Please review this guide as you prepare to select freshman high school courses. Contact Mrs. Arps at arpstanya@aasd.k12.wi.us with any questions you may have after thoroughly reading through the provided information.

High School Course Request Worksheet

Eighth grade students complete a Freshman Course Request Worksheet provided by the high schools to assist them in selecting high school courses. These worksheets are then used by students to guide them in entering course requests in Infinite Campus, generally in mid to late January. Certain course selections require the recommendation of the student’s 8th grade subject area teacher.

If a student gains enrollment to a charter high school, the counselor for that charter school should get in touch with students to make any necessary schedule modifications prior to the end of their eighth grade year.

Credits

It is recommended for Freshmen to take 6 credits. However, Freshmen will be allowed to take up to 7 credits. This is typically done with the 5 required courses, a fine arts course, and a world language course. One credit is equivalent to a year-long class; a half-credit is equivalent to a semester class.

Credit-load options include:

• 6 credits, study hall both semesters, plus lunch
• 6.5 credits, study hall one semester, plus lunch
• 7 credits plus lunch

Five of the six credits for a student’s freshman year are required classes, including:

• 1 credit of Science (Life Science)
• 1 credit of Social Studies (Civics)
• 1 credit of English Language Arts
• 1 credit of Math
• 0.5 credit of Fit 4 You (Physical Education)
• 0.5 credit of Health

This leaves 1 credit  remaining (for a 6 credit schedule) or 2 credits remaining (for a 7 credit schedule) for elective courses. Many Classical School graduates will fill one of those credits with a foreign language class (generally Spanish) while the other credit is often filled with a Fine Arts elective, such as music, theater, or art. The Appleton Area School District Course and Career Planning Guide contains graduation requirements and descriptions for all courses, including all electives, available to freshmen:  

AASD COURSE and CAREER PLANNING GUIDE

Summer School

If a student would like to take more than 6-7 credits their freshman year, online summer school through Appleton eSchool is an option to create some scheduling flexibility. Students may take a semester course online the summer prior to their freshman year. The two most popular online freshman courses are Health and Semester 1 of Civics. Students opting to take one of those required courses online during the summer will create a half-credit opening in their freshman-year schedule. That half-credit opening may then be filled with another half-credit elective or a study hall.

The list of summer online courses is typically available in January on Appleton eSchool’s website.

NOTE: Registration begins in March (check Appleton eSchool’s website for exact date). Popular classes often reach capacity on the first day of registration.

Science

Biology is the required science course for freshmen. See the science sequence in the Course and Career Planning Guide for more information. 

Social Studies

Civics is the required social studies course for freshmen. While there are no other social studies options available to freshmen, summer school through Appleton eSchool may provide students with some scheduling flexibility.

English Language Arts (ELA)

Freshmen must choose from two ELA courses. One course is considered more rigorous by the high schools though the course typically only includes a few additional assignments. The majority of Classical School graduates choose the more rigorous option. A recommendation of which class to select will be provided for each student by their Classical School English teacher.

Mathematics

There are generally five math course options available to freshmen. Students successfully completing Geometry at Classical School will register for either Algebra 2 or Algebra 2 for Pre-Calculus. Students successfully completing Algebra at Classical School will register for Geometry. Students successfully completing Pre-Algebra at Classical School will register for Algebra 1. An optional 1 credit support class is typically available for Algebra and Geometry. On the course request worksheet, the support class may be referred to as WIN, which stands for “What I Need.”

An additional, though not often pursued, option does exist for those who successfully complete Pre-Algebra at Classical School to spread Algebra 1 over two years by taking Algebra 1A as a freshman and Algebra 1B as a sophomore. A recommendation for which class to select will be provided for each student by their Classical School math teacher.

