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Academics:
Curriculum Guide |
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Curriculum Guide
Hamden Hall Country Day School undertakes to offer all
required courses and enough electives so that students
may fulfill distributional requirements for completion
of each grade and for graduation. Not all the elective
courses can be offered every year. Course enrollment and
faculty schedules as well as unforeseen circumstances
will affect which electives are scheduled.
MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Seventh grade: Each student takes a full year of
English, history, mathematics, foreign language, a half
year of science, and a half year of music and art.
Eighth grade: Each student takes a full year of English,
mathematics, physical science, foreign language, and a
half year each of history, art, and theater.
UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Students take the equivalent of five full courses each
semester. Any additional course requires approval from
the Director of Studies.
Ninth grade: Each student takes a full year of English,
history, biology, mathematics, and foreign language.
Some students receive permission to take an additional
half-credit of art. Tenth grade: Each student takes a
full year of English, mathematics, and foreign language.
In addition, two credits must be taken among electives
in history, science, fine arts, and computer. Note that
electives may carry full- or half-credit. Eleventh and
Twelfth grades: Each student takes an English course
each semester and four other credits from the rest of
the curriculum during each of these years. A graduating
senior must complete five courses each semester of the
senior year. Students carrying three A.P. courses,
however, may take a 4 ˝ course schedule each semester.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS (Grades 9-12)
Total Credits: 19
English: 4 years (including at least one course per
semester)
History: 2 ˝ years (including U.S. History)
Foreign Language: 3rd year level completed
Mathematics: Through junior year (including Geometry
& Algebra II)
Science: 2 years of science (including Biology and a
physical science)
Computer: Proficiency
Fine Arts: 1 year
Sports: 4 years (including participation in fall sports
and either winter or spring sports)
GRADING SYSTEM
The academic year is divided into two semesters of two
marking periods each. Grades are numerical. The passing
and college recommending grade is 60; the failing grade
is 55 or below. No grade for a marking period or
semester will be given in the range of 56-59.
- 94-100 Excellent achievement
- 85-93 Very good achievement
- 80-84 Good achievement: Honors eligibility
- 75-79 Satisfactory work
- 70-74 Satisfactory work but needs supervision
- 60-69 Below desired level of achievement; extra
help should be sought
- Failing; no credit 50-55
HONOR ROLL
Any student whose academic average is 83 or above, with
no grade below 80, is placed on Honor Roll status. The
Honor Roll is posted twice each year, in January and
June. At the end of the first semester, semester grades
are used to determine academic standing. At the end of
each year, yearly grades are used, except where there
are only semester grades available. In this case, the
second semester grade will be used for those courses
only. Students who have achieved Honor Roll status for
the previous year are normally invited as guests of the
Cum Laude Society to attend its fall banquet.
EXAMINATIONS
Most Upper School courses include an examination at the
end of each semester. Semester examinations count 20-33%
of the semester grade; examinations covering a full year
count 15-25% of the year grade. An examination grade of
less than 40 results in automatic failure in that
course. Less weight is placed on examination results in
the Middle School.
ACADEMIC CREDIT: UPPER SCHOOL
A student will be granted academic credit in all
subjects at Hamden Hall in which a final grade of 60 or
higher has been earned. A student who enters Hamden Hall
after completing a portion of the secondary school
program in another school will be granted credit toward
a Hamden Hall diploma for college preparatory courses in
the previous school in which a grade of college
recommending quality has been earned. Normally this
means five credits for each full high school year
outside Harnden Hall.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Hamden Hall offers Advanced Placement courses in all
departments. Students who wish to take an A.P.
examination must enroll in the appropriate course; once
enrolled, a student is expected to take the A.P.
examination. Students who wish to take A.P. examinations
in subjects which Hamden Hall does not offer may do so
by special arrangement with the College Office and the
Director of Studies.
HOMEWORK
The expectation is that Middle School students will
work a minimum of two hours each night. This includes
written assignments, reading, and studying. The
expectation is that Upper School students will do, on
the average, 45 minutes of homework for each course each
night. This includes written assignments, reading, and
studying.
STUDY HALL
Middle School students have a study period just
before lunch each day. This time may also be used for
activities, extra help, or advisor meetings. All
ninth-graders are placed in study hall the first
semester and need to be on the Honor Roll to earn
exemption after that. New students in grades 10-11 are
placed in study hall during the first marking period,
along with returning students who have not earned an
exemption. To earn an exemption, a student must maintain
a 78 average with no grade below 75. Seniors are
normally exempt from study hall, unless they are on
academic probation.
ACADEMIC COMMENTS AND ADVISOR MEETINGS
At the conclusion of each semester, the Middle and
Upper School faculty meet to discuss each student's
academic and social progress. Teacher comments are sent
home four times each year (November, January, April, and
June). A four-week Interim Report is sent home early
each semester in courses in which students are achieving
below 70. Parents are encouraged to schedule a meeting
with the student's faculty advisor shortly after the
first marking period in November. Advisors will contact
parents in February to review the first semester and --
where necessary-- to suggest strategies for second
semester.
COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM AND WEIGHING
To make student's transcripts as clear as possible,
each Upper School course carries a three-digit number.
The first digit stands for the level at which the course
is offered: for example, "100" courses are
offered at the fIrst or ninth grade level, and
"400" numbers refer to senior or fourth-year
courses. "500" courses are fifthyear courses.
The second digit stands for the pace of a given course
or section. Thus, 6-7 means a fast pace, 3-5 an average
pace, and 1-2 a slower-than average pace; 8-9 denotes an
Advanced Placement course. The third digit serves only
to number different courses. The fraction “1/2”
denotes a half-credit course. Half-credit courses run
for one semester meeting every day or two days a week
for the full year. College transcripts include a
weighing factor: 2% for average or "B" level
courses; 5% for fast or "Honors" courses; 10%
for A.P. courses.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
All Middle and Upper School students are encouraged
to participate in one or more of the activities listed
below. Most activities are run for the entire academic
year and allow students the opportunity to explore an
area of interest and to further enrich the school
community.
Middle School
- Class Government
- Green & White
- Human Issues
- Instrumental Ensemble
- Jazz RockBand
- Literary Magazine
- MathCounts
Middle School Clubs
- MusicaI/Play
- Select Chorus
- Volunteer Program
- Jewish Home for the Aged
- Tutoring for Inner City Children
- 7th Grade Class Trip
- 8th Grade Class Trip
Upper School
- Academic Decathlon
- Chess Club
- Chorus
- Curriculum Committee
- Debate
- Disciplinary Committee
- Drama Club (Thespians)
- Environmental Club
- Green & White Club
- Instrumental Ensemble
- Key Club
- Literary Magazine
- Math Team
- Middle School Advocates
- Newspaper
- Peer Tutoring
- Prom Committee
- Student Government
- Tour Guides
- Yearbook
ATHLETIC REQUIREMENTS
Hamden Hall subscribes to the philosophy of a sound
mind in a sound body for each student. We believe that
athletics is an integral part of the educational
process, combining with classroom instruction, student
government, the arts, and various extra-curricular
activities to provide students with the best possible
opportunity for success. We strive to develop the unique
potential of each student/athlete—the physical,
mental, social, and ethical qualities to perform as an
individual and/or part of a team dedicated to a common
goal and purpose. We are dedicated to helping
student/athletes develop a positive self-image and sense
of confidence, independence, and leadership within our
athletic program. To achieve these goals and receive
proper credit necessary for graduation, all
seventh-through twelfth-grade students are required to
participate in our athletic program. A variety of
competitive interscholastic sports and non-competitive
activities are offered each year. School-sponsored
community service may be substituted for part of the
athletic requirement. Students may apply for an
independent athletic elective as part of a year's
athletic credit.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS
All Middle School students must participate during each
of the three athletic seasons. Practice is held at the
end of the Middle School day on Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday. Most games are scheduled for
Thursdays, with some Wednesday games. When a number of
students playing a particular sport mandates, there will
be "A" and "B" squads, schedules,
and games. Some sports make cuts based on the number of
students trying out.
AUTUMN
- Football
- Boys' Soccer
- Girls' Soccer
- Field Hockey
- Alternative Life Sports
WINTER
- Boys' Basketball
- Girls' Basketball
- Wrestling
- Swimming (co-ed)
- Alternative Life Sports
- Community Service
SPRING
- Baseball
- Boys' Lacrosse
- Girls' Lacrosse
- Softball
- Tennis (co-ed)
- Alternative Life Sports
UPPER SCHOOL ATHLETICS
Participation is required two seasons each year. All
students in grades 9-12 participate in the autumn and
must select either a winter or spring sport. All
students new to the Upper School must participate in a
team sport in their first year of Upper School.
Interscholastic Competition Interscholastic teams have
mandatory pre-season practices for autumn, winter, and
spong sports. During the season, practice is held
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday for two hours per
day. A coach may at times also call for a Thursday
practice. Most games are held on Wednesdays and
Saturdays, but some must be scheduled on other days to
meet the schedules of other schools. Athletics is not
extracurricular, and attendance at all announced
practices and games, unless otherwise noted, is a
required school commitment.
AUTUMN
- V/ JV Field Hockey
- V/JV Football
- V/JV Boys' Soccer
- V/JV Girls' Soccer
- Cross Country (co-ed)
- Girls Volleyball
- Golf(co-ed)
WINTER
- Wrestling
- V/JV Boys' Basketball
- V/JV Girls' Basketball
SPRING
- V/JV Baseball
- V/JV Boys' Lacrosse
- V/JV Girls' Lacrosse
- Girls', Boys' Tennis
- Golf (co-ed)
- V/JV Softball
Non-Competitive Athletics
Non-competitive sports meet three or four days per week
for one to two hours each day. Attendance is mandatory
and absences must be made up to receive credit.
AUTUMN
- Community Service
- General Exercise
- Outdoors Program
WINTER
- Community Service
- Ski Club
- Weight Lifting
SPRING
- Community Service
- General Exercise
- Outdoors Program
- Running Club
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Curriculum
