credit courses.
Freshman will stay at home and complete e-learning. They will meet with their advisory teacher on Zoom who will help them plan their 4-year high school career. This includes taking personality assessments and planning which high school courses would work best for their diploma and future plans. Seniors will also have the day off of school to pursue opportunities past high school like filling out college and scholarship applications, job shadowing, or visiting colleges.
Grade 9:
On Wednesday, October 11, Grade 9 students will be supported by their Advisor and working from home (eLearning) to accomplish the following:
Students will utilize provided resources on Canvas to explore career interests.
Students will create or update their working academic course four-year plan for high school.
Students will create a Dual Enroll account with Ivy Tech Community College in preparation of the opportunity to earn free, transferable college credit during their time at HHS. Parents, please know that students will need access to their social security numbers to complete this application.
Grade 10:
October 11 is the PSAT exam (on campus at Homestead) for ALL sophomores.
Grade 10 students are expected to be at school at the normal 7:40 start time. Students will test in your Advisory teacher’s classroom. Please see your schedule in PowerSchool for your Advisory teacher’s name and classroom number. Students will still eat lunch at school on this day after completing the test, as well as have periods 5 and 7.
Grade 11:
October 11 is the PSAT exam (on campus at Homestead) for ALL juniors.
Grade 11 students are expected to be at school at the normal 7:40 start time. Students will test in your Advisory teacher’s classroom. Please see your schedule in PowerSchool for your Advisory teacher’s name and classroom number. Your PSAT exam will be followed by a state-required college and career activity that you will complete with your Advisory teacher. You will receive access to a personalized career exploration account during this presentation. Grade 11 students will eat lunch with their advisory on this day as well as attend period 7.
Grade 12:
Wednesday, October 11th is a day designated for seniors to participate in postsecondary opportunities outside of the school building. Seniors will not report to school on Wednesday, October 11th but will pursue a post-secondary activity of interest instead. While sophomores and juniors are completing PSAT testing in school on this day, seniors will be afforded the opportunity to gain information regarding their postsecondary aspirations.
Some options to consider on this day include:
● Job Shadow –Make arrangements to go to work with someone in a career of interest. The day may be split between two occupations.
● Postsecondary Visits - Make arrangements to visit, virtually or on-site, places that the student is considering attending for post-secondary training, certifications, or degrees. This includes any location where the student would be able to receive valuable information and guidance concerning their post-secondary aspirations, such as visiting businesses to learn about potential apprenticeships, traveling to a base or recruiting center to learn about enlisting in the military, traveling to a college campus to learn more about degree programs and scholarship opportunities, etc. Parents are encouraged to participate in these activities with their students. Students and their parents who wish to visit a location in person are reminded to make an appointment in advance so that the facility they will be visiting is prepared to provide information and answer questions. Use the institution’s website to locate contact information and schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Students and parents may also explore post-secondary opportunities virtually, visiting websites and learning more about the career and college options they are considering.
● Other Educational Activities - Seniors may also use this day to complete other post-secondary activities, such as writing college essays, working on and completing college applications, and/or applying for scholarships. Please visit Homestead's Scholarship page for links and information regarding scholarship opportunities.
AP Testing Information
Dear AP Student and parents:
For the 2024 AP exam administration, all AP exams will be ordered and paid for this fall. Over the past month, students have been busy in their AP classes completing a digital activation process that gives them access to new AP resources. With the help from their teacher, students have been creating and using their College Board accounts to join AP classrooms. This online activation process also REGISTERS THEM FOR THEIR AP EXAM, thus making the registration process easier.
AP exam payments will still be handled the same way, with a form and the $98 exam payment due to Homestead High School. Once again math, science, and English exams will be paid for by the State of Indiana. Any student on free and reduced lunch will also have their exams covered by the State. Please indicate on the form attached below if you are on free or reduced lunch.
It is crucial that students return the attached form with payment (if required) by October 25th, so that Homestead's AP exam order can be submitted by the deadline set by the College Board. As stated above, students have been electronically registered for their AP exams using the new digital activation process. If payment is not received by the October 25 th deadline, students' exams may be cancelled by the AP Coordinator. The College Board has informed all schools that additional fees will apply to any exams ordered after the deadline.
*If you order an exam after the November 15 deadline, you will pay the base exam fee of $98 + a $40 late order fee. If the exam is a free exam, you will be billed by Homestead HS the lateorder fee of $40.
*If you decide to cancel an exam after November 15, or not sit for an exam in May, you will be charged $40. If you paid for an exam, you will receive a $58 refund, and for free exams you will be billed by Homestead for $40.
Please click this link for the form ALL students need to complete and submit if you plan on taking an AP exam. Please mark free exams as well. Should you have questions regarding the AP registration process, please feel free to contact Amy Hamilton, AP Coordinator at 260-431-2212 or
ahamilton@sacs.k12.in.us.