Friday, September 10, 2010

Dana Middle School

First Day of School is Tuesday, September 7th!  First bell rings at 9:00 a.m.
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Elective Program

Elective Program

The Dana Middle elective program allows students to expand their talents and explore new interests! Follow the links to the right to explore the variety of electives available at Dana. View the FAQ below. 

 

Elective FAQ's

Q: Do all students receive an elective?
A: Yes. All students are scheduled for one elective for the entire year. Students can select a different elective their second year at Dana.
 
Q: How do students select an elective?
A: Students and parents have the opportunity to request electives during February when completing the Matriculation Card. Students are asked to rank their top three elective choices. This information is used when scheduling students for classes for the following year.
 
Q: I reviewed the Matriculation Card and saw an elective I was interested in. Can I assume it will be offered next year?
A: Elective classes with limited interest may not be offered. For example, we are hoping to have a Creative Writing Elective during the 2010-11 school year. We will not offer the class if we do not have enough requests. If this should occur, we will automatically attempt to place the child in their second choice.
 
Q: Why didn't my student receive their top elective choice?
A: Our goal is to provide every student with one of their top three elective choices. Unfortunately we cannot make this happen 100% of the time. There are a variety of reasons why:
  • Class size - Your child may have selected a popular elective with a limited number of seats.
  • Schedule conflict - Your child may need to be placed in certain type of math/language arts class because of test scores or GATE status. If the elective is only offered one period in the day and this conflicts with the appropriate math/language arts class, we will give priority to the core class.
  • Course prerequisites - some elective courses require a prerequisite. For example, all students in Advanced Band must take Beginning Band first.
We do the best we can to meet the needs of all students.  If we are unable to offer your child one of their top three choices, we will contact you to discuss available aleternatives.
 
Q: What is VAPA?
A: The Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Department includes music, theatre and visual arts. Visit the SDUSD VAPA Department website for more information.


Q: Why was my student automatically placed in the Math Academy or Literacy Academy elective?
A: Some children may be automatically placed in our Math Academy and Language Arts Academy elective classes because they have been identified as needing additional support in these core subject areas. Parents of students being scheduled into these classes will be contacted by our master schedule team.