Health and Physical Education

Freshmen are required to take both a half-credit Health course and half-credit Fit 4 You course. As noted in the summer school section of this FAQ, taking Health online the summer before freshman year is a popular option to create some flexibility in a student’s schedule. If a student wishes to take Health online the summer prior to freshman year, please make a note on the course request worksheet. NOTE: A student choosing to take Health online will still need to register for the Appleton eSchool class separately when registration opens (see Summer School section above). Freshmen Physical Education cannot be taken online.

Foreign Language

While not required for high school graduation, at least two years of a single foreign language in high school are required for admission to some universities. Students should review the requirements of any post-secondary schools they may be interested in attending. The majority of Classical School students choose to continue their Spanish studies in high school in either Spanish 3 or Spanish 4. A recommendation for which class to select will be provided for each student by their Classical School Spanish teacher. Beginning studies in French is also an option for freshmen. Additional foreign language courses may be available online through Appleton eSchool during the school year.  

Fine Arts

One fine arts credit is required for high school graduation. Many students choose to complete this credit their freshman year. There are several fine arts opportunities available to freshmen, including band, orchestra, chorus, theater, and art classes. Humanities may be an option beginning sophomore year if not used as a social studies credit. The Appleton Area School District Course and Career Planning Guide will include all options.

Preliminary Freshmen Schedules

Your student will receive a “Course Confirmation Sheet” in March. You are asked to review, sign, and return the sheet to confirm course choices. The high schools will then create a preliminary schedule for each student and try to provide them before the end of the school year.

Students should contact their high school counseling office immediately regarding any necessary schedule changes. Final schedules are usually provided at high school registration events at the end of summer.

Classical School 8th Grade Students and Parents,

Welcome to the exciting process of high school course selection! This is intended as an introductory guide to help you navigate the process. Parents and students working together are the best advocates for a successful high school experience. You will need to take the lead in helping determine the most appropriate freshman-level classes for your student.

Input from current Classical School teachers as well as AASD’s 2025-2026 Course and Career Planning Guide and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document provided by Classical’s counselor will be helpful to you in the course selection process. 

Any information provided by the high schools will be passed along; however, it is ultimately up to you to pursue the answers you need. It is worth noting that the high schools rely almost entirely on the students to handle situations and deliver information to parents. As rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors, the process of course selection will generally occur in high school homerooms. As soon-to-be freshmen, students should understand their responsibility in this process now.  

What can you do over Winter Break? 

Review important documents, including the Freshman Course Request Worksheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PNeVgjOh-c08e4OXVf6_BaquZl8LWJsttxXsYD-jrOI/edit?tab=t.0. This worksheet is to be completed to assist in the process of selecting high school courses. Students will use their completed worksheets to guide them in entering their course requests in Infinite Campus (IC) in mid to late January. Videos are provided by the high schools to assist in this process. We will keep you updated as we receive links to the videos and more information on the timeline to enter course requests in Infinite Campus.

In early January, Classical School’s counselor, Mrs. Arps, will notify each 8th grade family with teacher recommendations for high school ELA, Math, and Spanish courses. For those who prefer hard copies of the documents, folders of materials will also be available for students in late December.

Important Dates to Remember

Informational events (Explore Nights) are typically held by the AASD comprehensive High Schools (North, East, West) for incoming freshmen and their parents to get answers to their course selection questions. Currently scheduled events are listed below.

While these events are optional, we encourage you to join the event held by the AASD high school your student selected to attend next year. More information from the high schools, including event fliers, will be passed along as it is provided to Classical. 

• Explore Night at EAST - Monday, January 6, 2025 from 6:00-7:30pm
• Explore Night at NORTH -  Monday, January 6, 2025 from 6:00-7:30pm
• Explore Night at WEST -  Monday, January 6, 2025 from 6:00-7:30pm

This is also an appropriate time to begin checking the high schools’ websites and social media accounts for information on any additional upcoming events for incoming freshmen.

If you have any questions, please contact Classical’s counselor, Tanya Arps, at arpstanya@aasd.k12.wi.us. 

Thank you!