Portsmouth High School has a student enrollment of 1100 and services the towns of Rye, New Castle, Greenland, Newington and Portsmouth. PHS works on a 4 by 4 block schedule. This means that there are 4 quarters in a school year and a student takes 4 classes each quarter. Some classes are 1 quarter long, some 2 quarters, and a few are 3 quarters. A student must earn 26 credits to graduate and complete a specified distribution of required classes.
Elective courses at PHS are heterogeneously grouped while many of the required core classes are homogeneously grouped. These include English, social studies, and some science classes. Math tends to automatically become homogeneously grouped by the course the student selects.
Course levels are:
Advanced Placement (beginning grade 10)
Honors (English and Science for grade 9/ more classes beginning grade 10)
Advanced College Prep
College Prep
Basic
HONORS and AP - ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Each year, the Portsmouth High School guidance counselor for incoming freshman comes to Rye Junior High School to talk about the high school and begin the course selection process. There is a daytime presentation for students and an evening session for parents. Students are given a “Program of Studies” booklet containing a listing and brief description of all the courses offered, general information, and a planning guide for the next four years. Students then work with Mrs. Dunn, their teachers, and their parents to decide which courses they will take next year as freshman. Once the selection is made levels will be assigned by teachers then parents will sign the course selection sheet acknowledging the choices.
For students who are interested in applying for honors level English and science classes, there is a specific application form for each that must be completed. Typically the student writes an essay explaining why he/she is interested in the honors level class, and submits evidence of high quality work and letters of recommendation from current teachers. All forms are submitted to Mrs. Dunn who then sends them to PHS with a transcript of grades. This is a highly selective process and only enthusiastic learners with conscientious work habits and superior ability will be accepted.
PHS Honors Classes
In March, 8th graders have the opportunity to apply for Honors English and Honors Science. (Accelerated math classes may be selected without the application process.) Students obtain the application forms from Mrs. Dunn in Guidance and complete the required information. As part of the process they will also be required to complete a spontaneous writing prompt that will be administered at Rye Junior High School. Before sitting for the prompt, the student must have all parts of the application completed and turned in to Mrs. Dunn prior to the deadline (date to be announced).
All these materials go to Portsmouth High School where the selection team reviews each application and makes a determination regarding admittance into the honors classes. All decisions are made by PHS teachers. Students who are not accepted in the first round of review may choose to appeal the decision.
Preparing For PHS Honors Application
2016: Honors Process at RJH
*Students will hear about the honors classes offered at PHS on March 3rd during math classes
*Honors application packets for English and Science will be handed out to interested students
beginning March 3rd
*Students will need to complete the application and bring the COMPLETED application to the test (March 15th for Honors English and March 24th for Honors Science)
NOTE: Students will need to let Mrs. Dunn know by March 11th if they are planning to apply for honors classes so that transcripts can be printed off. Students will also need to request recommendations from their teachers. Deadline to do so is March 14th for LA and 17th for math and science. Teachers will provide all recommendations to Mrs. Dunn who will then give them directly to the high school.
***Students are encouraged to make an appointment with Mrs. Dunn prior to the honors exams to go over their application packets to be sure everything has been included
FUTURES PROGRAM:
Please see link below for information on the Futures Program at PHS
Elective courses at PHS are heterogeneously grouped while many of the required core classes are homogeneously grouped. These include English, social studies, and some science classes. Math tends to automatically become homogeneously grouped by the course the student selects.
Course levels are:
Advanced Placement (beginning grade 10)
Honors (English and Science for grade 9/ more classes beginning grade 10)
Advanced College Prep
College Prep
Basic
HONORS and AP - ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Each year, the Portsmouth High School guidance counselor for incoming freshman comes to Rye Junior High School to talk about the high school and begin the course selection process. There is a daytime presentation for students and an evening session for parents. Students are given a “Program of Studies” booklet containing a listing and brief description of all the courses offered, general information, and a planning guide for the next four years. Students then work with Mrs. Dunn, their teachers, and their parents to decide which courses they will take next year as freshman. Once the selection is made levels will be assigned by teachers then parents will sign the course selection sheet acknowledging the choices.
For students who are interested in applying for honors level English and science classes, there is a specific application form for each that must be completed. Typically the student writes an essay explaining why he/she is interested in the honors level class, and submits evidence of high quality work and letters of recommendation from current teachers. All forms are submitted to Mrs. Dunn who then sends them to PHS with a transcript of grades. This is a highly selective process and only enthusiastic learners with conscientious work habits and superior ability will be accepted.
PHS Honors Classes
In March, 8th graders have the opportunity to apply for Honors English and Honors Science. (Accelerated math classes may be selected without the application process.) Students obtain the application forms from Mrs. Dunn in Guidance and complete the required information. As part of the process they will also be required to complete a spontaneous writing prompt that will be administered at Rye Junior High School. Before sitting for the prompt, the student must have all parts of the application completed and turned in to Mrs. Dunn prior to the deadline (date to be announced).
All these materials go to Portsmouth High School where the selection team reviews each application and makes a determination regarding admittance into the honors classes. All decisions are made by PHS teachers. Students who are not accepted in the first round of review may choose to appeal the decision.
Preparing For PHS Honors Application
- Demonstrate daily in your class work and participation your love of the subject area. An honors student will come to class every day fully prepared and will be an active participant in the day’s lesson. Students who are quiet or who easily get “off track” should work to improve on these traits. A high school honors classroom should have students who are bright, knowledgeable, spontaneous thinkers, hard-working, focused, verbal, strong writers, and enthusiastic. A level 4/Advanced College Prep classroom has students with all these qualities but when the assignment is done they are not wishing that there were an opportunity for them to explore the topic even more fully.
- Complete the application fully and accurately. Constructed responses and essays should be well written and properly punctuated.
- Make a final check to see that all parts are included. (parent signature, self-addressed stamped envelope. Attending to these details is one more indicator as to whether or not this student is a strong, independent learner.
- Understand that the writing prompt is the greatest indicator of acceptance to the honors class. This gives an excellent measure of how well the student performs independently, organizes thoughts, thinks critically, problem solves, and produces quality, written work.
- The high school has an appeals process. Strong academic students who have a true passion for the subject area have a second opportunity to convince others of their merit.
- Finally, entrance into honors classes in order to be a candidate for highly competitive colleges is very important in the high school years. Students who are not accepted into an honors class their freshman year still have time to mature academically and apply their sophomore year.
2016: Honors Process at RJH
*Students will hear about the honors classes offered at PHS on March 3rd during math classes
*Honors application packets for English and Science will be handed out to interested students
beginning March 3rd
*Students will need to complete the application and bring the COMPLETED application to the test (March 15th for Honors English and March 24th for Honors Science)
NOTE: Students will need to let Mrs. Dunn know by March 11th if they are planning to apply for honors classes so that transcripts can be printed off. Students will also need to request recommendations from their teachers. Deadline to do so is March 14th for LA and 17th for math and science. Teachers will provide all recommendations to Mrs. Dunn who will then give them directly to the high school.
***Students are encouraged to make an appointment with Mrs. Dunn prior to the honors exams to go over their application packets to be sure everything has been included
FUTURES PROGRAM:
Please see link below for information on the Futures Program at PHS