8th to 9th Grade Scheduling has begun

5 down and 95 more to go. . .meetings with 8th graders and their parents, that is.  Scheduling time for me is always bittersweet.  I hate the back to back meetings with no time in between to do anything else.  My time is almost consumed for the next month or so with nothing but scheduling.  I love, however, meeting with students and parents about the roads that are ahead.  Some take the expressway, while others choose to explore the unbeaten path. 

The real question is how to get through it all.  Scheduling takes real planning and preparation.  I will meet with every one of my 100 students and their parents by month's end.  How will I do it?  By following these steps.

1. Meet with the 8th grade team and determine which students can miss a class and which students to only meet with during a study hall or after school time.
2. Get recommendations for each student.
3. Make a schedule for the month, and put it into excel so it can be merged into a letter to mail home to each student.
4. Make sure all forms are ready.
5. Sit back and wait for the process to begin!

Believe it or not, few parents will call to change their appointment times, and with the help of my awesome secretary, Kimmie, each parent will be called the day before to be reminded.

I am attaching the forms I use with each student and their family. 

First is the Guide To High School:

 Now the Worksheets I give to each student:



Worksheet to pick out classes for 9th grade.



Recommendation Form that will be sent home.



Student Programming Worksheet to help with 4 year planning



My Schedule for the week:

How do you schedule students for classes for high school?  Feel free to post a comment so we can share our procedures and help a colleague along the way.