| |
Upper School
 The Upper School operates on a semester basis and utilizes flexible scheduling providing for small group instruction, independent study, and the possibility of taking college courses on nearby campuses or online. To meet graduation requirements, the student is expected to earn a minimum of 26 units of credit. In addition, each student must participate in at least one service project per year, complete at least 50 hours of volunteer work by the end of April of her junior year, attend yearly retreats and give a senior speech during her final year of high school in order to meet graduation requirements. Students must take a minium of six credits per year , six courses per sememter, five of which must be courses in English, math, science, foreign language or social studies. Any exceptions are only granted by special written permission from the Head of the Upper School.
Required courses include:
|
English
Religious Studies
Foreign Languages
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Physical Education
Fine Arts
Computer
Electives |
4 units
4 units
3 units (of the same language)
4 units (including Algebra I, II and Geometry)
3 units (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), 4 units beginning w/ Class of 2012
4 units (World History I, World History II, U.S. History, and Government)
2 units (2 fall and 2 spring semesters)
1 unit
1/2 unit
1/2 unit | 
Honors Courses are offered in:
- English II, III, IV
- French II, III, IV, V
- Spanish II, III, IV, V
- Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, AP Calculus, AP Statistics
- Chemistry, Physics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry
- World History I, Western Civilization-World History II, U.S. History, U.S.Government,
Advanced Placement courses are offered in Western Civilization-World History II, English III and IV, French V, and Spanish V, U. S. History, Government, Calculus, Statistics, Biology, and Chemistry. Students in these courses are prepared for and required to take Advanced Placement tests. Advanced Placement courses are considered honors courses.
Curriculum
More information on the Upper School Curriculum
Grading
A cumulative grade point average is computed for every student at the end of each academic year and at the end of the first semester of the junior and senior years. All subjects, including independent study, are averaged, with the exception of physical education, driver's education, pass/fail courses, eighth grade courses, and college courses taken for college credit.
Students in honors and Advanced Placement courses receive a weighting of +1 for grades of C+ or better in determining their grade point average (no extra weighting for grades below C+). Thus
Regular Courses Honors or AP Courses
A+ 97-100 4.3 5.3
A 93-96 4.0 5.0
A- 90-92 3.7 4.7
B+ 87-89 3.3 4.3
B 83-86 3.0 4.0
B- 80-82 2.7 3.7
C+ 77-79 2.3 3.3
C 73-76 2.0 2.0
C- 70-72 1.7 1.7
D 65-69 1.0 1.0
F 64- 0 0
Students receive formal grades at the end of each semester and progress reports in mid-October and mid-March. A cumulative grade point average is computed for every student at the end of each academic year. The GPA is based on all courses except PE and predesignated pass/fail courses. Class rank is reported by decile according to the following grading scale:
 Honor Roll
Honor Roll is determined by the student's grade point average at the end of the first semester and at the end of the year as follows:
Highest Honors 4.00
High Honors 3.70
Honors 3.40
Honors at graduation is determined by the student's cumulative grade point average on a scale as follows:
Highest Honors 4.00
High Honors 3.70
Honors 3.40
For a student to be on the Honor Roll, no single academic grade may be below B-, except in honors courses where no grade may be below C+. A student must also have a B- or better in Physical Education to be on the Honor Roll. A student may not graduate with Honors, High Honors or Highest Honors if she has an F or more than one D as a final average in a course.
A minimum 3.40 GPA for the year with no grade below B- (except honors courses where no grade may be below C+) is required.
4.00 Highest Honors 3.70 High Honors 3.40 Honors
Based on grades from June 2008 the class of 2008 had the following record:
9/68 received Highest Honors 7/68 received High Honors 12/68 received Honors
Testing
Students take the PSAT/NMSQT, PLAN, SAT, SAT Subject tests, ACT and AP tests. Students have the option of requesting that their PSAT, PLAN, SAT, and ACT scores be included on the transcript. AP scores are always sent separately and typically only to the college they will attend.
