Course Descriptions and Selection Overview
2013-2014
• Department Heads Listing
• Introduction from the Upper School Director
• A Message from the College Counselor
• Student Advising
• The Role of the Faculty Advisor
• Requirements
• Four Year Course Planning Sheet
• Student Timeline
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Department
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Head |
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English
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Beatrice Swift |
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World Languages
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Hazzard Bagg
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History
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Ruth Marris-Macaulay |
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Mathematics
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Shannon Lambert
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Physical Education
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Cindy Bickford |
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Athletics
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Ronnie McFarland |
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Science
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Cate Hibbitt
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Technology & Media
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Doug Alexander |
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Performing Arts
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Robb Barnard |
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Visual Arts
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Anita Thompson |
These web pages include descriptions of the full sequence of courses. Some courses listed may not be offered depending on enrollment. Please check with your academic advisor. Lincoln School reserves the right to amend the 2013-2014 Course Planning & Selection Listings at any time.
Introduction from the Upper School Director
The course descriptions on the following pages include all courses and programs offered at Lincoln School for the 2012-2013 school year. As a college preparatory school, Lincoln believes that the courses offered should be challenging and balanced, addressing the students’ academic, creative, social, and physical well-being. Students should be engaged in learning on and off campus.
The process for course selection begins at the end of March. Advisors meet with students in Grades 8-11 to review each girl's four-year plan and to present course offerings for the 2012-2013 school year. We encourage the girls to review course descriptions with parents and have a sense of course direction for the upcoming year. Faculty and advisors are available to help the girls make course choices based on interest, course sequence, and prerequisites. Once again this year, course registration will happen online. Students will meet with their faculty advisors and together they will register through the Class A Sign-up system. Students will receive a printout of their selections to share with their parents, who must sign and return the form.
NOTE: This will be the only way to register for courses for the upcoming year. Our goal is continued excellence in the education we provide. We can accomplish this goal by forging a strong partnership and expecting the best of the students at Lincoln.
Peter Brooks
Middle and Upper School Director
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A Message from the College Counselor
Careful course selection is critical for a successful college admission process. Admission counselors consider courses you have selected, as well as grades, as they review your academic record. If you have appropriate academic background and ability in a subject, consider taking an Honors or Advanced Placement level course. Remember that maintaining a balance is key. Do not risk jeopardizing achievement in other courses by overloading your schedule with advanced level courses.
Cocurricular activities are a vital element of your experience at Lincoln. Try something new, whether in the arts, athletics, student government, or a club. Just as community life is a vital part of your Lincoln School experience, colleges value students who demonstrate extracurricular commitment and concern for others. Take advantage of opportunities for leadership in organizations or within the community that are available to you at Lincoln.
You will learn a great deal about yourself during your years at Lincoln. It is certainly appropriate to consider college admission as you plan your schedule, but not at the expense of your interests and your health. Enjoy the richness of what you are learning today and challenge yourself to perform at your best in each of your courses. The college process is greatly enhanced if you know yourself, your strengths, and your interests. Explore and learn as much as you can! Please consult with faculty and advisor as you consider your course selections. I welcome your questions and concerns as well.
Helen Burke Montague
Director of College Counseling
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Student Advising
The Advising Program in Upper School is designed as a key component of a student's school experience. Its focus is on a student's academic and personal development carried out in the context of a one-to-one relationship between advisor and advisee. Areas addressed in this relationship include discussing ways to adjust to courses, navigating peer relationships, sharing ideas to help prepare for athletic competitions or exams, and supporting each other in difficult times. The goal of the Upper School Advising Program is to promote a student's experience of the school as a setting in which her concerns are heard, she has access to resources to address these concerns, and she is assisted in becoming an effective decision-maker. The Advising Program is designed to facilitate communication among those with interest in and responsibility for each student.
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Role of the Faculty Advisor
A student's faculty advisor is responsible for monitoring the academic progress of advisees, and meets with the advisee on a regular basis to provide support and advice on academic and non-academic matters, as appropriate. The advisor is the liaison connecting the advisee, teachers, parents, and the school. The faculty advisor is the advocate of advisees, taking an interest in their progress and well-being and assuming institutional responsibility for them. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors state their preferences for an advisor in May and are assigned advisors by the Upper School Director before the opening of school; freshmen and new students will be assigned an advisor before school opens.
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Requirements
The Board of Trustees confers the Lincoln School diploma on the recommendations of the Head of School and Upper School faculty. The recommendation is based upon the evaluation of the student’s successful fulfillment of the diploma requirements, completion of each year’s work, and her support of the School’s tenets.
The year’s work is defined as five full-credit courses plus required enrichment and physical education courses, except in unusual cases approved by the Upper School Director.
Most students elect to take five academic courses each year for a total of twenty credits. A minimum of sixteen academic credits is required. The following is a list of the required courses and credits for a Lincoln School diploma.
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Course Type
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Minimum Requirements |
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Four full-year courses (one each year) |
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Completion of the third-level course in one language |
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• One World History course in Grade Nine
• US History in Grade Eleven
• One history elective |
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Three full-year courses with a minimum mastery of Algebra 1, 2,
and Geometry |
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Three laboratory sciences from Biology, Chemistry, and Physics |
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One year in a Performing Art |
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Grade Nine Studio Art |
| Performing or Visual Arts |
An additional year in either Visual Arts or Performing Arts |
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Grade Eleven |
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Grade Ten |
| Health |
Grades Nine, Ten, and Eleven |
| Transitions |
Grade Nine |
| Public Speaking |
To be taken in Grade Ten, Grade Eleven, or first trimester Grade 12 |
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Each year |
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Grade Twelve |
Departmental requirements comprise sixteen required academic credits. A good secondary school education includes additional courses in areas of interest or talent to provide depth as well as breadth in the program of studies. Other courses may be selected from the Arts (Visual or Performing) or from an elective course in English, World Languages, History, Technology and Media, Mathematics, or Sciences. Final decision on course availability will be subject to course enrollment.
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Four-Year Course Planning Sheet for Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
Download a pdf to print
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Course Registration 2013-2014 timeline
March 12 - 2013-2014 course catalog available on-line
March 13 - Letter sent to US, 8th grade parents - link to course descriptions, four-year plan
March 25-April 12- students meet with advisors for course sign-up; course selection sheet sent home with students for parent signature.
March 27 - Upper School Assembly to begin course sign up process
March 29 - First meeting for Grade 8 with the Upper School Transition team to begin course sign up process
April 19 - all course sign-up sheets are due.
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