Overview

Grades 5 & 6

Hillside Student Community’s strong academic core is enriched by drama, storytelling, and art, with our experienced artists-in-residence. Enhancing academics through creativity is an important goal at Hillside.

Scheduling

The school year is divided into two semesters for grades 5/6. Most classes are fifty minutes in length except during the designated play month (usually January), which is devoted primarily to rehearsals and preparation for the drama production.

Grades and Evaluations

Teachers provide written comments and grades-in-progress at the end of each semester. Parent-student-teacher conferences are provided twice a year, in November and in May.

Grades 7 – 12

The Block System: Academic Immersion

The division between Intermediate and Secondary Levels highlights the shift towards more intensive study. While language, math, and non-lab science are taught in traditional fifty-minute morning classes, other required courses and electives are presented in three hour “blocks” which provide immersion in the subjects. The block system, pioneered by Hillside, avoids the fragmentation inherent in attempting to study seven subjects a day. Course descriptions are organized into: Morning Classes and Afternoon Required and Elective Blocks. The school year is divided into trimesters for grades 7-12.

Grades and Evaluations

Teachers provide written comments and/or grades-in-progress at the end of each trimester. Parent-student-teacher conferences are offered twice a year, in winter and in spring. Year-end grades determine grade point average and eligibility for honors.

Credits and Graduation

Three trimesters of a successfully completed subject equal one credit. Although a minimum of twenty credits is required for graduation, HSC students typically earn over twenty-four credits in our college preparatory program. Many of our seniors earn six or more of these credits in Running Start courses at the Community College level through HSC’s sponsorship.