Special Programs 
- Co-Curricular Activities and Clubs
- Religious Education - Daily chapel, weekly liturgies, celebrations of special feasts, reconciliation services, one and two day retreats, and campus ministry are included in the Religious Education program.
- Athletics - Students may compete in 10 varsity sports: volleyball, basketball, swimming, soccer, tennis, softball, cross country, golf, cheerleading, and track and field.
- Community Service - 50 hours are required for all Juniors. Clubs have service projects for the benefit of those in need in this city and beyond. Each student participates in a yearly service project. Students may apply for service programs with the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. Mission trips to Nicaragua and Mexico are also available to students.
- Peer Support Group - Students in the upper level grades participate in a peer counseling program with students in Grade 8 to assist them in dealing with questions and issues that arise during adolescence.
- Sacred Heart Exchange - Exchange is available with the other Sacred Heart schools in the U.S. and with other Sacred Heart schools abroad.
- Travel - The school sponsors a number of foreign travel and/or programs in Europe, Mexico, and Canada during the school year or during the summer.
- Current College Acceptances
100% of the school's graduates attend a four-year college or university. Over the past five years, Sacred Heart graduates have been accepted at many institutions, including the following colleges and universities:
American, Appalachian State, Arizona State, Auburn, Bard, Barnard, Bates, Baylor, Belmont Abbey, Bennington, Birmingham-Southern, Boston College, Boston University, Bowdoin, Bryn Mawr, Catholic, Centenary, Centre, Chestnut Hill, Christian Brothers, Clemson, Colgate, College of Charleston, College of the Holy Cross, Wooster, Colorado College, Columbia, Connecticut College, Dartmouth, Davidson, Denison, DePaul, Dickinson, Drew, Drexel, Duke, Eckerd, Elon, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Emory, Flagler, Florida International University, Florida State, Fordham, Furman, George Washington, Georgetown, Georgia Institute of Technology, Goucher, Guilford, Hamilton College - NY, Hampshire, Harvey Mudd, Haverford, High Point, Hofstra University, Howard, Hunter College of the CUNY, Illinois Institute of Technology, Iowa State, Ithaca, James Madison, Johns Hopkins, Kettering, Lafayette, Lake Forest College, Lesley University, Louisiana State, Louisiana Tech, Loyola College in Maryland, Loyola Marymount, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola of New Orleans, Lynchburg, Lynn, Macalester, Manhattanville, Marquette, Marshall, Maryland Institute College of Art, Marymount Manhattan College, Marymount University, Middlebury, Millsaps, Mississippi State, Mount St. Mary's College (Chalon), NYU, Northwestern, Old Dominion, Oxford College of Emory, Parsons School of Design, Pepperdine, Pitzer, Pratt Institute, Providence, Randolph-Macon, Regis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rhodes, Rice, Roanoke, Rockhurst, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey at Newark, Saint Louis University, San Diego State, Santa Clara, Savannah College of Art and Design, Art Institute of Chicago, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts, Sewanee: The University of the South, Skidmore, SMU, Spelman, Spring Hill, St. Edward's, St. John's, SUNY Maritime College, Swarthmore, TCU, Trinity, Tufts, Tulane, Madison, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Villanova, Wake Forest, Warren Wilson, Washington and Lee, Washington University in St. Louis, Western State College of Colorado, Wheeling Jesuit University, Whitman, Williams, Wofford, Xavier and Universities of : Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California at Los Angeles, Amherst, Chicago, Colorado at Boulder, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hartford, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mary Washington, Maryland, College Park, Massachusetts, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi, New Orleans, North Carolina at Asheville, North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina at Wilmington, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, Richmond, Rochester, San Diego, San Francisco, South Alabama, South Carolina, Southern California, Southern Mississippi, Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Knoxville, Texas at Austin, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin,
For more information on your college search, visit College Counseling Procedures.
|
