Subject Selection - Green Bay High School

YEAR 9 COURSE SELECTION:

Green Bay High School provides Year 9 students with the opportunity to explore a range of courses before deciding on specific pathways and preparing for the senior school. Year 9 students are required to study five compulsory core courses:

English
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Health and Physical Education

In addition Year 9 students are required to choose four option courses, one of which must be a second language, and five back-up options. All option courses, listed below in alphabetical order, are studied for one semester (two terms). Simply click on a subject to find out more information about that particular course, including costs involved.

YEAR 10 COURSE SELECTION:

Year 10 students are provided with the opportunity to further explore a range of courses in preparation for the senior school. Students should study course information carefully as there may be pre-requisites, for example: students who are planning to take a Language in Year 11 must have studied that Language in Year 10. Students in Year 10 are also required to study five compulsory core courses:

English
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Health and Physical Education

In addition, Year 10 students will study four more courses chosen from a wide list of options. All courses, listed below in alphabetical order, are studied for one semester (two terms) except for Language courses which are studied for a whole year. If students select a language they will only be required to select two additional courses. Simply slick on a subject to find out more information about that particular course, including costs involved.

YEAR 11 COURSE SELECTION:

This is typically the first year of study in the senior school, with Year 11 students working towards their National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1. Before making decisions about courses to study, it is important that students understand the future implications of these choices. As students move into Level 2 NCEA, options will be impacted by the courses they selected in Year 11 - so students need to make sure that they read the course information carefully, and explore where each course may lead.

Before selecting courses, students should explore their options by:

Talking with Careers Advisers, teachers and families/whānau/fono
Asking questions in Academic Counselling Sessions
Referring to the NZQA website
Referring to university or other tertiary websites such AUT, University of Auckland or Canterbury subject guides
Finding out what courses you will need for future training and education in Careers NZ or Occupation Outlook

Year 11 students study three core courses:

English
Mathematics
Science

In addition students will select three other courses, and two back up courses. All courses are listed below in alphabetical order, simply slick on a subject to find out more information about that particular course, including costs involved.

YEAR 12 COURSE SELECTION:

In Year 12 students must continue to study English; this is to make sure they gain Level 2 University Entrance Literacy. For Year 12 students their Level 2 results are significant, as they are often used by universities, polytechnics and employers as part of their selection process. They are also used to assess eligibility for financial scholarships.

For some subjects at NCEA Level 2 there may be pre-requisites. This means students need to have studied a designated Level 1 subject and gained a specified number of credits or achieved certain standards. For example, they will need to have studied Science at NCEA Level 1, and have passed two Level 1 Science externals, one of which must be a Physics external at Merit or above to study Level 2 Physics.

Level 2 courses offered at Green Bay High School are listed below in alphabetical order, simply slick on a subject to find out more information about that particular course, including costs involved.

Many employers see NCEA Level 2 or above as the basic requirement for a job or apprenticeship. Students interested in a trade or practical vocation can often work towards this and earn NCEA credits at Level 2 while they are at school. Their options can include work experience, a Pathways course at a tertiary education provider, Gateway or STAR. Interested students will be required to apply for a Gateway placement.

Before selecting courses, Year 12 students should explore their options by:

Comparing the information regarding tertiary options on the Careers NZ website
Talking to students who are in tertiary study or training now or who have just finished
Talking to family/whānau/fono, teachers, Deans and the Careers Team about your ideas
Using the Jobs Database to find out what you need to get into a job of interest
Use the Course Searcher Tool to look up what and where you can study
Visit Subject Matcher or Career Quest if you are unsure of your direction
Volunteering for organisations that interest you in your community
If you are considering a university pathway, you can refer to the Subject Guides on these websites: AUT, University of Auckland or Canterbury

YEAR 13 COURSE SELECTION:

This is the final year of secondary school study, and provides Year 13 students with the opportunity to gain University Entrance (UE), which is required for studying an undergraduate degree. There are no compulsory courses at Level 3, however, students must select five courses to study, many of which have pre-requisites. To achieve University Entrance, students must achieve Level 1 Numeracy AND Level 2 UE Literacy AND at Level 3 gain a minimum of 14 credits in three University Approved Subjects AND 18 credits from any other subject(s). Level 3 courses offered at Green Bay High School are listed below in alphabetical order, simply slick on a subject to find out more information about that particular course, including costs involved.

Entry requirements to University courses may vary, and for some University courses a rank score is required. The rank score is calculated from your best 80 Level 3 UE Approved Achievement Standards. A list of courses which meet the 'University Approved' criteria can be found on the NZQA website.

Before selecting courses Year 13 students should explore their options by:

Comparing the information on tertiary options on the Careers NZ website
Talking to students who are in tertiary study or training now or who have just finished
Talking to family/whānau/fono, teachers, Deans and the Careers Team) about your ideas
Checking entry requirements for jobs of interest
Using the Jobs Database to find out what you need to get into a job of interest
Use the Course Searcher Tool to look up what and where you can study
Revisit Subject Matcher or Career Quest if you are unsure of your direction
Volunteering for organisations that interest you in your community
If you are considering a university pathway, you can refer to the Subject Guides on these websites: AUT, University of Auckland or Canterbury

Creating a course plan helps to keep career pathways on track

At Green Bay High School students have the ability to create a course plan to help them achieve their tertiary and/or career pathways.

Knowing what qualifications are available and what is needed to get there is the key! By planning a pathway from Year 9 to Year 13 students and their whānau can clearly see which subject choice are needed in order to achieve the desired outcome.

Some students may already have a specific area of interest future mind, for others, it may be a case of trying a bit of everything before a career pathway is formed. Choices can be difficult to make and often change. Our Careers team work closely with Deans and Heads of Faculties to offer guidance and support along the way.

Creating your own course plan

Using SchoolPoint, students have the ability to create a course plan that helps them reach their milestones that they have set for themselves for their future, by adding courses to their Favourite list / as one of their selected Courses. Favourite courses are courses that they are planning to take in future or that will count towards their career goals.

How to select Courses of study

Log in with the email account you have associated with your child’s enrolment at Green Bay High School and follow the prompts (or) check out this helpful video: How to Login to SchoolBridge *Please note the video shows a demonstration of how to sign in to SchoolBridge using a generic ‘school’ and ‘caregiver details’.

Students enrolled at Green Bay High School can choose their Courses via ‘SchoolBridge’ an online tool, and app, which profiles all subjects offered.

Logging into SchoolPoint
Navigate to "Courses" in the left hand navigation
Navigate to "Learning Areas/Faculties/Departments" in the sub menu
Select the Learning Area/Faculty/Department that matches your needs ie English
You will be navigated to a page that meet your prerequisites and include useful information such as course details, courses in that learning area/faculty/department and career options relating to that course
Click on the course that meets your requirements
You will be taken to a page that includes useful information such as course description, pathway and recommended prior learning
Click on the "Add to your Favourites Courses" button to add this course to your favourite list. Click the same button to view a list of your Favourite Courses. Click on the name of the course to remove it
Click on the "+ Select as one of my Courses" button to add this course to your Selected list. Click the same button to remove it
Click on the "View my Courses" To view a summary of your courses

Please Note: Course availability is dependent on numbers and staffing, and course entry will be confirmed at the beginning of the school year during Course Confirmation. Students will be required to select additional back-up courses as part of this process.