Carl J. Franklin, Biological Curator at The University of Texas at Arlington, gave presentations to the AP Environmental Science Students at Paschal High School on Tuesday. The subject was "Turtles of Texas" with a focus on the conservation issues facing these unique reptiles. Until recently thousand of pounds of Texas turtle flesh was being shipped out of DFW airport weekly to Asian food markets. New legislation has slowed the harvest of our native turtles, but Texas turtle populations are still shrinking throughout the State. The turtle crisis is not restricted to Texas - it is a global issue.
DFW is considered a juggernaut in the battle to keep these armored vertebrates from extinction. Along with UTA biologists, DFW is home to the Turtle Survival Alliance (headquartered at the Fort Worth Zoo).
The new semester is well under way, and going by quickly! Course selections for next year are being scheduled as we speak through the counseling department. Seniors are ordering graduation announcements and caps and gowns. It leaves one wondering: where has winter gone?
The district has made some significant revisions to academics this year. Most of these changes affect the current freshman class only. The unified policy on conferring of Latin honors and the somewhat later ranking for Valedictorian and Salutatorian, however, affect the class of 2012.
Latin Honors Policy, effective for the class of 2012 and thereafter:
Summa Cum Laude - top highest two percent of the graduating class
Magna Cum Laude - next highest three percent of the graduating class
Cum Laude - next highest five percent of the graduating class.
Ranking to determine Latin Honors, Valedictorian, and Salutatorian, effective class of 2012 and thereafter:
Official rankings of a graduating class will occur in mid-May, and the average of the fourth and fifth six weeks will be used for that purpose. In case of a tie in the weighted GPAs, after calculation to the thousandths place, the District shall recognize all students involved in the tie as sharing the honor and title of either Valedictorian or Salutatorian.
Weighted Grade Point Averages, effective for the class of 2015 and thereafter:
Grade
Tier I (AP or post AP courses)
Tier II (Pre-AP or Honors courses)
Tier III (on-level courses)
97 & above
5.0
4.5
4.0
94 - 96
4.8
4.3
3.8
91 - 93
4.6
4.1
3.6
87 - 90
4.4
3.9
3.4
84 - 86
4.2
3.7
3.2
81 - 83
4.0
3.5
3.0
77 - 80
3.8
3.3
2.8
74 - 76
3.6
3.1
2.6
71 - 73
3.4
2.9
2.4
70
3.0
2.5
2.0
69 or below
0
0
0
Impact of End of Course Exams on grades, effective for the class of 2015 and thereafter
A course for which there is an end of course exam will only be granted full-year credit. Each semester grade shall count as 42.5% of a student's final grade, and the EOC score shall count as 15% of the student's final grade.
Students who do not have a passing Final Grade but who pass the EOC will be administered a Credit By Exam to gain course credit. Students who do not have a passing Final Grade and who fail the EOC, must retake the course
If a student retakes an EOC assessment, the District shall use the retake score for credit decisions only if the retake score allows a student to gain credit for the course. The District shall also use retake scores to recalculate a student's cumulative score. The District shall not use the retake score in the final course grade calculation as reported on the student's transcript
posted Feb 7, 2012 10:54 AM by J M
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updated Feb 8, 2012 9:34 AM
]
The Paschal Whiz Quiz team was once again crowned District Champions for 2012! The trophy is in the mailbox room for a few days if you would like to see it.
If you see any of these students, please congratulate them.
posted Jan 23, 2012 7:35 AM by J M
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updated Jan 23, 2012 7:36 AM
]
Albertsons presented the band with a $5,000 check as part of the Community Partners Program. The band will use the money to outfit their new big moving van that will be used for hauling all the band equipment to games and contests.
The U.S. Coast Guard Choir is coming to Fort Worth for a singing/recruiting trip for the Academy. They will be here Feb. 1-5 and will sing at Paschal on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 10 a.m. On Friday night, they will sing the National Anthem at the rodeo, and on Saturday night, they will perform a free community concert at 7 p.m. at Arborlawn Methodist Church. If anyone is interested in housing these young men and women, please contact school nurse Kathy Dierker, 817-814-5020.
A bit of history…. Since 1985, members of the Parent and Public Engagement Business Advisory Committee have hosted a recognition for outstanding classroom teachers in the Fort Worth Independent School District. One teacher from each school is elected by fellow teachers for the honor. It is preferred that a different teacher receive the honor every year and that he/she be supportive of parent and community involvement in student achievement.
